Israel Warns Civilians To Evacuate

September 23, 2024 5:19 am

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military is calling on residents of southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate homes and other buildings where it claims Hezbollah stores weapons. Israel says it is carrying out “extensive strikes” against the militant group. Monday’s warning was the first of its kind in nearly a year of steadily escalating conflict and came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire the day before. Hezbollah launched around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in retaliation for recent strikes that killed a top commander and dozens of fighters.

OxyContin Maker’s Settlement Divides Victims In Crisis

November 24, 2023 5:12 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — The legality of an agreement by the maker of OxyContin to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harm done by opioids is going before the Supreme Court. Families that lost loved ones to overdoses are divided over Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle with governments. The settlement could provide billions of dollars to address an overdose epidemic and pay victims. But the settlement would protect from future lawsuits members of the Sackler family, which owns the Connecticut-based company. One Florida woman who lost her son to an opioid overdose says it’s a chance to move on. A Massachusetts mother says it’s an unfair protection for a wealthy family that profited from helping cause a crisis.

Washington County Coroner Announces Reelection Bid

January 3, 2023 2:38 am

Washington County Coroner Tim Warco announced on Tuesday that he plans to run for reelection.  Warco, a long-time Democrat, will be running for reelection in the May Primary, as a Republican.  Warco was first elected as the county’s coroner in 1992.  Warco says that during his time in office he has supervised the investigation of more than 43-thousand deaths, has ordered and overseen nearly four-thousand autopsies, and through the Coroner’s Task Force on Roadway Safety, has investigated and helped resolve nearly 135 unsafe traffic and road conditions.

Queen Elizabeth II Tests Positive For COVID

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.

US Waives FBI Check On Cargivers At Border

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.

Protests Around U.S. Following George Floyd’s Death

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.

The Steel Curtain Is Up And Running

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.

At least 5 people hurt in multi-vehicle crash on I-70 in Washington County

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.

 

Olympic Runner Pistorius Up For Parole

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.

Police Chief Killed, Another Injured In Shooting

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.