January 8, 2024 5:00 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A moon landing attempt by a private U.S. company appears doomed because of a fuel leak on the newly launched spacecraft. Astrobotic Technology managed to orient the lander toward the sun Monday so its solar panel could capture sunlight and charge its onboard battery. The propulsion system problem was reported hours after a successful liftoff from Florida. Astrobotic was aiming to be the first private company to successfully land on the moon, something only four countries have accomplished. A second lander from a Houston company is due to launch next month. NASA gave the companies millions to build landers and make deliveries to the moon.
January 8, 2024 5:00 am
MT. LEBANON, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man is in custody after a SWAT situation in Mt. Lebanon. Allegheny County dispatchers say police were first called to the area of Broadmoor Avenue at around 3 p.m. on Sunday. Allegheny County Police say Mt. Lebanon Police and SHACOG SWAT units handled the incident but say they provided armor support. Mt. Lebanon Police say they were trying to arrest a man who had a felony warrant but he was originally refusing to come out peacefully. The house did not have to be breached after the suspect surrendered after negotiators arrived on the scene. The man will be handed over to West Mifflin police. No one was injured during the incident.
January 8, 2024 4:58 am
UPPER SAINT CLAIR, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man is dead after an officer-involved shooting in Upper Saint Clair. Upper Saint Clair Police were called to the 100 block of Lamar Road at around 2:55 p.m. on Sunday after they were told about a domestic situation involving a 48-year-old man. Police later identified that man as Christopher Lee Shepherd. One of his family members spoke with a member of Allegheny County Mental Health and it was decided that an involuntary commitment order would be issued for him. Court documents say that when Upper Saint Clair police went to take Shepherd into custody he locked all of the doors and barricaded himself in. When officers tried to breach a window that was covered with plywood Shepherd stuck a knife out of it and tried to cut them, police said in an affidavit. Allegheny County Police say Shepherd came out of the house with a knife at 8:39 p.m. and approached crisis intervention and response team officers. Police say he was given multiple commands to stop but continued to approach the team. He was shot multiple times by police and was pronounced dead at the scene. Allegheny County Police are still looking for information on this incident and ask anyone with details to contact them at 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
January 8, 2024 2:45 am
STOWE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A West Mifflin teen has been found safe in downtown Pittsburgh after she was reported missing Friday morning, Jan. 5. Kayla Durler, 17, has special needs, and the situation was getting dire as temperatures dropped and the snow started to fall. Community members stepped up to find Durler Saturday afternoon and reunite her with her parents. She had been missing for more than 30 hours and was hungry but seemingly okay. “It was probably the most intense change of emotions I’ve ever felt,” said Rebecca Bykoski of Pittsburgh. Stowe Township police had been searching for Durler, who has Downs Syndrome, since she was dropped off at Sto-Rox High School around 7 a.m. Friday. School was closed Friday, but Durler was dropped off due to a miscommunication, police said Durler has not been seen since 7 a.m. She was last seen wearing a green coat and maroon pants. Allegheny County police shared a surveillance photo believed to be Durler. The photo was taken at 10:15 a.m. on Stanwix Street in downtown Pittsburgh. In the photo, she is wearing a black cap and purple backpack. Detectives believe she got off a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus at that location. State police said Durler was seen in Market Square at 10 a.m. Friday. Bykoski spotted the teen around 3:30 Saturday afternoon after an hours-long search in the cold with dozens of other volunteers. Bykoski said she ended up finding Durler in plain sight, standing in front of a retail shop, DK Pittsburgh Sports on Fifth Avenue.
January 8, 2024 2:41 am
UPPER DARBY, Pa. (AP) — Federal investigators say they’re unable determine the exact cause of the crash of a medical helicopter that nose-dived over suburban Philadelphia two years ago. No one lost their lives as the pilot somehow avoided a web of power lines and buildings and crash-landed next to a church’s day-care center. The National Transportation Safety Board’s final report says the Eurocopter EC135 was flying from Chambersburg at an altitude of about 1,500 feet in January 2022 when it abruptly increased its altitude and then went into a steep dive. The crash in Upper Darby seriously injured the pilot. Two medical crew members and an infant girl aboard also survived.
January 7, 2024 8:03 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it has dismantled the military infrastructure of Hamas in northern Gaza and is fully shifting its offensive to the enclave’s southern half. The pivot was announced as the Israel-Hamas war entered its fourth month Sunday. The military did not say whether it has pulled all forces out of northern Gaza, but that troops will now “continue to deepen the achievement”and strengthen defenses along the Israel-Gaza border fence. The announcement came ahead of a visit to Israel by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. U.S. officials, including Blinken, have repeatedly urged Israel to wind down its blistering offensive and shift to more targeted attacks against Hamas leaders. An airstrike near the southern city of Rafah killed two journalists on Sunday.
January 7, 2024 8:01 am
WAJIMA, Japan (AP) — Rescue teams are working through snow to deliver supplies to isolated hamlets six days after a powerful earthquake hit western Japan, killing at least 128 people. Heavy snowfall expected in Ishikawa Prefecture later Sunday and through the night is adding to the urgency. Over 200 people are still unaccounted for after Monday’s 7.6 magnitude temblor, and 560 people were injured. Hundreds of aftershocks have followed, rattling Noto Peninsula. A woman in her 90s was pulled alive from a collapsed house, where she had waited for 124 hours before she was rescued. Ishikawa officials say 1,370 homes were completely or partially destroyed.
January 7, 2024 8:01 am
EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) — Mexico has increased immigration enforcement in recent weeks. U.S. officials say that has contributed to a sharp drop in illegal border crossings. The actions taken by Mexico include forcing migrants off freight trains, sending deportation flights to Venezuela and flying and busing migrants to the southern part of Mexico. Even if temporary, the decrease in illegal crossings is welcome news for the White House. President Joe Biden’s administration is locked in talks with Senate negotiators over restricting asylum and $110 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel hangs in the balance.
January 7, 2024 8:00 am
(AP) – Federal officials have ordered the immediate grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners until they are inspected after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage. The required inspections will take around four to eight hours per aircraft and will affect about 171 airplanes worldwide. The Alaska Airlines jetliner blew out the portion of its fuselage shortly after takeoff 3 miles above Oregon late Friday, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing as its 171 passengers and six crew members donned oxygen masks. No one was seriously hurt.
