February 24, 2020 4:41 pm
(AP) – NASA says pioneering black mathematician Katherine Johnson has died. She worked on NASA’s early space missions and was portrayed in the film “Hidden Figures,” about black female aerospace workers. In a Monday morning tweet, the space agency said it celebrates her 101 years of life and her legacy of excellence and breaking down racial and social barriers. Johnson was one of the so-called “computers” who calculated rocket trajectories and earth orbits by hand during NASA’s early years. Until 1958, Johnson and other black women worked in a racially segregated computing unit at what is now called Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Their work was the focus of the Oscar-nominated 2016 film.
February 24, 2020 1:44 pm
(WPXI) – A multimillion-dollar settlement over U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works was approved by a judge Monday. Clairton residents have complained for years about air quality issues near the plant. During a fairness hearing Monday morning, a judge approved having U.S. Steel pay out a $2 million settlement to residents and complete $6.5 million in upgrades to the Clairton Coke Works. U.S. Steel released the following statement: “U. S. Steel thanks the Court for approving this settlement that allows the parties to move forward. Environmental stewardship and safety remain core values at U. S. Steel, and we are committed to investing in our operations and processes to continue to improve air quality at both Clairton and throughout the Mon Valley.” In December, the tentative settlement was reached following a 2017 class action lawsuit claiming U.S. Steel’s negligence, odors and pollution from the Clairton Coke Works interfered with residents’ quality of life.
February 24, 2020 12:35 pm
West Penn Power spokesman Todd Myers says approximately seventeen-hundred customers were affected by a power outage Monday morning. Myers say the cause of the outage is still under investigation but it appears the cause may have been some downed wires near Washington Park in an area where trees had been cut. The outage, which occurred around ten-thirty, affected mainly East Washington and South Strabane Township, along with a few spots in Washington and Amwell Township. The outage affected traffic lights and business in the Trinity Point Shopping Center. Myers says most of the power was restored shortly before noon.
February 24, 2020 12:16 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Harvey Weinstein has been convicted at his New York City sexual assault trial. He was found guilty of criminal sex act for assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006 and third-degree rape of a woman in 2013. The jury found him not guilty on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, that could result in a life sentence. The landmark reckoning for the former movie producer comes after years of whispers exploded into a torrent of sexual misconduct allegations that ended his reign in Hollywood and gave rise to the (hash)MeToo movement. The jury’s verdict followed three weeks of testimony that included harrowing accounts of rapes, forced oral sex, groping, masturbation, lewd propositions and casting-couch excuses from Weinstein.
February 24, 2020 6:45 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Barbara “B.” Smith, one of the nation’s top black models who went on to open restaurants, launch a successful home products line and write cookbooks, has died at her Long Island home at age 70. Smith had been battling early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Smith’s family announced on social media that she died Saturday evening. Smith’s eponymous Manhattan restaurant, one of several, opened in 1986 and attracted a following among affluent black New Yorkers. She wrote three cookbooks, founded three successful restaurants and launched a nationally syndicated television show, a magazine and home products line. Smith was a native of Everson and a 1967 graduate of Southmoreland High School.
February 24, 2020 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Mike Bloomberg’s campaign has delayed a scheduled CNN town hall so that he can spend more time preparing for Tuesday’s debate. Bloomberg was scheduled to appear on CNN on Monday. But he’ll now join the network for the live question-and-answer program on Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Bloomberg called the debate “crucial” and said “the country can’t afford to let Bernie Sanders skate by another debate without a focus on his extreme record.” Bloomberg had his debate debut last week – widely deemed rocky and underwhelming for a candidate who has sought to give off the air of a front-runner. Bloomberg is forgoing the state’s upcoming Saturday primary.
February 24, 2020 4:23 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A selection from the short film “Dear Basketball” that won Kobe Bryant an Academy Award played on the big screens at Staples Center to wrap up a public memorial for the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar. He won a 2018 Oscar in the animated short category for the film based on a poem he wrote after ending his 20-year career basketball career in 2016. The memorial for Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others who died in a helicopter crash last month featured heartfelt stories from Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, NBA legends Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal and other friends in the basketball community. (Photo: CNN)
February 24, 2020 4:19 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea reported another large jump in new virus cases a day after the the president called for “unprecedented, powerful” steps to combat the outbreak that is increasingly confounding attempts to stop the spread. South Korea now has 763 cases, and China’s 409 new cases raise the mainland’s total to 77,150 after a zigzag pattern of increases in recent days. The 150 new deaths from the COVID-19 illness showed a spike after four days. Significant jumps in cases outside China have raised concern of the outbreak getting out of control. Kuwait and Bahrain reported cases for the first time, adding to the number of cases connected to travel to Iran.
February 24, 2020 4:18 am
AHMEDABAD, INDIA (AP) – President Donald Trump is receiving the well-wishes of hundreds of thousands of Indians as he kicks off a whirlwind 36-hour visit to India that emphasizes pageantry over policy. The visit is meant to reaffirm ties between the two nations while providing enviable overseas imagery for a president in a re-election year. Trump’s first stop after landing was a visit to a former home of independence leader Mohandas Gandhi. He now is heading to a mega-rally at a huge cricket stadium.
February 24, 2020 4:14 am
APOLLO, Pa. — (WPXI) – Crews rushed to a Westmoreland County park after reports that a raft overturned, sending several people into the water Saturday afternoon. Emergency officials pulled two teens out of the semi-frozen lake after their inflatable raft tipped over. The boys were in the water for about a half hour before they could be pulled out. Rescuers were unsure of what caused the boat to lose air and it was unclear if the ice on the water was to blame. The water was estimated to be about 30 degrees and 15 feet deep where the boys were at. The incident occurred at the lake at Northmoreland Park. According to the county’s website, canoeing and kayaking is only allowed between May and October. Park officials said no watercraft is allowed on the water at this time of year. The two teens were taken to an area hospital to be treated for cold-water exposure.
