Category: News

Man Wanted for Bank Robbery Shot, Killed by Police in Wilkinsburg

WILKINSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man wanted for a bank robbery was shot and killed by authorities as he held a woman at knifepoint and threatened her in an apartment building. The shooting occurred late Wednesday, when members of a joint task of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County police and the FBI confronted the man in Wilkinsburg. Officials say two law enforcement officers shot the man because they feared the woman’s life was in danger. The woman wasn’t injured. But a Pittsburgh police detective suffered a minor leg injury.

Police: Pirates’ Vázquez attempted to have sex with minor

Police: Pirates’ Vázquez attempted to have sex with minor
By WILL GRAVES AP Sports Writer
GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vázquez was being held Wednesday in a Pennsylvania jail on multiple felony charges after allegedly telling investigators he attempted to have sex with an underage girl during a meeting at her house in 2017.
Vázquez is charged with statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors, all felonies, and a misdemeanor count of indecent assault of a person under 16 years old.
The charges are related to Vázquez’s alleged encounters with a girl starting in 2017, when she was 13. Vázquez was expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Westmoreland County, though it was uncertain whether he would attend the hearing in person or do it via video from the Allegheny County Jail. Vázquez has been in the jail since surrendering to authorities Tuesday on a felony warrant issued in Florida stemming from illicit electronic communication with the same girl.
Vázquez began talking to the girl on social media in 2017 before driving to her house in Westmoreland County, outside Pittsburgh, a state police trooper wrote in court papers.
In an interview with troopers last month, she said she got in Vázquez’s car, he removed her pants and tried to have sex with her, the trooper wrote. On Tuesday, troopers interviewed Vázquez at his residence and wrote that he admitted to driving to the girl’s house and trying to have sex with her. Troopers also said Vázquez admitted receiving explicit photos of the girl by cellphone and texting her explicit messages as recently as July.
Pennsylvania authorities began investigating the 28-year-old Vázquez in August after being contacted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The victim’s mother contacted Florida officials after learning of an alleged sexual relationship between Vázquez and a teenage girl living in Lee County, Florida.
The arrest warrant from Florida accuses Vázquez of one count of computer pornography/solicitation of a child and one count of providing obscene material to minors. Pennsylvania officials do not plan to pursue extradition until their investigation is completed.
Vázquez was denied bond during a hearing Tuesday on the Florida charges, with the judge saying the Venezuelan-born Vázquez was a flight risk.
Major League Baseball placed Vázquez on administrative leave under its agreement with the players’ association on handling domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse. Administrative leave is not considered discipline. Vázquez goes on the restricted list and continues to receive his $4 million salary but is ineligible to play.
Workers removed a banner depicting Vázquez from outside PNC Park before the Pirates lost to the Mariners on Tuesday night. Team president Frank Coonelly, general manager Neal Huntington and manager Clint Hurdle addressed the players in a pregame meeting and there was a somber mood in the clubhouse afterward. By the time the game ended, Vázquez’s locker had been cleaned out and given to another player.
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Associated Press writer Marc Levy in Harrisburg contributed to this report.
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Trump Names Hostage Envoy O’Brien National Security Adviser

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has named Robert O’Brien, his chief hostage negotiator and a longtime presence in Republican political circles, as his new national security adviser, replacing John Bolton. O’Brien will be the point person on national security as the U.S. faces rising tensions with Iran over a weekend attack on Saudi oil installations and amid fresh uncertainty in Afghanistan. Trump tweeted the announcement Wednesday.

Judge Takes Himself off Jerry Sandusky Resentencing Case

UNDATED (AP) — The judge handling the pending resentencing of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is taking himself off the case. Judge John Foradora signed an order Wednesday announcing he has recused himself. He’s taking himself off because of something “separate, distinct and wholly unrelated to” the Sandusky case. No details were provided. Foradora was brought in to handle Sandusky’s resentencing on a child sexual abuse conviction. A message seeking comment was left for Foradora.

Migrant Mothers and Children Sue Over Trump’s Asylum Ban

More than 125 migrant mothers and children have sued the U.S. government, claiming the Trump administration has violated the rights of asylum-seekers through the arbitrary and capricious implementation of a virtual asylum ban at the southern border. The lawsuit, filed late on Monday, was the first to challenge President Donald Trump over asylum since the U.S. Supreme Court decided last week that an anti-asylum rule will be allowed to take effect while a separate lawsuit on its underlying legality is heard. Unlike other suits that have targeted the asylum rule itself, the latest filing challenges the Trump administration on procedural grounds, saying the government has enacted changes without warning, resulting in elevated rejection rates for asylum-seekers.

Matzie: State Grants Awarded for Beaver County Parks

MORE THAN 104-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN STATE GRANTS HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO FUND NEW EQUIPMENT FOR BEAVER COUNTY PARKS. BEAVER COUNTY RADIO NEWS CORRESPONDENT SANDY GIORDANO HAS DETAILS. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…