January 8, 2020 4:22 am
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Thunderstorms and showers have brought some relief for firefighters battling deadly wildfires across Australia’s drought-parched east coast. But the storms have also raised concerns that more fires will be sparked by lightning strikes when hot and windy conditions return. Fire officials say 2,300 firefighters in New South Wales state are making the most of relatively benign conditions by frantically consolidating containment lines around more than 110 fires blazes and patrolling for lightning strikes. The unprecedented fire crisis has killed 26 people, with the latest death a Victoria state firefighter who was working to extinguish unattended campfires.
January 8, 2020 4:21 am
SHAHEDSHAHR, Iran (AP) – An Iranian emergency official says a crash has killed all those on board a Ukrainian commercial airliner that took off from Tehran. The official made the comment after the crash on Wednesday morning. He said rescuers were trying to collect the dead. The plane went down in farmland outside of Iran’s capital, Tehran. Authorities initially blamed a mechanical problem for the crash. A transportation official in Iran says the plane carried 167 passengers and nine crew members. The crash of Ukraine International Airlines came just hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on Iraqi bases housing U.S. soldiers in another major escalation of the latest crisis in the Mideast. The Iranian military, meanwhile, is disputing any suggestion that the Ukrainian airliner was brought down by a missile. (Photo: CNN)
January 8, 2020 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says Iran appears to be “standing down” and said no Americans or Iraqis were harmed in Iran’s Tuesday ballistic missile strike on two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. The Iranian strikes had come days after Trump authorized the targeted killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force. Trump reiterated his position that “Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.” He adds Americans should be “extremely grateful and happy” with the outcome. Speaking from the White House, Trump announced that the U.S. will immediately place new sanctions on Iran “until Iran changes its behavior.” He defended his targeted killing last week of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
January 8, 2020 4:14 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A seven-term state lawmaker from central Pennsylvania says he’ll seek the Democratic nomination to run for the open state auditor general’s office this year. Scott Conklin of Centre County entered a crowded field ahead of Pennsylvania’s Feb. 18 deadline to submit nomination petitions to get on the April primary ballot. Other Democrats running include Pittsburgh city controller Michael Lamb, Christina Hartman, a former congressional candidate from Lancaster County, Nina Ahmad, a former Philadelphia deputy mayor, and Tracie Fountain, a three-decade veteran employee of the auditor general’s office. Pennsylvania’s current auditor general, Democrat Eugene DePasquale, is completing a second four-year term and is constitutionally barred from seeking another.
January 8, 2020 4:13 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Macy’s says it is closing 29 stores in coming weeks. It says the store closures include 28 Macy’s locations and one Bloomingdale’s store. It was unclear how that would affect employees at those stores. The closures come despite the company reporting some improvement in comparable-stores sales during the crucial holiday shopping season. Macy’s sales at stores opened at least a year fell 0.6% during the November and December period, which was not as bad as most industry analysts had anticipated. áLike other department stores, Macy’s is struggling to adapt to a shift online by customers amid intense competition.
January 8, 2020 4:10 am
The son of Ron Burkle, a billionaire businessman and co-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, was found dead Monday in California. Andrew Burkle, 27, was found dead in his Beverly Hills home. He was a producer. The Penguins released the following statement regarding Burkle’s death: “We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of Andrew Burkle’s passing and offer our deepest condolences to Ron and his family,” said Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux. “Drew was a bright, creative, energetic young man with a dynamic future ahead of him. Everyone in our organization knows that he was such a big part of his Dad’s life, and one of the many things they shared together was their love of Penguins hockey. My friend Ron knows that we are here if he needs us. Our hearts are heavy. “I knew Drew Burkle since he was a little boy and my grief and sadness at this sudden news is hard to describe,” said Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse. “I never met anyone with such a kind heart, gentle spirit and humility, all wrapped up in love and respect for his Dad. He was a young man so full of life, so full of energy. He will be missed.”
January 7, 2020 3:59 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he has secured enough Republican votes to start President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial and postpone a decision on witnesses and documents Democrats want. The trial could start as soon as this week if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi releases the articles of impeachment. She is set to meet late Tuesday with her leadership team. The Senate Republican leader opened the Senate Tuesday morning outlining his proposal to start the trial first and postpone votes on witnesses until later. McConnell believes he has support for his plan, which is modeled after Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial 20 years ago, according to a congressional aide.
January 7, 2020 12:43 pm
FORT WORTH, Texas — Pier 1 Imports is closing nearly half of its 942 stores as it struggles to draw consumers and compete online. The home decor company said Monday it is closing up to 450 stores and will also shutter distribution centers. It didn’t say where the store closures would occur, but it operates stores in the U.S. and Canada. Pier 1 also plans layoffs at its corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The company — which was founded in California in 1962 — has been trying to revamp its cluttered stores and change its offerings to appeal more to younger customers. But it is struggling to compete with budget-friendly home decor sites like Wayfair. There are seven Pier 1 locations in the greater Pittsburgh area. The company didn’t say how many workers will be impacted.
January 7, 2020 8:44 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck Puerto Rico before dawn on Tuesday, killing one man, injuring at least eight other people and collapsing buildings. The quake was followed by a series of strong aftershocks, part of a 10-day series of temblors spawned by the grinding of tectonic plates along three faults beneath southern Puerto Rico. Seismologists say it’s impossible to predict when the quakes will stop or whether they will get stronger.
January 7, 2020 5:46 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iranian state television says 35 people have been killed and 48 others injured in a stampede that erupted at a funeral procession for a general slain in a U.S. airstrike. The TV says the stampede erupted in Kerman, the hometown of Gen. Qassem Soleimani where the procession was underway on Tuesday. A procession in Tehran on Monday drew over 1 million people in the Iranian capital. Also on Tuesday, the U.S. warned ships across Mideast waterways crucial to global energy supplies there’s the “possibility of Iranian action against U.S. maritime interests” in the region. The U.S. Maritime Administration cited rising threats after an American drone strike in Baghdad killed Soleimani.
