April 9, 2023 6:48 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is celebrating Easter Sunday along with dozens of prelates and tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter’s Square. Tulips, forsythia and other spring flowers trucked in from the Netherlands made the vast Vatican City space colorful. At the start of Mass, Francis sprinkled holy water and sounded tired as he recited ritual words in Latin. He was back in the publis eye 12 hours after a very long Easter vigil ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica the night before. Francis has generally rebounded following a three-day stay last week at a Rome hospital where he was treated for bronchitis. The 86-year-old pope skipped the traditional Good Friday procession at Rome’s Colosseum.
April 9, 2023 6:46 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — A man was found shot in Mt. Washington Friday night. Pittsburgh police responded to calls of shots fired in the area of Boggs and Warrington Avenues just before 11:20 p.m. The man was found in a vehicle on Warrington Avenue with a gunshot wound to the back, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. EMS transported him to a local hospital in critical condition. The investigation is ongoing.
April 8, 2023 4:47 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A Texas jury has convicted a U.S. Army sergeant of murder for fatally shooting an armed protester in 2020 during nationwide protests against police violence and racial injustice. The jury delivered the verdict Friday after deliberating for two days. Sgt. Daniel Perry faces life in prison, and now awaits sentencing. He had been working for a ride-sharing company when he turned onto a street and into a large crowd of demonstrators in downtown Austin. Perry’s attorneys said he acted in self defense when he shot from inside his vehicle and killed 28-year-old Garrett Foster. Perry’s attorney says Foster had pointed a weapon at Perry.
April 8, 2023 4:46 am
A Biden administration proposal to forbid outright bans on transgender athletes is sparking outrage not just from conservative leaders but from trans rights activists. They note schools could still prevent some athletes from participating on teams that align with their identity. The proposed rule would prohibit blanket bans, like those that have been approved in at least 20 states. But it would still allow schools to adopt policies that limit transgender students’ participation, particularly in more competitive high school and college sports. The proposal still faces a lengthy approval process. Some transgender athletes called the new rule an important first step. The U.S. Department of Education declined to comment Friday on criticisms from trans rights advocates.
April 8, 2023 4:44 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has launched an investigation into the possible release of Pentagon documents that were posted on several social media sites and appear to detail U.S. and NATO aid to Ukraine, but may have been altered or used as part of a misinformation campaign. The documents, which were posted on sites such as Twitter, are labeled secret and resemble routine updates that the U.S. military’s Joint Staff would produce daily but not distribute publicly. They are dated ranging from Feb. 23 to March 1, and provide what appears to be details on the progress of weapons and equipment going into Ukraine with more precise timelines and amounts than the U.S. generally provides publicly.
April 8, 2023 4:43 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has become a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy after Republicans expelled two Black lawmakers from the state Legislature for their part in a protest urging passage of gun-control measures. In separate votes on Thursday, the GOP supermajority expelled Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, a move leaving about 140,000 voters in primarily Black districts in Nashville and Memphis with no representation in the Tennessee House. Kevin Webb is a 53-year-old teacher from Pearson’s district in south Memphis who says removing Pearson “for such a small infraction” is “classic America.”
April 8, 2023 4:42 am
BEIJING (AP) — Taiwan’s government says China has sent warships and dozens of fighter jets toward the island claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. The exercise on Saturday was in retaliation for a meeting between the U.S. House of Representatives speaker and the president of the self-ruled island democracy. The Chinese military announced the start of three-day “combat readiness patrols” as a warning to Taiwanese who want to make the island’s de facto independence permanent. Speaker Kevin McCarthy held talks with President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday in California, adding to a series of foreign lawmakers who have met Tsai to show support in the face of Chinese intimidation.
April 8, 2023 4:39 am
SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — A troubled contractor is now facing more charges. Sean Hein is accused again and charged with home improvement fraud in the area. This time, in South Fayette Township where police put out an arrest warrant for him. Last month, our news partners at Channel 11 said Northern Regional Police charged Hein, who owns the company Forward Home Enhancements. Police said two people in the Heights of North Park, hired Hein and paid him in total, more than $185,000 for work that they said was never completed. And someone living along Farmview Drive in South Fayette Township also hired Hein for three projects: to put in a porch, patio and fence. Investigators said the victim paid Hein more than $40,000 and reached out to police after the victim lost contact with Hein. Pittsburgh, Sharpsburg Borough and Baldwin Borough police filed charges against Hein last year including receiving advance payment for services and failing to perform. Police said there may be more potential victims. Hein is also a former part-time West View police officer. Back in 2015, he allegedly robbed a bank in Shaler. He told us then that he started using drugs after being shot twice while off duty with his own gun. South Fayette Township police also charged Hein with theft by deception and fraudulent business practices.
April 8, 2023 4:35 am
The former embattled Boise, Idaho, police chief Ryan Lee appears to be in line to become the next Pittsburgh police chief according to our news partners at Channel 11. Lee spent years with the Portland, Oregon department before becoming the chief in Boise. However, while he was chief, Lee allegedly broke a sergeant’s neck during a tactical demonstration. Channel 11 obtained a letter from prosecutors to state police and Boise police last year saying it wasn’t an easy decision, but they had decided not to charge Lee. The letter also said Boise officers who were there told prosecutors Lee bragged about the number of hands-on use-of-force incidents he experienced in Portland and was even involved in a violent incident with a co-worker in Portland. Channel 11 spoke with Alex Duggan, an investigate reporter at the NBC affiliate in Boise, who covered Lee’s time as chief. She said there have also been multiple complaints of low morale in the Boise police department. Duggan said Boise’s mayor asked Lee to resign after the complaints about him were made public. (Photo: WPXI)
April 8, 2023 4:30 am
CARROLL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Multiple fire departments were called to the scene of a large brush fire in Carroll Township Friday evening. Reports say that fire broke out just before 5:00 p.m. along State Route 837 in the township. Carroll Fire crews were assisted by Valley Inn, Fallowfield and Gallatin Sunnyside Fire Departments on scene. There is no word on what started that fire. No injuries were reported.
