September 27, 2022 4:20 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Pro-Moscow officials say that residents in three of the four occupied areas of Ukraine voted to join Russia. The Kremlin-orchestrated votes have been dismissed by the U.S. and its Western allies as illegitimate. According to Russia-installed election officials, 93% of the ballots case in the Zaporizhzhia region were in support of annexation, as were 87% of ballots in the southern Kherson region and 98% in Luhansk. The preordained outcome sets the stage for a dangerous new phase in Russia’s seven-month war in Ukraine because it is expected to serve as a pretext for Moscow to annex the four areas. That could happen as soon as Friday.
September 27, 2022 4:19 am
HAVANA (AP) – Hurricane Ian tore into western Cuba as a major hurricane Tuesday and left 1 million people without electricity. Now it’s on a collision course with Florida over warm Gulf waters expected to strengthen it into a catastrophic Category 4 storm. Ian made landfall early Tuesday in Cuba’s Pinar del Rio province, where officials set up 55 shelters, evacuated 50,000 people, rushed in emergency personnel and took steps to protect crops in the nation’s main tobacco-growing region. Ian was expected to get even stronger over the warm Gulf of Mexico. In Florida, 2.5 million people were ordered to evacuate.
September 27, 2022 4:12 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Washington County woman is accused of sending thousands of harassing text messages to other parents over the last two years. Kristyn O’Donnell is facing harassment charges after police charged her with using “spoofing” apps to send the texts, which are sent anonymously to dozens of parents and coaches. Chartiers Township police charged O’Donnell and the case is awaiting trial, but parents say the texts have not slowed. One parent, who wants to remain anonymous, showed our news partners at WPXI hundreds of texts just from the last month. Many of them are lewd, make fun of kids, players, coaches and more. According to the criminal complaint, O’Donnell has been sending the texts via spoofing apps since July 2020. The texts allegedly include pornographic photos on which she had photo-shopped her ex-husband’s face. Parents reached out to Channel 11 with hundreds of the texts saying they are frustrated that the justice system has moved slowly, and the trial continually gets postponed. Channel 11 reached out to the FBI. It tells us it helps local police departments with investigations where spoofing is being used. It can’t comment specifically on the techniques used, though. Local parents have hired private investigators and attorneys and say they are desperate for the daily text messaging harassment to end. O’Donnell’s lawyers told WPXI they cannot comment on the case.
September 27, 2022 4:01 am
Peters Township Council had a number of business items accumulate throughout the last several months and Monday night was the night to put those items to rest. Council started by adopting their employee performance management policy that dictates how employees receive raises. They also updated their employee handbook. The most noteworthy was directing staff to enter into a lease agreement with AT&T to have them provide better cellular telephone coverage in the township. They will install a 90 foot high tower to attach antennae to begin to address their lack of cell coverage. They will also provide lighting from that tower to light a football practice field. A $24,000 lease for the land is also included. Township Manager Paul Lauer indicated that Verizon will begin addressing their needs by locating antennae on an existing power pole on Druid Drive and T-Mobile will do the same thing on a pole at the intersection of Center Church and Rolling Hills Drive. Lauer cautioned council that these are initial steps and will not solve all of the problems with cell coverage in the township. Council also directed staff to begin prequalifying contractors for the possible construction of the proposed aquatic center. The project still needs to be approved but according to Lauer, this is the first step in being able to put the project out to bid. Proposals came in over budget last year and the project was put on hold and changes were made to the design. Since then, the township has been awarded $3.2 million in grants. Lauer hopes to have the final proposals in so that council may approve the project and award bids on the fourth Monday in January.
September 27, 2022 2:26 am
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. (WPXI) — A former Washington County deputy is behind bars after police said he impersonated an officer and tried to be dismissed from prior criminal charges against him. According to the Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office, Andreas Veneris was arrested after police said he presented himself as a law enforcement officer. The criminal complaint said that Veneris was a deputy in Washington County for over 25 years but was fired because he was arrested for official misconduct. Police said Veneris has recently been showing an official badge and identifying himself as a deputy sheriff to try to get the criminal charges against him dismissed. Veneris is charged with impersonating a public servant, terroristic threats and receiving stolen property. He was booked in the Westmoreland County Prison on the warrant, along with additional warrants from Allegheny County.
September 26, 2022 4:29 am
MOSCOW (AP) – Authorities say a gunman has killed 17 people and wounded 24 others in a school in central Russia. According to officials, 11 children were among those killed in the Monday morning shooting in School No. 88 in Izhevsk, a city 960 kilometers (600 miles) east of Moscow. The governor of the region said the gunman killed himself after the attack. Russia’s Investigative Committee identified the gunman as 34-year-old Artyom Kazantsev, a graduate of the school, and the governor said he was a patient at a psychiatric facility. He used two non-lethal handguns adapted to fire real bullets. An investigation has been launched on multiple murder charges.
September 26, 2022 4:27 am
ATLANTA (AP) – False claims about the 2020 presidential election by former President Donald Trump and his allies are spurring new interest in working the polls in Georgia and elsewhere for the upcoming midterm elections, but for different reasons. Some prospective poll workers tell The Associated Press they aim to shore up a critical part of their state’s voting system amid the lies and misinformation. But others have bought into the claims, leading election security experts to worry that those workers could overstep their roles. Local election officials say they have numerous safeguards to prevent a single poll worker from disrupting voting or trying to manipulate results.
September 26, 2022 4:26 am
IZIUM, Ukraine (AP) – Rainwater is for showers and dishes. Scavenged wood is for the cooking fires. But almost nothing keeps out the autumn chill in homes without windows. Russian forces controlled Izium for six months before being forced to retreat two weeks ago in a Ukrainian counteroffensive. The town has been without electricity, gas, running water or a phone connection for six months. Now, with Russia gone, more hardship looms as winter approaches. No one has been able to predict when that might change, but regional officials have urged residents who left in the early days of the war not to return. Too difficult and – with countless mines strewn about – too dangerous.
September 26, 2022 4:24 am
HAVANA (AP) – Hurricane Ian is nearing Cuba on a track to strike Florida as early as Wednesday. One emergency management director says “this is not a drill.” Tampa and St. Petersburg are among the most likely targets for their first direct hit by a major hurricane in a century. Ian is already getting stronger and is forecast to move quickly over Cuba’s western tip Monday. Then it will turn northward and slow down over warm Gulf of Mexico waters, conditions ripe for brewing the strongest hurricanes. Forecasters say the storm surge could reach 10 feet. Hundreds of thousands of people could face mandatory evacuation orders.
September 26, 2022 4:21 am
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – Europe is staring down a winter energy crisis. Russia has reduced natural gas supplies as Europe supports Ukraine, and the continent’s ability to get through the winter may depend on how cold it is and competition from Asia. The lights of the Eiffel Tower are turning off earlier than normal and shop windows across Europe are going dark to save energy. High prices mean households and businesses are trying to use less heat and electricity, but they’re running into the hard truth that cutting back only shaves a little off their bills. Governments are rolling out relief and have been able to bolster natural gas storage. But analysts say Russia still has leverage with energy prices high and supplies tight.
