September 27, 2019 4:16 am
TORONTO (AP) – A newly released video shows a man who allegedly used a van to kill 10 pedestrians in Toronto telling police that he’s part of an online group of sexually frustrated men who plot attacks against people who have sex. Alek Minassian faces 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder in connection with the April 23, 2018 attack. The deadly van rampage trained attention on an online world of sexual loneliness, rage and misogyny after the suspect invoked an uprising by “involuntary celibates” and gave a shoutout on social media to a California killer who seethed at women for rejecting him.
September 27, 2019 4:14 am
DETROIT (AP) – General Motors now says striking workers will get company-paid health insurance, nine days after saying coverage would be cut off. The company says in an email to the United Auto Workers union that it will keep benefits in place due to significant confusion among members. The letter says employee health and well-being are GM’s top priorities. Workers howled and politicians criticized GM after the company said it would end benefits the day after the strike began Sept. 16. It’s standard procedure for health care costs to shift to the union in a strike. The United Auto Workers’ website says the union would pick up the cost of premiums. The strike by about 49,000 factory workers has shut down production at more than 30 GM factories. Talks continued Thursday.
September 27, 2019 4:13 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Users of Amazon’s Alexa digital assistant can now request that recordings of their voice commands delete automatically. Amazon says it saves such commands to improve the service. But the practice has raised concerns with privacy experts who say the recordings could get into the wrong hands, especially as Amazon and other companies use human reviewers rather than just machines. Tech companies have been reviewing their practices in light of those concerns. Previously, users had to go into Alexa’s settings and delete recordings manually. Users can now ask Amazon to automatically delete recordings after three months or 18 months. But users need to specify that in the settings, as recordings are kept indefinitely by default. And there’s no automatic option for immediate deletion. Users would still need to do that manually.
September 27, 2019 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democrats are condemning President Donald Trump’s attack on an intelligence community whistleblower, calling it “witness intimidation” in their ongoing impeachment probe. The chairmen of the foreign affairs, intelligence and oversight committees say, “The President’s comments today constitute reprehensible witness intimidation and an attempt to obstruct Congress’ impeachment inquiry.” Trump said at a Thursday breakfast that he wanted to identify the whistleblower and his or her sources, alleging they are “close to a spy” and alluding to the death penalty. Reps. Eliot Engel, Adam Schiff and Elijah Cummings suggest Trump’s efforts to interfere with the potential witness could be unlawful. They add, “Threats of violence from the leader of our country have a chilling effect on the entire whistleblower process, with grave consequences for our democracy and national security.”
September 27, 2019 4:08 am
WASHINGTON CO., Pa. – (WPXI) – The FBI has joined the search with West Mifflin Police who are looking for two children who are believed to be in danger in Washington County. According to investigators, 7-week-old Ambrose Klingensmith and A 3-year-old boy are inside a 2001 Buick Century with two adults – Jeannette Funnen and Daemon Klingensmith. West Mifflin police say they believe the 7-week-old is “at risk of harm or injury.” Police say the baby had been at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh for abdominal bruising consistent with child abuse, however, his parents took off with him from the emergency room before he was examined. Police said the car they were in had a Pennsylvania license plate number of LBD-6681 and was last seen traveling on Washington Road in Peters Township. Also, West Mifflin police say they had been given information that they may be traveling to Florida. Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is asked to call the West Mifflin Police Department at 412-461-3125. (Photo: West Mifflin Police)
September 27, 2019 3:46 am
Pennsylvania’s existing tax on natural gas – the impact fee – is a winning policy solution that works for Washington County, said industry and local leaders during a news conference Thursday on the steps of the County Courthouse. Awarded nearly $23 million from the natural gas impact tax this year, Washington County and its municipalities have funded critical infrastructure projects, emergency operations, and community park improvements, among others. The event featured remarks from Washington County Commissioners, Senator Camera Bartolotta, Rep. Jason Ortitay, Chartiers Township Manager Jodi Noble, Cross Creek Township Manager Rachel Warner Welsh, North Strabane Township Fire Chief Mark Grimm, and Washington County Chamber of Commerce President Jeff Kotula. “Pennsylvania’s unique tax on natural gas – the impact tax – continues to be a policy solution that’s working as designed, directly benefiting communities in all 67 counties throughout the Commonwealth,” Marcellus Shale Coalition President David Spigelmyer said. “Importantly the impact tax is structured to empower local leaders with the ability to determine projects to fund, like flood mitigation, road and bridge improvement, park and trail upgrades, or first responder services.” Impact tax revenues in Washington County have gone towards several community projects, such as the eventual replacement of McDowell Lane Bridge over Canonsburg Lake and Deems Bridge over Pike Run, the rehabilitation of Cokeburg Water Reservoir Dam, and improvements to Mon Valley River Access. Pennsylvania’s impact fee has generated nearly $1.7 billion in tax revenues since 2012.
September 27, 2019 3:20 am
PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) – A student at Peters Township High School had a list of people in a notebook identified as a “hit list,” according to an email sent to parents from the school district. Principals were notified and the matter was immediately turned over to the Peters Township police. The student was removed from the building. Any individual that was involved in the threat are being notified by the school, according to the email. The district said any threat is taken seriously and will be fully investigated by the district and police.
September 26, 2019 12:29 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – It’s flu shot season again and U.S. health officials urge getting one before the end of October. The past two years brought miserable flu seasons – last year’s was unusually long and the one before that was unusually deadly. There’s no way to predict how bad this fall and winter will be. Typically flu starts widely circulating in November or December, and peaks by February. The vaccine is far from perfect. But doctors say it’s the best protection available against a virus that kills tens of thousands even in a not-so-bad year.
September 26, 2019 9:34 am
KUTZTOWN, Pa. (AP) – A bad bug is making life miserable for some Pennsylvanian residents and business owners. The spotted lanternfly has emerged as a serious pest since the federal government confirmed its arrival in southeastern Pennsylvania five years ago this week. It sucks the sap from valuable trees and vines. It rains its clear, sticky, sugary waste onto pools and decks, driving exasperated homeowners indoors when they’re not too busy killing the fluttering buggers. The bug’s range is expanding.
September 26, 2019 9:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is trading insults with his chief critic from the House intelligence committee’s hearing on a whistleblower complaint about his conduct. Trump tweeted Thursday that committee Chairman Adam Schiff “has zero credibility” and is pushing “Another fantasy to hurt the Republican Party!” Schiff, a Democrat, quickly responded: “I’m always flattered when I’m attacked by someone of the president’s character.” Joseph Maguire, acting director of national intelligence, told the committee a whistleblower “did the right thing” by coming forward to report concerns over the White House’s handling of a call between Trump and Ukraine’s leader. The complaint details a call between Trump and Ukraine’s president in which Trump pressures the leader to investigate political rival Joe Biden.
