September 14, 2019 9:09 am
NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. (WPXI) – Multiple fire crews battled a large blaze at a former car dealership. Emergency officials said the fire was along Center Highway at Route 30 in North Huntingdon. The fire was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. Neighbors told Channel 11 the building was in the process of being remodeled when they heard what sounded like explosions. The roof of the building collapsed from the fire. The Huntingdon Police Department also posted on social media that there are phone issues with the department from the fire. Anyone trying to reach police should instead call 911 for the time being.
September 14, 2019 4:41 am
BOSTON (AP) – “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman says she takes full responsibility for her role in the college admissions scandal and deserves her punishment. A federal judge in Boston sentenced the actress on Friday to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and a year’s probation. Huffman was stoic in court, telling U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani she “betrayed” her daughters and her actor husband, William H. Macy. After her sentencing, she said via email: “I accept the court’s decision today without reservation.”
Huffman’s lawyer, Martin Murphy, argued that her crimes were less serious than those of her co-defendants. Huffman pleaded guilty in May to paying an admissions consultant $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter’s SAT exam answers in 2017. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen had pushed hard for a full month’s imprisonment. Rosen says there was “simply no excuse” for Huffman’s actions.
September 14, 2019 4:40 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The opioid crisis has hit virtually every pocket of the U.S., from rural towns in deeply conservative states to big cities in liberal-leaning ones. But a curious divide has opened up. The nation’s Republican state attorneys general have, for the most part, lined up in support of a tentative multibillion-dollar settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, while their Democratic counterparts have mostly come out against it, decrying it as woefully inadequate. Exactly why this is so is unclear, and some of those involved suggested it can’t necessarily be explained by the way the Republicans have long been seen as the business-friendly party and the Democrats are sometimes more hostile to corporate America. Some of the attention has focused on the role played by Luther Strange, a Republican former Alabama attorney general who has been working for members of the Sackler family, which owns Purdue Pharma.
September 14, 2019 4:32 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A $100,000 grant has been allotted to UMPC to offer tumor and germline sequencing to patients battling Ewing Sarcoma in Western Pennsylvania. The money was secured by republican representatives Jason Ortitay and Tim O’Neal. The representatives say the grant can potentially answer questions about the uptick of Ewings cases in the region, specifically in Washington County. Representative O’Neal said the meeting on cancer in the area held in Canonsburg left many unanswered questions and both reps hope that the research grant could find those answers or possibly identify the cause of the disease. There are no known environmental factors that cause Ewing sarcoma, but some residents are concerned that could be causing these issues. The Pennsylvania State Department of Health conducted a study earlier this year, and it was determined there was no cancer “cluster” in Washington County. The department is sharing their thoughts and findings on the study at the Canon-McMillan High School on October 7th.
September 13, 2019 3:50 pm
(AP) – Two people with direct knowledge of the decision, say Antonio Brown will be eligible to play for the New England Patriots. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Friday because the decision has not been announced. Brown has been accused of rape and sexual assault in a civil case in Florida. He won’t go on the commissioner’s exempt list because no criminal charges have been filed. Brown has denied the allegations by his former trainer. Players on the commissioner’s exempt list can’t play in games or practice with a team, but are still paid. The Patriots play at Miami on Sunday. The wide receiver was acquired in a trade with Oakland this month after requesting and receiving his release from the Raiders.
September 13, 2019 3:44 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A judge has dismissed two charges against a woman accused of beating her mother and shaving her head because she thought the older woman was listening to a Pittsburgh Steelers’ game too loudly on the radio. A Westmoreland County judge on Wednesday said there wasn’t enough evidence to support charges of conspiracy and making terroristic threats against Delores Amorino. She remains charged with aggravated assault, false imprisonment, simple assault and harassment. Lawyers for Amorino have claimed her 19-year-old daughter is responsible for assaulting the 78-year-old woman. Authorities say the two beat Amorino’s mother and held her captive during an August 2017 attack in their Youngwood home. A psychiatrist has testified that the women have a rare delusional disorder, making them believe they’re in romantic relationships with current and former Steelers players. Amorino’s daughter was found incompetent to stand trial.
September 13, 2019 2:40 pm
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (AP) – Swarms of dragonflies are taking over several western Pennsylvania communities and have even showed up on weather radar. WTAE-TV reports that meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Cleveland spotted an unusually large blob on their radar earlier this week. It turned out to be dragonflies. Entomologists say the swarms of dragonflies are quite common, and usually happen when they are migrating south to find warmer weather as winter approaches. The swarms have also been reported in Indiana, Ohio and Virginia. A similar phenomenon occurred earlier this year when a massive bloom of ladybugs was detected by radar in the area of San Diego.
September 13, 2019 12:43 pm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The family of rock Star Eddie Money says he has died at 70. Money died Friday. The husky-voiced, blue collar performer was known for such hits as “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Take Me Home Tonight.” In 1987, he received a best rock vocal Grammy nomination for “Take Me Home Tonight,” which featured a cameo from Ronnie Spector.
September 13, 2019 11:51 am
McKEESPORT, Pa. (WPXI) – Police are looking for a man who they say ran from the car of a woman whose body was found Thursday morning at Renziehausen Park in McKeesport. Police are investigating it as a homicide. A man walking his dog found her body shortly before 10 a.m. The woman has not been identified, but she is described as black and was wearing a yellow sundress. Her body showed signs of strangulation based on an initial examination, according to police. Police said the woman might have died elsewhere, and her body then brought to the park in a car. Surveillance video showed a silver 2007 Chevrolet Impala with a sunroof and rear spoiler being driven in the park near where the woman’s body was found, shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday, police said. That car belonged to the victim and was found Thursday night in the parking lot of Walmart in South Strabane Township. Police have arrested Clyde Cox, 27, and Daron Parks, 26 for being in that car, they are not charged in her death. Police are still looking for a man known as ‘Moe’ who they say ran from the car so they can question him further. An autopsy will be conducted Friday to determine the cause and manner of the woman’s death. Anyone with information is asked to call the Allegheny County Police Tipline at 1-833-255-8477.
September 13, 2019 9:33 am
BEIJING (AP) – A Chinese state news agency says Beijing will lift punitive tariffs on U.S. soybeans and pork ahead of trade negotiations. Soybeans were the biggest U.S. export to China before Beijing halted purchases in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes in a fight over trade and technology. The two sides are preparing for talks in October in Washington. Trump earlier postponed an increase in tariffs on Chinese imports.
