February 12, 2024 5:14 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Police say a woman in a trenchcoat opened fire with a long gun inside celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Texas megachurch before being gunned down by two off-duty officers who confronted her. The afternoon shooting at the Houston megachurch sent worshippers scrambling out of the building between busy Sunday services. Authorities say the woman was dead and a 5-year-old boy with her was critically wounded by gunfire. They also say a 57-year-old man was wounded. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner praised the officers for their quick actions. Osteen says the shooting could have been much worse if it had happened during the larger 11 a.m. service.
February 12, 2024 5:11 am
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military has rescued two hostages from captivity in the Gaza Strip. It identified them as Fernando Simon Marman and Louis Har. It says both men were kidnapped by Hamas militants from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack. The rescue took place early Monday in the southern border town of Rafah in a raid that killed at least 67 people, according to Palestinian officials. The army says both men are in good medical condition. Israel says around 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity as well as the remains of about 30 others. President Joe Biden has warned Israel against a ground operation in Rafah until it has a “credible” plan to protect civilians.
February 12, 2024 4:58 am
INDIANA BOROUGH, Pa. — (WPXI) – A massive mess was left behind at a home in Indiana County after a car slammed into it early Saturday morning. The Indiana Borough Police Department says the crash happened around 2:30 a.m. on Philadelphia Street near East Avenue. Photos from the Indiana Fire Association show a car went through the first floor of the home, taking out a corner of the structure. First responders temporarily placed a strut to keep the house from falling, then replaced them with sistered 2x4s. The car was lifted out of the backyard with a rotator. Police say the home was occupied at the time of the crash, and a child was taken to hospital. His injuries are said to be minor. The driver, who police identify as a man in his early 40s, was also taken to the hospital for minor injuries. Fire officials with the Indiana Fire Association said this isn’t the first time this house has been hit by a car. (PHOTO; Indiana Fire Association)
February 12, 2024 2:04 am
PennDot is announcing road work on Interstate 79 that will include shoulder restrictions beginning Monday February 12. Those restrictions will take place in Kennedy, Robinson and Neville Townships and Glenfield Borough. The work is on the southbound side of Interstate 79 between the south side of the Neville Island Bridge and the Route 60 (Crafton/Moon Run) interchange. The work hours will be between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m Monday through Friday and it is expected to last until February 23.
February 12, 2024 1:18 am
PennDot and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission have announced speed and vehicle restrictions for Tuesday’s winter storm. Restrictions began at 3:00 am. Crews pre-treated roadways. Locally, the Pennsylvania Turnpike will enforce a Tier 2 restriction from New Stanton to Breezewood. PennDot is doing the same on Interstate 80 from the intersection of Interstate 79 to exit 173 Lamar. Tier 2 restrictions are tractors without trailers, tractors with lightly loaded trailers, open trailers and tank trailers. Lightly loaded box trucks and delivery trucks are also restricted as are RV’s and motorhomes. Both agencies ask that anyone that does not need to drive, please stay home. A complete advisory is available at the 511PA traveler information website at www.511PA.com.
February 11, 2024 7:31 am
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio —(WPXI)-The White House has confirmed that President Joe Biden will be visiting East Palestine next week. President Biden’s visit will be on Friday, Feb. 16. He will talk about how his administration is working with state and local officials to hold Norfolk Southern accountable for the toxic train derailment that impacted the lives of hundreds over a year ago. The White House says Biden will try to remind the residents of East Palestine that they are not defined by the event. Biden’s visit was initially announced at the end of January but his administration did not announce an exact date until this weekend.
February 11, 2024 7:24 am
CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — With two weeks to go before the South Carolina Republican primary, Nikki Haley is trying to challenge Donald Trump on her home turf while the former president tries to quash his last major rival’s narrow path to the nomination. Trump is turning his campaign focus to South Carolina days after an easy victory in Nevada. Later Saturday, he revved up supporters at a rally in Conway, near Myrtle Beach. Trump is looking to use South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary to close the door on Haley’s chances and turn his focus on an expected rematch with President Joe Biden in the general election.
February 11, 2024 7:21 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Republican front-runner Donald Trump says he warned NATO allies as president that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to members who are “delinquent.” Trump’s comments Saturday were a ramping up of attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances. Speaking at a rally in Conway, South Carolina, Trump recounted a story he has told before about a NATO member who confronted him over his threat not to defend members who fail to meet the trans-Atlantic alliance’s defense spending targets. But this time, Trump went further, saying had told the member that he would, in fact, “encourage” Russia to do as it wishes in that case.
February 11, 2024 7:16 am
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Egypt has threatened to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if the Israeli Gaza offensive expands into the densely populated border town of Rafah. That’s according to two Egyptian officials and a Western diplomat who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. The threat to suspend the Camp David Accords, a cornerstone of regional stability for nearly a half-century, came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to send troops into Rafah, saying it was necessary to defeat Hamas. Over half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled to Rafah to escape fighting in other areas.
February 11, 2024 7:13 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have launched 45 drones over Ukraine in a five-and-a-half-hour barrage. In a statement, the Ukrainian air force said it had shot down 40 of the Iranian-made Shahed drones over nine different regions, including on the outskirts of the country’s capital, Kyiv. The strike comes as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continues his reshuffle of Ukraine’s war cabinet after naming Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as the country’s new military chief Thursday. He appointed Lt. Gen. Alexander Pavlyuk as the new commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, with Kyiv trying to maintain momentum against attacking Russian forces as the war enters its third year.
