October 29, 2023 8:00 am
NOTTINGHAM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Multiple fire crews were called to the scene of a housefire Saturday night in Washington County. The call came in just before midnight along Yohe Street in Nottingham Township. Valley Inn crews responded with North Strabane, Finleyville and Bentleyville Fire Departments. Tri-Community EMS was first on scene and reported smoke showing from the residence. Reports say one victim had to be hospitalized with severe burns. Officials called in the Washington County HazMat Team to dispose of lithium-ion batteries that caught fire in the house.
October 29, 2023 3:30 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — In one sense, there was a feeling of closure as survivors marked five years since the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. They joined with hundreds of others for an outdoor commemoration of the 11 people who were killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. It was the first commemoration since the killer was convicted and sentenced to death after a long-stalled legal process. But it also came less than three weeks after Hamas attacks killed more than 1,400 in Israel. And it was two days after the latest mass shooting in the United States claimed 18 lives in Maine.
October 29, 2023 2:56 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh held a press conference Friday to address the findings of Washington County Coroner Tim Warco’s inquest findings. Warco convened an inquest into the officer involved shooting of Eduardo Hoover, Jr. that occurred on April 2. Walsh, flanked by approximately 10 law enforcement officers, defiantly stood behind his May 5 determination that Mt. Pleasant Police Officer Tyler Evans was justified in firing his weapon into the cab of Hoover’s truck striking him in the head and neck and killing him after Hoover rammed his truck into Evans’ police cruiser. Walsh called the inquest theatrics and overreach from the coroner. He credited Pennsylvania State Police for a thorough and excellent investigation into the matter. Walsh recited the details of the car chase and placed the blame for the incident on Hoover’s shoulders. Walsh stated that Hoover knew that his license was suspended, that he was already intoxicated, he could have stopped the car chase himself by pulling over or, once he was blocked in, obeyed officer commands to exit his vehicle. Walsh will not turn the investigation over to the Attorney General. He did state that the Attorney General has the authority to look into any matter at any time. Coroner Tim Warco says he plans to send his recommendation to the State Attorney General’s Office and ask that the case be reviewed.
October 28, 2023 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to meet on the sidelines of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. That’s according to a U.S. official familiar with the planning. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the two sides worked out an agreement in principle to hold a meeting during the summit. The agreement was worked out as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Friday with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The official added that two sides have not worked out details on the exact day of the meeting, venue and other logistics.
October 28, 2023 4:18 am
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — The man wanted in the mass shooting at a bowling alley and bar that killed 18 people and wounded 13 has been found dead, bringing an end to a search that put the entire state of Maine on edge for the last two days. Authorities say Robert Card was found dead Friday in Lisbon Falls, Maine. Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck says Card was found at 7:45 p.m. near the Androscoggin River of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. He declined to provide a specific address. Card was a trained firearms instructor who recently had been treated for mental health issues.
October 28, 2023 4:14 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of protesters have filled the main concourse of New York City’s famed Grand Central Terminal to demand a cease-fire as Israel intensifies its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Protesters wore black T-shirts saying “Jews say cease-fire now” and “Not in our name.” They staged the sit-in during the evening rush hour Friday, chanting slogans and unfurling banners. The New York Police Department says at least 200 were detained. The protesters were led out of the station with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, issued summons and released. Israel stepped up airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Friday, knocking out internet and largely cutting off communication with the 2.3 million people inside the besieged Palestinian enclave.
October 28, 2023 4:10 am
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — In the absence of government aid, Acapulco’s desperate residents have cleaned out the city’s largest stores in three days. It wasn’t isolated to any particular neighborhood or carried out under cover of darkness, but widespread and in full view of authorities who have conceded they do not have the resources or in most cases the will to intervene. It is in part the result of a government reaction delayed by the historically fast strengthening of a storm that no one forecast to go from tropical storm to catastrophic Category 5 hurricane in 12 hours. It is also a continuation of a government strategy that addresses problems — drug violence, natural disasters — with personnel, but not necessarily the tools to resolve the situation.
October 28, 2023 4:07 am
Israel has knocked out communications in the Gaza Strip with bombardment and artillery fire. Explosions from continuous airstrikes overnight Friday and into Saturday lit up the sky over Gaza City for hours. The Israeli military says it is expanding ground operations in the territory. On Friday, the U.N. General Assembly called for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza, while protesters in New York and Jakarta held demonstrations calling for an end to Israeli military action. The Palestinian death toll in Gaza has passed 7,300, and in the occupied West Bank more than 100 Palestinians have been killed. More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed and 229 people were taken hostage during the incursion and remain in captivity in Gaza.
October 28, 2023 2:53 am
The Canonsburg Houston Joint Authority (CHJA) approved two major items at its meeting on Thursday evening. First, after a lengthy discussion of operating costs and costs for long delayed upkeep of several locations, the board approved a rate increase to customers. Currently CHJA customers pay $8.86 per 1000 gallons of water. The rate increase will be to $11.26 per 1000 gallons of water. That is a 30% increase. In a second voting measure the board approved the asset sale of the CHJA. According to CHJA Chairman Robert Luksis, the authority was contacted by Pennsylvania American Water Company (PAWC) two years ago about an asset sale. After several discussions and requests for quotes and requests for proposals, the board voted to put itself up for sale. The motion narrowly passed, Board members Luksis, Steve Lucas and Larry Scears voted in favor of the measure. Board members Michael Alterio and Jim Maund voted against. It is a $145 million proposal with the proceeds being divided between the boroughs of Canonsburg and Houston. Luksis indicated that the competitive bid process had the AQUA Company beat out PAWC by $5 million and other contract details. The boroughs of Canonsburg and Houston will vote on the sale in their November meetings. If all goes smoothly, legal representatives figure to have the sale closed by the end of 2024.
October 27, 2023 5:11 am
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Survivors of the Category 5 storm that killed at least 27 people and devastated Mexico’s resort city of Acapulco are getting desperate amid a slow government assistance response. They worry that the focus will remain on repairing tourism infrastructure instead of helping the neediest. The coastal city of 1 million once known for its beachside glamour was still in a state of complete chaos by the end of Thursday. The Mexican government has deployed around 10,000 troops to deal with the aftermath, but equipment to move tons of mud and fallen trees from the streets was slow in arriving.
