November 10, 2019 8:15 am
HEMPFIELD, Pa. (AP) – Officials say three trains were involved in a derailment in western Pennsylvania, prompting cancellation of rail service between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, but no injuries were reported. Three Norfolk Southern Corp. trains were involved in the 2:30 p.m. Friday derailment just west of the Georges Station Road bridge in Hempfield, about three miles east of Greensburg. Norfolk Southern said one westbound train struck the rear of another, and derailed cars hit part of an eastbound train. A total of 11 rail cars transporting 50 shipping containers derailed, blocking lines that carry both freight and passengers between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Norfolk Southern said in a statement Saturday that cranes, excavators, loaders and other heavy equipment are being used to clear the tracks, and service restoration was expected late Saturday night.
November 10, 2019 8:14 am
PENN HILLS, Pa. (WPXI) – Two men who were wanted in connection with a deadly home invasion in Penn Hills were caught in California and have been extradited back to Allegheny County. Laron Howard, 19, and Laquon Perkins, 18, are facing homicide charges in the death of Aaron Evans. Evans, 35, was found shot inside his home on Lawton Street on Oct. 6. Evans was leaving to pick up his child from day care, when the three men — at least one of whom had a weapon — forced him back inside. According to the police criminal complaint, security cameras at the home showed the men dragging Evans into the house. Detectives said when Evans never showed up to pick up his child, the day care called the child’s mother, who then called 911. Investigators said the home was ransacked. Nearly two weeks later, on Oct. 18, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office arrested Howard and Perkins at a home in the 1200 block of Herzel Street in Lancaster, Calif. They were extradited back to Allegheny County Saturday morning, according to police. Both men are being charged with criminal homicide, burglary, robbery and criminal conspiracy. Howard also faces a weapons violation. Meanwhile, police are still trying to identify a third man they say is also involved. Anyone with information about the identity of the third man is asked to call the Allegheny County Police tip line at 1-833-255-8477.
November 9, 2019 9:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – If Ukraine’s new leader wanted an Oval Office welcome from Donald Trump – and he did – he would have to open a public probe into the president’s Democratic foe Joe Biden and his son. That is what two key White House officials told impeachment investigators. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, an Army officer assigned to the National Security Council, testified that Gordon Sondland, a Trump donor serving as ambassador to the European Union, told the visiting officials that if they hoped to win that coveted face-to-face meeting, “the Ukrainians would have to deliver an investigation into the Bidens.” According to transcripts released Friday in the House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, Vindman and Fiona Hill, a former White House Russia adviser, gave House investigators detailed updates of scenes central to the probe.
November 9, 2019 9:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Michael Bloomberg plans to focus his likely presidential campaign on Super Tuesday states, skipping early voting states where other candidates have spent months meeting voters and building operations. Bloomberg adviser Howard Wolfson says other candidates already have a big head start in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Wolfson says Bloomberg is “realistic” about where he can make up ground at this late stage. That means Bloomberg would focus on the crush of states that vote on March 3, hoping to quickly amass delegates in California, Virginia and elsewhere. The billionaire’s vast personal wealth means he can start advertising and building a campaign apparatus in those states while other candidates are focused on the early primary contests. Bloomberg is expected to make a final decision on the 2020 campaign in the coming days.
November 9, 2019 9:13 am
BERLIN (AP) – Germany is marking the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Berlin Wall, a pivotal moment in the events that brought down Communism in eastern Europe. Leaders from Germany and other European nations are attending ceremonies Saturday in Berlin recalling the peaceful protests that piled pressure on East Germany’s government to allow its citizens free passage to the west on Nov. 9, 1989 . The main commemoration is being held at Bernauer Strasse, where one of the last parts of the Berlin Wall that divided the city for 28 years still stands. Light installations, concerts and public debates are also being held throughout the city and other parts of Germany to mark the anniversary.
November 9, 2019 4:11 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania is seeking passage of a measure that’s squarely aimed at several Democratic presidential candidates and designed to prevent a president from banning hydraulic fracturing. Toomey said Friday his new resolution makes it clear that Congress believes a president doesn’t have the authority to ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Toomey’s resolution is in response to an all-out prohibition on the controversial natural gas extraction process that’s backed by two leading Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. The prospect of banning fracking is dividing Democrats and their traditional allies in organized labor in what’s shaping up as a premier battleground state in next year’s presidential election. Pennsylvania is also the nation’s No. 2 natural gas state, behind Texas.
November 9, 2019 4:05 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – An 88-year-old Roman Catholic priest awaits sentencing after a judge in Pittsburgh convicted him of indecent assault and other charges involving a pre-teen boy. The Rev. Hugh Lang was found guilty Friday of crimes that occurred in 2001 when he was pastor of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish in Munhall. The investigation was launched last year after a report was made to the state’s Childline abuse hotline. Police said in charging documents that during altar boy training, Lang molested and photographed the child. Lang testified he didn’t know the victim and denied abusing him. Lang’s lawyer argued the victim wasn’t credible and noted he’s filed a lawsuit. Lang was also found guilty of unlawful contact with a minor, indecent exposure and corruption of a minor. Sentencing is scheduled for February.
November 9, 2019 3:40 am
The victim of a trench collapse in North Strabane Township has been identified. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco has identified Richard St. John, 49 of Bellaire, Ohio as the man who became trapped when a trench that he was digging collapsed. The cause and manner of death are still pending. The incident occurred on Brehm Road in North Strabane Township at 1:10 p.m. on Friday afternoon. St. John was one of several people trying to tie a sewer line into the public system. It is unclear what caused the collapse and the incident is still being investigated by OSHA and the North Strabane Township Police. (Photo WPXI)
November 8, 2019 5:04 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Medicare says its “Part B” premium for outpatient care will rise to $144.60 a month next year, an increase of $9.10, or nearly 7%. That follows a smaller $1.50 rise this year. The health care cost increase comes after Social Security announced a modest 1.6 percent cost-of-living raise for 2020. The Part B premium is an unofficial yardstick used by beneficiaries to track what health care is costing them. Part B covers doctor visits and outpatient care, while Medicare’s Part A covers hospitalization. Medicare officials said Friday the annual Part B outpatient deductible will increase by $13, to $198 next year. The Part A in-patient deductible will increase by $44, to $1,408 in 2020. Next year’s Social Security increase works out to $24 a month for the average retired worker.
November 8, 2019 4:16 pm
A man in Washington County died Friday afternoon after becoming trapped in a trench that collapsed at a home in the 100 block of Brehm Road in North Strabane Township. Emergency responders were called out just after one o’clock following reports that a man had become trapped at the bottom of what they’re calling a 10-foot-deep trench. Authorities say it appears that the man was working on a sewer line when the hole caved in, but the investigation is still active. (Photo: WPXI)
