February 29, 2020 9:43 am
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Polls are opening across South Carolina as Democrats make their selections in the state’s presidential primary. Voting is open on Saturday until 7 p.m. ET throughout the state. There are a dozen candidates on the ballot, although the slate of names was set before some dropped out of the race. Former Vice President Joe Biden has expressed confidence of victory in South Carolina, a state where he has long relationships and has led recent surveys. There is no party registration in South Carolina, meaning Republicans – who have no primary here – are free to vote in the Democratic contest.
February 29, 2020 9:40 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The man who created Trader Joe’s markets with a vision that college-educated but poorly paid young people would buy healthy foods if they could only afford them has died. Joe Coulombe’s family says he died Friday at age 89. He opened the first of his quirky, nautically themed markets in Pasadena, California, in 1967. He stocked it with granola, organic foods and other items he bought directly from suppliers to hold prices down. Trader Joe’s now has more than 500 stores in over 40 states.
February 29, 2020 9:33 am
DOHA, Qatar (AP) – The United States and the Taliban have signed a peace agreement aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan, America’s longest. The signing could help President Donald Trump fulfill a key campaign promise to extract America from its “endless wars.” Under the agreement, the U.S. will begin withdrawing thousands of troops in exchange for Taliban commitments to prevent Afghanistan from being a launchpad for terrorist attacks. If the Taliban meet their commitments, all U.S. troops would leave in 14 months. The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to overthrow the Taliban, who had hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida as they planned and celebrated the assault.
February 29, 2020 4:11 am
WPXI -MUNHALL, Pa. — Two staff members at Steel Valley High School traveled outside the United States to coronavirus-confirmed areas, administrators confirmed Friday. In a Facebook post, school officials confirmed both people – who were not identified – “traveled outside of the United States to areas where active transmission of the coronavirus has been confirmed.” The staff members were told by the school not to come to work until the “incubation period” for the virus has passed and they have been cleared by medical professionals. It is unclear what role those people have in the school, but officials said neither one has been confirmed to have the virus. Neither staff member has returned to or been in contact with any of the campus buildings since leaving the country, according to the school.
February 29, 2020 4:05 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – A Pennsylvania man has been charged with kidnapping and killing a woman who believed he was her boyfriend in the Nevada desert. Federal prosecutors in Las Vegas said Friday that John Matthew Chapman used the victim’s Facebook account to correspond with a family member after her death. The woman’s neighbors in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania became suspicious when they hadn’t seen her or her vehicle for months but saw Chapman around the house. Police say Chapman led the woman to believe they were taking a road trip to Las Vegas, but he brought along a “kill kit.” It was not clear if Chapman had a lawyer. (photo WPXI)
February 29, 2020 3:59 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A Maryland man was sentenced Friday to 32 months in prison for filing a phony document in a lawsuit linked to the Bill Cosby sex assault case. Federal investigators said that 48-year-old Joseph Johnson had a phony court document filed in support of Cosby that was purportedly signed by a lawyer for accuser Andrea Constand. Investigators tracked the filing to Johnson and said he had searched for the words “Cosby” and “Constand” online over 10,000 times. A jury convicted him of identity theft and making false statements. Defense lawyer David Clark said Johnson denies being involved in the filing and told the judge Friday that he is innocent.
February 29, 2020 3:57 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The driver of a stolen ambulance has been nabbed after leading police on a chase through Philadelphia that lasted more than an hour. A police spokesman says the man tried to run over an officer who shot him three times before the chase began. The officer was struck and hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Police say the man stole the emergency vehicle as authorities responded to reports of a domestic disturbance requiring medical attention at a motel. His name wasn’t immediately released as he has yet to be charged with a crime. He was taken to a hospital.
February 28, 2020 3:41 pm
DETROIT (AP) – General Motors is adding 1,200 jobs at two Michigan factories to build midsize SUVs and two new luxury sedans. GM says the Lansing Delta Township plant will get a third shift and 800 more workers to build the Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs, which have three rows of seats. The Lansing Grand River plant will get a second shift and 400 more workers to build two new Cadillac sedans, the CT4 and CT5. Spokesman Dan Flores says employees laid off at other GM factories would fill the new jobs first, then workers would be added. He says the company has not determined yet how many new people would be needed. Lansing Delta Township now employs about 2,500 salaried and blue-collar workers, while the Grand River plant has 1,400.
February 28, 2020 3:39 pm
SAN DIEGO (AP) – An federal appeals court has temporarily halted a major Trump administration policy to make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. immigration courts. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled Friday in a 2-1 vote to put on hold the policy that furthered President Donald Trump’s asylum crackdown. The “Remain in Mexico” policy – known officially as “Migrant Protection Protocols” – took effect in January 2019 in San Diego and has spread across the border. Nearly 60,000 people have been sent back since the policy began. The question before the judges was whether to let the policy take effect during legal challenge.
February 28, 2020 12:40 pm
(WPXI)-Canonsburg Police are asking for help in locating a missing teenager. Fifteen year old Joshua “JJ” Harsh did not come home from Canon McMillan High School on Thursday afternoon. Harsh is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. He was last seen wearing black sweat pants and a dark colored hoodie and was carrying a backpack. If anyone has information regarding Harsh’s whereabouts, Canonsburg Police ask that you contact 911 to ensure prompt police response.
