October 17, 2022 4:14 am
WESTMORELAND COUNTY — (WPXI) – A tractor-trailer caught fire after crashing into a bridge pillar on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Emergency crews were called to the 69.9-mile marker in Westmoreland County on the westbound side of the road at around 1:27 p.m. Before catching fire, first responders said the truck ran off the side of the road and hit a pillar supporting Eisaman Road. which sat on top of the turnpike. A passerby helped remove the driver from the vehicle. The driver was later taken to a hospital. Firefighters said the truck was hauling mail, which was damaged during the fire. Firefighters from Hempfield Township, New Stanton, East Huntingdon and Youngwood responded to the scene until about 3:30 p.m.
October 16, 2022 8:13 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Pro-Kremlin officials have blamed Ukraine for a rocket attack that struck the mayor’s office in a key Ukrainian city controlled by the separatists. The municipal building in Donetsk was seriously damaged by the rocket attack. Separately, Ukrainian officials said Russian rockets struck a city across from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, injuring six people. Late Saturday, a Washington-based think tank late accused Moscow of conducting “massive, forced deportations of Ukrainians” which it said likely amount to ethnic cleansing. The attacks on both sides came as Russia has lost ground in the nearly seven weeks since Ukraine’s armed forces opened their southern counteroffensive.
October 16, 2022 8:12 am
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called for faster military development and announced no change in policies that have strained relations with Washington and tightened the ruling Communist Party’s control over society and the economy. China’s most influential figure in decades spoke at the start of a party meeting Sunday that was closely watched by companies, governments and the Chinese public for signs of its future economic and political direction. It comes amid a painful economic slump and tension with Washington and Asian neighbors over trade, technology and security. The congress will install leaders for the next five years. Xi, 69, is expected to break with tradition and award himself a third five-year term as party leader.
October 16, 2022 8:11 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — President Joe Biden is calling embattled British Prime Minister Liz Truss’ abandoned tax cut plan a “mistake,” saying he is worried that other nations’ fiscal policies may hurt the U.S. amid what he calls “worldwide inflation.” In remarks Saturday, Biden said it was “predictable” that the new prime minister on Friday was forced to walk back plans to aggressively cut taxes without identifying cost savings, after Truss’ proposal caused turmoil in global financial markets. Biden’s comments are an unusual criticism by a U.S. president of the domestic policy decisions of one of its closest allies.
October 16, 2022 8:10 am
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) — Police in California say they have arrested a man suspected of killing six men and wounding a woman in a series of shootings. Police say 43-year-old Wesley Brownlee of Stockton was stopped in a car around 2 a.m. Saturday. Police Chief Stanley McFadden says he was dressed in black, had a gun and appeared to be “out hunting” for another victim. Police have been searching for a serial killer who shot five men in the city since July. Police believe the same person killed a man in Oakland in April 2021 and wounded a woman in Stockton a week later. No motive has been released.
October 16, 2022 7:59 am
ROSS TOWNSHIP (WPXI) — A teenager is dead after he was hit by a vehicle in the parking lot of North Hills Village shopping center. Allegheny County dispatchers said police, medics and fire crews were sent to the 4800 block of McKnight Road at around 4:39 p.m. Ross Township police said the teenager was hit while standing in the parking lot and pronounced dead at the scene. The boy was identified as 15-year-old Christopher Lucas from Pittsburgh by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Authorities say the driver of the vehicle is cooperating with the investigation. Police do not believe drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash.
October 16, 2022 7:58 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Pittsburgh police say three people are dead and another is wounded after a shooting. Allegheny County dispatchers said police and medics were called to Cedar Avenue at around 10:08 p.m. Officers say one person was pronounced dead at the scene and two died later. Two of the victims who were killed were women and the third was a man. A fourth man was reported to have gone to the hospital on his own. Police said no one is in custody at this point in the investigation.
October 16, 2022 3:45 am
A Canton Township woman was sentenced Friday on her conviction of a felony charge of drug delivery resulting in death. Nyieka Speer, 29, was sentenced to 7-14 years in state prison for selling a fatal dose of heroin laced with fentanyl to Sara Morrison Jones in April of 2019. The nearly two hour hearing was filled with over a dozen victim impact statements that described Jones as a loving mother to her son and to the three children of her partner that she took on as her own. She was remembered by family members as a truly helpful person willing to offer help to the family when it was most needed. Speer spoke briefly on her own behalf offering condolences to the Morrison and Jones families but claimed that the death of Sara Jones was not her fault. Prosecutors asked for the maximum penalty indicating that Speer showed no remorse and actually was caught selling drugs again after Jones’ death. In addition to the 7-14 years sentence for drug delivery resulting in death, Speer will spend an additional 6-12 months in prison for her conviction on criminal use of a communications facility. Neither Speer or the victim’s family offered any comment after the hearing.
October 16, 2022 3:39 am
A Finleyville tavern that was the site of a shooting last Monday has been shut down. Washington County Judge Michael Lucas issued a temporary injunction on Friday shutting down Bob’s Tavern on Route 88. The order prevents any business from taking place there, and prohibits access to any liquor or alcohol already on the premises. District Attorney Jason Walsh sought the injunction based on a number of incidents over the past three years in and around the bar, including alleged violations of the liquor license. According to the complaint filed with the court, the bar was cited by liquor enforcement for violating COVID emergency in 2020, and the Liquor Control Board objected to the renewal of the tavern’s license. That license has been temporarily authorized pending the renewal hearing before the Board. The shut down is in effect at least until a hearing set for Wednesday afternoon in Washington County Court. (Photo: WPXI)
October 15, 2022 3:47 am
A Bentleyville man that tried to stab police officers while being served paperwork for an involuntary mental health commitment faced his preliminary hearing on Friday. Andrew Murin, 68, faces multiple charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and endangerment among others. Witness testimony from police that included body camera footage of the incident indicated that Murin was not compliant in requests that he leave his apartment peacefully and turn himself over to social workers. The video shows Murin lunging at police twice with what was described as a 5 inch serrated edge steak knife. Bentleyville police were called to assist EMS and mental health services as Murin was being served a 302 Warrant that is used when a person is a danger to self or others. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatched police to assist because agencies have had difficulties with Murin in the past. All charges were held for court. No date for arraignment has been set.
