January 17, 2023 4:28 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – A failed Republican candidate who authorities say was angry over his defeat and made baseless claims the election last November was rigged against him has been arrested in connection with a series of drive-by shootings targeting the homes of Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico’s largest city. Police say Solomon Pena was arrested Monday evening, just hours after SWAT officers took him into custody and served search warrants at his home. Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina describes Pena as the “mastermind” of what he says appears to be a politically motivated conspiracy with four other men leading to shootings at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators between early December and early January.
January 17, 2023 4:26 am
POKHARA, Nepal (AP) – Nepalese authorities on Tuesday began returning to families the bodies of victims of a flight that crashed Sunday, and said they were sending the aircraft’s data recorder to France for analysis as they try to determine what caused the country’s deadliest plane accident in 30 years. The flight plummeted into a gorge on Sunday while on approach to land at the newly opened Pokhara International Airport in the foothills of the Himalayas, killing at least 70 of the 72 people aboard. Searchers found the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder on Monday, and combed through debris scattered down the 300-meter-deep (984-foot-deep) gorge in search of the people who remain missing, but are presumed dead. One body was found Tuesday, and two remain missing.
January 17, 2023 4:24 am
BEIJING (AP) – China has announced its first population decline in decades as what has been the world’s most populous nation ages and its birthrate plunges. The National Bureau of Statistics reported mainland China had 850,000 fewer people at the end of 2022 than over the previous year. That left a total of 1.41 billion, with 9.56 million births against 10.41 million deaths last year, the bureau said at a briefing Tuesday. Men also continued to outnumber women by 722.06 million to 689.69 million, the bureau said, a result of the now-abandoned one-child policy and a traditional preference for male offspring to carry on the family name. Officials did not discuss the impact of COVID-19, which was detected in China three years ago.
January 17, 2023 4:23 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Many civilians have been detained by Russian forces since the war in Ukraine began. They are languishing in jails for months without charges as their relatives seek to find out what’s happened to them. Some have been deemed prisoners of war even though they never took part in the fighting. Others remain in a sort of legal limbo. Ukraine’s top human rights organization says they received requests concerning around 900 civilians seized by Russia and more than half are still in captivity. One Ukrainian human rights official puts the number even higher. He says his office received inquiries concerning more than 20,000 “civilian hostages” detained by Russian forces.
January 17, 2023 4:13 am
(WPXI) – A 13-year-old is behind bars after allegedly shooting and killing another 13-year-old in Clairton Monday night. According to Allegheny County police, the shooting happened in the 400 block of Wilson Avenue at around 9:19 p.m. The victim, 13-year-old Chase Jones, was pronounced deceased at the scene. Laquan Rich-Cabbagestalk, 13, has been charged with homicide in connection to the shooting and turned himself in to Allegheny County police Tuesday morning. According to the criminal complaint, Jones, Rich-Cabbagestalk, and two others were playing video games when the shooting occurred. Rich-Cabbagestalk is charged with criminal homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor. He’s currently lodged in the Allegheny County Jail awaiting arraignment.
January 17, 2023 2:31 am
The Canon-McMillan School District held a dedication ceremony to officially open their brand new Middle School in North Strabane Township. Past and present teachers, support staff and school board members attended to see a time capsule (pictured) embedded in the building behind a date block right at the building’s entrance. All of the officials were excited and all of them made comments about the building having air conditioning as the most popular upgrade. School Board President Pete Moniodes indicated that the project began in 2015 with the land acquisition, conceptual design began in 2019. The $80 million building will hold grades 7-8, but according to Superintendent Michael Daniels, there is room to add to the current 800 plus students if it was determined that the ninth grade would need to move into the building. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Greg Taranto was eager to point out upgrades that the new building has such as air conditioning and improved wi-fi capability. He pointed to team teaching rooms on all three levels that allow teacher teams to combine students and allow instruction that encompasses two different aspects of the same subject. The campus layout also encourages outdoor education opportunities. An athletic field with lights and a scoreboard is also available. The board hopes to have an open house to the public in the future.
January 16, 2023 12:32 pm
ROME (AP) – Italian film star Gina Lollobrigida has died in Rome at age 95. Her agent, Paola Comin, said the actress died on Monday. Lollobrigida achieved international stardom during the 1950s and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” after the title of one her movies. Besides “The World’s Most Beautiful Woman” in 1955, career highlights included Golden Globe-winner “Come September,” with Rock Hudson; “Trapeze;” “Beat the Devil,” a 1953 John Huston film starring Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones; and “Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell.” Lollobrigida also was an accomplished painter and photographer, and she eventually essentially dropped film for the fine arts. (Photo: ABC News)
January 16, 2023 4:25 am
Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and a recruiting staff member have been killed in a car wreck hours after the Bulldogs celebrated their second straight national championship. The school announced their deaths and said two other members of the football program were injured in the crash. They were not immediately identified but the school said both were in stable condition. The 20-year-old Willock was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle, 24-year-old Chandler LeCroy, was transported to a hospital where she died from her injuries. She worked as a recruiting analyst for the Bulldogs.
January 16, 2023 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Newly empowered House Republicans are demanding the White House turn over all information related to its searches that have uncovered classified documents at President Joe Biden’s home and former office. That request comes in the wake of a new disclosure by the White House over the weekend of more records found at the president’s Delaware residence. In a letter Sunday to the White House, the chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee says he wants to see the documents and communications related to the searches. Also sought are visitor logs of the president’s home in Wilmington, Delaware.
January 16, 2023 4:21 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A Ukrainian official says the death toll from the weekend Russian missile strike on the apartment building in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro has risen to 35. The regional governor said Monday that rescuers continued searching through the rubble for more victims. At least 75 people were wounded and 35 others were still missing after Saturday’s strike. About 1,700 people lived in the multi-story building. Residents say there were no military facilities at the site. The strike on the building on Saturday came amid a major barrage of Russian cruise missiles across Ukraine.
