October 1, 2022 11:26 am
Pittsburgh, PA-(WPXI)-Baer died at the age of 74 in his sleep, according to a release sent by state Sen. Jay Costa. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court said he died at his home near Pittsburgh.“I am saddened and heartbroken to learn of the passing of the Honorable Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Max Baer, a respected leader, and a true public servant,” Costa said in a statement. “It has been a joy to call him a friend for the past 30 years as he has served Allegheny County and the entire commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A fellow Duquesne Law School graduate and lifelong yinzer, Justice Baer leaves an accomplished legacy of moral clarity, justice, and care for our democracy. I will miss him greatly and am holding his family in my prayers today.”Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said, “He had such a significant, positive impact on the judiciary, first as a Common Pleas Court judge, and then as a member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and then as the Chief Justice. His loss will be greatly felt. Max’s heart and passion for those who were in need, particularly families and children, was well known and evident in much of his work. His efforts to raise money for kids, through the music fund that raised money through an annual concert and the annual comedy night, a highlight of the political season, was unmatched.”Baer, a Pittsburgh native, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1971 and from Duquesne’s University School of Law in 1975, per his online profile. He served as a deputy attorney general for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1975-1980 and was elected as a judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County in 1989. He was elected a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 2003 and was sworn in as chief justice of Pennsylvania only last year.“This is a tremendous loss for the Court and all of Pennsylvania,” Justice Debra Todd said in a statement. “Pennsylvania has lost a jurist who served the Court and the citizens of the Commonwealth with distinction. Chief Justice Baer was an influential and intellectual jurist whose unwavering focus was on administering fair and balanced justice. He was a tireless champion for children, devoted to protecting and providing for our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. His distinguished service and commitment to justice and fairness spanned his decades on the bench – first as a family court judge in Allegheny County and eventually as administrative judge in family court before being elected to serve on the Supreme Court.“On behalf of the Court, we offer our deepest condolences to family, friends and colleagues of Chief Justice Baer.”Further information on funeral services has not yet been released.
October 1, 2022 10:23 am
Governor Tom Wolf announced on Friday that over 1.7 million Pennsylvanians are eligible the Biden Administration’s student debt relief plan. That plan may cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for eligible borrowers. These student loan borrowers will not be taxed by the state for this relief. According to the federal Department of Education 988,800 borrowers are eligible for $20,000 in debt relief and 731,000 will have their federal loans completely forgiven. In October, the Department of Education will contact eligible borrowers and make the relief application available.
October 1, 2022 9:33 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Memphis’ long-held problems with testing rape kits quickly have come under renewed scrutiny with Cleotha Henderson’s arrest last month in the killing of Eliza Fletcher, a mother and kindergarten teacher who was abducted while jogging. Authorities say a rape kit submitted in September 2021 for the sexual assault of a different woman sat untested for nearly a year. It wasn’t until Sept. 5 – three days after Fletcher’s abduction – that DNA from the 2021 assault matched Henderson’s in a national database. That revelation has sparked outrage and left many wondering whether Fletcher’s killing could have been prevented. It has also shown a spotlight on continued delays even after Memphis worked through a large backlog of untested rape kits.
October 1, 2022 9:29 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court begins a new term on Monday at a time of diminished public confidence and justices sparring openly over the institution’s legitimacy. The court seems poised to push American law to the right on issues of race, voting and the environment. Back in June, the conservative majority overturned nearly 50 years of constitutional protections for abortion rights. Now, the court is diving back in with an aggressive agenda that appears likely to split the six conservative justices from the three liberals. Joining the nine-member court is new Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s first Black woman.
October 1, 2022 9:23 am
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Dozens of Florida residents left their flooded and splintered homes by boat and by air on Saturday as rescuers continued to search for survivors in the wake of Hurricane Ian, while authorities in South Carolina and North Carolina began taking stock of their losses. The death toll from the storm, one of the strongest hurricanes by wind speed to ever hit the U.S., grew to more than four dozen, with 47 deaths confirmed in Florida, four in North Carolina and three in Cuba. The storm weakened Saturday as it rolled into the mid-Atlantic, but not before it washed out bridges and piers, hurdled massive boats into buildings onshore and sheared roofs off homes, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. The bulk of the deaths confirmed in Florida were from drowning in storm waters, but others from Ian’s tragic aftereffects. An older couple died when they lost power and their oxygen machines shut off, authorities said.
October 1, 2022 9:18 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian forces have encircled Russian troops in the strategic eastern city of Lyman in a counteroffensive that has humiliated the Kremlin. Russian bombardments, meanwhile, are intensifying after Moscow illegally annexed a swath of Ukrainian territory Friday in a sharp escalation of the war. In the northeast, Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of attacking a civilian evacuation convoy, killing 20 people including children. In the south, Ukraine’s nuclear power provider said Saturday that Russian forces blindfolded and detained the head of Europe’s largest nuclear plant. The fighting comes at a pivotal moment in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war. Putin this week heightened his threats of nuclear force and used his most aggressive, anti-Western rhetoric to date.
October 1, 2022 4:14 am
PennDot is informing motorists of short term traffic slow downs on Route 19 and Interstate 70/79 in South Strabane Township. Traffic slowdowns of 15 minutes or less will occur in both directions of Route 19 and Interstate 70/79 between 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Sunday October 2 weather permitting for filming work. PennDot is making clear that they are not involved with the work and are making motorists aware as a public service.
October 1, 2022 4:07 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. (WPXI)— A special dedication took place at the Washington High School homecoming game on Friday night.Caleb Jackson was honored by 84 Lumber with a new state-of-the-art digital scoreboard.Jackson was a Washington High alumnus and was a standout football and basketball player. He died in a motorcycle crash in May 2021.After graduating, he worked for 84 Lumber, who helped his memory live on in the gridiron.
October 1, 2022 4:02 am
The Canonsburg couple that are charged with the death of their three month old daughter had their preliminary hearing on Friday. James May, 31 and Shannon McKnight, 23 are facing identical charges of criminal homicide, endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment along with two drug possession charges. The nearly two hour hearing had the district attorney and both defense attorneys disagreeing over whether criminal homicide is an appropriate charge in this case. Public Defender Glenn Alterio questioned Coroner Timothy Warco over his determination that the death of the three month old was homicide and not something else such as accidental death. District Attorney Jason Walsh argued that parents ingesting fentanyl in the same bed as their children is nothing less that reckless. May and McKnight called an ambulance when they found their infant daughter without response on August 11. Their older child was taken to Children’s Hospital where it was determined he had drugs in his system. Testimony in the hearing showed that the parents did not attend their child’s funeral. They were found and taken into custody on August 19 hiding in the rafters of a Canton Township home. District Justice James Saieva held all charges for court. May and McKnight remain in the Washington County Jail without bond.
October 1, 2022 3:49 am
A Washington County man is accused of making and possessing 500 files of child porn. Fifty-six-year-old Dennis Shrader of North Bethlehem Township, a bus driver for the Bentworth School District was arrested after state police searched his house Tuesday. State police say they received multiple tips from a software company called Synchronoss, saying someone was uploading child porn to its account. Synchronoss was able to give the uploaded files to the police for an investigation. Court documents said the account contained files of toddlers and toddlers being abused. Police also found explicit photos of females between the ages of 8 and 15 years old and said the phone number attached to the account belonged to Shrader. After receiving a subpoena, authorities conducted a search of his house. During the search, a laptop was found, which contained the files attached to the Synchronoss tips. Police said Shrader admitted to possessing child pornography and to taking photographs and videos of an underage female. They say Shrader told them he was the only person who used the laptop. Shrader is currently being held at the Washington County Jail and is expected to have a preliminary hearing on Oct. 5.
