February 21, 2023 4:13 am
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Western countries of igniting and sustaining the war in Ukraine. He has dismissed any blame for Moscow almost a year after the Kremlin’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbor that has killed tens of thousands of people. In his long-delayed state-of-the-nation address, Putin cast Russia and Ukraine as victims of Western double-dealing. He said Russia, not Ukraine, was the one fighting for its very existence. The speech reiterated a litany of grievances that the Russian leader has frequently offered as justification for the widely condemned war and ignored international demands to pull back from occupied areas in Ukraine.
February 21, 2023 4:10 am
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — (WPXI) – All eyes are on East Palestine as the city prepares for a clinic to open up in town. Several residents said they’ve become ill since the train derailment. Doctors who specialize in chemical exposure will be in East Palestine Tuesday to assess neighbors who have major concerns about their health. Families surrounding the Ohio town, including Pennsylvanians, said they’re experiencing headaches, rashes, dizziness and nausea. They want to know why. Neighbors said their confidence in what officials are telling them is safe is quickly waning. The EPA and other official agencies continue to test and monitor the quality of both the air and water. Right now, they say the levels aren’t a concern. Monday, residents started booking appointments for a clinic that the Ohio Department of Health and the county health department will provide Tuesday beginning at noon on West Martin Street, where doctors with chemical exposure expertise will assess those who are feeling sick.
February 21, 2023 4:07 am
EL PASO, Texas — (WPXI) – A student at Central Catholic is in custody in El Paso, Texas facing charges after a field trip gone very wrong. This happened Friday as a group of students and chaperones from Central Catholic were returning home from a humanitarian trip to the border. As their American Airlines flight was taxiing in El Paso, headed to Chicago, passengers on the plane were airdropped a message that read: “I have a bomb. Would like to share a photo.” This forced the plane back to the gate, where the FBI West Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force got involved. The Texas Department of Public Safety said the juvenile admitted to sending the message. He’s currently in custody in El Paso in a juvenile facility and he will be prosecuted for felony false alarm or report. Others who were on the trip returned home Monday.
February 21, 2023 4:02 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Hundreds of Penn State students have raised more than $15 million for pediatric cancer patients in the annual 46-hour dance marathon known as Thon. The $15,006,132.46 total was announced Sunday afternoon at the conclusion of the Penn State Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, billed as the world’s largest student-run philanthropy. It topped last year’s total of $13,756,374.50, Money raised benefits pediatric cancer patients and their families at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Officials say the dance marathon, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has raised $204 million and the fund has helped over 4,800 families.
February 21, 2023 2:33 am
After nearly three-decades as a Washington Commissioner, Republican Diana Irey-Vaughan has announced that she will not seek re-election. In a brief statement sent to WJPA News, Irey-Vaughan thanked “neighbors, friends and co-workers” for the “honor and privilege of serving as your Washington County Commissioner for the last 28 years. This opportunity to serve you has been a calling on my life, almost half my life, and has brought me much joy. It is with a grateful heart that my time as County Commissioner comes to a close, as I will not be seeking re-election”. She goes on to thank her children, husband, extended family, campaign team, community leaders, donors and friends “for the countless sacrifices you have made and assistance you have provided me”. Irey-Vaughan says the “opportunity to serve others has always been, and remains, a calling on my life. I will now look forward to my next adventure in service to my community”. She ended the statement, saying; “The time has now come for another to embrace this calling. To those who may feel drawn to answer this call, I encourage you, and I thank you”.
February 20, 2023 3:44 pm
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A new 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Monday killed three people and injured more than 200 in parts of Turkey that were laid waste two weeks ago by a massive quake that killed tens of thousands. Officials said more buildings collapsed, trapping occupants, and several people were injured in both Turkey and Syria. Monday’s earthquake was centered in the town of Defne, in Turkey’s Hatay province, one the worst-hit regions in the magnitude 7.8 quake that hit on Feb. 6. It was felt in Syria, Jordan, Cyprus, Israel and as far away as Egypt, and was followed by a second, magnitude 5.8 temblor. Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said three people were killed and 213 injured. Search and rescue efforts were underway in three collapsed buildings where a total of five people were believed trapped. A number of buildings collapsed in the new quake, trapping people inside, Hatay’s mayor Lutfu Savas said. He told NTV television that these may be people who had returned to homes or were trying move their furniture out of damaged buildings. Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said at least eight people were hospitalized in Turkey. Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that six people were injured in Aleppo from falling debris. In Hatay, police search teams rescued one person who was trapped inside a 3-story building and were trying to reach three others inside, HaberTurk television reported. The Feb. 6 quake killed nearly 45,000 people in both countries — the vast majority of them in Turkey, where more than a million and a half people are in temporary shelters. Turkish authorities have recorded more than 6,000 aftershocks since.
February 20, 2023 12:27 pm
If you recently bought a bottled Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino – don’t drink it. PepsiCo has recalled more than 300,000 bottles of the drink over concerns that glass fragments may have gotten into some bottles, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The bottled Frappuccino drinks are not sold at Starbucks locations but in grocery stores and other retailers. A “foreign object” identified as glass was found in some of the bottles, the FDA notice said. No injuries have been reported. (Photo: ABC)
February 20, 2023 6:25 am
Former President Donal Trump is expected to travel to East Palestine, Ohio this week. The 45th President confirmed the visit Sunday after his son, Donal Trump Jr. tweeted the announcement on Friday writing; “If our ‘leaders’ are too afraid to actually lead, real leaders will step up and fill the void.” The visit on Wednesday comes after it was announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would head to the area for public health testing at the direction of the Biden Administration. The train, which contained the toxic chemical vinyl chloride, derailed February 3. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine issued an urgent evacuation notice two days later. Officials then conducted a controlled burn of the toxin February 6.
February 20, 2023 5:24 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – President Joe Biden has left Kyiv, Ukraine, after an unannounced visit to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Monday’s visit was a gesture of solidarity coming days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden delivered remarks and met with Zelenskyy at Mariinsky Palace to announce an additional half-billion dollars in U.S. assistance and to reassure Ukraine of American and allied support as the conflict continues. The Democratic U.S. president says, “One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands.” Biden continues: “The Americans stand with you, and the world stands with you.” While Biden was in Ukraine, U.S. surveillance planes kept watch over Kyiv from Polish airspace.
February 20, 2023 4:41 am
A suspect is in custody after a police chase in Fayette County overnight. State police initiated a chase on a vehicle around 2:40 a.m. at Crawford Avenue and Route 119 near the Sheetz in Connellsville, a 911 dispatcher told our news partners at Channel 11. It ended at Route 201 and Lenkey Road in Dunbar Township, when troopers took a suspect into custody. Officials tell us an ambulance was called to the scene. State police said they will release more information soon.
