December 9, 2022 2:17 am
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has rejected a proposed settlement with Columbia Gas regarding a natural gas explosion that destroyed a home in Washington County in 2019, injuring several people and damaging other nearby homes. The explosion happened at 100 Park Lane and was caused by the over-pressurization of the house piping and appliances because Columbia Gas had failed to equip the home with a service regulator. In Thursday’s motion, the chairman raised a series of concerns following review of the settlement along with public comments that were received about the settlement – which had proposed a civil penalty of $990,000, along with corrective actions by Columbia Gas. Per the motion, the Commission is seeking to further develop the record in this case before rendering a decision, including, whether any remedial measures stemming from a 2018 over-pressurization event in Massachusetts were recommended for Columbia Gas of PA and, if so, whether they were effectuated – which could be relevant to the Pennsylvania case; an estimated timeline for completion of each of the corrective actions proposed in this settlement, and an accounting of the monetary damage caused by the explosion and if Columbia Gas ratepayers are responsible for the financial liability, which is a factor in determining civil penalties.
December 9, 2022 1:44 am
Sherman “Detroit Shawn” Springer learned his fate Thursday morning after his two day trial on drug delivery resulting in death and drug possession charges. The jury of 9 men and three women delivered a unanimous verdict of guilty. Springer was convicted of delivering cocaine laced with fentanyl to Lonnie Barnes of Washington. Barnes and Chelsea Cox ingested the cocaine delivered by Springer and both quickly overdosed. Barnes died of his overdose, Cox survived her overdose and became the key witness that pointed to Springer as the person that delivered the fatal drugs. Springer will be subject to a pre-sentencing investigation. His sentencing is scheduled for March 6.
December 8, 2022 12:25 pm
Nearly 66 years after the battered body of a young boy was found stuffed inside a cardboard box, Philadelphia police have identified him as 4-year-old Joseph Augustus Zarelli. Authorities said Thursday that the investigation into who is responsible for his death remained ongoing. Police say detective work and DNA analysis helped them learn the name of the youngster who’d been known to generations of Philadelphians as the “Boy in the Box.” His naked, badly bruised body was found in a wooded area on Feb. 25, 1957. The case is Philadelphia’s oldest unsolved homicide.
December 8, 2022 8:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Russia has freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. The swap was confirmed by U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the negotiations who weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the deal before a White House announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity. It comes at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine and it achieves a top goal for President Joe Biden. But it also comes with a heavy price and leaves behind an American who’s been jailed for nearly four years in Russia. Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist who’s been imprisoned for months on drug charges. (Photo: ABC News)
December 8, 2022 3:40 am
DENVER (AP) — Authorities say the person who would later kill five at a Colorado gay nightclub was on the FBI’s radar a day before being arrested for threatening to kill family members. However, agents closed out the case just weeks later. The disclosure by the FBI to The Associated Press creates a new timeline for when law enforcement was first alerted to Anderson Lee Aldrich as a potential danger. Previously it was thought Aldrich only became known to authorities after making the threat on June 18, 2021. The details of the June 17 tip aren’t known. (Photo: AP)
December 8, 2022 3:39 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is facing consistent but critical assessments of his leadership and the national economy as his second year in the White House comes to a close. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 43% of U.S. adults say they approve of the way Biden is handling his job as president, while 55% disapprove. That’s similar to October, just weeks before the Nov. 8 elections that most Americans considered pivotal for the country’s future. Only about a quarter say the nation is headed in the right direction or that the economy is in good condition. (Photo: AP)
December 8, 2022 3:37 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of journalists and other employees at The New York Times began a 24-hour walkout Thursday in what would be the first strike of its kind at the newspaper in more than 40 years. It would be the first strike of its kind at the paper in more than 40 years. Newsroom employees and other members of The NewsGuild of New York say they are fed up with bargaining that has dragged on since their last contract expired in March 2021. The union announced last week that more than 1,100 employees would stage a 24-hour work stoppage starting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday unless a deal could be struck. The union said Wednesday the walkout would take place. A Times spokesperson said the paper has contingency plans to continue operating with minimal disruptions.
December 8, 2022 3:36 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is set to take a final vote on protections for same-sex marriages. The vote Thursday will send the legislation to President Joe Biden, a monumental step in a decadeslong battle for nationwide recognition of such unions that reflects a stunning turnaround in societal attitudes. A law requiring all states to recognize same-sex marriages would be a relief for hundreds of thousands of couples who have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision legalizing the marriages. The bipartisan legislation would also protect interracial unions by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.” (Photo: AP)
December 8, 2022 3:35 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has outpaced all her predecessors for the number of tiebreaking votes cast in the Senate. But now the pressure will be off because Democrats have expanded their majority to 51 seats with Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory in the Georgia runoff. Although she could still be called upon in a pinch, her party will have more breathing room on close votes — meaning Harris will have more flexibility in her schedule. During her first two years in office, she’s often had to stick close to home in case she was needed to advance legislation or a nomination on Capitol Hill. (Photo: AP)
December 8, 2022 3:34 am
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — 2022’s most notable quotations include a tart retort by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a U.S. offer of help. That’s according to a list compiled each year by Yale Law School librarian Fred Shapiro as a supplement to The New Yale Book of Quotations. Zelenskyy had the No. 1 quote, “I need ammunition, not a ride,” responding to a U.S. offer to transport him to safety days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Former U.S. President Donald Trump was No. 2, for repeating his lies about the 2020 election being stolen and calling for the “termination” of parts of the Constitution. Comedian Chris Rock also made the list, for describing how actor Will Smith slapped him during the Academy Awards ceremony. (Photo: AP)
