December 22, 2019 8:31 am
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. (AP) – Several cars on a freight train derailed in crossing the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, sending two cars into the water. Saturday’s derailment also damaged a footbridge that is part of the Appalachian Trail. CSX said in a statement that there were no injuries as seven cars derailed early Saturday. It says all the cars were empty and no hazardous materials were involved. The cause of the derailment is under investigation and CSX says it will work swiftly to clean up and restore the area. The derailment closed access to parts of Harpers Ferry National Historic Park and the Chesapeake & Ohio National Historic Park.
December 22, 2019 8:26 am
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump is encouraging young conservatives to stand up to what he calls the “radical left” days after he was impeached by the House. Trump told students in West Palm Beach, Florida, at the conservative conference organized by the group Turning Point USA that “each of you are on the front lines of defending our way of life.” Trump complained about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s delayed transmission of the articles of impeachment to the Senate, which may delay a trial in the GOP-controlled chamber. Trump told young conservatives that ït’s so unfair,” adding, “They are violating the Constitution.”
December 22, 2019 8:25 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Thirteen people have been shot at a house party on Chicago’s South Side. Police say four of the victims are critically wounded. Authorities say the shooting early Sunday stemmed from a dispute between individuals. Shots were first fired just after 12:30 a.m. The victims range in age between 16 and 48. Police say they suffered “different and various gunshot wounds to their bodies.” Two people are being questioned. One of those people was arrested with a weapon. The other was wounded. Police say the shooting was an “isolated incident.”
December 22, 2019 8:23 am
ERIE, Pa. (AP) – A northwestern Pennsylvania man convicted of stabbing his girlfriend to death amid an impending breakup last year has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. The Erie Times-News reports that 25-year-old James Gilbert read a statement of apology before sentencing Friday in Erie County Court, saying “I beat myself up every single day.” Prosecutors said he stabbed 20-year-old Marinda Matasowski 27 times at her mother’s Millcreek home in August 2018 and then stabbed himself in the chest. Judge Joseph Walsh told him he had cheated his son “out of a lifetime of love and support from his mother.”
December 22, 2019 8:22 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is anticipating a record-setting holiday travel period, with more than six million people hitting the turnpike through New Year’s Day. According to AAA, more than 115 million people will travel for the holidays. That includes 105 million who are driving to their destinations. “Holiday cheer is at an all-time high this year, with unemployment at historically low levels and noted improvements in both disposable income and household net worth,” said AAA Vice President Paula Twidale. The heaviest travel days are Dec. 23 and Dec. 27, while the lightest days are Dec. 22, Christmas Day, Dec. 29 and Jan. 1. Twidale’s message to drivers was to “slow down and be courteous.” The turnpike commission is encouraging people to travel during less busy times and be patient.
December 22, 2019 8:20 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — A man is dead after a foot chase led to a shootout with police early Sunday in Wilkinsburg. Allegheny County Police said just after 1 a.m., Wilkinsburg officers were called to the intersection of Penn Avenue and Wood Street. A 911 call was made about a man at that location threatening a person with a gun. When police arrived, they found the man matching the description. He tried to run from officers and they took off after him. During the foot chase, the man turned around and shot a handgun at police. A Wilkinsburg officer returned fire, hitting and killing the man. The Wilkinsburg officer has been placed on administrative leave as county police investigate the shooting. There’s no word on the identity of the man who was shot and killed.
December 22, 2019 8:18 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. –Two separate rollover accidents sent victims to hospitals early Saturday morning in Washington County. Washington County 911 reports the first happened on the 2500 block of Route 40 in West Bethlehem Township at 5:45 a.m. The other rollover happened near mile marker 24 of Interstate 79 in Amwell Township around 9:15 a.m. No other details were released in the incident, and the identities as well as the condition of the drivers are unknown at this time.
December 21, 2019 4:39 am
Former WPXI meteorologist Kevin Benson will stand trial on multiple charges related to his arrest for drunk driving. Benson, during his preliminary hearing on Friday, waived his charges to court. The 60-year-old Benson, who lives in Cecil, faces misdemeanor DUI charges, along with three counts of drunken driving and four traffic violations in connection with a September incident in South Strabane Township in Washington County. Authorities say a motorist had called 911 to report an erratic driver traveling north on Interstate 79 near the interchange with Interstate 70. Blood test results found that Benson’s blood alcohol content was .31 – almost four times the legal limit of .08. Police say the results also showed an inactive metabolite found in cocaine. Benson is due in court for a hearing at the Washington County Courthouse on March 26th. He remains free on $2500 unsecured bail.
December 21, 2019 4:37 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is blasting a prominent Christian magazine that published an editorial arguing that he should be removed from office. The essay in Christianity Today cited what it called Trump’s “blackened moral record.” Trump tweeted that the publication would prefer a radical left nonbeliever who “wants to take your religion & your guns.” The magazine was founded by the late Billy Graham. Some of Trump’s strongest evangelical supporters, including Graham’s son, rallied to his side and against the publication. Their pushback underscored Trump’s hold on the evangelical voting bloc that helped propel him into office.
December 21, 2019 4:33 am
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed off on nearly $1.4 trillion in spending that will keep the government funded through Sept. 30. The spending measures add roughly $400 billion to the deficit over the next decade. they include money for the president’s U.S.-Mexico border fence, pay raises for military and civilian federal workers, and funding for election security grants. The signing of the massive spending measures spares Washington the possibility of a partial government shutdown. Trump spent last Christmas in Washington while he was at loggerheads with Democrats over funding for the border fence.
