TSA Catches Bethel Park Man With Gun – Again

March 19, 2024 2:22 am

(WPXI) – A Bethel Park man was caught – for a second time – trying to take a loaded gun onto a flight at Pittsburgh International Airport Friday. The man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers with a .380 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets among his carry-on items. He did not have a valid permit to carry a firearm. The man was also caught with a gun in 2014. The catch brings the total number of guns caught at the airport’s checkpoints to seven so far in the first eight weeks of the new year.

Trump White House Official Reports To Prison

March 19, 2024 3:46 pm

MIAMI (AP) — Peter Navarro is now the first senior Trump administration official to serve prison time related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. The former trade advisor under President Donald Trump has reported to prison to begin serving his sentence for refusing to cooperate with the House Jan. 6 committee. Navarro was defiant in remarks to reporters near a prison complex in Miami on Tuesday, where he will serve a four-month sentence after being found guilty of contempt of Congress charges. Navarro has maintained that he couldn’t cooperate with the committee because former President Donald Trump had invoked executive privilege. Courts have rejected that argument, finding he couldn’t prove Trump had actually invoked it.  (Photo:  ABC)

Trump Makes Jan. 6 Attack Cornerstone Of Campaign

March 19, 2024 5:14 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is making the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol a cornerstone of his bid to return to the White House. Trump opened his first rally as the presumed Republican Party presidential nominee standing in salute with a recorded chorus of Jan. 6 prisoners singing the national anthem. It’s not just rewriting the violent siege of the Capitol and the effort to overturn the 2020 election. It’s an attempt to normalize their behavior — and his — as the indicted Trump faces charges stemming from Jan. 6. Those who study authoritarian regimes say voters should pay attention as Trump vows to pardon Jan. 6 offenders.

Trump Says Jews Who Vote Democrat “Hate Israel”

March 19, 2024 5:11 am

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats “hate Israel” and hate “their religion,” igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders. Trump, in an interview, had been asked about Democrats’ growing criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the war in Gaza as the civilian death toll continues to mount. He responded, “I actually think they hate Israel.” He went on to say that: “Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel will be destroyed.”

Netanyahu Agrees To Send Israeli Officials To Washington

March 19, 2024 5:13 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to send a team of Israeli officials to Washington to discuss with Biden administration officials a prospective Rafah operation, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Sullivan says each party is “making clear to the other its perspective.” The White House has been skeptical of Netanyahu’s plan to carry out an operation in the southern city of Rafah, where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering, as Israel looks to eliminate Hamas following its deadly Oct. 7 attack. Biden and Netanyahu spoke on Monday for the first time in more than a month.

Employee Charged In Deadly Blawnox Shooting

March 19, 2024 1:13 pm

(WPXI) – A man has been charged in a Tuesday morning Blawnox shooting that killed a woman and left a man in critical condition.  The Allegheny County Police Department says officers took Sean Black, 42, of Allegheny Township, Westmoreland County, into custody at Tri-Arc Manufacturing. He faces charges of homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person.  Police accuse Black of walking into Tri-Arc Manufacturing on Fountain Street and shooting two people. Courtney Smith, 30, was pronounced dead at the scene. Another man was taken to the hospital.  Police say Black and the two victims were employees at Tri-Arc Manufacturing and they believe the shooting is “domestic in nature.”  Company officials say the plant will be closed until further notice.

Peters Township School Board Discusses Calendar

March 19, 2024 4:48 am

Peters Township School Board Directors discussed several measures at length at their meeting Monday night. The item that brought deep discussion was a draft version of the school calendar for two years from today. Two versions of 2025-2026 calendar were presented with the only difference between them was the length of Spring Break around the Easter holiday. One version had a ten day break for students, the second only five days. Approved by a 6-3 vote was the calendar with the longer break. That calendar will be presented to the public for their comment in the near future. As far as the calendar for the 2024-2025 school year, that was approved in January. The first day of school will be August 21, 2024. Christmas break will begin December 21 and students will return on January 2, 2025. The last day of school will be June 5, 2025.  A second topic that drew discussion was the planned upgrades to computer devices that are issued to students for their classroom use. A $182,000 annual lease for a combined 1048 laptops and chromebooks was approved unanimously after detailed discussion was held regarding whether computers should be district owned or privately owned. The item is part of a three year upgrade program to replace computers that have been worn out through student use.

One Injured In Rostraver Township Crash

March 19, 2024 5:05 am

ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A dump truck slammed in an SUV in Rostaver Township early Monday morning. The crash happened on Route 51 and Fellsburg Road at around 6:51 a.m., Westmoreland County 911 said. Rostraver Central Fire Department on Facebook said one person was trapped in the car and crews had to use the HURST Jaws of Life to get them out. They were taken to the hospital and there’s no word on their current condition. Officials said Route 51 was restricted for around an hour due to the crash.

Family Devastated After Fatal I-70 Crash

March 19, 2024 5:02 am

ALLENPORT, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Washington County family is devastated over the loss of their loved one who was killed in a crash over the weekend. Kayla Demo said her little sister Tori Demo, 25, was everything to her. “She was such a bright, lovely girl,” Kayla said. “She was so full of life. Her smile, she was just beautiful inside and out. Heart full of gold. She’d give you her last dollar.” Kayla said she feels alone and destroyed without her sister. The 25-year-old was killed in a horrific car crash Saturday morning when she driving to Petsmart as part of her job with a cleaning business. Tori was on I-70 in Rostraver Township in Westmoreland County when State Police said a driver in a pickup truck rear ended her. The car then caught fire. State Police are still investigating the crash. It’s unclear if the driver of the truck will face any charges. (PHOTO; WPXI)

Powerball Jackpot Climbs To $687 Million

March 19, 2024 5:08 am

The Powerball jackpot stood at the edge of becoming a top-10 prize in the promotion after there was no grand prize winner on Monday night. The jackpot now stands at $687 million and has a chance of moving past the 10th-largest grand prize of $699.8 million if nobody wins on Wednesday. Numbers drawn Monday night for a prize worth $645 million were 10-17-20-39-44 and the Powerball was 16. The Power Play was 3X.