February 16, 2020 3:58 am
INDIANA, Pa. (AP) — An armed robbery and shooting at a pair of addresses near a western Pennsylvania university campus left two students injured, one with a gunshot wound, authorities said. Indiana University of Pennsylvania said three males dressed in black clothing and wearing ski masks were involved in the events at about 8 p.m. Friday at two addresses just off the campus. Chief Justin Schawl of the Indiana Borough police department said the culprits stole some items from one address. Schawl said an altercation occurred that resulted in one man suffering a gunshot wound to the neck. Details about the injury to the other person weren’t immediately available. The apparent motive was robbery and no arrests were immediately made, Schawl said. The university confirmed that both of the injured are students. The campus was briefly locked down. Police said the incident didn’t appear random and there was no threat to community safety. University officials said they were working with the families of the injured students to provide support, and mental health counseling was being made available to other students in need of help.
February 15, 2020 4:09 am
BEIJING (AP) – China has reported 2,641 new virus cases as it escalates measures to contain the outbreak and reassure an anxious public. The figure is a major drop from the higher numbers in recent days since a broader diagnostic method was implemented. The number of new deaths rose slightly to 143, bringing the total fatalities in mainland China to 1,523. The number of confirmed cases in the country now stands at 66,492. Saturday marks the second day the number of new cases fell since a spike Thursday, when the hardest-hit Hubei province began including clinical diagnoses. People returning to Beijing were told to quarantine themselves for observation. And a team of experts led by the World Health Organization is due to begin its mission in China this weekend.
February 15, 2020 4:09 am
ST. LOUIS (AP) – The U.S. attorney assisting in the Justice Department’s review of the criminal case of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn is an ex-FBI agent with a long background in battling white-collar crime. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday that hat Jeff Jensen, the U.S. attorney in St. Louis and an appointee of President Donald Trump who was confirmed by the Senate in October 2017, is aiding in the review. Jensen’s spokeswoman did not respond to messages seeking comment. Jensen was an FBI agent who spent much of his career investigating white-collar crimes.
February 15, 2020 4:06 am
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – President Donald Trump’s $1.5 billion proposal to prop up the country’s nuclear fuel industry has emboldened at least one company to take steps toward boosting operations at dormant uranium mines around the West, including outside Grand Canyon National Park. The company, Canada-based Energy Fuels Inc., has announced a stock sale and says it will use the proceeds for its uranium mining operations in the U.S. West. Energy Fuels confirms that may include moving to start operations at a controversial new uranium mine near Grand Canyon National Park. Conservation groups and Democratic lawmakers fear mining there could contaminate water resources.
February 15, 2020 4:05 am
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas and national Democratic Party groups have sued the Republican official who oversees the state’s elections. The lawsuit filed Friday accuses Kansas Secretary Scott Schwab of violating voters’ rights by delaying implementation of a law designed to make voting on Election Day more convenient. The lawsuit was filed in state district court in Topeka. Schwab says his office will need another year to draft regulations needed for counties to take advantage of a 2019 state “vote anywhere” law. The law permits counties to allow voters to cast their ballots at any polling place within their borders on Election Day.
February 15, 2020 4:01 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – The West Virginia Senate has passed a bill encouraging power companies to use solar energy in a bid to lure businesses to the state. But they’re making it clear that they don’t want the coal industry to feel left out. Lawmakers approved the bill Friday. It would create a regulatory program for utilities to use a small amount of renewable energy. Many lawmakers were quick to note that it won’t hurt the fossil fuel industry. The state commerce department pushed for the bill, saying big companies want to know that they can use renewable energy sources before relocating to a state.
February 15, 2020 4:00 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pittsburgh kindergarten student brought a gun to school Friday morning. A school district spokeswoman says a staff member at Allegheny K-5 in the city’s North Side neighborhood was helping at the building’s metal detector and found the gun in the student’s bag. Pugh says the incident was reported to the state’s child abuse reporting hotline, and families would be notified.
February 15, 2020 2:22 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A jury has returned a not guilty verdict against the remaining defendant in the slayings of five people and an unborn baby at a western Pennsylvania cookout almost four years ago. The jury returned the verdict for 33-year-old Cheron Shelton in the 2016 Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, shooting just after noon Friday. Jurors had deliberated since Tuesday morning after hearing nearly six days of testimony in the case. Shelton had been charged with first- and third-degree murder. Charges were dismissed earlier against Shelton’s co-defendant, 31-year-old Robert Thomas.
February 15, 2020 2:09 am
PennDot has announced that Clare Drive in South Strabane Township has reopened to local traffic only with one lane of access. The township says it will remain that way until guide rails are installed at a later date. The Township also anticipates resurfacing portions of the road during this summer’s road paving program. Crews had been working to secure the hillside and the roadway after a large portion of the the road collapsed late Monday night and led officials to close the road and recommend that residents in about a dozen homes evacuate.
February 14, 2020 12:53 pm
State Police are investigating the cause of a fire on January 31st in Twilight Borough that destroyed a home owned by 79-year-old Keith Barber of Charleroi. Troopers say the fire was discovered by a passing motorist on Interstate 70 who called 911. The building was vacant and firefighters had to force their way in to fight the fire. Police say they believe the fire began in the rear of the home in a small utility room where the oil furnace and washer and dryer were located. Anyone with information is asked to call the state police at 724-439-7111. Police say the damage to the home is estimated at over three-hundred-thousand-dollars.
