September 18, 2022 8:04 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The parents of a 1-year-old western Pennsylvania boy who authorities said died after he was intentionally “dosed with methadone” have pleaded guilty to third-degree murder. The Tribune-Review reports that Tracy Humphreys and Thomas Snelsire, both 47-year-old Baldwin residents, face prison terms of 16 to 20 years when they are sentenced in Allegheny County court on Jan. 11. Assistant District Attorney Lisa Carey told a judge last week that Tommy Snelsire’s death wasn’t caused by accidental contact with the methadone, fentanyl and cocaine found in his system. Carey said investigators found a syringe and a pill bottle used to mix liquid Tylenol and methadone together. Both defendants wept as they apologized in court.
September 18, 2022 8:03 am
MUNHALL, Pa. (WPXI) — A man was hospitalized after he was shot in Munhall overnight. According to Allegheny County police, 911 was notified of a possible shooting in the 4000 block of Center Avenue around 2:17 a.m. Responding units found a man with a gunshot wound to the leg. The victim was taken to an area hospital and is expected to survive, police said. ACPD detectives are initiating the investigation. Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
September 18, 2022 1:42 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Republican Gov. Jim Justice has signed into law a ban on abortions at all stages of pregnancy. West Virginia is now the second state to enact a law prohibiting the procedure since the U.S. Supreme Court’s June ruling to end the constitutional protection of the procedure. Justice described the legislation in a tweet as “a bill that protects life.” The ban has exemptions for medical emergencies and for rape and incest victims until eight weeks of pregnancy for adults and 14 weeks for children. Victims must report their assault to law enforcement 48 hours before the procedure. Minors can report to the police or a doctor, who then must tell police.
September 17, 2022 9:25 am
MUNICH (AP) – The beer is flowing at Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest for the first time since 2019. With three knocks of a hammer and the traditional cry of “O’zapft is” – “It’s tapped” – the city’s mayor inserted the tap in the first keg at noon on Saturday to open the festivities. Oktoberfest has typically drawn about 6 million visitors every year to packed festival grounds in Bavaria’s capital. But the event didn’t take place in 2020 and 2021 as authorities grappled with the unpredictable development of COVID-19 infections and restrictions. The mayor says he thinks the city made the right decision to allow the festival to take place this year. It runs through Oct. 3.
September 17, 2022 9:23 am
HAVANA (AP) – Tropical Storm Fiona is threatening to dump up to 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rain in parts of Puerto Rico as forecasters have placed the U.S. territory under a hurricane watch and people are bracing for potential landslides, severe flooding and power outages. The storm was located 135 miles (215 kilometers) southeast of St. Croix early Saturday, moving west at 13 miles (20 kilometers) on a path forecast to pass near Puerto Rico. Forecasters warned Fiona could be near hurricane strength when it passes through Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
September 17, 2022 9:21 am
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) – Hungary’s nationalist-populist government is facing a reckoning with the European Union after nearly a decade of accusations that it has failed to uphold the EU’s democratic values. The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, appears set to impose financial penalties against Hungary on Sunday over corruption concerns and alleged rule-of-law violations. Hungary is one of the largest net beneficiaries of EU funds in the 27-nation bloc, and the sanctions could cost Budapest billions and cripple its already ailing economy. Prime Minister Viktor Orban has denied the commission’s accusations. A lawmaker who is a former member of Orban’s party alleges the government has channeled large sums of EU money into the businesses of politically connected insiders.
September 17, 2022 9:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department has asked a federal appeals court to lift a judge’s order that temporarily barred it from reviewing a batch of classified documents seized during an FBI search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home last month. The department made the request Friday with the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta. It says the judge’s hold is impeding the “government’s efforts to protect the nation’s security” and interfering with its investigation into the presence of top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago. It says the hold needs to be lifted immediately so work can resume.
September 17, 2022 9:15 am
LONDON (AP) – Thousands of people have spent London’s coldest night in months huddled in line to view the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. Authorities warn that arriving mourners face a 16-hour wait. Honoring their patience, King Charles III and Prince William made an unannounced visit to greet the waiting crowds. William and the queen’s seven other grandchildren are due to stand vigil beside her coffin on Saturday at Parliament’s Westminster Hall. Police arrested a man on Friday night after what the force described as a “disturbance” there. Parliamentary authorities said someone tried to approach the coffin on the platform where it is lying in state.
September 17, 2022 9:11 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Western defense officials and analysts say said they believe Russian forces are setting up a new defensive line in Ukraine’s northeast after Kyiv’s troops broke through the previous one and tried to press their advances further into the east. The British defense ministry said that the line likely was between the Oskil River and Svatove, southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. The new line comes after a Ukrainian counteroffensive punched a hole through the previous front line and recaptured large swaths of land in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Ukrainian forces are continuing to cross a key river as they try to press on in a counteroffensive targeting Russian-occupied territory in the country’s northeast, according to a Washington-based think tank.
September 17, 2022 3:59 am
FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) A local lawmaker came up with an idea to help people struggling with alcohol addiction after experiencing it first-hand. “Over the past year or so, I have, unfortunately, struggled with alcohol addiction,” said Representative Matt Dowling. Speaking from experience, Rep. Dowling, who represents Fayette and Westmoreland Counties, knows the struggle of alcohol addiction, especially after a recent DUI crash. “The reason why I’m out telling my personal story is I want to destigmatize that there’s a certain type of person that suffers from any type of addiction,” said Dowling. “Because, you know, if I wouldn’t have had that stigma in my head, perhaps I would have reached out for help earlier. And that’s what I want to see my constituents and the people of Pennsylvania do.” Dowling wants to help by adding another resource for people. He just introduced legislation that if passed would create a way for people to voluntarily add themselves to a list that prevents them from being able to purchase alcohol. “No one else can exclude another individual,” said Dowling. It would work just like the program designed for gambling addiction. “It would be a five-year period just like the gambling, self-exclusion, you could re-up yourself after those five years,” said Dowling. “You would also be able to send a letter into the PLCB, and in writing request to be taken off the list at some point in time.” Dowling says he knows it’s not foolproof and people immediately spotted that .“It’s hard for people to say I know I need to stop, but they’ll find other ways to get around it,” said Traci Melko. “Like, ‘hey will you run to the store to get me something.’” “I live about a half hour from Morgantown, West Virginia,” said Dowling. “Maybe 25 minutes, I could go down there and sit in a bar, restaurant order drink, even if I was on this list. But it is something to help that person who’s struggling with addiction to give a second thought to going into a store and ordering a drink.” “It’s a really great idea,” said Melko. I know people who have struggled with it in my own life. I hope it works. The person just wants to want to get better.” As for penalties for establishments that sell alcohol: “We’ve worked with taverns and restaurants to make sure that there weren’t onerous penalties placed on the establishment themselves,” said Dowling. “If there would be an issue where maybe their reader was down, and they accidentally served someone. There’s no penalties like that. But it is still a safeguard for the user that has put themselves on that list. This would have establishments carding everyone. You know those of us who may be a little bit older, we can start to feel flattered I guess if that happens, not myself because I won’t be ordering but for those that go in, they would scan the license for every transaction. ”The proposed legislation is in committee now. Dowling says he’s retiring from politics in November and hopes one of his colleagues picks up this legislation. He says the earliest this legislation could be voted on and passed would be next March.
