January 12, 2020 8:09 am
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) —Two U.S. service members were killed and two others injured when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said in a statement Saturday. In keeping with defense department rules, the U.S. military did not identify the service members. The Taliban immediately took responsibility for the attack. A Taliban spokesman, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, said it occurred in the southern Kandahar province. More than 2,400 U.S. service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Last year was one of the deadliest for the United States, with 23 American troops killed, even as Washington engaged in peace talks with the Taliban. The latest attack seemed certain to stall fresh efforts to restart the on-again, off-again peace talks between Washington and the Taliban.
January 12, 2020 8:08 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A magnitude 5.9 quake shook Puerto Rico on Saturday, causing millions of dollars of damage along the island’s southern coast, where previous recent quakes have toppled homes and schools. The U.S. Geological Survey said the 8:54 a.m. (1254 GMT) quake hit 8 miles (13 kilometers) southeast of Guanica at a shallow depth of 3 miles (5 kilometers). It was followed by several aftershocks, including a magnitude 5.2 temblor less than two minutes later. No injuries or deaths were reported, officials said. Saturday’s quake occurred four days after a 6.4 magnitude quake in the same area and amid a spate of more than 1,200 mostly small quakes over the past 15 days, all at shallow depths.
January 12, 2020 8:06 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s security forces deployed in large numbers across the capital on Sunday, expecting more protests after its Revolutionary Guard admitted to accidentally shooting down a passenger plane at a time of soaring tensions with the United States. Riot police in black uniforms and helmets massed in Vali-e Asr Square, Tehran University and other landmarks as calls circulated for protests later in the day. Revolutionary Guard members patrolled the city on motorbikes and plainclothes security men were also out in force. People looked down as they walked briskly past the police, hoping not to draw attention to themselves. The plane crash early Wednesday killed all 176 people on board, mostly Iranians and Iranian-Canadians. After initially pointing to a technical failure and insisting the armed forces were not to blame, authorities on Saturday finally admitted to accidentally shooting it down in the face of mounting evidence and accusations by Western leaders.
January 12, 2020 8:03 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — A house fire in Oakland may have been sparked by power lines that were knocked down by high winds. Fire crews rushed to put the flames out at the home on Robinson Street. 911 dispatchers said power lines fell on the roof of the home and may have caused the fire. The incident may have also caused a widespread power outage in Oakland. Duquesne Light crews were on scene working to get the power lines back up and in service. As of 7:15 a.m., there were 168 customers without power.
January 12, 2020 8:00 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Lower prices for natural gas last year will mean a 21% drop in drilling fee revenue for Pennsylvania’s state programs and county and municipal governments even as production grew from exploration in the vast Marcellus Shale reservoir, according to new state estimates. The Independent Fiscal Office projected Wednesday that impact fee collections for 2019 will be $198 million, a nearly $54 million drop from 2018, but still above 2016′s low point of $173 million. Payments are due by July 1, and the money largely stays in drilling communities. The drop breaks two straight years of rising revenue in Pennsylvania, the nation’s No. 2 natural gas state behind Texas. The Independent Fiscal Office said the decrease is largely due to the average annual price of natural gas on the New York Mercantile Exchange dropping below $3, which triggered a $5,000 per-well decrease in fees. About 600 new wells were started in 2019, the second-lowest total in a decade other than 2016, when the average annual price also dropped below $3. With 2019 production in Pennsylvania headed to a record 6.8 trillion cubic feet last year, the effective tax rate of the fee fell from 2.2% to 2.1% last year, the Independent Fiscal Office said. The per-well “impact fee” was enacted in 2012.
January 12, 2020 7:57 am
UNIONTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania woman on trial on a criminal homicide charge in the stabbing death of her boyfriend on Christmas Day in 2018 has taken the stand to assert that she acted in self-defense. The (Uniontown) Herald- Standard reports that 28-year-old Dominique Jones alleged on the stand Friday that the stabbing at the Holiday Inn Express in Uniontown followed years of abuse by 25-year-old Tre Montel McCargo. Jones said an argument that day turned physical and she grabbed a kitchen knife and swung it to defend herself, ultimately stabbing him in the neck. But she said “I was just trying to get him off of me. I wasn’t trying to kill him.” Fayette County prosecutors, however, earlier characterized her as a jealous and angry woman. Assistant District Attorney Wendy O’Brien said Jones believed McCargo was cheating on her after she looked at his cellphone while he slept on Christmas Day. Jurors were expected to return to court to hear closing arguments and begin deliberations.
January 12, 2020 3:15 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Two people have been charged with aggravated cruelty to animals and other offenses. They are accused of kicking a wounded deer in the head and neck and pulling off its antler during a videotaped attack. The Pennsylvania Game Commission filed charges Friday against 18-year-old Alexander Brock Smith and an unnamed 17-year-old male. The attack during the state’s hunting season in November is characterized in an arrest warrant as the torture of the buck that the 17-year-old had shot and wounded. Calls were left for both defendants’ lawyers.
January 11, 2020 9:22 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – A magnitude 6.0 quake has shaken Puerto Rico, causing further damage along the island’s southern coast, where previous recent quakes have toppled homes and schools. The U.S. Geological Survey says the Saturday morning quake quake hit 8 miles (13 kilometers) south of Indios at a shallow depth of 6 miles (10 kilometers). There are no immediate reports of the extent of damage or injury. It was the strongest shake yet since a magnitude 6.4 quake struck before dawn on Tuesday, knocking out power across the island and leaving many without water. More than 2,000 people remain in shelters, many fearful of returning to their homes, and others unable to because of extensive damage.
January 11, 2020 9:18 am
DALLAS (AP) – Authorities in Louisiana say three people have died after severe storms swept across parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast U.S. One of the victims was a man who was killed when a tree fell on his home. The Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office said the bodies of an elderly couple were found near their demolished trailer by firefighters early Saturday. Tornadoes have destroyed homes in Arkansas and Missouri and also caused damage in Oklahoma amid severe storms. The storms also unleashed downpours that caused widespread flash flooding.áDallas police say one person died Friday night when a car flipped into a creek.
January 11, 2020 9:12 am
BALDWIN, Pa.(WPXI)- A head-on crash had all lanes of Route 51 shut down throughout the morning. The Baldwin Borough police chief told Channel 11 five people were taken to the hospital. One of those people was in critical condition. Officials said the crash happened at about 5 a.m. in the area near Streets Run Road in Baldwin. One pickup truck had just the driver while the other truck had four people in it. By 11 a.m., all lanes were back open.
