February 17, 2020 4:15 am
DETROIT (AP) – General Motors says it’s pulling out of Australia, New Zealand and Thailand as part of a strategy to exit markets that don’t produce adequate returns on investments, dismaying officials concerned over job losses. Australia’s minister for Industry, Science and Technology said Monday that it was “disappointing” that the company only advised the government about the decision just before it’s announcement Sunday that it would wind down sales, engineering and design operations for its historic Holden brand in Australia and New Zealand in 2021. GM also plans to sell its Rayong factory in Thailand to China’s Great Wall Motors and withdraw the Chevrolet brand from Thailand by the end of this year. CEO Mary Barra says the company wants to focus on markets where it can drive strong returns.
February 17, 2020 4:13 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The first Democratic presidential candidates are filing signatures to get on Pennsylvania’s primary ballot. That’s according to information from the state election office Friday. Those filing include California billionaire Tom Steyer, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The other campaigns have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to file 2,000 signatures of registered Democrats to get on Pennsylvania’s April 28 primary ballot. Pennsylvania’s late primary could be important if the nominee remains in doubt past March. President Donald Trump’s campaign also filed his paperwork for the GOP primary ballot.
February 17, 2020 4:11 am
BRADDOCK, Pa. (AP) – Police in Allegheny County say a man died hours after he was found shot outside an after-hours club near Pittsburgh. Detectives say the 39-year-old man was taken by private vehicle to a hospital after he was found outside the Sahara Temple in Braddock shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday. Police say he was pronounced dead shortly after noon Sunday at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. County detectives say a friend of the victim left the club after “a minor verbal dispute” with a woman inside and then heard gunshots. Surveillance video is being sought to identify additional witnesses.
February 17, 2020 4:08 am
DUQUESNE, Pa. — A 33-year-old woman from Herminie, Pennsylvania called police for help after she drove her car a fair distance across a narrow railroad bridge over the Monongahela River and became stuck. According to the City of Duquesne Police Department, the woman had been drinking at the Waterfront before starting to drive home. At some point, she ended up in the rail yard near the Port Perry Railroad Bridge. The bridge is narrow and carries one set of railroad tracks over the Mon River. Investigators said she tried to drive her 2019 Mazda CX-5 across it. Police said “the vehicle did quite well considering it is not a locomotive,” but it ultimately became stuck. The woman at the wheel called for help around 2:40 a.m. and shortly after, Norfolk Southern stopped all rail traffic in the area before the car was removed. Duquesne police said the woman showed obvious signs of being intoxicated and she was arrested for DUI.
February 17, 2020 4:04 am
ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Emergency crews had to use the Jaws of Life to cut a person out of a car that overturned following a crash on Route 51 in Westmoreland County on Sunday morning. Officials with the Rostraver Central Fire Department said the crash happened near Mount Pleasant Road in Rostraver Township shortly after 7 a.m. One team used special equipment to stabilize the car while another worked to get the injured person out. The patient was taken to Rostraver Airport, where they were airlifted by a medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh trauma center for further treatment. It’s not clear at this point what caused the crash.
February 16, 2020 8:00 am
MUNICH (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is not without risk but “looks very promising.” Ahead of a formal announcement of the seven-day “reduction in violence” deal, Esper said it was time to give peace a chance in Afghanistan through a political negotiation. He spoke a day after a senior U.S. official said the deal had been concluded and would take effect very soon. Expectations are that agreement will be formally announced on Sunday and that the reduction in violence will begin on Monday, according to people familiar with the plan. “It’s my view as well that we have to give peace a chance, that the best if not the only way forward in Afghanistan is through a political agreement and that means taking some risk,” he said. “That means enabling our diplomats and that means working together with our partners and allies on the ground to affect such a thing.” Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met on Friday in Munich with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who has been skeptical of the scheme, which, if successful, would see an end to attacks for seven days and then the signing of a U.S.-Taliban peace deal. All-Afghan peace talks would then begin within 10 days as part of the plan, which envisions the phased withdrawal of U.S. forces over 18 months.
February 16, 2020 7:58 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A cargo ship rocketed toward the International Space Station on Saturday, carrying candy and cheese to satisfy the astronauts’ cravings. Northrop Grumman launched its Cygnus capsule from the Virginia seashore. The nearly 4-ton shipment should arrive at the orbiting lab Tuesday. It took three tries over the past week to get the Antares rocket off the pad, with it finally taking flight at 3:21 p.m. — an auspicious 3-2-1. Besides the usual experiments and gear, the capsule holds cheddar and manchego cheeses, fresh fruit and vegetables, chocolate and three kinds of gummy candy expressly requested by the three station astronauts: Skittles, Hot Tamales, and Mike and Ike’s.
February 16, 2020 7:55 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders laced into billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg at a Democratic Party dinner in Las Vegas while Bloomberg was campaigning in Virginia. Sanders rattled off a list of Bloomberg heresies against the Democratic party — implementing “racist policies like stop and frisk” in New York, opposing the minimum wage or higher taxes on the wealthy during the Obama administration. It was a rare attack by name from Sanders. Bloomberg is skipping the Nevada caucuses and did not go to the Clark County Democratic Party dinner where Sanders and other 2020 contenders spoke.
February 16, 2020 7:51 am
BRADDOCK, Pa. (WPXI) — A man was shot outside a club early Sunday morning in Braddock. Police said the man was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. Just before 4 a.m., police were called to an area near the Sahara Temple on 7th Street for the reported shooting. Investigators believe a fight spilled into the street and that may have led to the shooting.
February 16, 2020 7:41 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The first Democratic presidential candidates are filing voter signatures to get on Pennsylvania’s primary ballot, according to information from the state election office Friday. The first to file was California billionaire Tom Steyer, submitting signatures on Thursday. On Friday, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg also filed. The other campaigns have through 5 p.m. Tuesday to file 2,000 signatures of voters who are registered Democrats to get on Pennsylvania’s April 28 primary ballot. Pennsylvania is a late primary state but could be important if the eventual nominee remains in doubt past March, since Pennsylvania has the sixth-most delegates in the Democratic primary. President Donald Trump’s campaign also filed his paperwork Friday to get on the Republican primary ballot.
