October 13, 2026 4:53 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Witnesses watched in horror as a man riding a roller coaster at Six Flags over Georgia was ejected from his seat and fell to his death. The nightmarish death prompted Six Flags to temporarily close nine similar coasters across North America. The man was killed Monday while riding Goliath, the park’s tallest roller coaster with a first hill of 200 feet. Authorities are investigating, but questions remain Tuesday about how the man fell out and whether there were problems with his restraints. Police identified him as 42-year-old Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a school employee from Atlanta.
October 13, 2026 4:54 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Emergency help for Christa Pike was delayed by confusion among first responders and Tennessee prison officials following her failed execution last month. That’s according to 911 dispatch recordings reviewed by The Associated Press. The recordings show precious minutes elapsed as officials and responders tried to figure out whether a request for emergency help in the execution chamber was legitimate. The first call came in at 8:40 p.m. on Sept. 30. It was about a half an hour before prison officials affirmed it was legitimate. Pike had been hospitalized after surviving the state’s attempt to execute her for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of a classmate. She has since been discharged and is back at the women’s prison.
October 12, 2026 5:53 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Trillionaire Elon Musk has quietly become the biggest known spender in this year’s midterm elections, doling out more than $276 million since July to try to save Republican majorities in the House and Senate. The numbers were first reporter by the New York Times ahead of this week’s federal filing deadline and confirmed by Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for Musk’s super PAC. It includes $158 million given to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC supporting the party’s Senate candidates — one of the largest known political donations in American history — and over $76 million to America PAC, a Musk super PAC. (Photo: AP)
October 12, 2026 4:44 pm
State Police say they are investigating an officer-involved shooting on Friday that left a deaf Washington man dead. Police issued a statement via email on Monday, saying that they are looking into the death of 26-year-old Darion Thompson, who was shot once by police inside his home at 18 Oak Street in Washington. Police say they were there to serve a search warrant as part of an investigation into Thompson’s alleged possession of child pornography. Troopers say they were let into the home around six-thirty a.m. by the woman who answered the door. While inside, troopers say they found Thompson in an upstairs bedroom where he refused verbal commands to drop the firearm he was brandishing, so an officer discharged one round – striking him. Thompson was flown to UPMC Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he later died. Washington Mayor Jo Jo Burgess says Thompson was his cousin. According to Burgess, the man was deaf and that police had been to the home before. Burgess is questioning why this encounter ended in gunfire. It is unclear if troopers knew Thompson was deaf. The mayor wants body camera video released. He says we need to know where the lack of communication and the breakdown was. Police say they will turn the results of their investigation over to the Washington County District Attorney
October 12, 2026 8:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents have searched Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home as part of a criminal investigation. That’s according to people familiar with the matter. The people say the search was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations agents. The people were not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Details about the investigation are unclear. The Justice Department said in a statement Monday that HSI agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the department in the Washington, D.C., area but provided no other details. An email seeking comment has been sent to a representative for Omar.
October 12, 2026 7:37 am
One person was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital following a police chase and crash Monday morning. Washington County 911 says it happened just after 5 a.m. at the intersection of E. Maiden and Waynesburg Road in Pancake. According to dispatchers, South Strabane Police were alerted to a stolen vehicle out of Rostraver Township in Westmoreland County. Dispatchers say police located the vehicle and a chase resulted. The vehicle crashed a short time later. The driver of the vehicle was entrapped and had to be extricated. They were transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital. There is no word on their identity or condition.
October 12, 2026 5:22 am
The State Police Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate a fire that broke out early Monday morning in Cross Creek Township. Washington County 911 tells WJPA News it started just after midnight along Browntown Road. Dispatchers say it is unclear if the building was occupied. At this time, there have been no reports of any injuries. It’s unclear what may have sparked the fire.
October 11, 2026 4:54 am
The man shot by police while serving a search warrant in the City of Washington has died. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner confirms that Darion Thompson, 26, died at the hospital Friday. State Police say their Computer Crime Unit was service a warrant along Oak Street around 6:30 a.m. for alleged possessing child pornography. Troopers say a woman who answered the door allowed them to enter. Once inside, police say Thompson took out a gun and troopers fired. He was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital were he reportedly was on life support. Washington Mayor Jo Jo Burgess says Thompson was his cousin. According to Burgess, the man was deaf and that police had been to the home before. Burgess is questioning why this encounter ended in gunfire. It is unclear if troopers knew Thompson was deaf. The mayor wants body camera video released tell out news partners at WPXI ,“If you come up in my house in the morning and I’m sleeping, I’m telling you right now, you’re gonna be met with something,” Burgess said. “… If that is the facts, and he did, and you’re giving him commands — he is deaf. He can’t hear them, so he can’t follow them. We need to know where the lack of communication and the breakdown was.”
October 12, 2026 5:03 am
(AP) – Authorities have released the names of the gunman and six of the eight people he shot and killed at a Pennsylvania home. Erie County coroner Lyell Cook said Monday that the man behind Friday’s mass shooting in Erie was 45-year-old Matthew Stone Sr. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah has said Stone was related to seven of the victims, including the two young children who were killed. Cook says the adult victims ranged in age from 19 to 51. One was the mother of the two kids who were killed and was due to give birth on Monday.
October 12, 2026 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. A senior U.S. official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and will likely decide on what action to take this week. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Rubio had been particularly angry, not least because he visited Athens just last week and Guilfoyle attended most, if not all, of his events and greeted him on his arrival with a bear hug as the allegations swirled.
