January 26, 2024 5:08 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A jury has awarded an additional $83.3 million to advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who says former President Donald Trump damaged her reputation by calling her a liar after she accused him of sexual assault. Friday’s verdict was the second time in nine months that a jury addressed Carroll’s claim that Trump assaulted her in a New York City department store in 1996. Another jury last May found Trump liable for sexual abuse and ordered him to pay $5 million. This defamation trial was over things Trump said about Carroll while he was president. Trump continues to insist he was falsely accused.
January 26, 2024 5:07 am
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Israel is set to hear whether the United Nations’ top court will order it to end its military offensive in Gaza during a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. The International Court of Justice’s president will read out the highly anticipated decision Friday. The ruling comes at an early stage in South Africa’s case alleging that Israel’s military action in its war with Hamas in Gaza amounts to genocide. Israel vehemently rejects the accusation and has asked the court to throw out the case. South African has asked for orders including one for Israel to “immediately suspend its military operations in and against Gaza.”
January 26, 2024 5:06 am
ATMORE, Ala. (AP) — A man who was paid $1,000 to kill an Alabama woman more than 30 years ago has been put to death with pure nitrogen gas, a first-of-its-kind execution that again placed the U.S. at the forefront of the debate over capital punishment. Kenneth Eugene Smith appeared to shake and convulse before being pronounced dead Thursday at an Alabama prison after breathing the gas through a face mask to cause oxygen deprivation. The execution came after a last-minute legal battle in which Smith’s attorneys said the state was making him the test subject for an experimental execution method that could violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Smith was one of two men convicted in the 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of Elizabeth Sennett.
January 26, 2024 5:04 am
The International Court of Justice is reading out its decision on whether to order Israel to halt its offensive in Gaza. South Africa accused Israel of genocide and asked the court in The Hague, Netherlands, to issue an interim order for Israel to halt its offensive in Gaza. Israel rejects the filing and has asked the court to throw out the case. The Health Ministry in Gaza said Friday that over 26,000 people have been killed in the enclave since the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, when militants from Gaza killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages. On Thursday it said that Israeli fire struck a crowd of people waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza City, killing at least 20 and wounding 150. The Israeli military says it’s looking into the reports.
January 26, 2024 5:00 am
The investigation continues into a cyberattack on Washington County’s computer system. Those servers remain shutdown and workers continue to do their jobs by hand. Workers are curious when they will have computer access again and also wonder when and if they will get paid. Commissioner’s Chairman Nick Sherman admits that payroll is a priority. Sherman says they have two plans to deal with the situation and hope to have things operating soon. He says they can work with banks and can issue paper checks to employees in which they would be called to the Treasurer’s office department by department as was done years ago. County officials have not released any other information about what they currently calling a cyber security incident. Because of the system outage, the jury reporting line is not in service. Any juror summoned for Monday, January 29 is not required to report, your service is complete and no further action is needed. Any juror summoned for Thursday, February 1 is required to report as instructed. Any summoned juror who has questions can call Court Administration at 724-228-6974 or 724-228-6797.
January 26, 2024 4:48 am
MCDONALD, Pa. — (WPXI) – A neighbor sprang into action when a truck burst into flames, dangerously close to a McDonald home. WPXI spoke exclusively with the man whose quick thinking and actions may have saved the home. “I put my boots on and ran out the door,” Brandon Boyer said. “I got a fire extinguisher and then I tried to put the porch out and it didn’t do anything.” As the fire continued to spread, Boyer ran back and got in his truck. Boyer’s girlfriend shot a video that shows what he and her stepdad did next, working together to get the truck away from the home. “His quick thinking literally saved our house,” homeowner Michele Byra said. “To know there is good people out there still is touching.” “Because of him, my kids were put to bed in their beds last night, we all sang happy birthday to my husband and ate cake and because of him our house didn’t burn down,” Byra said.
January 26, 2024 4:43 am
PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI)- A woman died in a house fire in Peters Township on Thursday afternoon. The fire was reported to Washington County 911 by a family member just before 2:30 p.m. Cathleen Castagna, 67, died in the fire. Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco said the fire was extinguished by the time the 911 call was made. The Peters Township Police Department and the Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal are handling the investigation.
January 25, 2024 5:17 pm
Due to an outage caused by the recent phishing attempt of the county’s computer system, the jury reporting line (1-855-681-5879) is not in service. Any juror summoned for Monday, January 29, 2024 is NOT REQUIRED to report, your service is complete, and no further action is necessary. Any juror summoned for Thursday, February 1, 2024, is REQUIRED to report as instructed. If there are any changes, you will be notified prior to reporting. If a summoned juror has any questions, please call Court Administration at 724-228-6974 or 724-228-6797.
January 25, 2024 3:45 pm
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say a teenager awaiting trial in a homicide case who escaped outside a Philadelphia hospital this week was spotted on video getting into a vehicle that drove him away less than an hour after he fled on foot. U.S. marshals and city police continued to search Thursday for 17-year-old Shane Pryor. Authorities have said he fled Wednesday from a vehicle in the driveway of the emergency room at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He had been taken there with a hand injury. Authorities say security video shows Pryor was able to go in and out of a few buildings in the area and was later seen entering a vehicle that then drove off. Police stopped the vehicle in the city on Wednesday night, but Pryor was not in the car.
January 25, 2024 2:57 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Another Trump White House official convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack has been sentenced to four months behind bars. Peter Navarro was the second Trump aide convicted of contempt of Congress and was sentenced Thursday. Steve Bannon also got four months but is free pending appeal. Navarro served as a trade adviser under President Donald Trump and promoted the Republican’s baseless claims of voter fraud after he lost the 2020 election. Navarro was found guilty of defying a subpoena for documents and a deposition from the House Jan. 6 committee. Navarro’s attorneys have filed a notice of appeal.
