October 3, 2019 4:02 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – The grandparents of the newborn found yesterday with his parents in Tennessee are now trying get custody of the baby and his half-brother. West Mifflin police told Channel 11 that 8-week-old Ambrose Klingensmith was taken by his parents –Jeannette Funnen, 32, and Daemon Klingensmith, 23 – on Sept. 26 after UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh staff raised concerns that he had been abused. But the newborn’s grandparents said the children are in perfect health – and that their parents would never lay a hand on the baby. Doctors determined there were “bruises consistent with finger marks” and that the injuries were “highly concerning with physical abuse.” They requested additional testing to determine how severe the internal injuries were. However, the infant’s parents took off with him from the emergency room before he was examined. “As far as Children’s (Hospital) goes… if they were so concerned about abuse, how was the baby allowed to leave the hospital?” said Kimberly Klingensmith, the newborn’s grandmother. “Why was the baby not separated from the parents and then taken away? That’s what we don’t understand.” The Klingensmiths said their son didn’t even know there was a warrant out for his arrest when he took off with his wife, their infant and Funnen’s 3-year-old son. Both parents are in custody and are in the process of being extradited back to Pennsylvania. They are facing charges of endangering a child and obstruction.
October 3, 2019 3:51 am
The Meadows Casino has been approved to offer sports wagering at its Washington County location. Sportsbook operations will commence with two days of limited hours Tuesday October 8th and Wednesday October 9th followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony and Grand Opening Thursday October 10th. “It’s a fantastic day for The Meadows Casino, our team members, guests and Washington County” commented Tony Frabbiele, Vice President and General Manager of The Meadows. “We are excited to bring this new amenity to The Meadows and are looking forward to the thrill and excitement of Sports Wagering.” The Sportsbook will be located in the heart of the casino in a space previously branded as Vibe. The book features 15 Ultra High Def large screen TVs, 18 Self Bet kiosks, 5 ticket writer windows and a 26 seat bar. Additionally, the book will feature a full menu for dining service. The Sportsbook opening comes in the midst of a fourteen-million-dollar capital project bringing many enhancements to the property in 2019 including four new restaurants featured in the Eatery by Celebrity Chef Fabio Viviani, over 100 New Slot machines, a new cashier, a new loyalty center, and a new bar and entertainment venue (expected to open early in 2020).
October 2, 2019 2:08 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – A top official in Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign says the Democratic candidate is in Las Vegas where he’s resting after having a heart procedure for a blocked artery. Campaign adviser Jeff Weaver says that Sanders’ wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, is on her way to Las Vegas. Weaver isn’t saying whether the Vermont senator is still hospitalized. O’Meara Sanders says in an email that her husband “was doing really well.” The campaign says the 78-year-old Sanders experienced chest discomfort during an event Tuesday and sought medical evaluation. Sanders has canceled events and appearances “until further notice.” The campaign says two stents were “successfully inserted” and that Sanders “is conversing and in good spirits.”
October 2, 2019 12:40 pm
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (AP) – A Connecticut state official says at least five people have died in the crash of a World War II-era airplane. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity. The B-17 carrying 13 people crashed Wednesday at Bradley International Airport as it was attempting to make an emergency landing soon after takeoff. The Collings Foundation confirmed the plane that crashed was the B-17 nicknamed the “Nine-O-Nine,” the same plane that crashed in August 1987 at an air show near Pittsburgh. In the 1987 incident, the bomber overshot a Pennsylvania runway while attempting to land at Beaver County Airport in gusty winds and plunged down a hillside as thousands of spectators were waiting for the show’s finale. The Federal Aviation Administration said three people were injured in the crash. The FAA said the plane’s airspeed was excessive and cited pilot errors. The foundation says damage to the plane was repaired, and it went on make more than 1,200 tour stops. The plane was named the “Nine-O-Nine” in honor of another B-17 of the same name that successfully completed 140 missions during World War II.(Photo: CNN)
October 2, 2019 8:19 am
ROME (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has confirmed that he was on the telephone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president that is the subject of an impeachment inquiry. “I was on the phone call,” Pompeo told reporters in Rome Wednesday during a news conference with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio. He did not give information about the contents of the call, saying only that he was well-versed in U.S. policy toward Ukraine. In the July 25 call with the Ukrainian president, Trump prodded him to investigate Trump’s Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Pompeo is under increasing scrutiny from House Democrats leading impeachment proceedings against Trump. On Tuesday, he pushed back on House demands for interviews with State Department officials about the administration’s dealings with Ukraine that are at the center of the inquiry.
October 2, 2019 4:22 am
DALLAS (AP) – A white Dallas police officer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for fatally shooting her unarmed, black neighbor in his home. The jury sentenced Amber Guyger on Wednesday. Guyger was convicted of murder Tuesday in the September 2018 killing of her upstairs neighbor, Botham Jean. In Texas, a murder sentence can range from five years to life in prison, but the judge also instructed jurors on a so-called sudden passion defense, which carries a range of 2-20 years behind bars. Guyger was still dressed in her police uniform after a long shift when she shot Jean, a 26-year-old accountant from the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia. She was fired from the force and charged with murder. Guyger testified that she mistook Jean’s apartment for her own, which was one floor below, and that she thought he was a burglar in her home.
October 2, 2019 4:18 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Opera star Placido Domingo has resigned as general director of the Los Angeles Opera following multiple allegations of sexual harassment reported by The Associated Press. In a statement Wednesday, Domingo said the allegations have “created an atmosphere in which my ability to serve this company that I so love has been compromised.” The company’s Board of Directors said in a separate statement that he performed more than 300 times in 31 different roles. He has served as general director since 2003.
October 2, 2019 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democrats have set up closed-door depositions from two former U.S. officials who represented the Trump administration in Ukraine. The plan to draw their testimony Thursday comes in spite of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s effort to delay former and current officials from providing documents and testimony in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. House Democrats warn that blocking congressional access to impeachment witnesses could itself be an impeachable offense. Pompeo said Tuesday the Democrats are trying to “intimidate” and “bully” career officials into appearing and claims it would be “not feasible” as demanded. House investigators counter that it would be illegal for the secretary to try to protect Trump by preventing the officials from talking to Congress. Trump took to Twitter to brand the impeachment inquiry a “coup.”
October 2, 2019 4:15 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. – A man wanted for murder and attempted homicide in West Virginia, as well as attempted homicide in Washington County, is in police custody. Lyon, who was on the run for a week, was arrested with his girlfriend inside of a Belle Vernon hotel. Police said he tried to murder his girlfriend’s brother inside of a Union Township trailer last Monday, stabbing him in the neck, back and chest. Police said the stabbing came after an argument escalated with his girlfriend when she accused him of cheating. Police say that stabbing was only the beginning of his crime spree. They said he then drove a stolen car to West Virginia, where he shot and killed a man, and also shot a woman, who survived. Lyon was wanted by the City of Monongahela Police Department, the Pennsylvania State police in Uniontown, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the United States marshals, officials said. In court Tuesday, Lyon refused to sign the paperwork, saying he was innocent.
October 2, 2019 4:10 am
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – United States Steel Corporation is buying a minority stake in an Arkansas-based steel company for $700 million. Big River Steel of Osceola announced Tuesday it had entered into an agreement with the Pittsburgh-based steel company. Under the agreement, U.S. Steel will hold a 49.9% ownership interest in Big River Steel and will hold an option to acquire the remaining 50.1% within the next four years. Big River Steel began operations at its $1.3 billion mill in Osceola in 2017 and last year announced an expansion of the facility that will add 500 new jobs. The plant was Arkansas’ first “superproject” under a 2004 constitutional amendment that allowed the state to borrow money to help lure major employers.
