November 3, 2019 6:54 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Saudi Arabia has formally announced the start of its initial public offering of the state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco. The kingdom’s Capital Market Authority made the announcement in a statement posted on its website early Sunday. The authority said its “board has issued its resolution approving the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. application for the registration and offering of part of its shares.” It did not immediately offer any timeline for the IPO. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been pushing the IPO since 2016. However, it has seen repeated delays. The kingdom hopes for a $2 trillion valuation for the firm, in order to raise some $100 billion for development programs. The valuation may be lower, however, as analysts have said $2 trillion may be too much.
November 3, 2019 6:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Newly released documents show a Trump campaign official told the FBI that during the 2016 presidential race the campaign’s chairman, Paul Manafort, pushed the idea that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee’s servers. That unsubstantiated theory was advanced by President Donald Trump even after he took office, and it would later help trigger the impeachment inquiry now consuming the White House. Notes from an FBI interview were released Saturday after a lawsuit by BuzzFeed News that led to public access to hundreds of pages of documents from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Information related to Ukraine has taken on renewed interest after calls for impeachment based on efforts by Trump and his administration to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden.
November 3, 2019 6:49 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A regional Starbucks manager fired after the high-profile arrests of two black men at one of the coffee shops in Philadelphia has filed a wrongful termination suit against the company. Shannon Phillips accuses Starbucks of unfairly punishing white employees like her in response to the widely publicized arrests last year. Phillips says she lost her job after objecting to the company putting another white manager on leave. Starbucks denies Phillips’ claims and says it will defend the suit, filed Monday in federal court in New Jersey. Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were arrested minutes after a manager called police to say they hadn’t bought anything and were refusing to leave. The arrest prompted Starbucks officials to close stores nationwide to conduct racial bias training.
November 3, 2019 6:47 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Thousands of faculty members at Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities will be voting later this month on a tentative contract agreement finalized last week. The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties said votes will be held on the 14 campuses between Nov. 11 and Nov. 13. If approved, the pact will go to the board of governors of the State System of Higher Education for approval. The union says details of the accord, which would run through June 2023, will be released after ratification. APSCUF represents about 5,000 faculty at Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania. The union also represents coaches at the universities who are still in contract talks.
November 3, 2019 6:46 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) – “I’m waking up and it’s like a piece of me is really missing.” The mother of Nalani Johnson shared her pain with our news partners at Channel 11, speaking publicly for the first time. Police said Nalani was kidnapped on August 31, triggering an AMBER Alert. Three days later, her body was found in an Indiana County park. Homicide charges were filed in the case last week. Gladys Duarte has since moved out of Pittsburgh because of her daughter’s tragic death, but she smiled when talking about Nalani — her first and only child. “She was such a happy baby,” Duarte said. “She was literally like this ball of energy. I just love her so much and I just want her to know that.” Duarte told Channel 11 some days she forgets about the tragedy, thinking her daughter is still there. “I’ll look at the time and it’s like, ‘Oh my God it’s 5 o’clock. I have to go pick Nalani up from daycare.’ And then… I check my surroundings and I’m like OK no,” she said. Duarte said she last saw Nalani on Aug. 30 when her father picked her up. The next day, the search for Nalani began. Police said Sharena Nancy drove off with Nalani after getting into an argument with Nalani’s father that day. Investigators said the two were romantically involved. “I didn’t know this woman at all,” said Duarte. “I didn’t even know she was in his life.” Nancy was spotted in Penn Hills hours after Nalani was last seen, but Duarte’s daughter was nowhere to be found. After days of searching, investigators found Nalani in a wooded area in Pine Ridge Park. There was a split-second of hope for Duarte, but those emotions quickly turned to grief. Duarte said she lost it when detectives told her they found Nalani lifeless, still strapped in a car seat. On Oct. 25, Nancy was charged with homicide. She is awaiting trial, and Duarte had a message for her.
November 3, 2019 6:45 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WPXI) – Two high school students overdosed and were hospitalized after using heroin-laced “vape pens,” according to Morgantown police. In a video message posted to social media Friday, Morgantown Police Chief Ed Preston said the devices also contained other drugs and substances. Preston encouraged people to stop using vaping devices and if they suspect an issue, to get rid of them. Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 2,000 cases of illness associated with using vaping products as of Oct. 29. 37 people have died.
November 3, 2019 6:42 am
As November arrives it’s time to start thinking Turkey! Yes, Thanksgiving is just around the corner and that means we need your help making sure area families have a traditional Thanksgiving meal. WJPA’s annual 2000 Turkey’s event is already in full swing. Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome says since the 2019 drive began October 3rd they have raised $19,360. He says there are “a whole lot of families that we will provide Thanksgiving dinner to those in need” through the Washington County Food Bank. Laurel Ziemba of Range Resources says “when you prioritize how you feed your family, Thanksgiving dinner is a luxury that a lot of families can’t afford.” She says “that’s where 2000 Turkey’s will be able to supplement their income this holiday season to ensure they have a nice dinner for their family”. If you would like to donate, you can send a check to; 2000 Turkeys P.O. Box 2000 Washington, Pa. 15301.
November 2, 2019 4:31 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has named Chad Wolf to be the next acting head of Homeland Security, the fifth person in the job for this administration. Trump made the announcement Friday outside the White House, ending weeks of speculation over who would head up the department after Kevin McAleenan resigned in October. Wolf was chief of staff to former DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. He has been involved with the 240,000-person department, which also manages disaster relief and election security, off and on since its creation following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It’s not clear whether Wolf will be nominated for the job permanently. Trump and others pushed for a fervent supporter of his policies to lead the department, but nomination rules made it difficult.
November 2, 2019 4:29 am
ORINDA, Calif. (AP) – A fifth person has died as a result of a Halloween night shooting at an Airbnb rental in Northern California. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office announced late Friday night that 19-year-old Oshiana Tompkins of Vallejo and Hercules died at a local hospital. The statement posted on social media did not specify when Tompkins was pronounced dead. Tompkins’ death brings the total fatalities in the Thursday night shooting to five. Authorities have identified the other victims as 22-year-old Tiyon Farley of Antioch, 24-year-old Omar Taylor of Pittsburg, 23-year-old Ramon Hill Jr., and 29-year-old Javin County. No arrests have been made and there’s no word on motive. Authorities say they found two guns at the Orinda scene.
November 2, 2019 4:28 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – One of the Iranian student leaders of the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover says he regrets seizing the diplomatic post and the 444-day hostage crisis that followed. In an interview with The Associated Press, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh now acknowledges that the repercussions of the takeover still reverberate 40 years later, as tensions soar between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s collapsing nuclear deal with world powers. Asgharzadeh cautions others against following in his footsteps, despite the takeover becoming enshrined in hard-line mythology. He also disputes a revisionist history offered by supporters of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard that they directed the attack. He insists that all the blame rests with the Islamist students who let the crisis spin out of control. Asgharzadeh says: “Like Jesus Christ, I bear all the sins on my shoulders.”
