February 22, 2020 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. officials and experts say that hopes for ending America’s longest war hinge on maintaining a weeklong fragile truce in Afghanistan that will be difficult to assess and fraught with pitfalls. In a country that has been wracked by violence for more than 18 years, determining if the agreement has been violated will be a tough task. And there are a number of other groups and elements in the country that would love to see the deal fall through. The weeklong “reduction in violence” agreement began at midnight Friday local time. If successful, it will be followed by the signing of a peace accord on Feb. 29.
February 22, 2020 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Just weeks into the 2020 election cycle, intelligence officials have concluded that Russia already is actively interfering in the U.S. presidential campaign. Intelligence experts say Russia is not only hoping to help President Donald Trump, as in 2016, but also to help the candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic race. The intelligence experts say the Russians have a deeper motive than just reelecting Trump. They want to undermine public confidence in the integrity of the U.S. elections and stir general chaos in American politics. Lawmakers were told in a classified briefing last week that Russia is taking steps aimed at helping Trump, and Sanders acknowledged Friday that he was briefed last month.
February 22, 2020 4:10 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea has reported a six-fold jump in viral infections in four days to 346, most of them linked to a church and a hospital in and around the fourth-largest city where health workers scrambled to screen more than 9,000 worshipers. There’s concern that the death toll, currently at two, could grow. The vice health minister says virus patients with signs of pneumonia or other serious condition from the Cheongdo hospital were transferred to other facilities, 17 of them critical. He says the outbreak entered a serious new phase, but still expressed hope it can be contained to the southeastern Daegu region. In some positive news, China’s daily count fell to 397 cases, though another 109 people died of the disease.
February 22, 2020 4:09 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) -Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is lumping the “Democratic establishment” in with the corporate and Republican one and saying they can’t stop him. Sanders is the favorite in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses after winning New Hampshire and essentially tying for first in Iowa. His rivals and some party centrists have become alarmed that the self-declared democratic socialist could win the nomination as his opponents split the non-Sanders vote.Sanders is an independent who caucuses with Democrats. In Nevada he has stressed his independence from the party. On Friday night he went further yet. He said the establishment was “getting worried” about a multiracial coalition that wants higher wages and health care.
February 22, 2020 4:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Penn State and the family of former head football coach Joe Paterno say they have resolved “outstanding issues.” The chairman of the university board read a statement at a meeting Friday announcing the deal. The school says it has agreed to pay “certain of the Paterno family’s expenses” and wishes to move forward. The amount was not disclosed. The statue of the revered coach will not return to its place outside the football stadium. It ends a lawsuit against Penn State by Paterno’s son Jay over a university-commissioned report into the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal. Joe Paterno died in 2012.
February 22, 2020 3:59 am
AVONMORE, Pa. (WPXI) — A local family is looking for a new place to live after their home in Westmoreland County was destroyed by a fire. Several tankers were called to the home on Cambria Avenue in Avonmore Friday after flames broke out inside. Heavy smoke was seen pouring out of the roof of the home. Investigators said three of the family members were inside when the fire started, but they all made it out safely. No injuries were reported. However, the house was gutted.
February 22, 2020 3:10 am
CARROLL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Burglars are taking advantage of people’s deaths to target their homes in Carroll Township. On at least two occasions recently, homes have been burglarized in the days following the homeowners’ deaths, police said. Both burglaries happened in the Craven Hill Plan area of the township. In both cases, the burglars got into the newly unoccupied homes through back entrances, according to police. Jewelry, silverware, designer purses and other valuables were stolen, police said. Neighbors said even though it appears to be targeted, they are going to take some extra precautions anyway. To prevent something like this from happening, police suggest to have someone at your home during funerals and viewings. You can even notify police and ask for extra patrols during the services to deter anything from happening. Anyone with information is asked to message the Carroll Township Police Department on its Facebook page or call 724-483-5556.
February 22, 2020 2:17 am
A former long-time Washington County Jury Commissioner has died. Eighty-year-old Judy Fisher, a familiar face in local politics died Early Friday morning at her East Washington home. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco says her death appeared to be from natural causes, although East Washington Borough Police are investigating. Warco says he is trying to locate members of her family and is asking anyone with information to contact the Coroner’s Office at 724-228-6785. Fisher has had a long history of political aspirations. She ran unsuccessfully for Washington County Commissioner, Prothonotary and most recently, Register of Wills.
February 21, 2020 1:43 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) – We’re getting more details about what happened to a prominent family therapist who was once engaged to comedian Drew Carey. Police in Los Angeles say Dr. Amie Harwick appears to have been strangled before being thrown off a third-floor balcony of her Hollywood Hills apartment. An ex-boyfriend is facing charges. Meanwhile, CBS has canceled “The Price is Right” for the week while Carey mourns. (Photo: CNN)
February 21, 2020 12:55 pm
ISLAMABAD (AP) – A temporary truce between the United States and the Taliban has taken effect, setting the stage for the two sides to sign a peace deal next week. If successfully implemented, the weeklong “reduction in violence” agreement will be followed by the signing of the peace accord aimed at ending 18 years of war in Afghanistan and bringing U.S. troops home. That would wrap up America’s longest-running conflict and fulfill one of President Donald Trump’s main campaign promises. That agreement would be signed in Doha, Qatar, on February 29 and lead to the start of all-Afghan peace talks and a phased withdrawal of American troops.
