January 12, 2023 4:07 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Preparations are far along for two Pittsburgh-area special elections that the Republican leader of the Pennsylvania House has filed a lawsuit to delay past their scheduled date in early February. With Democrats and Republicans nearly even in the state House, the two special elections could determine partisan control of the chamber. On Wednesday, a lawyer for the Allegheny County Elections Bureau told a three-judge Commonwealth Court panel that ballots were ready to be printed, machines have been tested and most of the polling places and elections workers have been lined up. The House Republican floor leader, Rep. Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County, wants the court to invalidate two “writs” of election issued last month by his Democratic leadership counterpart, Rep. Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia. Cutler’s lawyer, Drew Crompton, told the judges — two Democrats and one Republican — they should issue an injunction against holding the special elections. The votes are meant to fill vacancies created when recently reelected Rep. Austin Davis resigned to become lieutenant governor, and Rep. Summer Lee left to take a seat in Congress. Both are Democrats. Crompton said the crux of Cutler’s claim is that McClinton was not majority leader in early December when she signed the two writs. The judges did not indicate when they will rule.
January 12, 2023 2:54 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, Jeff Beck has died. He was 78. His representatives said in a statement Wednesday that Beck died Tuesday after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis. Beck influenced generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player. Beck first came to prominence as a member of the Yardbirds and then went out on his own in a solo career that incorporated hard rock, jazz, funky blues and even opera. He was known for his improvising, love of harmonics and the whammy bar on his preferred guitar, the Fender Stratocaster. (Photo: ABC)
January 12, 2023 2:47 am
Multiple fire departments were called out just before five o’clock Wednesday to a fully-involved fire at a home at 244 Burton Avenue in Washington. Washington County 911 tells WJPA that one person was taken to Washington Hospital but there was no word on whether that individual was a resident of the home or what type of injury they suffered. We’re told that the fire was brought under control in less than an hour. There’s been no word on what caused the blaze.
January 12, 2023 2:42 am
A North Strabane Township man who began arguing with his roommate in April of 2022 and then stabbed him, pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault. Dylan Gledhill, 26 began hitting the victim Tyler LaBrosse and when LaBrosse tried to calm him down, Gledhill went to the kitchen to retrieve a knife and stabbed LaBrosse several times causing LaBrosse to be flown to a Pittsburgh hospital for surgery. Gledhill will serve seven years of probation with the first three months on electronic home monitoring. A fifteen day jail sentence has already been served and he will need to make restitution in the amount of $11,539 for LaBrosse’s medical bills. Gledhill also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor DUI charge that carries a one year license suspension and $1000 fine.
January 12, 2023 2:36 am
A winning Mega Millions lottery ticket worth one-million-dollars was sold in Washington County for the Tuesday, January 10th drawing. The ticket was sold at the Shyam Retail at 461 Racetrack Road. The store gets a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. The ticket matched all five white balls drawn, 7-13-14-15-18 but not the yellow Mega Ball 9 . Winners are not known until prizes are claimed and the tickets are validated. Tickets can be claimed within one year of their drawing date. Winners should sign the back of their ticket and can visit palottery.com to learn how to file a claim. The Mega Millions jackpot rose to an estimated $1.35 billion after no one won the grand prize in Tuesday night’s drawing.
January 12, 2023 2:29 am
Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi and Cindy Fisher, Chairperson of the Cecil Township Board of Supervisors, have announced they are running together as a team for the Washington County Board of Commissioners on the Democratic ticket. Their joint announcement was made today in downtown Washington at Democratic headquarters. During his remarks, Commissioner Maggi highlighted his work to keep Washington County’s tax rate as one of the lowest in southwestern Pennsylvania. “Over my tenure as county commissioner, I have concentrated on controlling the size of county government and, more importantly, its spending,” Maggi said, adding that his focus has always been straightforward: to make sure county government is efficient and does what is in the best interest of taxpayers. Fisher also spoke, saying, “Sharing the ticket is not the only thing that Commissioner Maggi and I share…we share the same belief that our citizens deserve a government that works for them and is transparent in all its transactions. A county government where integrity matters. We both want residents to thrive, businesses to expand, and our veterans to receive the admiration they deserve,” Fisher stated. “We share common values found in our faith, our families, and in the future that Washington County can have by returning to respecting our taxpayers and creating an environment that encourages economic growth as well as opportunities for new family-sustaining jobs.”
January 12, 2023 2:11 am
Washington County Treasurer Tom Flickinger has announced plans to seek the Republican nomination for the office of Washington County Treasurer in the May Primary. Flickinger won the position in 2020, making him the first Republican to hold the office in over twenty years. Flickinger says during his time in office, he has focused on operating efficiencies by investing in new technology like an electronic tax payment option called eNotice, which allows residents to receive their tax bill via email and pay it online. Flickinger says that approximately six-thousand residents are participating in the new system. Flickinger lives in South Strabane Township and is a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College.
January 11, 2023 5:51 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – State and local Republican leaders in New York are calling for the immediate resignation of their new GOP congressman George Santos. Santos is facing multiple investigations by prosecutors over his personal and campaign finances and lies about his resume and family heritage. Santos was swarmed by reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday and flatly rejected the call for him to resign, saying, “I will not.” The chair of the Nassau County Republican Committee said that Santos’ “lies were not mere fibs” and that he had “disgraced” the U.S. House. But the local party has no mechanism to remove Santos from office. Santos was sworn in to the U.S. House last week.
January 11, 2023 5:50 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Republicans have opened their long-promised investigation into President Joe Biden and his family. They are wielding the power of their majority to demand information from the Treasury Department and former Twitter executives as they lay the groundwork for public hearings. The Republican-led Oversight Committee requested financial information from the Treasury Department surrounding financial transactions members of the Biden family made, as well as testimony from multiple former Twitter executives, who were involved in the company’s handling of an October 2020 story from the New York Post about the president’s son. A White House spokesperson called the investigation a “political stunt.”
January 11, 2023 1:15 pm
(WPXI) – Funeral services began at noon Wednesday at Mount Saint Peter Catholic Church in New Kensington for Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire. The service was followed by a procession down Freeport Road through Brackenridge so as many people as possible had the opportunity to pay tribute to him. The Highlands School District also had a day of remote learning so students had the opportunity to attend the service. McIntire was shot in the line of duty last week while chasing a suspect. Another officer from Tarentum was wounded. He was shot in the leg and is recovering at home. Aaron Lamont Swan Jr. was named the suspect in the shootings. He was shot and killed by police following a pursuit and shootout in the City of Pittsburgh.
