PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia university is apologizing for an erroneous message warning of an active shooter on the campus. Thomas Jefferson University says a “resolvable system error” during a routine test of the school’s JeffAlert system sent out the alert at 10:18 a.m. Sunday about the campus in the East Falls neighborhood, which was formerly known as Philadelphia University. The school vows to take action “to ensure that this does not happen again.”

(Photos taken by Sandy Giordano)

An Aliquippa building filled with smoke Saturday night, prompting a visit from local firefighters. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano was there…

 

NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a woman being sought in a shooting in an Allegheny County Walmart that critically wounded another woman is in custody. Allegheny County police say 22-year-old Rojanai Alston, of Penn Hills, surrendered to county police Saturday evening and was taken to county jail to await arraignment. Police said earlier Alston faces attempted homicide and aggravated assault charges in the Friday shooting in the electronics section of the North Versailles store.

PENN HILLS, Pa. (AP) — A crash in Penn Hills has left a woman dead and a man injured. The crash occurred shortly after 5:15 a.m. this morning in Penn Hills. Authorities say the woman was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. The man suffered a leg injury and was being treated at a hospital. Both drivers were alone in their vehicles. Their names have not been released.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR MONDAY, JULY 8TH, 2019

 

TODAY – SUNSHINE AND CLOUDS MIXED. A STRAY SHOWER
OR THUNDERSTORM POSSIBLE. HIGH – 85.

TONIGHT – SOME PASSING CLOUDS. LOW – 64.

TUESDAY – MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGH – 87.

Fallingwater, 7 other Wright homes now World Heritage sites
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The iconic Fallingwater home built over a western Pennsylvania waterfall by Frank Lloyd Wright has been designated a World Heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
UNESCO announced it added Fallingwater and seven other U.S. buildings designed by Wright in the first half of the 20th century to its World Heritage List during a World Heritage Committee meeting Sunday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
“These buildings reflect the ‘organic architecture’ developed by Wright, which includes an open plan, a blurring of the boundaries between exterior and interior and the unprecedented use of materials such as steel and concrete,” the organization said. “Each of these buildings offers innovative solutions to the needs for housing, worship, work or leisure.”
Besides Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania, the buildings include the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House in Madison, Wisconsin, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, UNESCO said.
Wright designed Fallingwater in 1935 for Pittsburgh department store magnate Edgar Kaufmann Sr. and his family, placing the home on top of Bear Run, a mountain stream and one of the family’s favorite picnicking destinations. Its nearly four-year construction was completed in 1939. Edgar Kaufmann Jr., the Kaufmanns’ only child, inherited Fallingwater in 1955 and used it as a retreat until 1963. He donated the building and hundreds of acres to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which opened it to the public in 1964, and it now has about 180,000 visitors per year.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Lynda Waggoner, Fallingwater’s director emerita who led the team that wrote the revised 369-page nomination, said she’s convinced that without Wright “our architecture today would be very different.”
She said the eight buildings “sum up modern architecture in their open plans, abstraction of form, use of new technology, connection to nature and ability to adapt to modern living.”
Fallingwater director Justin Gunther called the designation “a tremendous honor, one reserved for the world’s most treasured places.”
“Equally as meaningful is the profound influence buildings like Fallingwater can have in enhancing our understanding of the environments we live in today, and the ones we are planning for the future,” he said.
Fallingwater and Philadelphia’s Independence Hall are the only two World Heritage sites in Pennsylvania out of more than 1,000 such sites around the world.

Stevie Wonder says he’s getting a kidney transplant in fall
By GREGORY KATZ Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Stevie Wonder surprised concertgoers in London Saturday night by announcing that he will take a break from performing so that he can receive a kidney transplant this fall.
The 69-year-old music legend made the announcement after performing “Superstition” at the end of a packed British Summer Time concert in London’s sprawling Hyde Park.
He said he was speaking out to quell rumors and sought to reassure fans that he would be okay.
“I’m going to be doing three shows then taking a break,” he said. “I’m having surgery. I’m going to have a kidney transplant at the end of September this year.”
He said a donor has been found and that he would be fine, drawing cheers from a devoted crowd of tens of thousands that stretched out from the stage as far as the eye could see.
“I came here to give you my love and to thank you for yours,” he said. “You ain’t gonna hear no rumors about us. I’m good.”
He did not provide additional information about his kidney illness. There had been a recent report that Wonder was facing a serious health issue.
A representative for Wonder didn’t immediately respond to a request Saturday for details about his health. He has kept an active schedule, including performing recently at a Los Angeles memorial service for slain rapper Nipsey Hussle.
Wonder, who has received more than two-dozen Grammy Awards, has produced a string of hits over a long career that began when he was a youngster who performed as Little Stevie Wonder. His classic hits include “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “Living for the City.”
Wonder seemed in top form throughout the concert, performing a series of his hits and paying tribute to musical heroes including Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and John Lennon, performing a stirring rendition of the latter’s “Imagine” near the end of the show.
It was a joyous event, with his fans reveling in the warm summer night — though a light drizzle fell near the end — and the career-spanning retrospective that evoked Wonder’s early days as a young Motown star.
He did seem less ebullient than in the past and made his health announcement in a somber tone with a severe look on his face. But he was smiling as he left the stage with the band playing the memorable conclusion of “Superstition” one final time.
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Associated Press television writer Lynn Elber in Los Angeles contributed.

21 hurt in shopping plaza blast: Gas lines found ruptured
By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press
PLANTATION, Fla. (AP) — A vacant pizza restaurant exploded Saturday in a thundering roar at a South Florida shopping plaza, injuring more than 20 people as large chunks of concrete flew through the air.
The blast flung debris widely along a busy road in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale. The restaurant was destroyed, and nearby businesses and cars were damaged. Though firefighters found ruptured gas lines afterward, authorities said it was too early to determine a cause.
“We thought it was thunder at first, and then we felt the building shake and things started falling. I looked outside and it was almost like the world was ending,” said Alex Carver, a worker at a deli across the street from the explosion. “It was nuts, man. It was crazy.”
The explosion hurled large pieces of concrete up to 50 yards (45 meters) away and sent pieces of metal scattering as far as 100 yards (90 meters) across the street. Carver said two of his co-workers’ cars were destroyed.
At least 21 people were injured though none of the injuries was life-threatening, Police Sgt. Jessica Ryan said.
The explosion demolished the building, leaving behind only part of its metal frame. The restaurant, called PizzaFire, had been out of business for several months. The blast also blew out the windows of a popular fitness club next door at the shopping plaza in Broward County.
Jesse Walaschek had just left the fitness club with his wife and three children, ages 4, 6 and 8. They were parked near the restaurant and had just driven about 50 yards (45 meters) away when they heard the blast.
“It was a massive explosion like I have never experienced,” he said.
Walaschek said dust and debris filled the air.
“Everything just stopped. You didn’t see anybody. I just wanted to get these guys safe,” he said, pointing to his children. “If this had happened a minute before when we were getting the kids in the car, it would have been really bad.”
Dozens of firefighters responded and could be seen picking through the rubble with dogs sniffing through the debris to make sure people weren’t trapped underneath. There were no known fatalities immediately after the explosion.
Fire department Battalion Chief Joel Gordon said there were ruptured gas lines when firefighters arrived, but he couldn’t say for certain that it was a gas explosion.
“At this point, nobody was killed. Thank goodness for that. As bad as it is, it could have been a lot worse,” Gordon said.

Woman sought in shooting in Walmart; victim critical
NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. (AP) — Authorities are seeking a woman in a shooting in a western Pennsylvania Walmart.
Allegheny County police say 22-year-old Rojanai Alston of Penn Hills is being charged with attempted homicide and aggravated assault.
Detectives say a 25-year-old woman was critically wounded when she was shot multiple times at about 9:30 p.m. Friday in the electronics section of the North Versailles (Vuhr-SAYLZ’) store.
Detectives say the victim and another woman got into a fight with the suspect before the shooting.
Walmart said it was cooperating with investigators and “Our thoughts are with the victim and her family.”
The reason for the altercation and the motive for the shooting weren’t immediately known.
Court documents don’t list a defense attorney; a message left at a number listed for Alston’s address wasn’t immediately returned Saturday.