January 28, 2020 5:39 pm
HAVANA (AP) – A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba. It shook a vast area from Mexico to Florida and beyond Tuesday, but there have been no reports of casualties or heavy damage.áThe quake was centered 139 kilometers (86 miles) northwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 140 kilometers (87 miles) west-southwest of Niquero, Cuba. It hit at 2:10 p.m. (1910 GMT) and the epicenter was a relatively shallow 10 kilometers (6 miles) beneath the surface. The quake was felt strongly in Santiago, the largest far-eastern Cuban city. It also prompted some evacuations in South Florida.
January 28, 2020 1:28 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan calls for the creation of a State of Palestine with its capital in portions of east Jerusalem. Presentation of the “two state solution” concept ends speculation that Trump might have abandoned consideration of an independent Palestine as he has adopted policies that bolster Israel at the expense of the Palestinians. U.S. officials say the plan would more than double the territory currently under Palestinian control, but it would recognize Israeli sovereignty over major settlement blocs in the West Bank. It also calls for a four-year freeze in new Israeli settlement construction, during which time details of a comprehensive agreement would be negotiated.
January 28, 2020 4:52 am
Washington City Police are looking for your help to identify an armed robbery suspect. They have posted an image of the robber on social media. The suspect robbed the Metro PCS store. Anyone with information about the suspects identity is asked to contact police at 724-223-4226.
January 28, 2020 4:17 am
CALABASAS, Calif. (AP) – A federal investigator says the pilot of the helicopter that crashed outside Los Angeles, killing Kobe Bryant and eight others, told air traffic controllers in his last message that he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer before the aircraft plunged more than 1,000 feet into a hillside. The helicopter crashed Sunday morning after requesting special permission to fly through heavy fog. Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board says investigators went to the scene Monday to collect evidence. She says the wreckage was scattered over a large area.
January 28, 2020 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s legal team is making a forceful case against the relevance of possible testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton. The lawyers are nearing the end of their defense, and the Senate is braced for debate on whether to allow Bolton and other witnesses into the impeachment trial. Attorney Jay Sekulow took a dismissive swipe at an unpublished book by Bolton that is said to contradict a key defense argument about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Revelations about that book have clouded White House hopes for a big finish Tuesday as well as a swift end to the impeachment trial.
January 28, 2020 4:14 am
BEIJING (AP) – China’s death toll from a new viral disease that is causing mounting global concern has risen by 25 to at least 106. The United States and other governments are preparing to fly their citizens out of the locked-down city at center of the outbreak. The total includes the first death in Beijing and 24 more in Hubei province, where the outbreak has been centered. Asian stock markets tumbled for a second day, dragged down by worries about the virus’s global economic impact. More than 4,500 cases are confirmed. The U.S., Japan, Mongolia, France and other governments were preparing evacuations. Germany announced its first case. (Photo: CNN)
January 28, 2020 4:11 am
PLUM, Pa. (AP) – A Pittsburgh-area school district has closed all schools Monday following a potential threat of violence received over the weekend. Plum Borough police say the “non-specific” potential threat against Plum School District came Sunday from an online system for reporting anonymous tips run by the state attorney general’s office. Police say the decision to close all district schools was made “in an abundance of caution.” Police chief Lanny Conley told the Tribune-Review that it was a “generalized threat to shoot up the school.” The district was closed after a threat in 2018. Six threats in spring 2017 resulted in charges against several students.
January 28, 2020 4:10 am
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) – A judge is flatly rejecting Jerry Sandusky’s latest request to have his 30- to 60-year child molestation sentence reduced. A judge said Tuesday that she purposely fashioned the prison term to have an impact on the former Penn State assistant football coach. She noted Sandusky continues to maintain his innocence. And the judge said it appeared Sandusky would have access to children if he were to leave prison. His lawyers say he plans further appeals. The 76-year-old Sandusky participated by phone but said very little. His defense attorney argued that grievances and misconduct that Sandusky has been involved in while in prison were relatively minor.
January 28, 2020 4:08 am
The agenda was brief but quite productive in Peters Township as council began Monday night with a conditional use public hearing regarding a proposed office warehouse development along Venetia Road. A proposal for as many as three 4000 square foot buildings is being proposed for storage and work space for small business owners that need office space and storage for materials. Discussion then moved to an eyesore that township residents have complained about for years. Township Manager Paul Lauer explained that the township will enter into a settlement agreement with Ed and Susan Courtney regarding the demolition of one of their buildings at the St. Petersburg Center on Valleybrook Road. The Courtneys appealed a common pleas court decision to commonwealth court. That appeal resulted in a decision giving the Courtneys 60 days to demolish the building and remove all remaining debris. Lauer states that progress is being made and he does not expect any issue going forward. Council also approved the purchase of a new police vehicle. Council budgeted $44,000 dollars for a vehicle that will be assigned to the chief of police. Cars will be rotated and the oldest one sold.
January 28, 2020 4:07 am
MONESSEN, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Monessen police officer is under fire after controversial posts on Facebook. It started with the officer taking to social media to ask, “Who was Kobe Bryant?” The comments and images that followed have many people in the community questioning the officer’s judgement. Multiple images of fiery explosions and police officers dancing — Neighbors said the responses were inappropriate and insensitive. The police chief said he is aware of the posts and the officer’s union is involved, but no disciplinary action has been taken at this time. According to our news partners at Channel 11, some in the community said they’ve lost trust in the officer and comments they said they found racially insensitive.
