October 11, 2019 4:19 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Another death has been confirmed at the scene of wildfires in Southern California. Cal Fire spokeswoman Cathey Mattingly says a person was killed in a fire that swept through a mobile home park Thursday in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. Mattingly says there were also some injuries but she does not know the number or severity. Seventy-four structures were destroyed. The fire is about 823 acres and 10% contained. In Los Angeles, a man went into cardiac arrest and died at the scene of a raging wildfire that broke out late Thursday. (Photo: CNN)
October 11, 2019 4:18 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran’s state-run news agency says two rockets struck an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia. IRNA quoted a statement from Iran’s national oil tanker firm as saying an attack targeted a tanker it identified as the Sabity. It said the attack happened early on Friday morning. There was no immediate response from Saudi Arabia. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which oversees the Mideast, says it was aware of the incident, but declined to immediately comment further. The reported explosion comes after the U.S. alleges Iran attacked oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, something denied by Tehran.
October 11, 2019 4:17 am
BEIRUT (AP) – The United Nations says an estimated 100,000 people have been displaced three days into the Turkish military offensive on northeastern Syria, while markets, schools and clinics have been closed. In a statement Friday, the U.N. said most of the displaced have stayed with relatives or in host communities, but an increasing number have sought shelter in areas to the south of the military offensive. The U.N. says the violence has also put a water station servicing al-Hassakeh city out of commission, denying around 400,000 people of a water source. Repair has not been possible because of ongoing fighting and efforts to negotiate a “humanitarian pause” are ongoing, the U.N. said. Only one national hospital is still operating. The U.N Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria expressed deep concern about the unfolding events.
October 11, 2019 4:06 am
The death of a Rostraver woman who was reported missing Tuesday, and who was found dead Thursday morning, has been ruled a suicide. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office says the body of 48-year-old Dina Kotlar was found about 8 a.m. in a wooded area near the Sutersville Trail in Westmoreland County. Police say Kotlar was last seen alive at about 4 a.m. Tuesday as she was driving a white Dodge Nitro sport utility vehicle in Rostraver. According to Rostraver Township firefighters, family members reported that Kotlar’s vehicle was found in the Smithdale area.
October 11, 2019 3:52 am
The Sportsbook at the Meadows Casino is now open and people who enjoy sports wagering are now able to do so. A ribbon cutting ceremony attended by several local sports heroes opened the Sportsbook on Thursday. Steeler stars Mel Blount and Rocky Bleier, Pirates champion John Candelaria and Penguin standouts Pierre Larouche and Bryan Trottier helped Meadows Vice President and General Manager Tony Frabbiele launch the new venture. The Sportsbook is located in the former Vibe location adjacent to The Carvery Restaurant. Guests will be greeted by 15 ultra high definition televisions and 18 self-bet kiosks. Five additional ticket writer windows are also available and all major college and professional sports are available for wagering. The Sportsbook is a brick and mortar outlet only. Hours of operation are from 11:00 AM until midnight.
October 10, 2019 10:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan says two associates of Rudy Giuliani who are accused of trying to buy influence over U.S. policy on Ukraine were arrested while trying to leave the country. U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman told reporters Thursday that businessmen Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman were about to board an international flight from Virginia with one-way tickets when they were detained at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The pair and a third man are accused of trying to use straw donors to hide the source of money they contributed to a congressman and a political action committee supporting Trump’s re-election. Berman says the men asked a congressman to help remove the American ambassador to Ukraine. He says Parnas and Fruman were acting at the request of a Ukrainian government official.
October 10, 2019 8:47 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says his country will “happily” investigate whether Ukrainians interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections. Zelenskiy told reporters Thursday that “we can’t say yes or no” as to whether there was any interference without an investigation. He said it’s in Ukraine’s interest to determine what happened. President Donald Trump asked Zelenskiy for such an investigation in a July phone call that has helped prompt an impeachment inquiry. Trump’s claims that Ukraine allied with the Democrats in a plot to derail his 2016 presidential campaign, though no evidence of such a plot has emerged. Zelenskiy said the U.S. has not provided any details of such interference. He also said he will not publish the Ukrainian transcript of the July phone call.
October 10, 2019 4:15 am
The treatment of a LeMoyne Community Center employee by City of Washington Police was the impetus to a community discussion of the relationship between police and residents. Don Ward, an employee of the Community center was called out to investigate a light left on when he claims he was harshly confronted by city police while patrolling the grounds. Joyce Ellis, Executive Director of the LeMoyne Community Center is the organizer of the “Hear Our Voices” Community Campaign. Nearly 50 people turned out to the LeMoyne Community Center to discuss apparent tension between residents of the Lincoln Terrace neighborhood and City of Washington Police. The meeting was attended by Mayor Scott Putnam and City Councilman Ken Wescott. Putnam was called out for not demanding that Police Chief Wilson attend the meeting to hear about his police force. Members of the State Police attended and provided information about State Police programs addressing sensitivity training for police in the community and community outreach programs. Several people called for more police of color. Putnam pointed out that in the most recent pool of police candidates, there was only one candidate of color. Putnam stated that he intends to gather information and look into improving policies at City Hall. Joyce Ellis looked at the meeting as a good first step and wants to hold more meetings that are geared towards action instead of merely discussion.
October 10, 2019 4:12 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Pacific Gas & Electric has begun shutting off power to the San Francisco Bay area, adding more than 200,000 customers to a sweeping blackout that already has left a million people in the dark. The utility said late Wednesday night that power was going out in the East Bay, South Bay and Santa Cruz counties. A few counties in the Sierra Nevada foothills and the Central Valley saw power cuts earlier in the day. But the Bay Area outages had been pushed back all day until authorities were sure dry, gusty Diablo winds were on the way. PG&E earlier cut power to 500,000 homes and businesses in northern and central counties. The utility says the precautionary cuts are to prevent the winds from toppling power lines and sparking deadly wildfires like one – blamed on PG&E equipment – that killed 85 people in November.
October 10, 2019 4:11 am
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) – Striking General Motors workers are feeling the squeeze of going nearly four weeks without their regular paycheck. Workers who’ve been walking the picket line say they’re cutting back on groceries and some are taking on part-time jobs while trying to get by on weekly strike pay of $250. GM’s full-time workers are losing roughly $1,000 each week, and that’s not counting any overtime. Losses are piling up for the company and spilling over to suppliers, too. A Wall Street analyst estimates GM is losing about $82 million per day. That adds up to over $1.6 billion since the work stoppage began in mid-September. The strike shut down GM factories across the U.S. and analysts expect the closures to spread to the few remaining North American plants that are open.
