December 29, 2019 8:17 am
MONSEY, N.Y. (AP) — A man attacked a Hanukkah celebration at a rabbi’s home north of New York City late Saturday, stabbing and wounding five people before fleeing in a vehicle, police said. The attack appeared to be the latest in a string targeting Jews in the region, including a massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey earlier this month. Police said the stabbings happened at around 10 p.m. in Monsey, one of several Hudson Valley towns that have seen an influx in large numbers of Hasidic Jews in recent years. Ramapo Police Chief Brad Weidel said hours later that New York City police had located a vehicle and possible suspect being sought in connection with the stabbing. New York City Police wouldn’t immediately confirm whether anyone was in custody.
December 29, 2019 8:15 am
HONOLULU (AP) — Tour helicopter operations in Hawaii have come under increased scrutiny after the deadly crash this week, one of several recent accidents in the state, with a congressman calling the trips unsafe and lacking proper oversight. There were no survivors of a Thursday tour helicopter crash that killed three minors and four adults, officials confirmed Saturday. The helicopter that was set to tour the rugged Na Pali Coast, the picturesque and remote northern shoreline of Kauai that was featured in the film “Jurassic Park,” crashed on a mountaintop Thursday. The remains of six people were recovered Friday and the seventh is still missing. Kauai police confirmed there were no survivors based in part on the nature of the crash and impact damage, officials said in a statement. Recovery efforts were suspended Saturday afternoon. There were six people from two different families and a pilot on the flight.
December 29, 2019 8:11 am
WESTMORELAND CO. (WPXI) — Pennsylvania State Police are searching for three men who investigators say assaulted a girl inside the Westmoreland Mall. According to a release from state police, the assault happened Friday around 6:45 p.m. inside the mall. Troopers said the three men drove away from the mall after the alleged assault in a blue Jeep Cherokee. Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is asked to call state police, and they emphasized the need for information on the man in the red shirt. The details surrounding the alleged assault are still unclear.
December 29, 2019 8:04 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (WPXI) — A man was being treated for gunshot wounds at a local hospital after police said he was shot outside a local bar. Allegheny County Police said the shooting occurred outside the Homeville Trolley Stop bar in West Mifflin. Investigators said the victim was being treated at UPMC Presbyterian hospital after he was shot in the leg and hip. He was listed in stable condition. Police said they do not have any suspects at this point and they are still investigating.
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.
