October 21, 2019 4:13 am
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) – Police say two people were killed in a fiery accident on Interstate 470 in West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle. Wheeling police and fire spokesman Philip Stahl tells news outlets two tractor-trailers and an SUV were involved in the accident Saturday on Interstate 470 near Wheeling. One of the trucks was engulfed in flames. The interstate was closed in both directions and reopened to traffic Sunday. The victims’ identities were withheld pending the notification of relatives and the accident remains under investigation.
October 21, 2019 4:10 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Former coal executive and ex-federal prisoner Don Blankenship says he’ll seek the Constitution Party’s presidential nomination next year. West Virginia Constitution Party chairman Jeffrey-Frank Jarrell says Blankenship made the announcement Saturday during the party’s national committee meeting in Pittsburgh. Blankenship finished third in the 2018 Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat held by West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin. Blankenship’s general election bid to run as the Constitution Party’s nominee was then blocked. The secretary of state cited the state’s “sore loser” law prohibiting major-party primary candidates who lose from switching to a minor party. Blankenship is the ex-CEO of Massey Energy, which owned a West Virginia mine where a 2010 explosion killed 29 workers. He spent a year in federal prison for misdemeanor safety violations related to the explosion.
October 21, 2019 4:08 am
FAYETTE CO., Pa. – (WPXI) – Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo was arrested early Sunday morning in Fayette County after a domestic situation with his girlfriend at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Pennsylvania State Police said. According to a police report, Chickillo told police he and his girlfriend got into a verbal argument at the Lady Luck Casino, and the argument continued to their hotel room at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. Chickillo told police the argument became physical, resulting in his girlfriend hitting him in the head with her fist and him pushing her to the ground. Chickillo’s girlfriend agreed that the argument started at the casino and continued to the hotel room, according to the police report. She told police Chickillo grabbed her by her biceps and forced her against a wall and door of the hotel room, causing injuries. It was then that she said she punched Chickillo in the head, and that Chickillo threw her to the ground and damaged her cellphone. Visible injuries were observed on the woman’s left and right biceps, police said. Chickillo is facing multiple charges, including simple assault, criminal mischief and harassment. He was released from jail on $10,000 bond. State police said Chickillo’s girlfriend was cited for harassment. A spokesperson for the Steelers said Chickillo has been instructed to not be in the building Monday or report to practice as team officials work with the NFL to gather more information about what happened. Chickillo’s status with Pittsburgh is uncertain moving forward, but he was still listed on the team’s roster as of Monday morning.
October 20, 2019 8:17 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – City officials in New Orleans are planning to use a series of controlled explosions to take down two cranes that have been standing precariously over the remains of a partially collapsed hotel. The operation was originally set for Friday and then pushed back to Saturday. Then on Saturday, officials said it would happen on Sunday. Fire Chief Tim McConnell said as workers got up closer to the cranes to set the explosives, they discovered the cranes were more damaged than originally thought. That changed the plans they had for taking down the cranes. The Hard Rock Hotel under construction at the corner of Canal and Rampart Streets at the edge of the historic French Quarter partially collapsed Oct. 12, killing three workers.
October 20, 2019 8:16 am
HONG KONG (AP) – Hong Kong authorities are beefing up security ahead of an unauthorized rally by pro-democracy protesters. Water-filled plastic security barriers went up around a rail terminal where Sunday’s protest march will finish. It’s the latest rally in the 5-month-old unrest rocking the semi-autonomous Chinese city. The city’s subway operator has restricted passenger access to the West Kowloon train station. Organizers say the march will go ahead despite police refusing to approve the procession, citing risks to public safety. Supporters of the movement gathered at the rally’s starting point on a waterfront promenade. Many wore masks in defiance of a government ban on face coverings at public gatherings, and volunteers handed more out to the crowd. Police on Saturday arrested a man on suspicion of stabbing an activist distributing leaflets.
October 20, 2019 8:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Responding to stinging criticism, President Donald Trump has abruptly reversed his plan to hold the next Group of Seven world leaders’ meeting at his Doral, Florida, golf resort next year. Trump announced a rare backtrack Saturday night after facing accusations that he was using the presidency to enrich himself by hosting the international summit at a private resort owned by his family. He said his administration “will begin the search for another site, including the possibility of Camp David, immediately.” He tweeted that he blamed Democrats and the media for the strong criticism on his plan
October 20, 2019 8:14 am
ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (AP) – Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that under current plans all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the military will continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State group to prevent its resurgence. Speaking to reporters traveling with him to the Middle East, Esper did not rule out the idea that U.S. forces would conduct counterterrorism missions from Iraq into Syria. But he said those details will be worked out over time. He left Washington Saturday. His comments were the first to specifically lay out where American troops will go as they leave Syria and what the counter-IS fight could look like.
October 20, 2019 8:11 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Leaders of a Pittsburgh synagogue where 11 worshippers were fatally shot last year say they want to renovate the building into what they hope will be a “center for Jewish life in the United States” and a symbol against hatred. Plans unveiled Friday for the Tree of Life synagogue include places for worship; memorial, education and social events; classrooms and exhibitions. Tree of Life’s Executive Director Barb Feige says returning to the building will honor those killed on Oct. 27, 2018. Federal prosecutors have charged 47-year-old Robert Bowers in the massacre. They are seeking the death penalty. His lawyers say the case would be over by now if prosecutors had accepted his guilty plea in return for a life term without parole.
October 20, 2019 8:10 am
DUQUESNE, Pa. (WPXI) – Four people were shot during a drive-by in a Duquesne neighborhood, according to police. Duquesne police confirmed four people were shot in the 600 block of Priscilla Avenue around 5 p.m. Saturday. According to a release from Allegheny County officials, three of the victims were found on the front porch of a home in the 600 block of Priscilla Avenue. Police said a fourth person was shot farther down the street. Three of the victims were men – ages 25, 27, and 30 – and the fourth was a 27-year-old woman. Investigators said all four people were taken to the hospital in stable condition, but the 30-year-old man is currently in surgery. After an initial investigation, police determined that three men inside a blue Ford Fusion drove down Priscilla Avenue and began shooting at the people on the porch. A fourth man was also struck by gunfire. Evidence markers could be seen scattered on the pavement, along with multiple bullet holes in at least one car. Detectives are still trying to identify the suspected shooters, and the motive is unknown at this point. Anyone with information regarding the shooting is asked to call police.
October 20, 2019 8:07 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) – A man wanted on charges out of Florida was arrested and taken to the Allegheny County Jail following a standoff with the SWAT team overnight. Police said during regular patrols on the North Side in the Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood, officers spotted a stolen vehicle outside a home on Lecky Avenue at about 10:30 p.m. When police went up to home to ask about the car, the suspect started threatening officers, forced the homeowner out and barricaded himself inside.The man, in his early 60s, was wanted on a felony warrant out of Florida, police discovered. After more than two hours, SWAT officers shot flash bang grenades and gas canisters into the home. The man surrendered just before 1:30 a.m. Police said the man will be extradited to Florida.
