December 29, 2019 4:31 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Lawyers for the suspect in the synagogue shooting that killed 11 people in Pittsburgh are challenging the potential death penalty as unconstitutional. Robert Bowers’ lawyers say in court papers this week that capital punishment violates the Fifth Amendment’s due process clause and the Eight Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Defense lawyer Judy Clarke has made similar arguments in other high-profile capital cases. Clarke says she’s tried to negotiate a life-in-prison sentence for Bowers but has been rebuffed by prosecutors. No trial date has been set.
December 29, 2019 4:23 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — If you’re planning to purchase tobacco products at Giant Eagle, Market District or GetGo locations you should be prepared to prove that you’re 21 years old. On Friday, the company announced that it is raising the purchase age for all tobacco products from 18 to 21 effective immediately. Giant Eagle had already raised the age in Ohio and Maryland, both states where it was required by law. This new decision to change the age in all of the company’s stores is in response to FDA guidelines announced on Dec. 21.
December 28, 2019 4:44 am
The Associated Press has found that more than 900 clergy members accused of child sexual abuse are missing from the lists of credibly accused priests released by the Roman Catholic dioceses and religious orders. Victims advocates had long criticized the church for not making public the names of credibly accused priests. Now, despite the release of nearly 5,300 names, critics say the lists are still far from complete. The AP found that more than a hundred of the former clergy members not named on any list had been charged with sexual crimes, including rape, solicitation and receiving or viewing child pornography.
December 28, 2019 4:40 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – Officials say a U.S. military base in South Korea accidentally blared an alert siren instead of a bugle call, causing a brief scare just as the U.S. and its allies are monitoring for signs of provocation from North Korea. Pyongyang has warned it could send a “Christmas gift” to the United States over deadlocked nuclear negotiations. A U.S. military official says the false alarm at Camp Casey near the border with North Korea was caused by human error and didn’t affect any operations. The incident came a day before Japanese broadcaster NHK mistakenly sent a news alert that said North Korea fired a missile over Japan.
December 28, 2019 4:38 am
HONG KONG (AP) – Police have fought with protesters who marched through a Hong Kong shopping mall demanding mainland Chinese traders leave the territory in a fresh weekend of anti-government tension. The protest in Sheung Shui, near Hong Kong’s boundary with the mainland, was part of efforts to pressure the government by disrupting economic activity. About 100 protesters marched through the mall shouting, “Liberate Hong Kong!” and “Return to the mainland!” Police in civilian clothes with clubs tackled and handcuffed some protesters.
December 28, 2019 4:38 am
The number of mass killings carried out in the United States in 2019 is one of the biggest ever. A database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University shows that 2019 had the most mass killings since at least the 1970s. In all, there were 41 mass killings, defined as when four or more people are killed excluding the perpetrator. The killings included a trio of massacres in August in El Paso and Odessa, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. More than 210 people were slain in mass killings in 2019.
December 28, 2019 4:35 am
PERTH, Australia (AP) – Thousands of koalas are feared to have died in a wildfire-ravaged area north of Sydney, further diminishing Australia’s iconic marsupial, while the fire danger has accelerated in the country’s east as temperatures soar. The mid-north coast of New South Wales was home to up to 28,000 koalas, but wildfires in the area in recent months have significantly reduced their population. Koalas are native to Australia and are one of the country’s most beloved animals, but they’ve been under threat due to a loss of habitat. Environment Minister Sussan Ley told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that up to 30% of their habitat has been destroyed by the wildfires.
December 28, 2019 4:29 am
EAST DEER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — Fire crews are on the scene of a fire in East Deer Township that has damaged at least three homes. The fire began Friday morning around 11:30 in the 400 block of Freeport Road. According to our partners at Channel 11, the driver of a pickup truck crashed into several parked cars then hit a gas meter outside one of the homes, which caused it to go up in flames. By the time firefighters arrived, the house was engulfed. Police at the scene told Channel 11′s Aaron Martin that a man, his pregnant fiancee and her four children were in the home that was destroyed but they were able to escape safely. However, the family said they lost two cats in the fire. The man ran downstairs to get his fiancee and the four kids — all under the age of eight. He knew they only had seconds to get out of the house. He said it all happened within 50-55 seconds, and the flames already hit the dining room. Smoke started to fill downstairs, so they ran to the backdoor. Allegheny County officials said there is a Comcast phone outage due to the fire, as flames burned through their fiber cables. It’s only affecting landline customers, so anyone affected is asked to use their cellphones if possible during the outage. (Photo: WPXI)
December 28, 2019 1:41 am
HARRISBURG (AP) – It could soon cost more than $50 to drive across Pennsylvania on the nation’s first superhighway. Tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will rise for the 12th straight year in January. The 6% hike is part of a 2007 law designed to raise billions for infrastructure improvements and debt service. The cash rate to travel from the Ohio Border to the Delaware River crossing near Levittown will rise to $53.50. The EZ Pass rate will be $38.40. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale fears the toll hikes will lead people to find other routes and further stress the state’s finances. The turnpike opened in 1940.
December 27, 2019 3:32 pm
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) – One of the largest school districts in the United States will allow students one excused absence per school year to participate in civic activities such as protests. News outlets report Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia plans to start the process Jan. 27, 2020. School officials say students in seventh through 12th grades can use the day for civic engagement activities such as attending marches or meeting with lawmakers. Some experts say skipping school to attend protests tends to favor liberal causes. Students must give two days notice before they take the day off and need permission from a parent or guardian.
