October 13, 2019 8:03 am
TOKYO (AP) – Kyodo News service has reported 19 people are dead and 16 are missing after Typhoon Hagibis caused massive flooding in Japan. Kyodo’s tally, which compiled various local reports, says about 100 people have been injured. Government rescue teams have dispatched helicopters and boats to reach people stranded in flooded homes Sunday, part of a major rescue effort in wide areas of the country, including Tokyo and surrounding areas. The casualty numbers continue to grow, and the Kyodo report is considerably higher than what the government spokesman gave earlier in the day. Experts have warned from the start that assessing the damage is difficult because the flooding has struck about a dozen rivers, causing some of them to spill out in more than one spot.
October 13, 2019 8:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is standing by his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, amid reports that federal prosecutors are looking into Giuliani for possible lobbying violations. Trump tweeted Saturday that Giuliani is the victim of what the president calls “a one sided Witch Hunt.” The New York Times reported Friday, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the inquiry, that the investigation is linked to Giuliani’s efforts to undermine the former the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. However, some aides and advisers to the president tell The Associated Press they wish he would cut ties with Giuliani. Giuliani’s efforts on behalf of Trump led Giuliani to Ukraine, which now entangles the former federal prosecutor and mayor in legal jeopardy and is central to the danger threatening the presidency he labored to protect.
October 13, 2019 7:57 am
NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. (WPXI) – Charges were filed Friday against the son of a woman whose body was found in August inside her New Kensington home months after her death. According to a criminal complaint, Robert Hawk’s mother, 68-year-old Marcia Smock, was found dead inside a room that had been duct-taped shut. Officials with the Department of Aging tried to do a welfare check on Smock in early August but were stopped by Hawk. He initially told police his mother was staying with a friend before admitting she was dead inside. Hawk told investigators his mother died about two months prior. He didn’t report her death and continued cashing her social security checks, according to police. Dozens of animals were rescued from the home, including 19 cats, officials said. Hawk is facing more than 60 counts for charges, including abuse of a corpse, theft and aggravated cruelty to animals. However, none of the charges are linked to her death.
October 13, 2019 7:56 am
MONESSEN, Pa. (WPXI) — A well-known chiropractor in Westmoreland County is facing felony animal cruelty charges after police say he shot at a dog seven times. Monessen police said Dr. James Scirotto was at a birthday party on Marion Avenue several houses down from where the dog lives. According to court documents, the dog was running around and barking at people. In response, Scirotto allegedly pulled out a gun that had been stuffed down the front of his pants and fired several shots at the dog. He then allegedly chased the dog to where it lived on Hillcrest Avenue and shot the dog in its yard. The dog, a 5-year-old named Honda, is now recovering at home after undergoing surgery for a wound from a bullet that went through his back leg.
October 13, 2019 7:55 am
ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) – A Pennsylvania judge has declined to bar consideration of the death penalty in the case of a man charged with having killed a toddler last year. The Altoona Mirror reports that the Blair County judge said last week that attorneys for 20-year-old Drue Burd could repeat their objections to capital punishment after prosecutors finish presenting their evidence. Burd is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault, strangulation and related charges in the May 2018 death of 16-month-old Angela Beard. Prosecutors allege that he told investigators he put his hand over the child’s mouth and nose to make her fall asleep. They call the death penalty warranted because of the child’s age and another felony count. Prosecutors also argue that torture was involved, but defense attorneys say there’s no evidence of that.
October 13, 2019 7:53 am
MACUNGIE, Pa. (AP) – The union representing thousands of workers at Mack Truck plants in Pennsylvania and two other states has announced plans to go on strike this weekend. The United Automobile Workers Union Local 677 said on its website that the Mack Truck council voted Thursday night to begin a walkout at 11:59 p.m. Saturday. The company said the strike involves about 3,500 employees at facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida. Picketing was to begin at 8 a.m. Sunday at the Mack Truck cab and vehicle assembly plant and a logistics center in Macungie just outside Allentown. The union says many issues remain unresolved, including wage increases, job security, and pension and health benefits. Mack Trucks President Martin Weissburg said he was “surprised and disappointed” by the decision, saying progress was being made.
October 13, 2019 7:51 am
GREENSBURG, Pa. (WPXI) – A firefighter was hurt early Saturday while battling a fire that badly damaged the Greensburg Public Works building. Flames broke out just after midnight at the building on South Urania Avenue in Greensburg. The firefighter was taken to the hospital. Their condition has not been released. The fire caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, the fire chief said. The intense heat from the fire twisted the support beams inside the building. Two large dump trucks inside were badly charred. The city’s asphalt paver, snowplow equipment were also damaged by fire. The street sweeper machine may have been the source of the fire, the fire chief said.
October 12, 2019 4:33 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Pacific Gas & Electric says it’s restored power to 97% of the customers it deliberately blacked out because of weather-related fire concerns. PG&E reports Friday night that of the estimated 738,000 homes and businesses it deliberately blacked out Wednesday, only 21,000 are still without electricity. The outage affected portions of 35 counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, wine country, Central Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills. PG&E was concerned that dry, gusty winds would down power lines or throw debris into them, sparking brushfires. PG&E equipment was blamed for a deadly November fire. Winds gusting to 70 mph (112 kph) were reported Wednesday and Thursday. The utility says there were 30 instances of weather-related damage to its system during the shutoff.
October 12, 2019 4:32 am
TOKYO (AP) – Tokyo and surrounding areas are bracing for a powerful typhoon forecast as the worst in six decades with streets and trains stations unusually quiet as rain poured over the city. Store shelves are bare after people stocked up on water and food. Nearby beaches have not a surfer in sight, only towering dashing waves. Typhoon Hagibis is expected to bring up to 80 centimeters (30 inches) of rain in the Tokyo area, including Chiba to the north that suffered power outages and damage from last month’s typhoon. Rugby World Cup matches, concerts and other events are canceled, flights grounded and trains halted. Authorities acted quickly with warnings issued earlier this week, including urging people to stay indoors.
October 12, 2019 4:31 am
BEIJING (AP) – Companies have welcomed a U.S.-Chinese trade truce as a possible step toward breaking a deadlock in a 15-month-old tariff war, while economists caution there was little progress toward settling core disputes including technology that threaten global growth. President Donald Trump says Washington will suspend a tariff hike planned for Tuesday on $250 billion of Chinese goods. In exchange, Trump says China agreed to buy as much as $50 billion of American farm goods. Details of other possible agreements weren’t immediately released. The bruising battle over China’s trade surplus and technology ambitions has disrupted global trade. Economists warn a final settlement might take years to negotiate. Despite that, financial markets rise ahead of each round of talks and fall back when no progress is reported.
