September 8, 2019 7:31 am
PERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) – A woman died when she lost control of her vehicle, crossed the center line and collided with an oncoming vehicle, according to the Greene County Coroner. Officials said Deborah Spacht, 56, was driving on State Route 19 just north of the Pennsylvania – West Virginia state border when the crash occurred. The coroner said the crash happened at about 5:45 p.m. Friday. A second woman, 78-year-old Nancy Harvey of Morgantown was also killed in the crash. Harvey was the passenger of the vehicle that was hit by Spacht. Two other people involved in the crash were sent to Ruby Memorial Hospital with serious injuries according to reports.
September 8, 2019 7:23 am
WASHINGTON, Pa — A McKeesport Man has been identified as the victim in the Washington shooting that sent him to a Pittsburgh-area area Hospital Thursday night. According to Washington City Police, El-Hajj Turner was shot once in the thigh during the incident near Orchard Avenue around 7:45 p.m. Turner was originally taken to Washington hospital before being life flighted to Pittsburgh. Witnesses say they heard a total of six shots fired, while a blue Dodge Ram fled the scene. Police say Turner was accompanied by three other men, who took off on foot before police arrived. Turner was found on the back porch of a home on West Hallam Avenue. Police say four bullet shells and a cell phone were recovered near the site of the shooting. Turner’s condition is not known at this time.
September 8, 2019 7:22 am
JEANNETTE, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say a man was shot and killed outside of a western Pennsylvania stadium during the final minutes of a high school football game, prompting evacuation of the stadium. Police say the shooting was reported at 9:20 p.m. outside the Park Street gate of McKee Stadium in Jeannette, where Jeannette and Imani Christian were playing. The Westmoreland County coroner’s office says 48-year-old Dameian Williams was pronounced dead at Excela Westmoreland’s emergency department. Greg Harper, 40, was arrested and faces homicide and reckless endangerment charges. The game between Jeannette High School and Imani Christian was called with 3:41 left in regulation and Jeannette leading 48-0. Fans in the stadium were evacuated on the opposite side of the facility from the shooting, with no injuries reported.
September 8, 2019 7:19 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say a western Pennsylvania man has been arrested after allegedly calling 911 to say he had killed his mother. Allegheny County police say 42-year-old Kenneth Burdick surrendered to officers on the front porch of the West Mifflin home shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday. Investigators said the defendant’s 80-year-old mother was found dead inside the home. County police said there was a history of domestic disturbance calls to the residence but there was no active protection from abuse order. Anyone with information was asked to call county investigators. Burdick was charged with criminal homicide and taken to the county jail to await arraignment. Court documents don’t’ list a defense attorney; a message seeking comment was left at a number listed for the defendant.
September 7, 2019 9:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Justice Neil Gorsuch is following the path of Supreme Court colleagues-turned-authors in a new book in which he laments the loss of civility in public discourse. The 52-year-old justice says in an interview with The Associated Press that he wrote “A Republic, If You Can Keep It” because Americans should remember that their political opponents “love this country as much as we do.” But Gorsuch has little to say about the president who appointed him to the Supreme Court and who routinely brands his opponents dopes, losers, liars and worse. When asked about President Donald Trump’s rough speech, Gorsuch says he’s not going to talk about politics.
September 7, 2019 9:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal agency is reversing course on the question of whether President Donald Trump tweeted stale information about Hurricane Dorian potentially hitting Alabama.
On Sunday, Trump warned that Alabama, along with the Carolinas and Georgia, was “most likely to be hit (much) harder than anticipated.” The National Weather Service in Birmingham tweeted in response that “Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian.” But the president has been adamant he was correct. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has now issued a statement saying information provided to Trump through Monday demonstrated that “tropical-storm-force winds from Hurricane Dorian could impact Alabama.” The NOAA statement also says the National Weather Service tweet “spoke in absolute terms that were inconsistent with probabilities from the best forecast products available at the time.”
September 7, 2019 9:08 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says it has inspectors on the ground in Iran who will be able to look into reports that Tehran began injecting uranium gas into advanced centrifuges in violation of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The International Atomic Energy Agency told The Associated Press Saturday it was aware of the reports “related to Iran’s centrifuge research and development.” The Vienna-based IAEA says “agency inspectors are on the ground in Iran and they will report any relevant activities to IAEA headquarters.” Meantime, IAEA Acting Director General Cornel Feruta was traveling Saturday to Iran. The agency said he will meet Sunday with high-ranking officials in Tehran as part of what it said were its “ongoing interactions” related to its monitoring under the nuclear deal. The IAEA, which issues compliance reports, meets in Vienna on Monday.
September 7, 2019 8:56 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — Pittsburgh and fans of the late rapper Mac Miller are paying tribute to him, following his death last September. This Saturday marks the first anniversary of his death, and fans have remembered him with a vigil on Friday at Blue Slide Park, the place that inspired his album in 2011. The Celebration of Mac Miller event started at 6 p.m., and hundreds of people were in attendance. Fans of Miller said they want to celebrate his music and the good he did for Pittsburgh, including investing in youth programs and safe playgrounds. The celebration of life comes just two days after federal prosecutors announced an arrest in connection with Miller’s death. Prosecutors charged Cameron Pettit, alleging he sold counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl to Miller.
September 7, 2019 8:53 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI)- A new government report released Thursday says the train derailment near Station Square last August could have been prevented. The Federal Railroad Administration released an accident investigation report on the incident. An issue with one of Norfolk Southern’s rail lines led to train cars crashing over the hillside above Carson Street, with several of them falling onto Port Authority light rail tracks. The report said that issue along the line was picked up in camera images during a test in July 2018 conducted by Sperry Rail Services. The report notes that the Sperry inspector made a “serious oversight” because there were “multiple opportunities to recognize a potential defect and follow up with a ground inspection,” which would have included a check by hand. The report also cleared the crew members of any wrong-doing. It also noted that the emergency brake acted correctly and stopped the train after several cars had derailed, indicating to the crew that there was a problem.
September 7, 2019 4:22 am
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) – The 34 people who died in a diving boat fire off Southern California are being remembered by those who shared their love of the sea. Hundreds turned out Friday evening for a vigil at a Santa Barbara park. Clergy offered words of solace, musicians offered harp music and a rendition of “Amazing Grace” and a diving instructor said a common love of diving “bonds us together for eternity.” Only five crew members survived Monday’s sinking of the Conception off Santa Cruz Island. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown says it appears the victims died from smoke inhalation as they slept in a bunkroom below deck. Divers have recovered all but one body. The Coast Guard says safety concerns over gusty winds halted efforts to salvage the boat Friday.
