July 10, 2020 4:09 am
NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, has been returned to federal prison. The federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press on Thursday that Cohen had “refused the conditions of his home confinement.” A legal adviser says Cohen refused to accept conditions requiring him to avoid speaking with media and to not publish his tell-all book. The move comes weeks after the 53-year-old was released in late May to serve the remainder of his sentence at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress.
July 10, 2020 4:08 am
MIAMI (AP) – Tropical Storm Fay is beginning to edge away from the North Carolina coast, with forecasters saying its sights are set on the mid-Atlantic coast and southern New England. The tropical storm formed Thursday afternoon and it’s expected to bring heavy rain and gusty winds further up the Eastern seaboard. The U.S. National Hurricane Center put Fay about 85 miles north, northeast of Cape Hatteras at 11 p.m. Thursday. Fay has top sustained winds of 45 mph. A tropical storm warning was issued Thursday afternoon from Cape May, New Jersey, to Watch Hill, Rhode Island. The warning area includes Long Island and the Long Island Sound in New York.
July 10, 2020 4:06 am
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – A district attorney says Utah police officers were legally justified in firing more than 30 times and killing an armed man as he ran away. The case has become a rallying point for protesters in the state amid a national wave of dissent against police brutality. District Attorney Sim Gill said 22-year-old Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal was shot as he ran from Salt Lake City police officers who were investigating a gun-threat call and had yelled for him to drop a gun. The man’s family expressed pain and frustration with the district attorney’s decision and said it would redouble its calls for systemic change.
July 10, 2020 4:05 am
BEIJING (AP) – Two World Health Organization experts will spend the next two days in the Chinese capital to lay the groundwork for a larger mission to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over Saturday and Sunday they will work to fix the “scope and terms of reference” for the future mission aimed at learning how the virus jumped from animals to humans. The WHO mission is sensitive after the U.S. moved to cut ties with the agency over allegations it mishandled the outbreak and is biased toward China. More than 120 nations have called for an investigation. China has insisted that WHO lead it and wait until the pandemic is brought under control.
July 10, 2020 4:03 am
(WPXI) – Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade, one of the largest Labor Day parades in the country, was canceled Friday over coronavirus concerns. Instead, Allegheny County will hold a series of events including hosting food and blood drives. The Labor Day parade draws large crowds of working Americans and labor unions from across the area. The parade usually attracts some big names in politics. In 2018, former Vice President Joe Biden marched in the parade.
July 10, 2020 4:02 am
MT. LEBANON, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man was arrested in Mt. Lebanon Thursday night after police said he made threats on social media to “blow up” a state office building and get “gunned down by the police.” According to a release, multiple police departments were made aware of the suspect — who was not identified — Thursday around 5:15 p.m. Whitehall police initially issued a bulletin to be on the lookout for the man, who was “potentially armed and dangerous” and driving a white Mercedes sedan. Police originally said he may be armed with numerous firearms after making the threats on social media. Investigators said the suspect also posted threats to the CIA headquarters in Washington, D.C. Mt. Lebanon police spotted the man’s Mercedes on Washington Road near the intersection at Woodhaven Drive. Police said the man was taken into custody without incident. As the suspect was arrested, authorities said officers found numerous weapons in the car, along with “components used in the making of improvised explosive devices.” The Allegheny County Bomb Squad was called in to remove and secure those items. The man is currently in police custody, and the investigation is ongoing.
July 10, 2020 4:00 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A Pittsburgh hardware store has been ordered to pay customers back after a price gouging investigation from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office. According to Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office, Shawn Vogt, owner of Vogt’s True Value Hardware in the South Side of Pittsburgh has to pay up to $1,012.80 to customers who purchased face masks at the store. Customers must file a consumer complaint form and attach a copy of their receipt showing they bought masks on either April 22 or April 23. Under the Price Gouging Act, a price increase of more than 20% during a declared state of emergency is considered price gouging.
July 10, 2020 3:57 am
ELIZABETH TOWNSHIP — (WPXI) – Two 13-year-olds were responsible for a fire at a community pool in Elizabeth Township, according to Allegheny County police. A building that houses bathrooms, storage and the lifeguard area at the Buena Vista Pool on Styche Street caught fire just after 3:30 Thursday morning. The pool is owned and operated by the Buena Vista Fire Company. “It’s been here about 70 years now and we operate it as a public swimming pool to help generate money for the fire company,” said Chief James Davenport of the Buena Vista Fire Company. The fire chief told Channel 11 News that the fire started in the center of the building and appeared to be suspicious. Once detectives started investigating further, they found incendiary devices (Molotov Cocktails) near where the fire started. The pool opened in June and has been running at maximum capacity.
July 9, 2020 1:42 pm
Kennywood and Sandcastle will begin reopening on Friday. Officials with the parks say they will open to season pass-holders on Friday and then open to the public on Monday. The announcement comes on the heels of a reopening postponement because of rising cases of the coronavirus in Allegheny County. Officials say planned safety measures include limiting the parks’ capacity, requiring masks (except for children under 3 years old) and temperature checks at the park entrance. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher or who shows COVID-19 symptoms will be denied entry. Visitors will also be required to register for their visit after buying a ticket. Tickets will not be available at the gates. Social distancing guidelines will also be in place.
July 9, 2020 7:57 am
DUNMORE, Pa. (AP) – Democrat Joe Biden is turning his campaign against President Donald Trump toward the economy. On Thursday, he introduced a New Deal-like economic agenda while drawing a sharp contrast with a billionaire incumbent he said has abandoned working-class Americans amid cascading crises. Biden presented details of a comprehensive agenda that he touted as the most aggressive government investment in the U.S. economy since World War II. He also accused Trump of ignoring the coronavirus pandemic and the climate crisis while encouraging division amid a national reckoning with systemic racism. The economy was expected to be a strength for Trump in his reelection bid before the pandemic.