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.
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.
