December 26, 2019 4:12 am
NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. (AP) — (WPXI) – Police said Tuesday a western Pennsylvania woman and her boyfriend were both charged with assault for a fight she says began when he found her wrapping presents for another boyfriend. The Tribune-Review said Daniel W. Hill and Diedra L. Dibucci, both 50 years old, were arrested after the incident in the North Huntingdon apartment they shared. Police answered a call about a man with a knife and had to force their way inside. That’s where they say they found Hill on the floor, with injuries and scratches to his face and neck. Dibucci told officers Hill threw a chair at her and grabbed a kitchen knife. Hill was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest. He was jailed after failing to post bail. Court records indicated Dibucci faces an assault charge.
December 26, 2019 4:09 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)- A man was arrested following a search by law enforcement after allegedly forcing his way into a local home with a knife days ago. Police said Joel Hatfield, 28, was taken into custody Christmas Eve. Hatfield was wanted for allegedly forcing his way into a Dormont apartment early Sunday morning. Detectives said a man who lives in the apartment in the 1500 block of Kelton Avenue said he heard a noise at the door and when he went to check it out, Hatfield pulled out a knife and forced his way in. The man inside had a gun, and police said a fight started. During the fight, Hatfield was hit in the head with the gun, and the man who lived there also fired a shot. Hatfield wasn’t hit, though, police said. Police said Hatfield was homeless but was known to frequently be in the Dormont area.
December 25, 2019 7:02 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis assured the faithful on Christmas Eve that God loves everyone — “even the worst of us” — as he celebrated the joyous birth of Christ after a less-than-joyful year of scandals and opposition. With a choir singing the classic Christmas hymn “The First Noel,” Francis processed down the center aisle of St. Peter’s Basilica late Tuesday and unveiled a statue of the newborn Jesus lying in a nativity scene at the foot of the altar. Francis said the birth of Jesus, which Christians commemorate on Christmas Day, was a reminder of God’s unconditional love for everyone, “even the worst of us.” At the same time though, he called for the faithful to allow themselves to be transformed by Jesus’ “crazy love” and to stop trying to change others. Francis has frequently emphasized his call for “personal conversion” in his reform-minded papacy, believing that true reform cannot be imposed from on high, but discerned from within. He has similarly denounced the “holier-than-thou” attitude of doctrinal and legal purists, who have chafed at his progressive openings to gays, divorcees and people on the margins. Those critics have seized on the sexual abuse and financial scandals that have buffeted the papacy of the 83-year-old Jesuit pope. The scandals are likely to follow Francis into 2020, with developments in a corruption investigation involving hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to the Holy See and the release of a report on what the Vatican knew about ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked for sexually abusing adults and minors,
December 25, 2019 7:00 am
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have ended a nearly five-year-long dispute over shared oil fields and have agreed to resume oil production from the divided Neutral Zone, but stressed this would not change their OPEC commitments to crude oil production cuts. The allied Gulf Arab nations signed the agreement in Kuwait City on Tuesday. Local media reported that about 300,000 barrels per day were being pumped from the area before the dispute halted production in early 2015. The divided zone, located between the two neighboring countries’ land borders, can produce up to half-a-million barrels per day. The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that the agreement will not affect Saudi Arabia’s commitments to reduce its crude output to 9.7 million barrels per day. The agreement was signed by Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, who has spent the past few years as a Saudi energy insider trying to resolve the rare public spat between the kingdom and its Gulf neighbor. The Kuwait News Agency reported that a “lavish ceremony” was held to mark the event, and was attended by Kuwait’s foreign minister, energy minister and other officials.
December 25, 2019 6:58 am
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian officials say 15 people are injured after a passenger helicopter made a rough emergency landing in Siberia on Wednesday morning. The Mi-8 helicopter with 21 passengers and three crew members got caught in a snowstorm soon after taking off in the village of Baykit, officials from the local branch of Russia’s Emergency Ministry said. The helicopter toppled over upon landing. The injured have received medical help and two remain in a hospital, health care officials said. Police are investigating the accident. The Mi-8, code-named Hip by NATO, is a medium twin-turbine helicopter designed in the Soviet Union and widely used in Russia as a transport aircraft. Rough landings and other incidents involving Mi-8 helicopters have become rather common in Russia in recent months.
December 25, 2019 6:56 am
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be planning to give him “a nice present” such as a “beautiful vase” for Christmas rather than a missile launch. The president was asked what he will do if North Korea does conduct a long-range missile test. The North has threatened to take unspecified action if sanctions are not eased by the end of the year, and speculation has centered on the possibility of a new missile test, possibly of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. The North has said that its “Christmas gift” to the United States will depend on Washington’s actions. Trump, who is in Florida for the holidays, had just finished thanking service members from each branch of the military via satellite when he was asked about North Korea. He opted for a wait-and-see approach.
December 25, 2019 6:53 am
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — A man was arrested after police said he rummaged through a family’s home in Moon Township while they slept upstairs. Police said they responded to a report of a burglary Monday in the Crosswinds housing complex off of Becks Run Road in Moon Township. Several homes along Blue Ride Drive were approached from the rear by two people before one of the homes was entered through an unlocked basement door. Police said when the burglary happened, the family living inside the home was sleeping upstairs. Items from the home and the cars parked at the home were stolen, including a gun safe containing rifles, police said. The suspects then allegedly came back to the home in a silver Nissan Rogue to load the safe in the car. Police said they were able to identify the car and one of the suspects because of evidence left behind at the home, neighborhood video, a witness and intersection cameras. On Tuesday, police arrested Shawn Dupree Graham and charged him with burglary. He is currently in the Allegheny County Jail. Police said they also executed a search warrant on the home where Graham lived and recovered many of the stolen items. Police are still working to identify the second burglar or anyone else involved in the crime. Anyone with information is asked to call Moon Township police at 412-262-5000 and ask for the Special Investigations Unit.
December 25, 2019 6:50 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — Long lines of cars backed up. Growing numbers of delayed or canceled flights. A thick, heavy fog blanketed the region on Christmas Eve, and the travel headaches continued well into the evening. As of about 9 p.m., there were over two dozen canceled flights into and out of Pittsburgh International airport. A Dense Fog Advisory had been issued by the National Weather Service, effective until late morning on Christmas Day. At PIT, drivers were lining the roads leading to the terminal waiting for their loved ones to arrive. Buses were dispatched from Cleveland and Dulles airports to bring passengers to Pittsburgh after their flights were canceled. One man’s flight from Dulles airport to Pittsburgh was canceled, so the airline put him on a bus to get him home in time for the holidays.
December 25, 2019 5:54 am
NEW STANTON, Pa. — A crash involving two tractor-trailers, one of which caught fire, had all westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike blocked for several hours Tuesday morning in New Stanton. The crash was reported shortly before 5 a.m. Fire officials said the tractor-trailer that caught fire was carrying car batteries and there was an explosion when the crash happened. Crews were able to clear the crash and reopen westbound lanes by 8 a.m. to allow drivers who were stuck in traffic through. However, the detour at the Somerset exit remained in effect until shortly before 9 a.m.
December 25, 2019 2:24 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. — For the fifth straight day, air pollution in the Mon Valley reached unhealthy levels in the Clairton area, violating federal air quality standards. Clean Water Action renewed warnings to residents about the health threat from the air pollution from U.S. Steel. It is likely pollution levels on Christmas Day will also be unhealthy without action by U.S. to reduce emissions. Myron Arnowitt, Pennsylvania Director for Clean Water Action says this lengthy period of unhealthy air represents a real danger to residents in the Mon Valley and is degrading air quality throughout the region. The group is concerned that neither U.S. Steel nor the Allegheny County Health Department has taken any actions to address the situation claiming; “We cannot control the weather. But we can control how much pollution we put into the air.”
