Illegal crossings plunge as US extends policy across border
By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press
Illegal border crossings have plummeted after the Trump administration made more asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court. The drop has been most striking on Arizona’s western border, a pancake-flat desert. Border arrests there fell 94% from May to October. A Border Patrol official says traffic plunged after asylum-seekers learned they couldn’t stay in the U.S. while their cases wound through court. More than 55,000 asylum-seekers were returned to Mexico to wait for hearings through November, 10 months after the policy was introduced in San Diego.

‘Bad Boys for Life’ debuts so good with box office top spot
By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Entertainment Writer
“Bad Boys for Life” exceeded expectations coming away with a dominating No. 1 showing at the box office. The Sony Pictures film starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence brought in $59 million in the U.S. and Canada entering the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. The action-packed, buddy comedy returned for the franchise’s third installment after a 17-year hiatus with a popular demand. Second place went to “Dolittle,” starring Robert Downey Jr., which opened with a mediocre $22.5 million. Sony Pictures predicted that “Bad Boys” will make around $68 million over the four-day weekend.

No give: Trump’s impeachment defense, prosecutors dig in
By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press
Advocates for and against President Donald Trump are giving no ground in the shadow of his Senate impeachment trial. The president’s defenders are arguing that his pressure on Ukraine broke no U.S., law, so it wasn’t impeachable in the first place. The House Democrats who are prosecuting the abuse and obstruction charges say there need be no crime and that the Constitution defines a higher threshold for impeachment. Before the arguments begin, expect a fight over the structure of the trial when it resumes on Tuesday. Trump denies the charges and has cast himself as a victim of Democrats who want to overturn his 2016 election.

University student struck, killed by bus in Pittsburgh
Authorities say a Philadelphia-area college senior who aspired to be a research psychologist was struck and killed by a bus in Pittsburgh over the weekend. The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office said 20-year-old Barbara Como of Chester Springs was struck by the Port Authority bus in the Oakland neighborhood shortly after noon Saturday. The University of Pittsburgh said Como studied anthropology and psychology and was on track to graduate in the spring. Counseling is being offered to students and faculty. Port authority spokesman Adam Brandolph declined to release information about the crash but said the driver was “shaken up.”

Demi Lovato to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl
By The Associated Press undefined
Grammy-nominated pop singer Demi Lovato will perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl. The NFL and Fox on Thursday announced the performance, which will take place ahead of the big game on Feb. 2 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira will headline the halftime show. A week before the Super Bowl, Lovato will perform at the 2020 Grammy Awards on Jan. 26.

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) The National Weather Service has issued the following warnings for Severe Weather on Saturday January 20, 2020:

Hazardous Weather Outlook

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
224 PM EST Fri Jan 17 2020


...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 1 PM EST
SATURDAY...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for east central Ohio, southwest
Pennsylvania, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and the
northern panhandle of West Virginia.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Winter Weather Advisory.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather
conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures.

---

 

Winter Weather Advisory

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA
202 PM EST Fri Jan 17 2020


...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 1 PM EST
SATURDAY...

* WHAT...Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations
  of up to 3 inches and ice accumulations of a light glaze.

* WHERE...Portions of southwest and western Pennsylvania, east
  central Ohio and northern and the northern panhandle of West
  Virginia.

* WHEN...From 1 AM to 1 PM EST Saturday.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Snow will transition to a mix of freezing
  rain and sleet through Saturday morning. Precipitation will
  change to rain by Saturday afternoon.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Slow down and use caution while traveling.

Please report snow or ice by calling 412-262-1988, posting to the
NWS Pittsburgh Facebook page, or using Twitter @NWSPittsburgh

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania
Turnpike Commission remind motorists to adjust speeds based on
driving conditions as winter weather impacts Pennsylvania
roadways. Visit www.511pa.com for the latest travel, roadway and
traffic conditions.

PA governor to follow through on plan to close state prison
Gov. Tom Wolf says he’ll follow through on his plan to close another state prison. Wolf’s administration made the announcement Friday after it carried out the required hearings on its plan. The move was announced originally in August as a cost-cutting step amid a declining inmate population and rising prison costs. The plan was criticized by the corrections’ officers union and state lawmakers whose districts surround Retreat state prison in northeastern Pennsylvania. Retreat, about 10 miles west of Wilkes-Barre, has about 400 employees and about 940 inmates. The administration says the closing could occur in four months at an annual savings of $40 million.