September 9, 2019 3:30 am
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) – OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma says it’s continuing to negotiate a settlement over the toll of opioids, a day after some state attorneys general sent a letter to their colleagues saying talks with the company had reached an impasse and that they expected the company to file imminently for bankruptcy protection. In the statement, the company said it believes “a settlement that benefits the American public now is a far better path than years of wasteful litigation and appeals.” The company is being sued by more than 2,000 state, local and tribal governments. The first federal trial on opioids is scheduled to begin next month, adding pressure on the parties to settle. Two attorneys general told officials in other states the company had rejected offers from the states.
September 9, 2019 3:29 am
TORONTO (AP) – The government in the Bahamas says the death toll from Hurricane Dorian has risen by one to 44. Health Minister Duane Sands on Sunday confirmed the toll in a WhatsApp message to The Associated Press. Officials have warned that the number of deaths is likely to rise as security forces and other teams search devastated areas of the northern Bahamas. The government also announced a telephone hotline where Bahamians can call to report family members who have been unaccounted for since the storm. At least five deaths have been blamed on the storm in the Southeastern U.S. and one in Puerto Rico.
September 9, 2019 3:28 am
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Afghans are bracing for a possible new wave of Taliban violence after President Donald Trump abruptly called off talks with the insurgent group, which vows to continue its fight against what it calls “foreign occupation.” Trump’s surprise weekend announcement came shortly before a string of highly sensitive days in Afghanistan, including Monday’s anniversary of the death of anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, the major Shiite Muslim holy day of Ashoura Tuesday and Wednesday’s 9/11 anniversary. The Taliban attacked at least two districts of northeastern Takhar province overnight, with no immediate reports of casualties. They attacked three provincial capitals earlier this month, even while finalizing a deal with the U.S. to end nearly 18 years of fighting. It’s not immediately clear whether the U.S.-Taliban talks will resume and when.
September 9, 2019 3:26 am
RANKIN, Pa. (WPXI) — One person is dead after a shootout in Rankin on Saturday night and police arrested a man they say was involved. On Sunday night, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Emery Brice Heard-Ellis, 21, of Pittsburgh. County police said they charged Marcus Carter, 29, with aggravated assault, firearm violations and other charges following the shooting. Police said at 9 p.m. officers were called to a gas station at the intersection of Gas Street and North Shore Alley. When they arrived the victim was lying dead in the road. Paramedics at the scene pronounced the man dead from a gunshot to the upper torso. Investigators said the victim and Carter were in an SUV when they shot at four people sitting on a porch on Gas Street. One or two people on the porch shot back. Police said Carter and the victim jumped out and the shootout continued. There was a heavy police presence along Gas Street. The Rankin Police chief said officers believe the shootout was drug and gang related.
September 9, 2019 3:21 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) – A western Pennsylvania amusement park’s newest and biggest attraction has won an industry award as best new roller coaster of the year. Kennywood’s Steel Curtain won the Golden Ticket honor for best new coaster awarded by Amusement Today, an industry publication. The Steel Curtain is in the park’s new Steelers Country section, a collaboration with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 4,000-foot-long coaster contains nine inversions, which park officials say is the most in North America, and the world’s tallest inversion at 197 feet. It also placed second as 2019’s best new attraction installation. Amusement Today’s overall favorite steel roller coaster was Fury 325 at Carowinds in Charlotte, North Carolina. Europa-Park in Rust, Germany, was named best park.
September 9, 2019 3:20 am
SOUTH FRANKLIN, Pa. — Three men died in a single vehicle accident Saturday night in Greene County. The coroner’s office confirmed the deaths of Matthew L. King, 27, Derek A. Lohr, 27, and Daniel D. Paletta-Davis, 27 all of Waynesburg. The crash took place around 9:00 p.m. on Route 19 in South Franklin Township. Police say the vehicle, which was being driven by King, failed to negotiate a curve and struck a guardrail on the right side of the road. The vehicle then became airborne and hit a tree before overturning and coming to a rest on its roof in the northbound lane. The cause and manner of death is being investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and Greene County Coroner’s Office.
September 8, 2019 7:40 am
BEIJING (AP) – China has reported that August imports from US fall 22.5% amid a tariff war with Washington, while exports to US fall 16%. Chinese customs data reported Sunday shows imports of U.S. goods fell to $10.3 billion following Chinese tariff hikes and orders to companies to cancel orders. Exports to the United States sank to $44.4 billion. Chinese exporters also face pressure from weakening global demand at a time when Beijing is telling them to find other markets to replace the United States.
September 8, 2019 7:39 am
ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) – Pope Francis is pressing for the poor to have the dignity of work with a visit to a hilltop rock quarry in Madagascar where hundreds of people toil for a pittance rather than scavenge in the Indian Ocean capital’s biggest dump. Francis celebrates an open-air Mass Sunday before visiting the Akamasoa village, the brainchild of an Argentine priest who was so overwhelmed by the abject poverty of Madagascar that he set about creating ways for the poor to earn a living. Over 30 years, the Akamasoa quarry has produced the stones that built the homes, roads, schools and health clinics that now dot the pine-covered hillside of Antananarivo. Akamasoa’s founder, the Rev. Pedro Opeka, says the low salaries are “an injustice,” but they are enough to send children to school.
September 8, 2019 7:36 am
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – Joe Biden was greeted with the respect that comes with being a former vice president when he took the stage at a New Hampshire Democratic convention. Some of his closest rivals were greeted like rock stars. The scene in New Hampshire highlights one of the riddles of Biden’s candidacy. He maintains a lead in nearly every poll, but his campaign often lacks the look and feel of a front-runner. His crowds are warm, but rarely high-energy. His organization is solid, but doesn’t always show up in force at key events that help shape the perceptions of political power brokers. Biden’s team insists such optics are overrated as indicators of a candidate’s strength, saying he is unique among Democrats because of a reservoir of goodwill from a broad group of supporters.
September 8, 2019 7:34 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – Attempts to reach a nationwide settlement over the opioid crisis with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma have hit an impasse, and the company is expected to file for bankruptcy.
State attorneys general for Tennessee and North Carolina have been leading the negotiations. They sent a message Saturday to other attorneys general saying the Sackler family, which owns Purdue, had rejected two offers from the states and declined to offer counterproposals. As a result, the attorneys general said they expect Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue to file “for bankruptcy protection imminently.” Purdue spokeswoman Josephine Martin said the company would decline to comment. The breakdown puts the first federal trial over the opioid epidemic on track to begin next month and sets the stage for a complex bankruptcy involving more than 30 states and 2,000 local governments.
