July 31, 2022 8:09 am
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time, the White House said Saturday. According to White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the President “has experienced no reemergence of symptoms, and continues to feel quite well.” Biden, 79, will not have more treatment but will resume isolation after the “rebound case,” the White House said. Biden will follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and will remain in isolation for at least five days. The White House canceled Biden’s planned trip to his home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday, and a visit to Michigan on Tuesday.
July 31, 2022 8:06 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Wildfires in California and Montana exploded in size overnight amid windy, hot conditions and were quickly encroaching on neighborhoods, forcing evacuation orders for over 100 homes Saturday, while an Idaho blaze was spreading. In California’s Klamath National Forest, the fast-moving McKinney fire, which started Friday, went from charring just over 1 square mile (1 square kilometer) to scorching as much as 62 square miles (160 square kilometers) by Saturday in a largely rural area near the Oregon state line, according to fire officials. The fire burned down at least a dozen residences and wildlife was seen fleeing the area to avoid the flames. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday as the fire intensified. The proclamation allows Newsom more flexibility to make emergency response and recovery effort decisions and access federal aid.
July 31, 2022 8:01 am
ALLEGHENY TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI)— At least eight people were injured in an accident involving motorcycles in Westmoreland County. According to Westmoreland County 911, the crash happened around 1:05 p.m. on White Cloud Road between Hulton Road and Leechburg Road. Dispatch confirmed that eight people were taken to the hospital and crews are still on the scene. They confirm that multiple riders were flown to Pittsburgh-area-hospitals and others were taken to Allegheny Valley Hospital by ambulance. Allegheny Township police chief Duane Fisher said the riders had just left a restaurant and were heading onto White Cloud road they went around a curve and lost control. The chief said he would never recommend the route. The injured riders were part of a larger group who were doing a charity ride for Butler’s Riding for the Cure organization. The riders would meet in Butler County to participate in a fundraising event hosted by the organization.
July 31, 2022 4:33 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Illinois Lottery is reporting a ticket matching all 5 numbers and the Mega Millions number has been sold. The state’s lottery website and the Mega Millions site now list the Jackpot as “pending.” Friday’s winning numbers are: 13-36-45-57-67, with a Mega Ball of 14. The jackpot is the third-largest lottery prize and the biggest in nearly four years. It grew so large because there have been 29 consecutive draws without a winner. The $1.337 billion prize is for players who are paid with the annuity option, which makes 30 annual payments. Nearly all jackpot winners choose the cash option, which for Friday night’s drawing is an estimated $780.5 million. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.
July 31, 2022 4:19 am
PENN HILLS, Pa (WPXI)– Allegheny County police arrested a suspect they believe shot and killed a man in Penn Hills. Brandin Demonde Jackson, 30, was arrested at around 2:15 p.m. Friday afternoon for the murder of 27-year-old Shawn Allen Brookins. Brookins was found dead in his home on June 14 at the 200 block of Crescent Pines Drive. Jackson is being held at the Allegheny County Jail and is being charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide and burglary.
July 31, 2022 1:49 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Charges against the men who allegedly killed Kristin Barfield on her Ridge Avenue porch in May have been held for court. Brandon Allen, 30, Juan Worthey III, 17 and Tyriq Moss, 15 appeared in central court Friday for a preliminary hearing in front of Judge Kelly Stewart. All charges, including criminal homicide and aggravated assault, were held for Allen (Pictured) and Worthey III. All but a firearms charge was held for Moss, who along with Worthey III are being charged as adults in this case. The trio is accused of a drive-by shooting back on May 11th along Ridge Avenue. Court documents say Kristin Barfield, 58, was sitting on her porch at the time of the shooting and was killed. Police say the intended target of the shooting was Barfield’s son Trey Willis. The suspects are being held in the Washington County Jail without bond and will be arraigned later this summer.
July 31, 2022 1:09 am
WASHINGTON, PA – The Washington man accused of attempted homicide and endangering the welfare of children had his charges waived to court. Martez Thomas Jr., 20, faced a preliminary hearing in front of District Judge Kelly Stewart Friday afternoon. Thomas is accused of firing a gun multiple times at two individuals near the Lincoln Terrace back on May 3rd. Police say there were also multiple children playing outside of the nearby LeMoyne Community Center at the time of the incident. Thomas was originally at large but turned himself into State Police four days later. The criminal complaint says Thomas allegedly fired the weapon from his vehicle before crashing the car. The suspect is also charged with aggravated assault and carrying a firearm without a license. Thomas is currently in the Washington County Jail and will have a formal arraignment later this year.
July 30, 2022 4:45 am
JACKSON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s governor says it could take weeks to find all the victims of flash flooding that killed at least 16 people when torrential rains swamped towns across Appalachia. More rainstorms are forecast in coming days as rescue crews struggle to get into the hard-hit areas, which include some of the poorest places in America. President Joe Biden declared a federal disaster, seeking to speed relief money to the needy. The flooding is the latest in a string of catastrophic deluges afflicting parts of the U.S. this summer, including St. Louis earlier in the week. Scientists warn that climate change is making weather disasters more common.
July 30, 2022 4:37 am
IQALUIT, Nunavut (AP) — Pope Francis wrapped up his Canadian pilgrimage by meeting with Indigenous delegations and visiting Inuit territory in northern Nunavut. In one of his addresses, he assailed the Catholic missionaries who “supported oppressive and unjust policies” against Native peoples in the country’s notorious residential schools and vowed to pursue truth and healing. Francis is hoping his apology tour of Canada will help the Catholic Church reconcile with Indigenous peoples today. His apologies have received a mixed response, with some school survivors welcoming them but others saying far more needs to be done to correct past wrongs and pursue justice today.
July 30, 2022 4:36 am
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations says there should no longer be any doubt that Russia intends to dismantle Ukraine “and dissolve it from the world map entirely.” Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the U.N. Security Council Friday that the United States is seeing growing signs that Russia is laying the groundwork to attempt to annex all of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, “with the goal of holding sham referenda or decree to join Russia.” She said Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov “has even stated that this is Russia’s war aim.”
