February 21, 2022 4:24 am
LONDON (AP) – Buckingham Palace says Queen Elizabeth II has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild, cold-like symptoms. The palace said Sunday the 95-year-old British monarch, who has received three vaccine shots, will continue with light duties and follow all medical guidelines. An infectious disease expert said the queen would likely be given one of several antiviral drugs to treat COVID-19. Both her eldest son Prince Charles and her daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also recently contracted COVID-19. áBritain’s longest-reigning monarch, the queen reached the milestone of 70 years on the throne on Feb. 6. Top U.K. politicians, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, issued messages Sunday wishing the queen a speedy recovery.
March 28, 2021 7:41 am
HOUSTON (AP) — The Biden administration is not requiring FBI fingerprint background checks of caregivers at its rapidly expanding network of emergency sites to hold thousands of immigrant teenagers, alarming child welfare experts who say the waiver compromises safety. In the rush to get children out of overcrowded and often unsuitable Border Patrol sites, President Joe Biden’s team is turning to a measure used by previous administrations: tent camps, convention centers and other huge facilities operated by private contractors and funded by U.S. Health and Human Services. In March alone, the Biden administration announced it will open eight new emergency sites across the Southwest adding 15,000 new beds, more than doubling the size of its existing system. These emergency sites don’t have to be licensed by state authorities or provide the same services as permanent HHS facilities. They also cost far more, an estimated $775 per child per day. And to staff the sites quickly, the Biden administration has waived vetting procedures intended to protect minors from potential harm.
May 30, 2020 4:09 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Days after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, people took to the streets in protest in dozens of cities around the country. They marched, chanted, stopped traffic and in some cases turned violent toward police to protest the death of the handcuffed black man after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck even after he stopped moving. Georgia’s governor mobilized the National Guard to protect Atlanta, where demonstrators set a police car and American flag on fire, injured at least three officers, spray-painted the iconic logo sign at CNN headquarters, and broke into a restaurant. The crowd pelted officers who came over with bottles.
August 9, 2019 1:41 pm
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) – A western Pennsylvania amusement park says its newest and biggest attraction is back up and running after a brief shutdown. A spokesman for Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh says the Steel Curtain roller coaster reopened Wednesday afternoon and has been operating smoothly ever since. It had been closed on Aug. 3 so workers could make some “adjustments.” The 4,000-foot-long coaster contains nine inversions, which park officials say is the most in North America, and the world’s tallest inversion at 197 feet. The park says “stoppages and periodic closures” will remain possible due to the “newness, complexity and record-breaking nature” of the ride. The park is located in West Mifflin, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of downtown Pittsburgh.
September 22, 2024 4:02 pm
(WPXI)
SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. — Part of I-70 in Washington County is closed while crews respond to a crash where several people were hurt.
PennDOT’s 511 map shows westbound I-70 between Exit 21 to I-79 South – Morgantown and Exit 20 to PA 136 – Beau Street is closed due to a multi-vehicle crash.
A Washington County 911 dispatcher says that police, fire and EMS personnel responded to the crash around 1:50 p.m. on Sunday.
The South Strabane Fire Department says there are multiple patients and multiple people were entrapped.
The dispatcher says at least five people have been taken to area hospitals. Their conditions aren’t currently known.
The crash is impacting traffic on I-79 and I-70. Fire officials ask the public to avoid the area and take alternative routes, if possible. The site of the accident will be closed to traffic for an extended period of time.
November 24, 2023 5:11 am
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Oscar Pistorius could be granted parole on Friday after nearly 10 years in prison in South Africa for killing his girlfriend. The double-amputee Olympic runner was convicted of a charge comparable to third-degree murder for shooting Reeva Steenkamp in his home in 2013. He has been in prison since late 2014. Pistorius turned 37 this week and has been given a second chance at parole after he was wrongly ruled ineligible at a first hearing in March. Pistorius was one of the world’s most admired athletes when he shot Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet door on Valentine’s Day 2013.
January 3, 2023 2:22 am
BRACKENRIDGE, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Brackenridge police chief was killed and another officer is injured after shots were fired in downtown Brackenridge on Monday. The incident prompted a heavy police presence as investigators searched for the suspect. Sources confirmed that the suspect was shot and killed by police after a chase in the city of Pittsburgh. Police said they first encountered Aaron Swan during a traffic stop Sunday night, which he allegedly fled. Monday morning, Harrison Township police engaged in a vehicle pursuit with Swan, and he fled on foot. At around 2 p.m. on Monday, officers encountered Swan near the border of Brackenridge and Tarentum in a foot pursuit. The chase lasted for several hours through different neighborhoods before two separate shootings, one in the 800 block of Third Street and another on Brackenridge Avenue. Officers were shot in both shootings. The Brackenridge police chief, Justin McIntire, was shot in the head and killed. The surviving officer was shot in the leg, and is listed in stable condition. McIntire was sworn in as Brackenridge’s police chief on Jan. 2, 2019.
February 21, 2022 4:23 am
Average daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are continuing to fall in the U.S., an indicator that the omicron variant’s hold is weakening across the country. Total confirmed cases reported Saturday barely exceeded 100,000, a sharp downturn from around 800,850 on Jan. 16, according to Johns Hopkins University data. In New York, the number of cases went down by more than 50% over the last two weeks. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Thomas Russo said what’s influencing the decline in Omicron cases is that it has built up some population immunity. Public health experts say they are feeling hopeful. However, many expressed concern that vaccine uptick in the U.S. has still been below expectations.
March 28, 2021 7:39 am
BEIJING (AP) — China announced new sanctions against U.S. and Canadian officials in a growing political and economic feud over its policies in the traditionally Muslim region of Xinjiang. A statement from the Foreign Ministry on Saturday said the head of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Gayle Manchin, will be barred from visiting mainland China, Hong Kong or Macao, and having any dealings with Chinese financial entities. The commission’s vice chair, Tony Perkins, was also included on the sanctions list, along with Canadian Member of Parliament Michael Chong and the body’s Subcommittee on International Human Rights. China has strongly rejected accusations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang and has launched calls for boycotts and other punishments against foreign firms including retailer H&M and Nike, along with sanctions against foreign government officials and activists whom it says are spreading false information about its policies toward Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang.
May 30, 2020 4:04 am
SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. — An individual is dead after a motorcycle crash on Interstate 79 Friday night. Officials were called to the scene around 8:45 p.m. after the unnamed operator of the vehicle lost control of the motorcycle and traveled up an embankment on the left side of the roadway. The accident occurred in the southbound lanes of I-79 near mile marker 38, or the Interstate 70 West interchange. Coroner Tim Warco’s office pronounced the individual dead at roughly 9:45 p.m. Canonsburg ambulance assisted on scene. The identity of the victim has not been released pending the notification of next of kin. The cause and manner of death is pending. The Pennsylvania State Police are still investigating the incident.
