May 1, 2023 12:44 pm
CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) – The search in Texas for a gunman who fatally shot five neighbors with an AR-style rifle has entered a third day after authorities over the weekend acknowledged they had little sense of the killer’s whereabouts despite a widening dragnet near Houston. The suspect, 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, has been at large since the shooting just before midnight Friday in the rural town of Cleveland. By Sunday evening, authorities said more than 250 officers from multiple jurisdictions have joined the manhunt and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott put up $50,000 in reward money for tips leading to Oropeza’s capture. Police recovered the AR-15-style rifle that they said Oropeza used in the shootings. Authorities were not sure if he was carrying another weapon. (Photo: ABC)
May 1, 2023 4:25 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Police say the 2-year-old daughter of Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett drowned in a swimming pool at the family’s home. Officers responding to a call that a child had fallen into a pool were sent to Barrett’s home Sunday morning. The football player’s youngest child, Arrayah, was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead. Police said an investigation is ongoing but the drowning “is not believed to be suspicious in nature at this time.” Barrett and his wife, Jordanna, have three other children.
May 1, 2023 4:24 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden administration is making its own attempt at speedy asylum screenings at the border, insisting it will be different than under President Donald Trump. Interviews will be done exclusively by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, not by Border Patrol agents, and there will be access to legal counsel. Some advocates for immigrants are doubtful. Generally, about three in four asylum-seekers pass initial screenings. Under Trump’s speedy screening, it was roughly flipped. Internal government watchdog agencies were sharply critical of the fast turnarounds and difficulties with access to legal counsel.
May 1, 2023 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Ask them about the impact the news media has on democracy, and Americans are likelier to say it’s doing more harm than good. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights finds that nearly three-quarters of Americans say the news media is increasing political polarization, and only a slim majority says they have some degree of confidence in the media’s ability to report the news fairly. When it comes to misinformation, about 9 in 10 say it’s a problem and more than half say politicians, social media users, internet companies and the news media all share in the blame.
May 1, 2023 4:21 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. says JPMorgan Chase Bank will take over all assets of troubled First Republic Bank. The FDIC said California regulators closed First Republic and appointed it as receiver. It said JPMorgan Chase will assume “all of the deposits and substantially all of the assets of First Republic Bank.” Regulators had been working to find a way forward before U.S. stock markets opened Monday. San Francisco-based First Republic has struggled since the collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in early March. They added to worries that the bank may not survive as an independent entity for much longer.
May 1, 2023 4:18 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Most 16-year-olds are thinking about getting their driver’s license but one teen from Monroeville has just completed a bachelor’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh. RJ Krishnaswamy is graduating Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a minor in mathematics from Pitt’s Frederick Honors College. “I’m feeling proud. It’s awesome. I’ve completed my bachelor’s and moving on to my master’s,” said RJ. By age 9, RJ was already enrolled in classes at the Community College of Allegheny County and had a 4.0 GPA. His parents say he was extremely advanced at a young age and they nurtured his curiousities and let him lead the way. “Some kids like baseball, some kids like football, he likes to learn,” said RJ’s mother. RJ is halfway through his master’s degree and hopes to pursue his doctorate after completing that so he can do research and make new discoveries.
May 1, 2023 4:15 am
A Washington teenager died in a single-vehicle crash Sunday afternoon in Somerset Township. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco says 19 year old Alexandra Wilson was the operator and sole occupant in a vehicle traveling north on Pittsburgh Road when she left the roadway and struck a tree near 488 Pittsburgh Road. It happened just after 4 p.m. and it’s unclear if she was wearing a seat belt. A cause and manner of death are pending. Crews From Bentleyville, Ellsworth, Fallowfield, North Strabane and Valley Inn responded. State Police are investigating. Wilson was a student at Washington High School and district officials say grief counselors will be on hand for those who feel they need to talk.
May 1, 2023 4:10 am
An unveiling of several key attractions at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum took place over the weekend. Scott Becker, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum emceed the event that saw six feature elements presented for visitors to enjoy. The most prominent features were the completion of Volunteer Boulevard and the christening of Falconi Plaza. Volunteer Boulevard is a brick paved street with 33,000 hand laid bricks and rails to allow two way trolley traffic. Falconi Plaza was unveiled in memory of the late entrepreneur. A landscaped seating wall, street clock, flag pole and antique fountain that once sat at Falconi’s home highlight the “town square” recreation. Other projects presented were a High Level Platform that will allow visitors to access three trolleys from Philadelphia. The platform was needed because access to the cars was not at street level. Labor for the platform project came from the county Furlough Into Service program. That program utilizes labor from eligible inmates from the Washington County Corrections Facility. The Washington County Community Foundation Trolley Platform and the David and Kathryn Black Trolley Canopy sit adjacent to the still under construction Welcome and Education Center. Rounding out the amenities is the Christopher Golofski Memorial Gazebo. The gazebo is in memory of the past museum president and will be used for concerts and other events. Ed Morascyzk is the current president of the museum and calls Volunteer Boulevard “a step back in time…that will allow visitors to have a transformational experience” of the trolley era.
May 1, 2023 2:30 am
Several area health care facilities have announced plans to lift their mask mandates. PennHighlands Healthcare, which is made up of eight hospitals, including Penn Highlands Mon Valley, says that effective Monday, May 1st, the mask mandate that has been in place at its facilities for the past three years is being lifted. Meanwhile, effective on the same day, UPMC says masking will no longer be required at most of its facilities, with the exception of some specific areas where patients are particularly vulnerable to infection. These are the latest health care facilities to lift mask mandates. Allegheny Health Network discontinued its mask requirements on April 20th.
April 30, 2023 9:16 pm
An investigation is underway into a car crash that killed a Washington High School student Sunday afternoon. According to reports, nineteen-year-old Alexandra Wilson was traveling on Pittsburgh Road in Somerset Township around four o’clock when her vehicle ran off the road and slammed into a tree. The Washington County Coroner’s Office says Wilson was pronounced dead about an hour later. Wilson was the only person in the car.
