January 15, 2024 5:18 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels have fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea. The American military says a U.S. fighter jet shot the missile down in the latest attack roiling global shipping amid Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attack on Sunday marks the first U.S.-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since America and allied nations began strikes Friday on the rebels following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis have targeted that crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe over the Israel-Hamas war. The attacks threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration.
January 15, 2024 5:17 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A dangerous Arctic blast will continue sweeping across the U.S. and prolong a bitter cold that has set record-low temperatures in parts of the country and threatens to further disrupt daily life, including an NFL playoff game and the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating contest in Iowa. The National Weather Service says wind chills are expected to push down temperatures through at least midweek, possibly to 30 degrees below zero from the Northern Rockies to northern Kansas and into Iowa, testing the hardiness of caucusgoers willing to brave the deep chill on Monday. Arctic storms have left at least four dead and knocked out electricity to tens of thousands in the Northwest, brought snow to the South and walloped the Northeast with blizzard conditions.
January 15, 2024 5:14 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Voting is set to begin Monday night in icy Iowa as former President Donald Trump eyes a resounding victory. The Iowa caucuses begin at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. They are the opening contest in the months-long Republican presidential primary process. Polls suggest Trump enters the day with a massive lead in Iowa. His onetime chief rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is fighting for second place in what could make or break his campaign. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the only woman in the race, stands in DeSantis’ way.
January 15, 2024 5:11 am
PITTSBURGH — Get ready for a cold and snowy week ahead. Snow has led to some slick spots Tuesday morning and has led to school delays. The snow will be light, but because it is so cold, it will stick and become icy if not treated. Areas south and east of Pittsburgh will see the steadiest snow. The other story will be the cold temperatures. Highs will stay below freezing through the week and wind chills will drop near or below zero by Tuesday morning and likely below zero by Wednesday. A wind chill advisory will be in effect from 10 p.m Tuesday night until noon on Wednesday.
January 15, 2024 5:10 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia police say a former high-ranking commander fired after he was charged with sexual assault will be reinstated following dismissal of the cases against him. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a department spokesperson says Carl Holmes “will return to his previous rank of chief inspector” following an arbitrator’s ruling in favor. Holmes, who spent nearly three decades on the force, was fired in 2019 after he was accused of having sexually assaulted three women at work. The criminal cases involving two of the women were withdrawn in early 2021 and prosecutors dropped the last case in January 2023 after the accuser failed to appear in court.
January 15, 2024 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A fake 911 call that the White House was on fire has sent emergency vehicles to the complex. President Joe Biden and his family were at Camp David in Maryland when the call came in Monday morning. A person familiar with the matter says fire engines and other emergency vehicles responded to a report the White House was ablaze and a person was trapped inside. District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services and U.S. Secret Service personnel determined it was a false report and called off the response. Biden is scheduled to return to the White House on Monday afternoon after participating in an event in Philadelphia marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
January 15, 2024 5:04 am
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – A car carrier caught fire overnight on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The fire happened in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, around 2:30 a.m. 911 officials tell Channel 11 that the tractor-trailer was damaged by the flames. So were some of the cars it was carrying. A photo shared by the Youngwood Volunteer Fire Department shows some of the cars were destroyed in the fire.
January 15, 2024 5:01 am
A Washington County man who was wanted by police after he allegedly hit a woman with a car in the parking lot of Hollywood Casino at the Meadows was arrested in West Virginia. North Strabane Township Police posted on Facebook on Saturday that a tip resulted in the arrest of 43-year-old Christopher Michael Holt. According to the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation Holt was arrested at 6:05 a.m. on Saturday. Holt was wanted on aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person charges. Police say surveillance video showed Holt’s black sedan aggressively accelerating at the woman before making a sharp right turn onto the roadway, driving over the curb and hitting her, according to the complaint. The impact tossed her body up onto the hood of the car and onto the ground. There is no word on her identity or condition.
January 15, 2024 4:37 am
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — With snow falling at a rate of 2 inches per hour, a group of about 85 people tried to dig out the Buffalo Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Sunday. The Bills’ playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed to Monday because of a lake-effect storm that was expected to drop 1 to 3 feet of snow in the area. The Bills paid snow shovelers $20 an hour, but one person who participated, Logan Eschrich, says the work at Highmark Stadium was nearly impossible. The storm was expected to taper off Sunday night, allowing time to clear roads and prepare the stadium for the game.
January 14, 2024 6:59 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley were finding Iowa voters looking for alternatives to former President Donald Trump as they campaigned on the final weekend before 2024 voting begins. But Trump is still confident even as he canceled larger events in favor of “tele-rallies” because of the weather. Voters’ reactions on Saturday showed how uncertain it is whether either candidate can dent Trump’s advantage. DeSantis has spent considerable attention and money on Iowa. Haley has made a push in Iowa but is perhaps better-positioned in New Hampshire and South Carolina, where she served as governor. Some voters said they are choosing between DeSantis and Trump. Others are choosing between Haley and DeSantis as an alternative to him.
