January 20, 2020 11:54 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) – A local paramedic is on a personal mission after his friend and co-worker died while on the job. Michael Bedner is asking people to sign an online petition to raise awareness and increase protections for first responders when they’re called to scenes along roads. Bedner’s friend, 43-year old Matt Smelser, was hit and killed while responding to a crash on Interstate 70 on Jan. 5th. Bedner wants to see more advanced warning at crash scenes to give drivers more time to react. He also wants lawmakers to expand their definition of “move over and slow down” and increase fines for people who speed through emergency scenes or work zones.
January 20, 2020 3:26 am
BEIJING (AP) – China has reported a sharp rise in the number of people infected with a new coronavirus, including the first cases in the capital. The outbreak coincides with the country’s busiest travel period, as millions board trains and planes for the Lunar New Year holidays. Health authorities in the central city of Wuhan, where the pneumonia appears to have originated, have confirmed more cases that raise the total to more than 200. And a third patient has died, bringing the death toll to three. Thailand and Japan have identified three cases among people who recently traveled from China. South Korea reported its first case, a woman who arrived in Seoul from Wuhan and is now hospitalized.
January 20, 2020 3:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The New York Times has endorsed not one but two candidates for the Democratic nomination for president, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar from the party’s moderate wing and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren from its progressive wing. The paper said Sunday it had chosen the two most effective candidates from the moderate and progressive sides of the party – without stating a preference for either approach. In passing over Joe Biden, the paper cited his age and occasional gaffes.
January 20, 2020 3:23 am
ATLANTA (AP) – The nation is marking the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday memorializing the civil rights leader. Monday’s holiday in King’s name comes against the backdrop of a presidential election year. In Atlanta, Monday’s commemorations could draw attention to the continuing leadership role of the clergy in African American politics. U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, a Georgia Republican appointed by Gov. Brian Kemp, plans to attend Monday’s tribute at Ebenezer Baptist Church, which King and his father both led. And in an early tribute to King, Vice President Mike Pence spoke Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee, at a church service recalling the challenges and accomplishments of the slain civil rights leader.
January 20, 2020 3:21 am
HONOLULU (AP) – Authorities and neighbors say Hawaii man with a history of run-ins with police and neighbors was facing eviction when he stabbed his landlord and killed two officers before the house he and two women were believed to be in caught fire. Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard said Sunday that police found a woman who had been stabbed in the leg and resident Jaroslav “Jerry” Hanel opened fire, killing Officers Tiffany Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama. Police suspect he and two women were inside the house when it caught fire, and Ballard said it could take days to process evidence and recover any remains. Court records say homeowner Lois Cain had recently sought to evict the man. A neighbor told The Associated Press she saw Cain being loaded into an ambulance with knife wounds.
January 20, 2020 3:08 am
POTTER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — Rescue crews were called after a man’s kayak overturned in Raccoon Creek in Beaver County. The incident in Potter Township was called in around 1 p.m. Sunday. The man inside the kayak was able to swim to a tree after it flipped and rescue teams from various departments had to pull him out, police told our news partners at Channel 11. “Water conditions are high today, running very swiftly, so the kayak got away from him and he was stranded,” said Potter Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Victoria Carlton. Police said his friend tried to rescue him and ended up getting his truck stuck in the woods. The kayaker was taken to a hospital to be treated for hypothermia. His condition is unknown at this time.
January 20, 2020 3:06 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Roads are open after a major water main break shut down streets in the West End of Pittsburgh. Police said the 20-inch break happened around 7:15 p.m. Sunday in the 1800 block of West Carson Street. The road was closed in each direction between Corliss Street and the West End Circle. A salt truck was also called in to help because the temperatures are so cold. The PWSA issued a boil water advisory for the areas nearby due to low pressure. Water buffaloes are available at the following locations:
- Fire Station 29, 2150 Noblestown Rd
- Fire Station 31, 3000 Chartiers Ave
- 725 Ridgemont Ave
January 20, 2020 2:34 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Authorities are investigating an accident involving a Port Authority bus that hit a pedestrian in Oakland just after noon. The pedestrian, a woman, died from her injuries. Officials with the University of Pittsburgh later confirmed that the victim was a senior at the university. She was identified by the school as Barbara Como. The accident happened at the intersection of Oakland Avenue, De Soto Street and Fifth Avenue near the hospital.
January 19, 2020 7:44 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The bodies of the 11 Ukrainians who died when an Iranian missile shot down a passenger plane have arrived in Ukraine for a farewell ceremony. They were among the 176 people killed in the Jan. 8 catastrophe, when a Ukrainian Airlines plane heading to Kyiv was brought down shortly after takeoff from Tehran. Iran acknowledged three days later that the plane was mistakenly hit by an anti-aircraft missile. On Sunday, the bodies were brought to Kyiv’s Boryspil Airport aboard a Ukrainian air force plane. An honor guard solemnly carried the coffins into the airport terminal, where a farewell observance is to last until the evening.
January 19, 2020 7:43 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands gathered in cities across the country Saturday as part of the nationwide Women’s March rallies focused on issues such as climate change, pay equity, reproductive rights and immigration. Hundreds showed up in New York City and thousands in Washington, D.C. for the rallies, which aim to harness the political power of women, although crowds were noticeably smaller than in previous years. Marches were scheduled Saturday in more than 180 cities. The first marches in 2017 drew hundreds of thousands of people to rallies in cities across the country on the day after President Donald Trump was inaugurated. That year’s D.C. march drew close to 1 million people.
