September 30, 2024 5:09 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar who became a superstar songwriter, singer and actor, has died. A family spokeswoman says Kristofferson died at his home in Hawaii on Saturday. He was 88. Kristofferson brought a gritty realism to country music with compositions like “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make it Through the Night” and and “Me and Bobby McGee.” As an actor, he played the leading man opposite Barbra Streisand and Ellen Burstyn, but also did shoot-out Westerns and cowboy dramas. With his long hair and bell-bottomed slacks, he represented a new breed of country songwriters with his peers like Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tom T. Hall.
September 30, 2024 5:05 am
NASH COUNTY, NC — (WPXI) – The man accused of stealing a local veteran’s car while his dog was still inside has been arrested after a police chase in North Carolina Saturday night. Kenneth Crider has been found and apprehended by Nash County sheriff’s deputies nearly a week after Pennsylvania State Police said he took off in 87-year-old Willard Martz’s car with Lucky still inside. Police said Lucky remains missing. Lucky, a 10-year-old Airedale-terrier mix, has been missing for a week. He’s been a loyal sidekick to the retired marine after he lost his son to a rare form of muscular dystrophy in 2020 and while he fights cancer. The pair were last together on Monday, Sept. 23. They were in the parking lot of the Tractor Supply store in Mount Pleasant when state police said fugitive Kenneth Crider stole Martz’s car keys from his pocket and sped off in his car with Lucky still inside. A sliver of hope came Saturday night. Police say they received reports of a suspicious car and Crider was behind the wheel. When police tried to pull him over, he led them on a high-speed chase through two counties and eventually crashed. Police say Crider reached speeds of up to 120 miles per hour and hit a deputy’s car during the chase. Crider faces charges out of North Carolina and will eventually be extradited back to Pennsylvania. Deputies said Crider told detectives he let Lucky go at a rest stop off I-95 in North Carolina before the high-speed chase. The dog was wearing a red leash.
September 29, 2024 7:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Maya Rudolph playing Vice President Kamala Harris has led a parade of returning cast members at the opening of the 50th season of “Saturday Night Live.” Harris has done her impression at a mock rally and brought out ex-cast member Andy Samberg playing her husband Doug Emhoff and another former “SNL” star, Dana Carvey, to play President Joe Biden. Harris and Carvey jointly delivered the “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night” that launched season 50. “Designing Women” and “Hacks” star Jean Smart hosted for the first time. She says in her monologue this was the first Saturday in 50 years that fit her schedule. (Photo: AP)
September 29, 2024 7:46 am
BEIRUT (AP) — Hundreds of families displaced from Beirut’s southern suburbs after the area was pummeled overnight by the heaviest Israeli airstrikes in nearly a year of limited conflict are sleeping in public squares and beaches or in their cars in the city center. Many had made a fruitless circuit around overflowing shelters set up in schools. On the roads leading to the mountains above the capital, lines of people could be seen early in the morning making an exodus on foot, holding infants and whatever belongings they could carry. The U.N. says the number of people displaced by the conflict has more than doubled in a week, with over 211,000 now displaced.
September 29, 2024 7:45 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hezbollah has confirmed that one of its senior commanders, Ali Karaki, died in the Israeli airstrike that killed its top leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday. Israel has killed several top commanders in the Lebanese militant group in recent weeks in a series of strikes. Earlier on Sunday, Israel said it killed another senior commander, Nabil Kaouk, the day before. Hezbollah has not yet confirmed his death.
September 29, 2024 7:44 am
PERRY, Fla. (AP) — Massive rains brought by Hurricane Helene have left many people stranded or homeless as the cleanup begins from the monster tempest that killed at least 64 people. Helene has caused billions of dollars in destruction across a wide swath of the southeast U.S. More than 3 million customers were without power Saturday, and some face a continued threat of floods. Helene blew ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 hurricane late Thursday and then quickly moved through Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee, uprooting trees, splintering homes and sending creeks and rivers over their banks and straining dams. Deaths from the storm have occurred in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. (Photo: AP)
September 29, 2024 7:39 am
NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man who has served 43 years of a life sentence for murder is still pursuing appeals. Steve Szarewicz insists he didn’t do it, but so far his claim hasn’t persuaded the courts. He was convicted of killing 25-year-old Billy Merriwether near Pittsburgh in 1981. But a prosecutor from that time says the case was “no prize.” That’s because it was built entirely on the shifting accounts of four jailhouse informants. Despite new evidence the 66-year-old says he has uncovered, the Pennsylvania Innocence Project says appeals in the state are particularly tough to win. Szarewicz’s case is now before the Pennsylvania Superior Court. He says he is hoping for a legal breakthrough. (Photo: AP)
September 29, 2024 7:33 am
(WPX) – Ticketmaster reached out to Channel 11 on Saturday after Hailee McCorkle shared the story of how a hacker or hackers took her Post Malone tickets. They said her tickets had been returned to her. Ticketmaster emphasized the problem originates with “fans’ email and poor password hygiene,” which gives hackers the advantage. A spokesperson for Ticketmaster issued the following statement:
“Overall, our digital ticketing innovations have greatly reduced fraud compared to the days of paper tickets and duplicated PDFs. Having that digital history is also how we are able to investigate and successfully return tickets like we did for Ms. McCorkle. The top way fans can protect themselves is setting a strong unique password for all accounts – especially for their personal email which is where we often see security issues originate. Scammers are looking for new cheats across every industry, and tickets will always be a target because they are valuable, so Ticketmaster is constantly investing in new security enhancements to safeguard fans.”
It is part of a scam happening around the country. Hackers are getting into people’s Ticketmaster accounts and transferring the tickets to themselves and customers are encouraged to be extra vigilant.
September 29, 2024 7:29 am
NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. — Cell phone videos of Republican Vice Presidential Nominee JD Vance are circulating on social media after the Ohio Senator was reportedly turned away from Primanti Bros. in North Versailles Saturday morning. Allegheny County Republican Party Chair Sam DeMarco said Sen. Vance made a stop at the restaurant on E. Pittsburgh McKeesport Boulevard to pick up lunch. It was spontaneous, but he said a manager wouldn’t let Vance go inside initially and even threatened to call police. “Senator Vance was absolutely turned away today,” DeMarco said. Primanti Bros. CEO Adam Golomb sent a statement trying to clarify, basically saying the staff was caught off guard. The statement read:
“Primanti’s prides itself on being a staple of the Pittsburgh community and a proud American business that has hosted sitting presidents, politicians, and political candidates from across the spectrum for over 90 years. Our doors are open to all patrons who wish to dine with us. Without any advance notice, today’s campaign stop caused some momentary confusion for our staff. However, Senator Vance and his team were welcomed into our restaurant shortly after and engaged with our guests inside and on the property. Senator Vance’s supportive comments that our manager got a little nervous given the secret service, police and crowd accurately reflect the nature of what occurred, but we are glad that it was resolved quickly.”
After Vance took pictures and spoke with supporters in the parking lot, DeMarco said he went inside Primanti’s. “After that he then went in, paid the bill for everybody there, left a generous tip, and then he came out and he was very gracious,” he said.
September 29, 2024 5:15 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A Pittsburgh Police vehicle was involved in a crash near the Smithfield Street Bridge. The Pittsburgh Police K9 officer was responding to a call at around 4:40 p.m. on Sunday when the crash occurred. Police say the officer was t-boned at the intersection of Smithfield Street and Fort Pitt Boulevard. The other vehicle involved in the crash had four people inside of it. All of them were unharmed. Medics evaluated the officer as a precaution but he did not suffer any injuries. The K9 was also not hurt. The officer will undergo a mandatory drug and alcohol test, per Pittsburgh Police protocol. Police say the cruiser had its lights and sirens on when the crash happened.
