March 10, 2021 9:29 am
Longtime attorney Joyce Hatfield Wise has announced a bid for judgeship in the Court of Common Pleas of Washington County. The 56 year old Wise has practiced law for more than 23 years. She is a graduate of Chartiers Houston High School, the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University School of Law. Wise spent 18 years as an attorney for Washington COunty Children and Youth Services. She retired from that position in 2016 and currently operates in private practice on Orphan’s Court and Juvenile Delinquency matters. She is a resident of Amwell Township.
March 10, 2021 4:29 am
Longtime NBC and CBS correspondent and television anchor Roger Mudd has died at the age of 93. CBS News says Mudd died Tuesday of complications of kidney failure at his home in McLean, Virginia. The journalist famously once stumped Sen. Edward Kennedy by simply asking why he wanted to be president. During more than 30 years on network television, Mudd covered Congress, elections and political conventions. He was also a frequent anchor and contributor to various specials. His career coincided with the flowering of television news, when the big three networks and their powerhouse ranks of reporters were the main source of news for millions of Americans.
March 10, 2021 4:28 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Jury selection opens its second day Wednesday in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death last May. Derek Chauvin faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Several potential jurors were dismissed Tuesday, including some who said they wouldn’t be able to set aside their strong views about the case. A widely seen bystander video of Floyd’s arrest last May recorded his repeated pleas that he couldn’t breathe while Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck. Jury selection is proceeding even as a potential appellate court ruling could halt the trial. That matter involves the state’s desire to add a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin.
March 10, 2021 4:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has approved Democratic legislation that would invigorate workers’ unions following decades of court defeats and legislative setbacks. The bill that passed Tuesday on a 225-206 vote would block so-called Right to Work laws across the country and generally make it easier to organize a union. It would also prohibit companies from hiring replacements for workers on strike. The legislation has been endorsed by President Joe Biden, who recently gave his support to a union drive at an Amazon facility in Alabama. But the bill faces heavy opposition from Republicans, making it unlikely that it can pass the Senate and become law.
March 10, 2021 4:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress has sent President Joe Biden the landmark $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The House approved the bill Wednesday over solid Republican opposition in a vote that gives the new president and Democrats a victory just seven weeks after he took office. The 628-page measure represents Democrats’ effort to bridle the catastrophic pandemic and revive the enfeebled economy. Republicans say the measure is bloated, crammed with liberal policies and heedless of signs the dual crises are easing. The Senate passed the measure over unanimous Republican opposition four days ago.
March 10, 2021 4:22 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) -Police are investigating multiple shootings across several scenes on Pittsburgh’s North Side after police said there was a shootout. Our news Partners at Channel 11 report there were three shooting victims, all men, that have been taken to local hospitals including AGH and Mercy. Neighbors said they have a suspect on camera running from one of the shooting scenes. Two of the victims were in critical condition and one victim was in stable condition. Police said there was a shootout with at least 20 gunshots fired. Evidence markers lined parts of Suismon at James street. Another scene was on East Ohio Street outside of a convenience store. Investigators said the shooting was reported around 9:20 p.m. The Violent Crime Unit was on scene investigating. It’s believed the shooting victims all knew each other and that this was not a random incident.
March 10, 2021 4:18 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania state government is expected to receive more than $7 billion from the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package making its way through Congress, or almost one-fifth of its operating costs this year. On Tuesday, some lawmakers warned that the one-time sum of money should only be used for one-time costs. Many across the state government were still trying to determine exactly what restrictions are on the money. The estimated $7.3 billion coming to Pennsylvania state government dwarfs the roughly $2.5 billion deficit projected next year for state government next year by the Independent Fiscal Office, a legislative agency.
March 10, 2021 4:16 am
North Franklin Township Supervisor Chairman Bob Sabot previewed plans for a new township municipal building on Tuesday. Plans call for a 7000 square foot building that not only will hold township office space but will include a community room for gatherings of up to 200 people. The new building will be located on Franklin Farms Road on property purchased from the Pennsylvania American Water Company. The new building will be in front of an 80 acre parcel of land that is under development as a new township park. The cost of the project is $2,225,500 and will be funded by existing funds in savings from a previous bond refinance, Act 13 funds, an LSA grant and the sale of the current municipal building. Sabot says they expect to break ground in the fall of 2021 and hope to have construction complete in the fall of 2022.
March 9, 2021 12:47 pm
LONDON (AP) – Buckingham Palace has issued a statement, saying the family was saddened to learn of the challenges Harry and Meghan had faced in the past few years and that they would address the issues privately. The palace said Tuesday the “issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning,” and are taken very seriously. “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members,” the statement says. The statement is the first comment by the palace following Harry and Meghan’s two hour interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they alleged that Meghan had experienced racism and callous treatment during her time in the royal family.
March 9, 2021 7:36 am
The Burgettstown School District has found its new Superintendent. The board has appointed Stephen Puskar to take over for Dr. James Walsh who is leaving to become Superintendent in the Bethel Park School District. Puskar currently serves as the Jr./Sr. High Principal of Claysburg-Kimmel School District near Altoona. He previously worked as an administrator in the Wilkinsburg and Baldwin-Whitehall School Districts. Puskar says “I am both proud and grateful that the school board selected me to be Dr. Walsh’s successor.” “I am humbled to be the next Superintendent” and “I look forward to working alongside everyone to create the best possible learning environment for the students.” The district says Dr. Joyce Nicksick will serve as acting superintendent during a transition period. She lives in Burgettstown and is a retired superintendent from Wilmington School District in Lawrence County.
