July 12, 2019 4:07 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The city closest to where Tropical Storm Barry is predicted to make landfall is already seeing power outages. Some Louisiana parishes around Morgan City were reporting more than half their customers without electricity around daybreak Saturday. A long day in Morgan City started with on and off rain. People were using cellphones to see in the dark and opening doors and windows to let the warm, sticky tropical air circulate. Barry’s center is expected to slowly move onshore near Morgan City later Saturday. East of Morgan City in New Orleans, only scattered showers and a light breeze stirred up the famous French Quarter. But forecasters warned that heavy rains and possible flooding were coming within hours. In the New Orleans suburbs, the storm’s approach filled Lake Pontchartrain 3 feet (1 meter) above typical levels. Winds pushed water onto streets on the north side of the lake near Mandeville.
July 12, 2019 4:03 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Singer R. Kelly was arrested in Chicago Thursday after he was indicted on 13 federal counts including sex crimes, a U.S. Attorney’s office spokesman said. Joseph Fitzpatrick said the R&B singer was taken into custody about 7 p.m. local time and was being held by federal authorities. He was arrested after a 13-count federal indictment was handed down earlier Thursday in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois. “The counts include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that further details would be released Friday. The R&B singer already faces separate state sex-related charges in Illinois involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and was released on bail.
July 12, 2019 4:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Just a week after insisting that he was “absolutely moving forward,” President Donald Trump has abandoned his effort to insert a citizenship question into next year’s census.
Instead, he directed federal agencies to try to compile the information using existing databases. The president said it is essential to have a clear breakdown of the number of citizens and non-citizens that make up the U.S. population. The decision was clearly a reversal, after the Supreme Court blocked his effort by disputing his administration’s rationale for demanding that census respondents declare whether or not they were citizens. Trump wanted to pursue that effort, but the administration said that census deadlines made it impossible.
July 12, 2019 3:59 am
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) – A man accused of stabbing his girlfriend’s 8-year-old son to death is being extradited to Pennsylvania. Keith Burley appeared before a judge in Youngstown, Ohio, on Thursday, two days after he was arrested there. He waived his extradition hearing and will be returned to Pennsylvania to face homicide and other charges. He’s accused of stabbing the 8-year-old following an altercation with the boy’s mother inside in a car on Monday night. Police say Burley took off with the victim and the boy’s little brother after the mother went to get help. Police say he took them to a home in New Castle, Pennsylvania, and the brother and two other boys witnessed the stabbing. According to a criminal complaint, Burley yelled “Die!” as he stabbed the boy. Burley was on parole for a previous homicide. No attorney information is available.
July 12, 2019 3:57 am
O’HARA TOWNSHIP, Pa. – (WPXI) – The Township of O’Hara has declared a State of Emergency and is advising all residents to leave low-lying areas. Heavy rain has been widespread across the area, with many communities seeing flash and sustained flooding. Carla Hargenrader and her family were asleep in a tent on Seavey Drive until firefighters showed up. “A firefighter was like, ‘Is anyone in there?’ and we were like, ‘Yes, we’re in here’ and there was water all over outside the tent,” Hargenrader said. O’Hara community leaders say residents should ask for emergency aid/help from surrounding areas due to flooded homes/basements/businesses. Nearby, flooding caused southbound Route 28 to close between the Harmar exit (Exit 11) and RIDC Park (Exit 10).
July 12, 2019 3:53 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania Health Department is adding anxiety disorders and Tourette’s syndrome to the list of conditions that can qualify people to obtain legal medical marijuana. The heath secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, announced Thursday she’ll be adding them as of July 20. Levine says her decision was based on the recommendation of the state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board and her own review of medical research literature. She says medical marijuana shouldn’t be the first treatments for those conditions, but physicians can recommend it to be used together with traditional therapeutic approaches. The list already includes cancer, epilepsy, intractable seizures, post-traumatic stress disorder, terminal illness and other conditions. Nearly 111,000 Pennsylvanians have been certified for participation in the state’s medical marijuana program .
July 11, 2019 1:41 pm
Today, Senator and presidential candidate Kirsten Gillibrand kicked off the “Trump Broken Promises Tour” with a roundtable in Pittsburgh, joined by health care workers and other activists, to discuss the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and the rising cost of prescription drugs that is harming hardworking families and their bottom line. “Time after time, President Trump has broken his promises to the American people, particularly when it comes to kitchen table issues and lowering their cost of living. Far too often, hard-working Americans across the country are forced to make the impossible decision between paying for the medication they need, or keeping food on the table,” said Senator Gillibrand. “We need to make sure the healthcare system works for everyone and we will start by actually holding drug companies accountable for their predatory practices and ensuring that people have access to safe and affordable drugs.”During the roundtable, Senator Gillibrand laid out her plan, which will hold drug companies accountable, bring down the cost of healthcare by reining in prices, prevent drug companies from gouging patients, and ensure that all patients have access to affordable medications.
July 11, 2019 9:38 am
YOUNGWOOD, Pa. (AP) – A woman has asked a judge to dismiss charges that she beat her mother and shaved her head because she thought the older woman was listening to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game too loudly on the radio. Lawyers for Delores Amorino filed legal documents Wednesday that claimed her now 19-year-old daughter is responsible for assaulting the 78-year-old woman. The filing comes a few weeks after a judge found Amorino was competent to stand trial but her daughter wasn’t. Authorities have said the two women beat Amorino’s mother and shaved her head during an August 2017 attack in their Youngwood home. They say she was held captive for more than two days. A psychiatrist testified the women have been diagnosed with a rare psychological disorder in which both suffered from shared delusions that they’re in romantic relationships with a current and a former member of the Steelers.
July 11, 2019 9:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says he’ll hold a news conference Thursday to talk about the 2020 census and his push to include a question on citizenship. A Supreme Court ruling barred the question for now. But Trump has said he may issue an executive order or memorandum to try to force the issue. An executive order would not, by itself, override court rulings blocking the question. But such a move could give administration lawyers a new basis to try to convince federal courts the question could be included. Trump tweeted Thursday he will hold the news conference following a White House social media summit.
July 11, 2019 8:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A senior military officer has accused the Air Force general tapped to be the next vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of sexual misconduct, potentially jeopardizing his nomination. Members of Congress have raised questions about the allegations and the military investigation that found insufficient evidence to charge him. The officer tells The Associated Press that Gen. John Hyten subjected her to a series of unwanted sexual advances by kissing, hugging and rubbing up against her during 2017 while she was one of his aides. She says he tried to derail her military career after she rebuffed him. The AP routinely does not name victims of sexual assault. The Air Force investigated the woman’s allegations, and found there was insufficient evidence to charge the general or recommend punishment.
