January 23, 2020 3:43 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democrats are saying that “no president” has ever abused power the way President Donald Trump did toward Ukraine. They’re making their case as they press into the second day of arguments in Trump’s historic impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. They are facing a big challenge trying to win over not just fidgety senators but an American public deeply divided by the Republican president’s actions. Republicans are blocking new witnesses. The long hours in back-to-back days of proceedings have left some senators yawning, stretching and pacing. Each side has 24 hours over three days to make its case.
January 23, 2020 3:42 am
SYDNEY (AP) – Three Americans have died when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in the Snowy Monaro region of Australia’s southern New South Wales state. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the deaths and crash in comments to reporters as Australia attempts to deal with an unprecedented fire season that has left a large swath of destruction. Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says all three aboard were U.S. residents.áAlso Thursday, Canberra Airport closed because of nearby wildfires, and residents south of Australia’s capital were told to seek shelter.
January 23, 2020 3:32 am
PETERS Twp. — A man has died after being treated in a hospital for injuries following a car accident in Peters Township. According to reports, Shane Gledhill, 53, died Monday after being involved in the incident at the intersection of Route 19 and Center Church Road on Sunday afternoon. Police say Gledhill was attempting to cross Route 19 from the Arby’s parking lot to Center Church Road when he was struck by another vehicle traveling northbound on the highway. The Jeep traveling on Route 19 rolled onto the roof, and the two occupants in that vehicle were taken to the hospital with injuries according to authorities. Police say Gledhill was taken to a Pittsburgh Hospital with injuries to the head, pelvis and torso which ultimately led to his death Monday night.
January 23, 2020 3:19 am
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) – Authorities say a warrant has been issued for the arrest of NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown following accusations that he and his trainer attacked another man near Brown’s Florida home. Hollywood police say Brown faces charges of burglary with battery, burglary of an unoccupied conveyance and criminal mischief. Officers say they responded Tuesday afternoon to a disturbance call, where the alleged victim said Brown and his trainer, Glen Holt, hit him. Holt was arrested a short time later and charged with one count of burglary with battery. Police say officers attempted to make contact with Brown but were unsuccessful.
January 23, 2020 1:37 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A new study from the state health department says more than a third of West Virginia high school students vape. The report was released Thursday and labels vaping among young people in the state as an “epidemic” and says youth e-cigarette use here is outpacing in the rest of the country. The Department of Health and Human Resources has proposed a multi-pronged strategy to combat the rise. The report recommends raising the tax on vaping products, requiring warnings on vaping products and having more tobacco prevention initiatives in schools. Health boards in Kanawha and Cabell counties this month banned vaping in public spaces.
January 23, 2020 1:28 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled to uphold a legal principle that allows drillers to drain oil and natural gas from outside their property lines. The court overturned a 2018 decision by the lower Superior Court on Wednesday that said the “rule of capture” does not cover hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the rule has been applied throughout the United States since at least 1889. The rule states that oil and gas in reservoirs belongs to whomever pulls it from a well first. The court did not rule on what happens if a fracking operation physically crosses a property boundary, in which case a company could be subject to a trespassing claim.
January 22, 2020 3:36 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Wednesday is the deadline to seek cash payments and claim free services as part of Equifax’s $700 million settlement over a massive data breach. The breach in 2017, affecting 147 million people, was one of the largest ever to threaten private information. Equifax’s settlement with the U.S. government entitles affected consumers to free credit-monitoring and identity-restoration services for the next several years. Consumers may also be eligible for money for their time or reimbursement for certain services. Officials warn, however, that based on the number of claims so far, some payments will be reduced because of caps in the settlement.
January 22, 2020 3:35 am
TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) – A fifth body has been found on a property in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, and officials say they are beginning to suspect they may have a serial killer in custody. Baja California state prosecutor Hiram Sánchez said Tuesday that the suspect may have lured victims with offers of cars for sale. The suspect is the son-in-law of the first couple found buried on the property last week. Sánchez says the suspect faces murder charges in that case, but adds that investigators are looking into other reported disappearances in which the missing people were last seen near the property. The fifth body was found Monday.
January 22, 2020 3:35 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – In an abrupt about-face, Hillary Clinton says she will endorse her 2016 rival Bernie Sanders if he wins the Democratic nomination to face President Donald Trump in November. The former secretary of state had earlier refused to say whether she would endorse Sanders in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Tuesday, instead telling the outlet: “I’m not going to go there yet.” Clinton tweeted Tuesday night: “The number one priority for our country and world is retiring Trump, and, as I always have, I will do whatever I can to support our nominee.” The two had a bitter rivalry for the 2016 nomination.
January 22, 2020 3:34 am
BEIJING (AP) – Chinese health authorities are urging people in the city of Wuhan to avoid crowds and public gatherings after warning that a new viral illness infecting hundreds of people in the country and causing at least nine deaths could spread further. A national health official says 440 cases are confirmed. The nine deaths are all in Hubei province, where the first cases were reported last month. The illness comes from a new coronavirus that experts say may be spread through the respiratory tract and may be mutating. A World Health Organization meeting in Geneva later Wednesday will determine whether to declare the outbreak a global health crisis.