January 23, 2020 1:28 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled to uphold a legal principle that allows drillers to drain oil and natural gas from outside their property lines. The court overturned a 2018 decision by the lower Superior Court on Wednesday that said the “rule of capture” does not cover hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the rule has been applied throughout the United States since at least 1889. The rule states that oil and gas in reservoirs belongs to whomever pulls it from a well first. The court did not rule on what happens if a fracking operation physically crosses a property boundary, in which case a company could be subject to a trespassing claim.
January 22, 2020 3:36 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Wednesday is the deadline to seek cash payments and claim free services as part of Equifax’s $700 million settlement over a massive data breach. The breach in 2017, affecting 147 million people, was one of the largest ever to threaten private information. Equifax’s settlement with the U.S. government entitles affected consumers to free credit-monitoring and identity-restoration services for the next several years. Consumers may also be eligible for money for their time or reimbursement for certain services. Officials warn, however, that based on the number of claims so far, some payments will be reduced because of caps in the settlement.
January 22, 2020 3:35 am
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) – A fifth body has been found on a property in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, and officials say they are beginning to suspect they may have a serial killer in custody. Baja California state prosecutor Hiram Sánchez said Tuesday that the suspect may have lured victims with offers of cars for sale. The suspect is the son-in-law of the first couple found buried on the property last week. Sánchez says the suspect faces murder charges in that case, but adds that investigators are looking into other reported disappearances in which the missing people were last seen near the property. The fifth body was found Monday.
January 22, 2020 3:35 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – In an abrupt about-face, Hillary Clinton says she will endorse her 2016 rival Bernie Sanders if he wins the Democratic nomination to face President Donald Trump in November. The former secretary of state had earlier refused to say whether she would endorse Sanders in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Tuesday, instead telling the outlet: “I’m not going to go there yet.” Clinton tweeted Tuesday night: “The number one priority for our country and world is retiring Trump, and, as I always have, I will do whatever I can to support our nominee.” The two had a bitter rivalry for the 2016 nomination.
January 22, 2020 3:34 am
BEIJING (AP) – Chinese health authorities are urging people in the city of Wuhan to avoid crowds and public gatherings after warning that a new viral illness infecting hundreds of people in the country and causing at least nine deaths could spread further. A national health official says 440 cases are confirmed. The nine deaths are all in Hubei province, where the first cases were reported last month. The illness comes from a new coronavirus that experts say may be spread through the respiratory tract and may be mutating. A World Health Organization meeting in Geneva later Wednesday will determine whether to declare the outbreak a global health crisis.
January 22, 2020 3:33 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Senate is hearing opening statements in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Democratic House managers are making their case that Trump abused power and should be removed from office. Trump himself said on Wednesday he wants top aides to testify, but he qualified that by suggesting that “national security” concerns will keep that from happening. Republicans have for now blocked Democratic motions to immediately call witnesses and subpoena documents. On Tuesday, the Senate approved rules for Trump’s trial on two articles of impeachment.
January 22, 2020 3:30 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WPXI) — Police at Penn State are investigating a reported sexual assault that occurred at a fraternity house. According to an online submission, the assault happened Jan. 15 at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house on E. Prospect Avenue. The report was made by a third party who was told by the unknown victim that four unidentified fraternity brothers assaulted them. In an online statement, Penn State Police said there may be a continued risk.
January 22, 2020 3:28 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI)— Nearly three months after a Port Authority bus was partially swallowed by a sinkhole in Downtown Pittsburgh, the city is getting its first bills for the damage. Pittsburgh City Council began consideration Tuesday on an $88,150 bill from Allegheny Crane Rental for the emergency removal of the bus on 10th Street in October. Council members are expected to approve the bill in the coming weeks, and they know this is just the beginning. City and PWSA officials say they have no estimate on what the final total will be. It took less than 24 hours to pull the bus out of the sinkhole, and costs continue to pile up as work remains at a standstill. The city is still waiting on repairs to an underground tunnel that provides steam to heat downtown businesses before they can continue to fix the street. That will take until early February, at which point the city will determine if 10th Street is ready for paving.
January 22, 2020 3:23 am
SHALER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — Shaler Township Police are searching for a 70-year-old woman who was last seen Monday. According to a release from police, Janet Walsh went missing Jan. 20 in Shaler and has not been spotted since. She was described as 5-foot-3, weighing 170 pounds with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Police said Walsh is possibly driving her 2018 silver Chevrolet Trax with Pa. tags KTW6007. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is asked to call 911.
January 22, 2020 3:20 am
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (WPXI) — Antonio Brown is a suspect in a possible battery and burglary that happened outside his Hollywood, Fla. home Tuesday afternoon, according to our news partners at Channel 11. ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe reported that Brown’s trainer, Glen Holt, was arrested for felony burglary and battery following this incident, but Brown has not been arrested at this point. Police said there was some sort of altercation involving the driver of a moving truck that was parked outside Brown’s home. Brown was identified as a suspect but has not been arrested or charged. The truck driver said he was battered by Holt and Brown. Officers tried to contact Brown but were unsuccessful, according to ESPN. There was an “active scene” with a large police presence outside Brown’s home near Ft. Lauderdale for a few hours. Police have ended their working relationship with Brown, rejecting a donation he made to a youth football program put on through the department. Drew Rosenhaus has also ended his relationship with Brown.
