February 14, 2023 1:54 pm
(WPXI) – The funeral for fallen McKeesport Officer Sean Sluganski was held Tuesday afternoon at St. Albert the Great, Blessed Trinity Parish. The private funeral follows visitation, which was held Sunday and Monday at the John F. Slater Funeral Home, and a service held Monday evening by the Fraternal Order of Police. Officer Sluganski was shot and killed in the line of duty Feb. 6 by a man whose mother called 911 and said her son was having a PTSD episode. Officer Charles Thomas was also shot and is recovering. The funeral was not open to the general public and no one was allowed to enter the cemetery other than family, the McKeesport Police Department and the law enforcement escort, including other departments and agencies.
February 14, 2023 7:38 am
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, announced her candidacy for president on Tuesday. She becomes the first major challenger to former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination. The announcement, delivered in a video, marks an about-face for the ex-Trump Cabinet official, who said two years ago that she wouldn’t challenge her former boss for the White House in 2024. But she changed her mind in recent months, citing, among other things, the country’s economic troubles and the need for “generational change,” a nod to the 76-year-old Trump’s age.
February 14, 2023 4:27 am
Washington County Register of Wills, James Roman, has officially announced his re-election bid. He will seek the Republican nomination in the May Primary. In a release, Roman says he decided to seek another term because of the “loyalty to his staff and continued service to the citizens of Washington County as key motivating factors”. Roman also pointed to successfully improving the customer service experience for visitors to his office. He says he has “been working hard to expand our services and offerings to the citizens of Washington County”. He highlighted more transparency and more information available on the Register of Wills website, complete access to forms needed to complete various services and the extension of office hours. Roman also acknowledged that he has been “outspoken in regards to increased transparency in Washington County” and said, “I have been outspoken on the threats I regularly receive from Commissioners.”
February 14, 2023 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The pace of consumer price increases eased again in January, the latest sign that the high inflation that has gripped Americans for two years is slowing. At the same time, Tuesday’s consumer price report showed that inflationary pressures in the U.S. economy remain stubborn and are likely to keep inflation high well into this year. The government said Tuesday that consumer prices rose 6.4% in January compared with 12 months earlier, down from 6.5% in December. On a monthly basis, though, consumer prices increased 0.5% from December to January, much higher than the 0.1% rise from November to December. More expensive gas, food and clothing drove up inflation in January.
February 14, 2023 4:12 am
ANTAKYA, Turkey (AP) – Rescuers on Tuesday were working to reach people under the rubble in three provinces hit hard by the powerful and devastating quake that hit Turkey and Syria last week. The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 quakes that struck nine hours apart on Feb. 6 in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria passed 35,000, and was certain to increase as search teams find more bodies. Turkish television continued broadcasting rescues Tuesday, as experts said the window to find survivors is closing. In Syria, President Bashar Assad agreed to open two new crossing points from Turkey to the country’s rebel-held northwest to deliver desperately needed aid and equipment to millions of earthquake victims.
February 14, 2023 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Officials have offered few details about four aerial objects recently shot down over North America, helping to fuel conspiracy theories and conjecture on the internet. One popular claim circulating Monday suggested, with no evidence, that the U.S. deployed the airborne devices as a way to frighten and distract Americans. Online searches for the term “UFO” also shot up as some people suggested the devices may be from another planet. Officials have said they suspect the first object was a Chinese surveillance balloon. But they’ve shed little light on the origins or purpose of the other three objects shot down in recent days, leading to rampant speculation online.
February 14, 2023 4:10 am
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Terrified students describe breaking out windows, barricading doors and hiding under blankets as police searched for a gunman who killed three students and critically wounded five others on the Michigan State University campus. They silenced their phones – afraid to make even the slightest sound for hours. The terror felt by thousands of students on Monday was evident in texts to parents, posts on social media and in 911 calls. It started around 8:30 p.m. when the 43-year-old gunman, Anthony McRae, opened fire. Alerts sent out to students urged them to “Run, Hide, Fight.” The search ended roughly three hours later when McRae fatally shot himself in a confrontation with police miles from campus.
February 14, 2023 4:08 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A 17-year-old boy was shot and killed in Carrick Monday night. According to Allegheny County 911, crews were called to the scene in the 100 block of Parkfield Street at 10:02 p.m. Once on scene, first responders found the victim inside the residence with a fatal gunshot wound to the head. The victim was hit once, but police said at least two shots were fired. Five people were in the home at the time of the shooting. There is no information on any potential suspects at this time.
February 14, 2023 4:04 am
Peters Township Council worked through a very heavy agenda Monday night. The highlight of the meeting is news that the township will be receiving $3.7 million in additional funds. Council set February 27th as the date for a public hearing on how those funds are proposed to be used. The funds come from an award from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Task Force. According to Township Manager Paul Lauer, Peters Township Police Detective Ed Walker was instrumental in helping the task force take down a multi-million dollar drug dealing ring in the region and the forfeited funds were surrendered to law enforcement at the conviction of the defendants. The funds are to be used for law enforcement equipment and training. Additionally, Council will be adopting an ordinance still in the works that will adjust voting district lines. Minor tweaks to the proposed map are being considered. The adjustment is needed to keep an even balance of voters across each district. The new map is expected to be in force for the upcoming May 2023 primary election. Council also directed staff to continue work on a policy to oversee the construction and maintenance of all public utilities works in the township.
February 14, 2023 2:09 am
(WPXI) – An eleven-year-old boy has died from injuries he suffered in a house fire in Salem Township. David Wayne Becker was one of three people, including his mother and brother, who got out of a burning house along Route 819 just before nine o’clock Friday night. The chief of the Forbes Road Fire Department said a neighbor was able to reach the mother and one of the children at the front deck. The neighbor helped both the mother and the child escape from the deck. Becker was flown to a Pittsburgh-area hospital and died Sunday morning. Becker was a fifth grader at Metzgar Elementary School in the Greensburg Salem School District. Superintendent Kenneth Bissell posted a message that said the school would have safety and counseling staff for any students or staff in need of support.
