February 15, 2023 5:28 pm
(WPXI) – A woman and her daughter were found shot to death in Swissvale Wednesday morning. According to Allegheny County police, Swissvale police were requested to help medics get into a barricaded apartment in the 7800 block of Sailor Place at around 10:13 a.m. First responders found a woman and female child dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. According to police, the preliminary investigation shows that this was a double homicide. In a press briefing, police said medics were originally called to the scene for a man with chest pains. They went to one of the apartments in the building but no one answered. They found out the call came from a different apartment which they couldn’t get in to. Police later said that the victims were mother and daughter. Police are looking to talk with 35-year-old Kareef Antonio Easington who they said had a relationship with the woman who was killed. Police said they don’t know if Easington is the one who called 911. Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
February 15, 2023 4:25 am
FALMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Rare and in some cases never before publicly seen video of the 1986 dive through the wreckage of the Titanic is being released by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The more than 80 minutes of footage on the institution’s YouTube channel on Wednesday chronicles some of the remarkable achievements of the dive led by Robert Ballard. The expedition marked the first time human eyes had seen the giant ocean liner since it struck an iceberg and sank in the frigid North Atlantic on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City in April 1912. About 1,500 people died.
February 15, 2023 4:23 am
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – A white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket has been sentenced to life in prison without parole Wednesday after listening to the relatives of his victims express the pain and rage caused by his racist attack. Wendesday’s sentencing hearing for Payton Gendron was disrupted briefly when he was charged by a man in the audience, who was quickly restrained. Gendron pleaded guilty to charges including murder and domestic terrorism motivated by hate. That last crime carried an automatic life sentence. He still faces federal charges that could result in a death sentence if prosecutors choose to seek it.
February 15, 2023 4:21 am
ANTAKYA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that more than 35,000 people have died in Turkey as a result of last week’s earthquakes, making it the deadliest such disaster since the country’s founding 100 years ago. Confirmed deaths passed the 33,000 recorded from the massive Erzincan earthquake in 1939. Erdogan said 105,505 people were injured as a result of the Feb. 6 quake centered around Kahramanmaras and its aftershocks. Almost 3,700 deaths have been confirmed in neighboring Syria, taking the combined toll in both countries to over 39,000. While the death toll is almost certain to rise further, many of the tens of thousands of survivors left homeless were still struggling to find shelter from the bitter cold.
February 15, 2023 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says the three unidentified aerial objects shot down in the past week were likely benign, drawing a distinction between them and a massive Chinese balloon that earlier traversed the U.S. with a suspected goal of surveillance. Officials also disclosed that a missile fired at one of the three objects, over Lake Huron on Sunday, missed its intended target and landed in the water before a second one successfully hit. The China balloon is believed by American intelligence to have initially been on a track toward the U.S. territory of Guam, according to a U.S. official.
February 15, 2023 4:18 am
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Police say the 43-year-old gunman who killed three students and wounded five others at Michigan State University had no apparent connection to the campus. Investigators are searching for a motive for shootings that terrified the community for hours. Anthony McRae fired inside an academic building and the student union just before 8:30 p.m. Monday. An hourslong lockdown at the campus in East Lansing ended when he killed himself miles away while being confronted by police. The shooting happened the day before the fifth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that killed 17 and is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S.
February 15, 2023 4:13 am
Washington County Magisterial District Judge Phil Melograne has announced plans to seek a full term on the bench. The 62 year old Peters Township resident made the announcement Tuesday. Melograne was appointed to the bench to fill the vacancy that opened after Judge Jesse Pettit was elected to Common Pleas court. The district includes; Courtney, Crookham, Elrama, Finleyville, Gastonville, Hackett, McMurray, Mingo Creek State Park, Nottingham, Peters, Union and Venetia. In his announcement, Melograne pointed to his life experience including success as a prosecutor, defense attaorney and common pleas court judge. He said “Nobody in this county has the experience I have”. He went on to say “I know when to be tough when I need to, compassionate when the moment call for it, and always dedicated to serving the people of my district when they come seeking justice.”
February 15, 2023 4:06 am
North Franklin Township Supervisors reached an agreement with their road crew on a five year labor agreement that will run from 2024-2028. Part of that agreement has the crew beginning their new health benefits plan beginning in May. Supervisor Josh Polan headed up the negotiations for the township and called them very effective and productive. Road crew representatives agreed. The new contract will call for raises in each of the five years of the contract that brings the road crew in line with surrounding crews’ pay scale. They are also able to keep the health benefits that they like. Polan also addressed recent issues with a home located on Ramsey Road. Residents had been complaining about excessive traffic and questionable behavior coming from the home. Letters from the township and stepped up police presence seems to have significantly calmed the traffic down. Finally, supervisors enacted a new fireworks ordinance that largely mimics the one used by the state. Supervisor Bob Sabot indicated that some larger firework displays may need to have a permit. The ordinance also dictates the distance from buildings that fireworks may be shot and specific times that fireworks may be used.
February 15, 2023 4:02 am
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Residents of the Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment packed a school gym to seek answers about whether they are safe from toxic chemicals that spilled or were burned off. Hundreds of worried people gathered Wednesday in East Palestine to hear officials say again that testing so far shows the air there is safe, and that air and water monitoring will continue. Residents still worry about the huge plumes of smoke they saw and persisting odors, and they wonder if there are lingering health risks. The administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is slated to visit the village Thursday.
February 15, 2023 4:02 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania underwent surgery for prostate cancer on Tuesday, with his office calling the surgery successful and saying that Casey expects to return to a “normal schedule” after he recovers. Casey’s office says Tuesday that the doctor has said the procedure went well and that Casey shouldn’t require further treatment. Casey, 62, said last month that he had been diagnosed in December and that he had an “excellent prognosis.” Serving his third term, Casey is the longest-serving Democratic U.S. senator in Pennsylvania history. Casey is a key ally of labor unions and President Joe Biden.
