April 30, 2023 8:05 am
CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — A Texas sheriff says a fugitive accused of opening fire on his neighbors after they asked him to stop shooting in his yard could be anywhere by now. Authorities have widened the search area for a man suspected of killing five of his neighbors near Houston. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters Saturday that the search area for 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza could now be as far as “10 or 20 miles” from the murder scene. The gunman has remained at large since the shooting Friday night. Authorities say the attack happened after the neighbors asked the man to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep. It happened near the town of Cleveland, about 45 miles north of Houston. Capers said Oropeza may still have a weapon.
April 30, 2023 8:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has carried out its first evacuation of American citizens and permanent residents from Sudan since war broke out in the capital two weeks ago. That’s according to the State Department. Officials say U.S. unmanned aircraft provided armed overwatch for a bus convoy believed to be carrying out hundreds of Americans over 500 miles or 800 kilometers. The land evacuation came six days after U.S. special operations troops briefly flew to Khartoum to airlift out American staffers at the embassy and other U.S. government personnel from the east African country. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents were eligible to join Saturday’s convoy.
April 30, 2023 8:03 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The competition between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis is intensifying as the former president is scheduling a return trip to Iowa on the same day that the Florida governor was already going to be there. The state kicks off the Republican contest for the White House. DeSantis is slated to headline Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra’s annual summer fundraiser in northwest Iowa on May 13 and is expected to speak at a party fundraiser later that evening in Cedar Rapids. A Trump campaign official says the former president now plans to be in Iowa on the same day to headline an organizing rally at a park in downtown Des Moines.
April 30, 2023 8:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities say a Southern California man who assaulted police with pepper spray during the storming of the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison. The U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement Friday that Jeffrey Scott Brown of Santa Ana received a sentence of 54 months. Brown and two co-defendants were found guilty in December. Prosecutors say Brown dove toward the front of a makeshift police line and used a stolen can of pepper spray on officers. Brown’s attorney said in court documents that his client only wanted to protest peacefully. More than 320 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
April 30, 2023 8:01 am
SEATTLE (AP) — The U.S. Army has identified the three soldiers who were killed when two helicopters collided in Alaska while returning from a training mission. The helicopters were headed to Fort Wainwright from a mission in the Donnelly Training Area. They crashed at about 1:40 p.m. Thursday about 50 miles east of Healy. The U.S. Army announced Friday that it has grounded aviation units for training. Twelve soldiers have died within the last month in helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky. Killed in Thursday’s crash were Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Eramo, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kyle McKenna and Warrant Officer 1 Stewart Wayment.
April 30, 2023 7:57 am
HOUSTON, Pa. (WPXI) — Thousands of text messages have been sent to a group of parents thanks to a spoofing app. The harassment has been going on for nearly four years. “I woke up one day over a night with 130 messages in my phone. A Friday to Saturday morning. We are talking hundreds and hundreds and hundreds a week,” said Ryan O’Donnell. The texts from a spoofing app go to Ryan, his ex-girlfriend and a large group of parents in the Chartiers Houston School District. Texts will say things making fun of student-athletes, coaches and other parents, each from a different number, making it impossible to block. “A repeat of what I’ve heard for three years: I’m a loser, I’m fat, I’m lazy, I’m this. That’s fine. Whatever you call me, fine, but just leave these people alone,” said O’Donnell. The case first came to light last year when Chartiers police arrested O’Donnell’s ex-wife, Kristyn O’Donnell for harassment. Last week she was arrested for allegedly arresting for violating a PFA. State senator Camera Bartolotta was asked about any potential legislation to crack down on spoofing apps. Days later, she contacted the victims. She is now working with Senator Michele Brooks to broaden a bill already in the works to combat spoofing. “I know this particular app is illegal in other states and I intend to make them illegal in Pennsylvania,” said Senator Bartolotta. As the wheels of justice turn slowly, the texts continue and Kristyn O’Donnell’s trial is not scheduled until August.
April 30, 2023 3:41 am
A Washington man was arrested by State Police on Friday after an investigation into child pornography led to a search of his home. Twenty-three year Darion Lamar Thompson, of Oak Street, Washington, was charged with 20 counts of possessing child pornography, as well as criminal use of a communication facility. State Police were first alerted in March to the potential child pornography by a cyber tip that someone had uploaded and shared multiple images of child pornography, including toddlers, on the file-sharing service Dropbox. The investigation determined that one IP address was associated with the uploaded files. Subpoenas for the identity of the IP address came back to an Oak Street address in Washington. On Friday, State Police served search warrant at that address and discovered Thompson in a bedroom holding a cell phone, which he then allegedly tried to conceal with another phone under him on the bed. Both of those devices were seized by State Police during the search, and according to police also contained images of suspected child pornography. Thompson was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Kelly Stewart Friday afternoon. His bond was denied and he was lodged in the Washington County Correctional Facility. Thompson has also been on bail as a result of a January 2023 arrest, also for child pornography charges. Both cases are now set for a preliminary hearing on May 24 at 1:45 p.m. before MDJ Stewart.
April 30, 2023 3:27 am
Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis and Acting Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development Rick Siger took a walking tour of Washington. They were here Friday to kick off Pennsylvania’s Small Business Week. A walking tour headed by Main Street Manager of the Washington Business District Authority Shana Brown had Davis and Siger visit the Ignite Business Incubator, The Table Café, The Wild Hope Boutique and The Cheerful Balloon Company. Davis and Siger heard from business owners of how proud they are of their endeavors and the problems that they encounter trying to develop a business in a downtown area like Washington. Carrie Beckett from The Wild Hope Boutique was direct in her conversation with Davis that she and her partners invested a lot of money and hard work to make their place special. She is disappointed that when she looks out her front window, they are greeted with abandoned and dilapidated storefronts. One of the messages that Davis wants business owners to know is that the Shapiro Administration is committed to the success of small businesses. Davis pointed out that in their 2023-2024 budget proposal the administration is calling for a $20 million infusion of capital into the Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance Program that provides working capital loans to women and minority owned businesses. They also call for an $8.6 million increase in the Keystone Communities Program to support improvements along Pennsylvania’s Main Streets. (Photo L to R: Shana Brown, Main Street Business Mgr., acting secretary DCED Rick Siger, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis)
April 29, 2023 3:58 am
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Anti-corruption groups in South Africa have called for more protection of whistleblowers following recent killings that bore the hallmarks of professional hits. A specialist accountant working on a high-profile corruption case was killed along with his son by unknown gunmen as they drove along a highway in March. A government health department employee who warned of illegal dealings worth nearly $50 million was shot 12 times in the driveway of her home in what has been described as an assassination in 2021. The slayings and other cases have fueled outrage over widespread graft linked to government contracts, which has plagued Africa’s most developed economy for years but appears to continue unabated.
April 29, 2023 3:56 am
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch court has banned a man from donating any more of his sperm after he fathered at least 550 children in the Netherlands and other countries and misled prospective parents about the number of offspring he helped to conceive. A judge at The Hague District Court ordered the halt Friday in an injunction brought by the mother of a child conceived with the donor’s sperm and a foundation representing other parents. The court noted that under Dutch guidelines, sperm donors are allowed to produce a maximum of 25 children with 12 mothers and that the donor lied to prospective parents about his donation history.
