January 4, 2020 4:20 am
HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kong authorities have activated a newly created “serious response” level as fears spread about a mysterious infectious disease that may have been brought back by visitors to a mainland Chinese city. The governmentálaunched a new response plan Saturday for infectious diseases of unknown cause.áIt had earlier stepped up temperature checks at border crossings. At least 44 people have been infected in the city of Wuhan, and five possible cases have been reported in Hong Kong. The outbreak has revived memories of the 2002-2003 SARS epidemic, which killed more than 700 people in mainland China, Hong Kong and elsewhere.
January 4, 2020 4:18 am
BOSTON (AP) – One of the biggest threats to the United States after the targeted killing of Iran’s top general is likely to be cyberattacks. The U.S. power grid is supposed to be quite resilient, but Iranian state-backed hackers could inject malware that triggers major disruptions to the U.S. public and private sector. Potential targets include manufacturing facilities,áoil and gas plants and transit systems. Iranian state-backed hackers carried out a series of disruptive denial-of-service attacks that knocked major U.S. banks’ websites offline in 2012 in response to U.S. sanctions. Two years later, they wiped servers at a Las Vegas casino.
January 4, 2020 4:17 am
SYDNEY (AP) – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called up about 3,000 reservists as the threat of wildfires has escalated in at least three states. He says 23 deaths have been confirmed so far this summer, including two on Saturday, and “we are facing another extremely difficult next 24 hours.” Morrison also confirmed his scheduled visits to India and Japan later this month have been postponed. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian says her state was facing “another terrible day” and called on people in areas threatened by the fires to leave while they can. Officials are warning the fires could move “frighteningly quick.” Embers carried by the wind have the potential to spark new fires or enlarge existing blazes.
January 4, 2020 4:16 am
BAGHDAD (AP) – Thousands of mourners are gathering for a funeral procession through Baghdad for Iran’s top general and Iraqi militant leaders killed in a U.S. airstrike. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds force and mastermind of its regional security strategy, was killed in an airstrike overnight Friday near the Iraqi capital’s airport. Iran has vowed harsh retaliation, raising fears of an all-out war. U.S. President Donald Trump says he ordered the strike to prevent a conflict. The U.S. and Iran have been sliding toward an open conflict since Trump withdrew the U.S. from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Saudi Arabia has called for “de-escalation” saying the region could be facing “unbearable consequences.”
January 4, 2020 4:10 am
WILKINSBURG, Pa. (WPXI) — The two men accused of killing five people and an unborn baby at a backyard cookout in Wilkinsburg nearly four years ago are set for trial. The trial will start Monday with jury selection, as Cheron Shelton and Robert Thomas each face six counts of homicide after the mass shooting on Franklin Avenue in March 2016. Investigators said the two men were targeting a man at the cookout over an incident in 2013. He survived the shooting. Through court paperwork and testimony, investigators claim Thomas fired a shot near the backyard, causing people to run toward the porch to safety. That’s where Shelton was allegedly standing when he opened fire. It happened in 2016, a time frame defense attorney Phil DiLucente believes will work in the defense’s favor. DiLucente also said jury selection could make or break the case since jurors will have to decide who to believe. He told Channel 11 there is no “direct evidence,” such as DNA or the gun used, but rather a lot of testimony. The judge issued a gag order in the case, meaning no one involved in the trial is allowed to speak publicly. The actual trial isn’t scheduled to begin until February.
January 4, 2020 2:55 am
Swearing-in ceremonies were held Friday morning at the Washington County Courthouse for Washington County office holders and judges. Among those taking the oath of office, Republican incumbent County Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughn, who will now replace Democrat Larry Maggi as chairman of the board. Also being sworn in today, the newest County Commissioner, Nick Sherman (pictured) who will replace Democrat Harlan Shober who lost to Sherman in the November General Election. Both Irey-Vaughn and Sherman say one of their first orders of business will be to hire a new Human Services Director. Also being sworn in Friday morning were Republican Brenda Davis who will replace Democrat Frank Scandale as Clerk of Courts; Republican Laura Hough who replaces Democrat Joy Schury Ranko as Prothonotary: Republican James Roman as Register of Wills who replaces retiring Democrat Mary Jo Poknis and Republican Tom Flickinger who will replace retiring County Treasurer, Democrat Francis King. Traci McDonald Kemp was also sworn in Friday as the county’s new Common Pleas Court Judge.
January 4, 2020 2:48 am
GREENE COUNTY, Pa. — A state prison is on lockdown after officials said an inmate attacked two corrections officers. According to an official with the Department of Corrections, the incident occurred on Thursday evening in a housing unit at SCI Greene. Both officers were taken to area hospitals for treatment of their injuries. Corrections officials said the jail is locked down while the incident is being investigated and right now, there is no estimate for how long the lockdown will be in place. The exact nature of the incident remains unclear at this point.
January 3, 2020 7:19 am
The cause of a fire at 1429 Yorktown Drive in Cecil Township Friday morning is under investigation. Authorities say the blaze broke out just before six o’clock in a home that is part of a complex of four townhouses in the Georgetown Estates development. That house was destroyed and the fire did spread to a neighboring unit but damage there was minimal. Everyone inside of the house got out safely, including the family’s cat. Firefighters say they believe the fire may have started in the garage. (Photo: WPXI)
January 3, 2020 4:22 am
SYDNEY (AP) – Navy ships plucked hundreds of people from beaches and tens of thousands were urged to flee before hot, windy weather worsens Australia’s devastating wildfires. More than 200 fires are burning, and one fire official says the warnings of extreme danger to come means, “There are millions of sparks out there ready to go.” Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and 10 deaths have been confirmed from fires this week. The devastating early start to the summer wildfire season has made this Australia’s worst on record. One official noted the “fire fatigue” but told people not to wait to flee until it was too late.
January 3, 2020 4:21 am
BEIJING (AP) – Oil prices are surging and Asian stock markets are mixed after U.S. forces in Iraq killed an Iranian general. Benchmarks in Shanghai and Hong Kong declined while Australia and some Southeast Asian markets advanced. Markets in Malaysia and Indonesia, both oil producers, gained. News of the death of Gen. Qassem Soleimani prompted expectations of Iranian retaliation against American and Israeli targets. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 and Dow rose to new records, helped by technology stocks. Investors were encouraged by expectations of stronger global economic growth in 2020 and the planned signing of an interim U.S.-Chinese trade agreement.
