Sunday, December 8, 2024

 

Local News

Child Hit By A Vehicle In Donora

DONORA, Pa. — A child was hit by a vehicle in Donora.  Washington County dispatchers said emergency crews were called to the 400 block of Allen Avenue at four o’clock Saturday afternoon for reports of a vehicle vs pedestrian crash.  Investigators said a nine-year-old was flown to a hospital in Pittsburgh from the scene.

Search For Possible Downed Aircraft Called Off

(WPXI) –  The search for an aircraft reported to have crashed in the Monongahela River has been ended.  Greene County Emergency Management and Department of Emergency Services said crews received a call about a small aircraft that may have crashed in the area of Whula Road in Cumberland Township at 12:45 p.m. on Friday.  Several departments began searching on and along the river near Masontown on Friday afternoon. They returned to the area on Saturday morning.  The Adah Volunteer Fire Department says late into the search, a crew on the water identified an “area of interest” near where “the initial report was given of seeing the aircraft potentially go down.” That area of interest is on the Fayette County side of the Monongahela River in German Township.  The search became a joint operation between Greene and Fayette County departments.  Greene County officials said the area was searched extensively but nothing was found.  The search for an aircraft was ended at 2 p.m. after crews were able to rule out the possibility with side scan sonar.

Area School District Issues Warning About “Honey Packets”

(WPXI) –  A local district is warning parents about a new trend. Baldwin-Whitehall officials say multiple students were recently found with “honey packets.”  It may sound harmless, but officials warn these packets contain potentially dangerous drugs – including ingredients in popular E.D. medication.  The packets can be found at some gas stations and online. The FDA first put a warning out about them years ago, but they are still popular on TikTok.  The district superintendent is asking parents to be on the lookout for the products.   In a statement issued by the district, officials said that while this may be new to our district, this is not something new altogether. In fact as early as 2017 there was a public notification issued about one of the brands of honey containing other drugs, namely tadalafil (active ingredient in Cialis).  These packets are readily available at retailers and online stores such as Amazon and there are no age restrictions for who can purchase them.

Autopsy Underway On Woman Who Fell Into Sinkhole

(AP) – The remains of a woman who fell into a sinkhole were recovered Friday, four days after she went missing while searching for her cat, a state police spokesperson said.  Trooper Steve Limani said the body of 64-year-old Elizabeth Pollard was sent to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy after rescuers used machinery to bring her to the surface.  Limani told reporters Pollard was found at about 11 a.m. approximately 30 feet (9 meters) underground, some 12 feet (4 meters) from the opening of the sinkhole. Limani said Pollard apparently fell onto a cone-shaped pile of debris created by the crumbling mine, then rolled or otherwise moved toward the southwest to where her body was recovered.  The autopsy may help determine whether Pollard was killed by the fall, Limani said.  The announcement came in the fourth day of the search for Pollard, who had last been seen Monday evening, looking for the cat near a restaurant half a mile (0.8 kilometers) from her home in the village of Marguerite.  (Photo:  AP)

World News

Search Continues For Killer Of United Healthcare CEO

NEW YORK (AP) — As the search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer stretches into a fourth day and beyond the New York City limits, investigators are reckoning with a tantalizing dichotomy. They have troves of evidence, but the shooter remains an enigma. Retracing his steps using surveillance video, it now appears he left the city on a bus soon after the shooting Wednesday morning outside the New York Hilton Midtown. He was seen on video at an uptown bus station about 45 minutes later. The FBI announced late Friday that it was offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. Late Saturday, police released two additional photos of the suspected shooter that appeared to be from a camera mounted inside a taxi.  (Photo:  AP)

Trump Calls For Immediate Ceasefire In Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, shortly after a meeting in Paris with French and Ukrainian leaders. He claimed Kyiv “would like to make a deal” to end the more than 1,000-day war. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that Moscow and Kyiv have both lost hundreds of thousands of soldiers in a war that “should never have started.” Trump’s remarks came after a meeting Saturday with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and France’s Emmanuel Macron, that Zelenskyy later described as “constructive.” Speaking to reporters later in the day, Zelenskyy insisted that any peace deal “should be just” for Ukrainians,

Jury Awards $310 Million To Parents Of Teen Killed On Ride

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The parents of a 14-year-old Missouri boy who fell to his death from a Florida amusement park ride has won a $310 million verdict against the attraction’s Austrian builder. The Orlando jury on Thursday ordered Funtime to pay Tyre Sampson’s parents $155 million each. The trial lasted only a day as Funtime never appeared in court to defend itself. Icon Park had already settled with Sampson’s family for an undisclosed amount. Sampson stood 6 foot, 2 inches tall and weighed 380 pounds. He fell from the Orlando Free Fall ride at Icon Park because the harness did not fit him and he wasn’t warned.

U.S. Government Orders Testing Of Nation’s Milk Supply

(AP) – The U.S. government has ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu to better monitor the spread of the virus in dairy cows. The Agriculture Department on Friday said raw or unpasteurized milk from dairy farms and processors nationwide must be tested on request starting Dec. 16. Testing will begin in six states — California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. The move is aimed at eliminating the virus, which has infected more than 700 dairy herds in 15 states.