May 20, 2024 5:00 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)- The recent tornadoes in or near western Pennsylvania are now the most on record by the National Weather Service Pittsburgh in May. According to NWS Pittsburgh, there have been 14 confirmed tornadoes this month in its county warning area. That surpasses the 11 tornadoes from the 1985 outbreak for the most on record in May. During the 1985 tornado outbreak, 43 tornadoes tore through Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and Canada, leaving a path of death and destruction that still ranks as one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. Of those tornadoes, 23 touched down in Pennsylvania, 11 of which were in the NWS Pittsburgh region. It’s still the largest single-day tornado outbreak in Pennsylvania history. Eighty-nine people lost their lives, 75 of those were in the Keystone State. There were more than a thousand injuries and $600 million in damage. Throughout the last several weeks, severe storms have produced tornadoes that touched down in the Pittsburgh region, including an EF-2 tornado in Washington County, a high-end EF-2 tornado in West Virginia near the border with Pennsylvania and the first tornado within the Pittsburgh city limits since 1998. Many of the tornadoes were on the stronger side for this region. Significant damage has been reported from these 14 tornadoes. There have only been minor injuries. On average, Pennsylvania averages six tornadoes a year. The state’s peak tornado season is in June.
May 19, 2024 12:38 pm
ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden on Sunday told Morehouse College graduates during his commencement speech that he heard their voices of protest over the Israel-Hamas war, and that scenes from the conflict in Gaza have been heartbreaking. The speech, and a separate one Biden is giving later Sunday in the Midwest, is part of a burst of outreach to Black constituents by the president, who has watched his support among these voters soften since their strong backing helped put him in the Oval Office in 2020. There were scattered demonstrations but no major disruptions to the event.
May 19, 2024 6:37 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike has killed 20 people in central Gaza, mostly women and children, and fighting raged across the north. Israel’s leaders are meanwhile airing divisions over who should govern Gaza after the war, now in its eighth month. Benny Gantz, a member of Israel’s three-man War Cabinet, has threatened to leave the government if a plan is not formulated by June 8 that includes an international administration for postwar Gaza. U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected in Israel on Sunday to discuss an ambitious U.S. plan for Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel and help the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza in exchange for a path to eventual statehood.
May 19, 2024 6:35 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia says it shot down some 60 drones and several missiles over its territory while Ukraine in turn says it destroyed over 30 Russian drones. At least four people were reported killed in an attack on the outskirts of Kharkiv on Sunday as Russia pushed ahead with its renewed offensive in Ukraine’s war-ravaged northeast. Russian officials say air defenses shot down 57 Ukrainian drones over the southern Krasnodar region, while nine long-range ballistic missiles and a drone were destroyed over the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula. A further three drones were shot down over the Belgorod region. Ukraine says its air defenses shot down all 37 Russian drones launched overnight.
May 19, 2024 6:33 am
DALLAS (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has urged gun owners to vote in the 2024 election as he addressed thousands of members of the National Rifle Association, which officially endorsed him just before Trump took the stage at their annual meeting in Texas. Trump on Saturday pledged to continue to defend the Second Amendment and called himself “the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House.” The United States faces record numbers of deaths due to mass shootings. Last year ended with 42 mass killings and 217 deaths, making it one of the deadliest years on record.
May 19, 2024 6:26 am
UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. —(WPXI)-A church that was hit by a tornado in Washington County a week ago is prepared to go back to worship. Crossroad Ministries was hit by a tornado while 100 people were inside last weekend. Part of the church’s roof was ripped off, but church officials say services will be held in the church auditorium on Sunday. There will be one at 9:30 a.m. and another at 11 a.m.
May 19, 2024 6:24 am
A vehicle pursuit on the border of Peters Township and North Strabane Township ended without incident. A social media post circulated a story that said that the Dollar Bank on McDowell Lane may have been robbed. That post on social media said that a person saw two people running away from the bank and the assumption was that it was robbed. In a Facebook post from Peters Township Police, they stated that they assisted North Strabane Township Police in a vehicle pursuit where actors fled on foot after a vehicle accident. All actors were caught and are now in custody. There is no danger to the public.
May 19, 2024 5:11 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s hush money trial is heading into the final stretch, with prosecutors’ last and star witness expected back on the stand for more grilling before the former president’s lawyers get their chance to put on a case. The landmark trial will kick back off Monday in Manhattan with more defense cross-examination of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. Cohen’s pivotal testimony directly tied Trump to the alleged hush money scheme. Defense lawyers are trying to paint Cohen as a serial fabulist who is on a revenge campaign against the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
May 19, 2024 3:38 am
PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI)-Peters Township police took Naresh Garapati into custody outside of a Peters Township home where he had already been twice this week, allegedly stealing from an elderly man. The police chief is praising his officers for catching the alleged scam artist – the type of criminal who is hard to catch and typically leaves the state after a cash transaction occurs. The victim withdrew nearly $25,000 from his PNC account and handed it to the suspect in person outside of his house. Garapati allegedly told the victim he was putting the money in a safe bank account until a computer breach was resolved. “These folks are very difficult to catch, very good at what they do. They are professionals at scamming people out of money. We were actually surprised they came back the third time,” Police Chief Joseph Glover said. The suspect wanted a third money delivery and that’s how he got caught. Undercover officers were waiting all around the street, and as the victim handed over an envelope, an officer came from behind the front door and arrested Garapati. Garapati is being held without bond in the Washington County Jail.
May 19, 2024 2:27 am
The City of Washington Fire Department dedicated their new engine with a traditional “push” ceremony. The tradition commemorates times when fire companies used horses to transport water to fires and when finished, the fire apparatus was “pushed back” into the garage. Fire Chief Chris Richer commented on the appreciation he had with the city to actively upgrade the city’s aging fleet. The truck is a 2023 Pierce Saber Pumper. It has a 1000 gallon water tank and a pump capable of pumping 1500 gallons per minute. The truck was funded entirely by grants. The price of the truck was purchased as a demonstrator model which was priced at approximately $680,000, saving taxpayers more than $250,000. The engine is the second apparatus delivered in the last three years.
