January 9, 2024 5:10 am
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Authorities say an explosion at a historic Texas hotel on Monday injured 21 people and trapped some in the basement before they were found by rescue crews. One person was in critical condition. Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Craig Trojacek says investigators are confident the blast was “some kind of gas explosion.” He says the blast flung doors and entire sections of wall onto the road in front of the 20-story hotel, where rescue crews found several people trapped in the basement. The Sandman Signature in the heart of downtown Fort Worth was undergoing construction. The hotel is in a busy area of downtown about one block from the Fort Worth Convention Center.
January 9, 2024 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump says a president “has to have immunity.” But federal appeals court judges in Washington are expressing deep skepticism that he is immune from prosecution on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden. On Tuesday Trump returned to the federal courthouse in Washington for his appeal of charges against him. The three-judge panel also questioned whether they had jurisdiction to consider the appeal at this point in the case, raising the prospect that Trump’s appeal could be dismissed. During lengthy arguments, the judges repeatedly pressed Trump’s lawyer to defend claims that Trump was shielded from criminal charges.
January 9, 2024 5:09 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal investigators are learning more about how a door panel flew off an Alaska Airlines jetliner last week. National Transportation Safety Board officials said Monday that the door panel slid up before flying off the plane. And they’re looking into whether four bolts that were supposed to help hold the panel in place might have been missing when the plane took off. Those comments came after Alaska Airlines and United Airlines reported finding loose parts in the panels — or door plugs — of some other Boeing 737 Max 9 jets. The findings are putting more pressure on Boeing to address safety concerns. The aircraft maker has called an online meeting for all employees Tuesday to talk about safety.
January 9, 2024 5:07 am
GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador (AP) — A group of armed, masked men in Ecuador launched an audacious attack on a television station during a live broadcast and so revealed the country’s spiraling violence in the wake of an apparent recent prison escape. The imprisoned leader of a drug gang mysteriously vanished from his cell in the coastal city of Guayaquil on Sunday, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency. On Tuesday, thousands of viewers tuned in to TC Television watched live as the men threatened presenters and studio hands with firearms and what appeared to be sticks of dynamite. Sounds resembling shots were audible, as well as pleas and moans of pain.
January 9, 2024 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump says a president “has to have immunity.” But federal appeals court judges in Washington are expressing deep skepticism that he is immune from prosecution on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Joe Biden. On Tuesday Trump returned to the federal courthouse in Washington for his appeal of charges against him. The three-judge panel also questioned whether they had jurisdiction to consider the appeal at this point in the case, raising the prospect that Trump’s appeal could be dismissed. During lengthy arguments, the judges repeatedly pressed Trump’s lawyer to defend claims that Trump was shielded from criminal charges.
January 9, 2024 5:06 am
An Israeli drone strike hit a car Tuesday morning in southern Lebanon, killing three people inside it, security officials in the area and the state news agency said. The strike, about 6 miles from the border with Israel, came a day after a similar attack killed a commander with the militant Hezbollah group. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on an urgent mission aimed primarily at preventing the Israel-Hamas conflict from spreading into a regional war. He said Monday that Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey would consider participating in post-conflict reconstruction and governance of Gaza. The United Nations humanitarian office says the intensifying Israeli offensive in central and southern Gaza has had “devastating consequences.”
January 9, 2024 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Black, white, Hispanic and Asian adults in the U.S. largely agree that the government should focus on the economy and foreign policy issues in 2024, but recent polling shows that views diverge on some high-profile topics, including racism and immigration. That’s according to two recent polls by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and AAPI Data. About 7 in 10 adults across backgrounds name economic issues. Black adults are less likely than others to call immigration a top priority, and white adults are especially likely to name issues related to politics.
January 9, 2024 5:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The National Park Service is retracting a proposal to take down a statue of William Penn at a Philadelphia historical site as part of a renovation that touched off a torrent of criticism over the legacy of the man who founded the province of Pennsylvania. In a statement Monday, Independence National Historical Park said it withdrew the proposal it had announced quietly before the weekend about the wider renovation of Welcome Park, just blocks from the Liberty Bell. The proposal, it said, was released “prematurely” and hadn’t undergone a complete internal review. The retracted plan had also involved expanding the telling of the Native American history of Philadelphia.
January 9, 2024 4:58 am
SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP, Pa. – (WPXI) – Two people are dead after a house fire in South Fayette Township, according to Oak Ridge Volunteer Fire Chief Bill Supan. Flames tore through the home on Thoms Run Road Monday, eventually causing the roof to collapse. Firefighters were called to the scene just after 1:00 p.m. and spent around seven hours there. According to Supan, a hoarding situation at the home made rescuing two people inside impossible. Supan said two bodies were pulled from the rubble. They were found on the second floor of the home. The victims have been identified as 81 year old Benito Bonilla and 77 year old Barbara Bonilla. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Allegheny County Fire Marshal.
January 9, 2024 4:54 am
Snow showers could slow the morning commute again early Wednesday. Heavy snow is not expected but steady snow at times could create icy spots on untreated surfaces. Most areas will see an inch or less through the day, with higher amounts east in the ridges of Westmoreland and Fayette counties. Strong winds will also disrupt your plans on Wednesday with gusts up to 50 mph possible. As for power outages, as of 10 a.m, West Penn Power was reporting more than 160 customers without service in Washington County. They are widespread and it is unclear when those customers will have their service restored. Another strong system moves in on Friday bringing more rain, wind and snow with much colder air expected this weekend. Highs will struggle to get back into the 20s and lows will drop into the teens.
