September 27, 2022 2:26 am
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. (WPXI) — A former Washington County deputy is behind bars after police said he impersonated an officer and tried to be dismissed from prior criminal charges against him. According to the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, Andreas Veneris was arrested after police said he presented himself as a law enforcement officer. The criminal complaint said that Veneris was a deputy in Washington County for over 25 years but was fired because he was arrested for official misconduct. Police said Veneris has recently been showing an official badge and identifying himself as a deputy sheriff to try to get the criminal charges against him dismissed. Veneris is charged with impersonating a public servant, terroristic threats and receiving stolen property. He was booked in the Westmoreland County Prison on the warrant, along with additional warrants from Allegheny County.
September 26, 2022 4:29 am
MOSCOW (AP) – Authorities say a gunman has killed 17 people and wounded 24 others in a school in central Russia. According to officials, 11 children were among those killed in the Monday morning shooting in School No. 88 in Izhevsk, a city 960 kilometers (600 miles) east of Moscow. The governor of the region said the gunman killed himself after the attack. Russia’s Investigative Committee identified the gunman as 34-year-old Artyom Kazantsev, a graduate of the school, and the governor said he was a patient at a psychiatric facility. He used two non-lethal handguns adapted to fire real bullets. An investigation has been launched on multiple murder charges.
September 26, 2022 4:27 am
ATLANTA (AP) – False claims about the 2020 presidential election by former President Donald Trump and his allies are spurring new interest in working the polls in Georgia and elsewhere for the upcoming midterm elections, but for different reasons. Some prospective poll workers tell The Associated Press they aim to shore up a critical part of their state’s voting system amid the lies and misinformation. But others have bought into the claims, leading election security experts to worry that those workers could overstep their roles. Local election officials say they have numerous safeguards to prevent a single poll worker from disrupting voting or trying to manipulate results.
September 26, 2022 4:26 am
IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) – Rainwater is for showers and dishes. Scavenged wood is for the cooking fires. But almost nothing keeps out the autumn chill in homes without windows. Russian forces controlled Izium for six months before being forced to retreat two weeks ago in a Ukrainian counteroffensive. The town has been without electricity, gas, running water or a phone connection for six months. Now, with Russia gone, more hardship looms as winter approaches. No one has been able to predict when that might change, but regional officials have urged residents who left in the early days of the war not to return. Too difficult and – with countless mines strewn about – too dangerous.
September 26, 2022 4:24 am
HAVANA (AP) – Hurricane Ian is nearing Cuba on a track to strike Florida as early as Wednesday. One emergency management director says “this is not a drill.” Tampa and St. Petersburg are among the most likely targets for their first direct hit by a major hurricane in a century. Ian is already getting stronger and is forecast to move quickly over Cuba’s western tip Monday. Then it will turn northward and slow down over warm Gulf of Mexico waters, conditions ripe for brewing the strongest hurricanes. Forecasters say the storm surge could reach 10 feet. Hundreds of thousands of people could face mandatory evacuation orders.
September 26, 2022 4:21 am
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Europe is staring down a winter energy crisis. Russia has reduced natural gas supplies as Europe supports Ukraine, and the continent’s ability to get through the winter may depend on how cold it is and competition from Asia. The lights of the Eiffel Tower are turning off earlier than normal and shop windows across Europe are going dark to save energy. High prices mean households and businesses are trying to use less heat and electricity, but they’re running into the hard truth that cutting back only shaves a little off their bills. Governments are rolling out relief and have been able to bolster natural gas storage. But analysts say Russia still has leverage with energy prices high and supplies tight.
September 26, 2022 4:20 am
MOSCOW (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has granted Russian citizenship to Edward Snowden, a former contractor with the U.S. National Security Agency. He has been living in Russia since 2013 to escape prosecution in the U.S. after leaking classified documents detailing government surveillance programs. He was granted permanent residency in 2020. Snowden has said he made the disclosures because he believed the U.S. intelligence community had gone too far and wrongly infringed on civil liberties. Snowden, 39, is considered by supporters to be a whistle-blower who wanted to protect American civil liberties. He currently faces charges of unauthorized disclosure of U.S. national security and intelligence information that could result in decades in prison.
September 26, 2022 4:18 am
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, is perhaps best known as an election denier who was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. John Fetterman, the Democrat hoping to flip the state’s Senate seat, has revolutionized how campaigns use social media. And Dr. Mehmet Oz was a TV celebrity long before he launched a GOP Senate campaign. And then there’s Josh Shapiro. In one of the most politically competitive states in the U.S., the Democratic contender for governor is waging a notably drama-free campaign, betting that a relatively under the radar approach will resonate with voters exhausted by a deeply charged political environment. But Shapiro faces a test of whether his comparatively low-key style will energize Democrats to rally against Mastriano, who many in the party view as an existential threat. The GOP candidate, who worked to keep Donald Trump in power and overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020, supports ending abortion rights and would be in position to appoint the secretary of state, who oversees elections in this state that is often decisive in choosing presidents. The tension of Shapiro’s strategy was on display during a recent swing through this small city, a dot in deeply Republican south central Pennsylvania. He spent 10 minutes ticking through his record as a two-term attorney general and his policy goals if he becomes governor, such as expanding high-speed internet and boosting school funding. But he also acknowledged that he knew what was on the minds of audience members, noting how his wife gives him a simple reminder every morning: “You better win.”
September 26, 2022 4:14 am
NORTH UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A 30-year-old woman is dead after state police say she crashed her vehicle into a stoplight. 911 dispatchers said police, firefighters and medics were called to Pittsburgh Road and Oliver Blvd. Road in Noth Union Township at around 4:26 p.m. State Police said Britley Brashear died on impact after her vehicle crashed into a stoplight. The stoplight had been knocked over and two tires were observed detached from the car in the nearby area. Authorities say the crash happened as Brashear attempted to make a right-hand turn at a high rate of speed. Police said the car abruptly caught on fire after it crashed. West Leisenring Fire Department extinguished the fire.
September 26, 2022 4:09 am
ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI)- One person was hurt in a multi-vehicle crash in Rostraver Township. According to Rostraver Central Fire Department on Facebook, the crash happened on Route 51 north at Salem Church Road. One person was taken to a hospital from the scene. There’s no word on that person’s condition. Fire crews assisted with traffic control and controlled hazards from the accident, Rostraver Central Fire Department said. (PHOTO; Rostraver Central Fire Department)
