May 13, 2024 5:02 am
UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. — National Weather Service surveyors are working to learn more about the storm that spurred a tornado Saturday night in Washington County. According to NWS, surveyors have now found damage that is “consistent with an EF2 tornado.” Peak winds are said to have been around 118 mph. That is a preliminary report. The NWS confirmed Saturday night that a tornado passed through Union Township from 6:05 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. Officials say the tornado did not go through downtown Finleyville. The survey is ongoing, and NWS will determine a definitive rating for the tornado at a later time. While the tornado was on the ground, it hit a church while about 100 people, including babies, were inside. According to reports, the roof was torn off an office building connected to the church. Two minor injuries were reported.
May 12, 2024 8:50 am
SAMASTIPUR, India (AP) — Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies are casting their ballots as the country’s gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament. Monday’s polling in the fourth round of the multi-phase national elections offers crucial seats for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra and Bihar states. Most polls predict a win for Modi’s BJP, which is up against a broad opposition alliance. The staggered election will run until June 1 before votes are counted on June 4. Almost 970 million voters will cast their ballots in this election, more than 10% of the world’s population.
May 12, 2024 8:40 am
BOSTON (AP) — The first recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died nearly two months after he underwent the procedure. Rick Slayman underwent the procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital in March. The hospital’s transplant team says it is deeply saddened by Slayman’s passing and offered condolences to his family. They say there is no indication he died as a result of the transplant. Slayman’s family thanked his doctors, saying their efforts gave them seven more weeks with him. They say their memories from that time will remain in their minds and hearts.
May 12, 2024 8:38 am
(WPXI) – Police in Allegheny County are looking for a missing elderly man. The Pleasant Hills Police Department says Neale Hahn, 76, went missing from Arrowood Independent Living, located on North Lewis Run Road in West Mifflin, after lunch on Saturday. He was possibly last seen walking from Arrowood with his brown Pomeranian “Bear.” Hahn is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black shirt with dark pants or jeans. Anyone who sees Hahn or has information about where he may be should call police at 412-655-5045 or call 911.
May 12, 2024 8:34 am
(AP) – The Cannes Film Festival rarely passes without cacophony but this year’s edition may be more raucous and uneasy than any edition in recent memory. When the red carpet is rolled out Tuesday, the 77th Cannes will unfurl against a backdrop of war, protest, potential strikes and quickening #MeToo upheaval in France. Festival workers are threatening to strike. The Israel-Gaza war is sure to spark protests. Russia’s war in Ukraine remains on the minds of many. Being prepared for anything has long been a useful attitude in Cannes, but that may go doubly so this year. Befitting such tumultuous times, the film lineup is full of intrigue and question marks.
May 12, 2024 8:30 am
Washington County 911 tells WJPA News there was a one vehicle crash Saturday afternoon in California on East Malden Drive. No information was available at the time regarding the cause of the crash. One person was injured and was taken to an area hospital. There’s been no word on their identity or the severity of their injuries.
May 12, 2024 8:22 am
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Schools across the U.S. are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and video cameras to spot guns. Some states are considering multimillion-dollar grant programs for the technology. But many of those bills have been written with specific criteria so only one software provider can qualify. That company is ZeroEyes, which was founded a few years ago by military veterans. The chair of the National Council of School Safety Directors says the technology is good. But he has concerns about state laws giving preference to providers of particular security platforms.
May 12, 2024 8:21 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Crews are preparing to conduct a controlled demolition to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland. The explosives are expected to be detonated Sunday. The steel span landed on the bow of a massive container ship that lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s support columns shortly after leaving Baltimore on March 26. Since then, the ship has been stuck amid the wreckage and Baltimore’s busy port has been closed to most maritime traffic. The controlled demolition will allow the Dali to be refloated and restore traffic through the port.
May 12, 2024 8:15 am
(WPXI) – Parishioners inside a Washington County church had a shake-up after a tornado lifted the roof of the building while they were in service. The National Weather Service said a tornado passed through Union Township from 6:05 p.m. until 6:15 p.m. While it was in the area, Washington County officials say it hit a church. Pastor Ken Barner said about 100 people, including babies, were inside at the time. “I go out and I see debris flying all over the auditorium, so I immediately tell everybody to go down into the basement,” he said. The pastor’s wife Rhonda, who is the worship leader at Crossroads Ministries, was singing on stage, mid-song, when she heard the noise. “I saw the lights were flickering and I saw they went out,” Rhonda Barner said. “I thought I heard the windows start to shatter, and then the sound was like a train coming through and more windows were shattering. ‘ The pastor said powerful winds ripped the roof off the office building that’s connected to the church. The tornado then took out the steeple throwing it about 50 feet into the parking lot crushing cars. The pastor said it was a miracle no one was seriously hurt. “There’s no way we should be here,” Ken Barner said. “God was with us. I explained to our people that God’s promise is to take care of his people and today we believe that God did that.” Services were not held at the church Sunday but were streamed on Facebook. Anyone who needs assistance after the tornado is encouraged to go to Trax Farms.
May 12, 2024 7:00 am
WPXI – UPMC will pay $38 million to settle a 12-year-old False Claims Act lawsuit. The settlement resolves a whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2012 by neurosurgeon J. William Bookwalter, neurophysiologist Robert Sclabassi, and surgical technologist Anna Mitina. It had a partial settlement in 2016. The False Claims Act allows private citizens to file suit on behalf of the government to recover money back to the United States Treasury for false claims submitted to federal healthcare programs. Under the Stark Law, hospitals are prohibited from submitting claims to Medicare and Medicaid for procedures, surgeries, and other services furnished pursuant to referrals from physicians who have a financial relationship with the hospital, unless the relationship falls within a statutory exception. Claims submitted in violation of the Stark Law are false claims under the False Claims Act, and any money paid on such claims must be returned to the government, a press release said. Among other things, the allegations resolved by this settlement include that certain neurosurgeons were paid excessive compensation (well-above fair market value) by UPMC, and that those surgeons referred procedures and surgeries to UPMC in violation of the Stark Law, a press release said. Dr. Bookwalter, Dr. Sclabassi and Ms. Mitina alleged that UPMC and its employed neurosurgeons engaged in fraudulent schemes that boosted both the neurosurgeons’ pay and UPMC’s revenues. The $38 million settlement is believed to be one of the largest Stark Law recoveries in a False Claims Act case where the United States declined to intervene.
