November 4, 2019 4:25 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Authorities say they have now contained 70% of the wildfire northwest of Los Angeles known as the Maria fire. They say firefighters are being helped by the cooler temperatures and lighter winds. Crews are checking buildings for damage. The blaze has burned nearly 15 square miles (39 sq. kilometers) of dry brush and timber. The fire began Oct. 31 during dry winds that fanned fires across the state.
November 4, 2019 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The whistleblower who raised alarms about President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and touched off the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry is willing to answer written questions submitted by House Republicans. That from the whistleblower’s lawyer. The offer made over the weekend to Rep. Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the intelligence committee, was aimed in part at fending off escalating attacks by Trump and his GOP allies who are demanding the whistleblower’s identity be revealed. It would allow Republicans to ask questions of the whistleblower without having to go through the committee’s chairman, Rep. Adam Schiff of California. Mark Zaid, the whistleblower’s attorney, said the whistleblower would answer questions directly from Republican members “in writing, under oath & penalty of perjury.”
November 4, 2019 4:21 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Police in West Virginia say they have identified a source of suspected heroin-laced vaping solutions while investigating overdoses that sickened two high school students. Morgantown Police Chief Ed Preston says in a news release an underage high school student has been identified as a suspect. Preston says detectives obtained a search warrant that resulted in the recovery of more than 100 charged vaping solutions, packaging materials, marijuana and empty vaping cartridges that were being filled with the suspected solution. Preston says one of the vaping pens was confirmed to be contaminated with heroin and other dangerous chemicals. Morgantown police spokesman Andrew Stacy says he didn’t know whether the two students remain hospitalized and that the exact source of the vaping pens that made them sick last week remains under investigation.
November 4, 2019 4:20 am
PENN HILLS, Pa. (AP) – Police say a woman has died of injuries she sustained during a home invasion last week at a western Pennsylvania residence. Allegheny county police say two men wearing ski masks entered the Penn Hills residence in search of money at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. Local police were called after gunshots were reported. Police said the men were gone by the time officers arrived, but 46-year-old Tiffany Williams was found badly beaten inside the home. Police say she was taken to Forbes Regional Hospital, where she died of her injuries on Saturday. County police were requested by Penn Hills police on Sunday to investigate. Authorities are asking anyone who heard or saw anything to call investigators.
November 4, 2019 4:19 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – After four years of testing, the Pennsylvania Turnpike says it plans to move ahead with a $129 million project to become a completely cashless toll system in two years, eliminating hundreds of toll collecting and auditing positions along the way. Turnpike chief executive officer Mark Compton told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week that “the goal is to have the system completely cashless by the fall off 2021.” Toll booths will still be at some exit ramps until 2026 to record E-ZPass signals or photograph license plates so bills can be mailed to drivers. The jobs of the 600 remaining toll collectors and toll auditors will be eliminated, but officials say they will have the opportunity to move into other turnpike jobs or to take classes at the turnpike’s expense.
November 4, 2019 4:17 am
Weavertown Road in North Strabane Township has reopened following a water main break over the weekend. That same break disrupted service for about 300 customers. A spokesman said the break involved a 12-inch main and forced traffic to be rerouted. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers tell us traffic is back to normal this morning. About 300 customers in the area had their water service affected but that was expected to be back on line by Sunday evening.
November 3, 2019 6:59 am
HONG KONG (AP) – China’s state-owned Xinhua News Agency has denounced the attack on its office in Hong Kong by pro-democracy protesters as “barbaric.” The city’s journalists also criticized the attack on the media organization during Saturday’s melee that marked nearly five months of unrest in the Chinese territory. Xinhua in a brief statement strongly condemned the “barbaric acts of mobs” that vandalized and set fire to the lobby of its Asia-Pacific office building in the city. Hong Kong Journalists Association called for an end to violence against the media. It was the first strike against the official Chinese news agency in a show of anger against Beijing, a day after the ruling Communist Party vowed to tighten the grip on the violence in the city. Police say Sunday over 200 people were detained.
November 3, 2019 6:58 am
LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he will apologize to Conservative Party members who voted for him based on his promise to take Britain out of the European Union by Oct. 31. He told Sky News on Sunday that it was a matter of “deep regret” that he failed to do so. Asked if he was sorry about missing the deadline, Johnson said: “Yes, absolutely.” Johnson’s plant to leave the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a divorce deal was blocked by Parliament, which required him to seek an extension. It had been the central plank of his platform in the party leadership competition that brought him to power in July. The EU has granted a Brexit extension until Jan. 31. Johnson faces a national election on Dec. 12 in his bid to get a more Brexit-friendly Parliament.
November 3, 2019 6:57 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Ventura County officials say firefighters contained 30% of the Maria Fire, which has burned nearly 15 square miles (39 sq. kilometers) and continues to threaten more than 2,500 homes and other buildings. The officials add that the humidity is expected to stay low and winds will be more favorable to firefighting in Southern California. The fire began Thursday during what had been expected to be the tail end of Santa Ana winds that fanned destructively across Southern California. While the cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, Southern California Edison reported Friday that it had re-energized a high-voltage power line minutes before a nearby hilltop exploded into a blaze. Edison had earlier turned off the line due to heavy winds.
November 3, 2019 6:55 am
NONTHABURI, Thailand (AP) – Leaders from fast-growing Southeast Asian economies, China, Japan and other regional powers are meeting in Bangkok for an annual summit that President Donald Trump is skipping so that he can campaign back home. The annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations formally began Sunday with its host, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, saying the group intends to reach a basic agreement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a 16-member trade bloc encompassing nearly a third of all global trade.
Prayut says the aim was to have a final deal by next year. ASEAN also hopes to set a code of conduct with China regarding disputed waters in the South China Sea.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang says Beijing was intent on maintaining stability in the region in turbulent times.
