July 26, 2019 4:07 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Model Janice Dickinson calls settling a defamation lawsuit against Bill Cosby a “victory” that brings a “measure of justice” but says nothing can erase her assault by the now-imprisoned comedian. Dickinson spoke to reporters Thursday at the office of her attorney Lisa Bloom, who said the case was settled for an “epic” amount. She says the terms of the deal keep the exact figure confidential. Cosby insurer American International Group Inc. settled the case without his approval, as it has with at least eight other women who filed similar lawsuits. Cosby spokesman Andrew Wyatt says the comedian denies the assault and defamation allegations and has been robbed of a chance to prove it in court. Dickinson alleges that he drugged and raped her in 1982. Cosby was convicted and sent to prison for a 2004 sexual assault.
July 26, 2019 4:06 am
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) – A health insurance company analyst is admitting he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl after DNA evidence and new fingerprint technology helped solve the 1999 crime. Timothy D. Nelson Jr. pleaded guilty Thursday in the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, federal courthouse and agreed to a deal that will likely result in a 30-year sentence. The 50-year-old from Cumberland, Maryland, is admitting he abducted the girl in Cairnbrook, Pennsylvania, took her to West Virginia and assaulted her before releasing the child. His lawyer says Nelson feels contrition and remorse and plans to express that when he’s sentenced in late August. FBI agent Robert Jones says the child was able to help investigators recover a discarded paper bag and napkins that eventually linked Nelson to the crime.
July 26, 2019 3:38 am
MT. LEBANON, Pa. (WPXI) – A car crashed over a hillside and slammed into a shed Thursday morning in Mt. Lebanon. The car went over the hillside about 10 a.m. in the area of Maydell Street and Carnahan Road. It missed hitting the guide rail and trees, but traveled through a wooded area before crashing into the shed. A fence and retaining wall were also damaged by the car. Crews were called to remove the car, which required workers to cut down trees.
July 25, 2019 4:53 pm
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) – A health insurance company analyst is admitting he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl after DNA evidence and new fingerprint technology helped solve the 1999 crime. Timothy D. Nelson Jr. pleaded guilty Thursday in the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, federal courthouse and agreed to a deal that will likely result in a 30-year sentence. The 50-year-old from Cumberland, Maryland, is admitting he abducted the girl in Cairnbrook, Pennsylvania, took her to West Virginia and assaulted her before releasing the child. His lawyer says Nelson feels contrition and remorse and plans to express that when he’s sentenced in late August. FBI agent Robert Jones says the child was able to help investigators recover a discarded paper bag and napkins that eventually linked Nelson to the crime.
July 25, 2019 4:51 pm
SAN DIEGO (AP) – Military officials have arrested 16 Marines following an investigation into human smuggling. The Marine Corps said the arrests at Camp Pendleton, California, were carried out during a battalion formation Thursday morning at the base, north of San Diego. It is about 55 miles (90 kilometers) from the U.S.-Mexico border. The Marine Corps said in a news release that information gained after two Marines were arrested on human smuggling charges earlier this summer led to the arrests. Officials say the Marines are charged with various illegal activities ranging from human smuggling to drug-related offenses. Another eight are being questioned about their alleged involvement in drug offenses as part of a separate investigation. The military says none of the Marines were involved in helping to enforce border security.
July 25, 2019 4:14 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department says it will carry out executions of federal death row inmates for the first time since 2003. The department says five inmates will be executed, starting in December. In 2014, President Barack Obama directed the department to conduct a review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs. That review resulted in what effectively was a freeze on executions. The department says the Bureau of Prisons has completed the review and the executions can continue.
July 25, 2019 3:59 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is blocking election security bills in Congress, despite former special counsel Robert Mueller’s warning that Russian interference is going on right now. That’s according to Democrats, who are being rebuffed in attempts to advance the bills. The Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, is pledging to keep putting forward requests to vote on legislation, including a House-passed bill. It would authorize $775 million in grants over the next two years to help states secure their voting systems. Schumer says Mueller’s testimony “should be a wake-up call.” McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has said federal officials are making strides at improving election security. Republicans are saying no new money is needed immediately. Mueller testified Wednesday that Russians were interfering “as we sit here.”
July 25, 2019 9:24 am
PARIS (AP) – Paris has beaten its all-time heat record, hitting 40.6 C (105.1 F) amid a heat wave breaking barriers across Europe. Authorities say the temperature is still rising. The national weather service Meteo France announced that the new record was reached Thursday afternoon, beating the previous record of 40.4 C (104.8 F) in 1947. It’s one of several records set in this week’s heat wave – the second wave baking the continent this summer. France saw its hottest-ever day on record last month, when a southern town reached 46 C (114.8 F).
July 25, 2019 5:27 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Japan’s Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya says North Korea’s missile test launches are probably a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Iwaya told reporters Japan is still analyzing what type of missiles North Korea fired into the sea early Thursday. South Korea’s military says they were two short-range missiles, leading some observers to suggest they were not a major provocation but rather the North’s warning of what may happen if the nuclear negotiations with the U.S. fail. Iwaya says, “If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the U.N. sanctions, and I find it extremely regrettable.”
July 25, 2019 5:24 am
A police pursuit ended with a vehicle crashing into two homes in Canton Township early Thursday morning. State Police say troopers were on routine patrol on Fayette Street and Baird Avenue around 2 a.m. when they saw a white GMC Denali drive past without a license plate. A traffic stop was attempted but police say the vehicle began to flee. During the pursuit, the SUV struck multiple parked vehicles. After about a mile, the vehicle then crashed in the 400-block of Wayne Street. The operator was taken into custody. He is identified as Akili Sutton of Washington. He was transported to an area hospital for treatment of his injuries. Police say he faces numerous charges including; fleeing and eluding, DUI, and receiving stolen property. One of the homes damaged was vacant and the residents of the other were not injured. Crews from Columbia gas were on the scene making repairs.
