March 4, 2022 2:09 am
HARRISBURG-Attorney General Josh Shapiro today announced that a Fayette County priest was sentenced to 2 1/2 to 5 years in state prison for repeatedly assaulting an 11-year-old altar boy starting in 2004 and continuing until the boy was 14. Andrew Kawecki was charged by the Office of Attorney General in August 2020 after a victim reported to investigators that Kawecki forced sexual encounters with the victim starting when he was 11 years old. The assaults continued for three years in the back room of St. Cyril and Methodius Church in Fairchance where Father Kawecki prepared for services before mass.
March 3, 2022 3:48 pm
Attorney General Josh Shapiro launched an investigation into TikTok for providing and promoting its social media platform to children and young adults while use is associated with physical and mental health harms. He’s joined by a coalition of Attorneys General nationwide who are examining whether the company violated state consumer protection laws.
March 3, 2022 3:26 pm
A Kentucky jury has cleared a former police officer who fired shots during the 2020 drug raid that ended in Breonna Taylor’s death. The jury on Thursday found Brett Hankison not guilty of three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots that ripped into a neighboring apartment. A judge handed the case to jurors Thursday after lawyers for the prosecution and defense wrapped up their closing arguments.
March 3, 2022 2:48 pm
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has reached a nationwide settlement of opioid lawsuits. The deal reached Thursday would require members of the Sackler family who own the drugmaker to pay as much as $6 billion in cash. That’s at least $1 billion more than previously agreed on. In exchange, they’ll be protected from civil lawsuits. The Sacklers also issued a statement of regret. The company, family, most states and other groups had reached a deal last year, but some states opposed it because they say it didn’t do enough to hold the Sacklers accountable. A judge rejected it on appeal, kicking off negotiations that ultimately led to Thursday’s settlement.
March 3, 2022 2:16 pm
According to AAA, today’s national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.728, which is seven cents more than on Wednesday and 18 cents higher than last Thursday.
The increase comes amid an increase in demand for gasoline and the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia. On Wednesday, West Texas Intermediate ended the day at $110.60 per barrel after briefly hitting $116.57, a high that hasn’t been seen since 2008.
“Consumers should prepare in case gasoline prices rise even further,” said Jim Garrity, director of public affairs, AAA East Central. “At this point, all eyes are on crude oil, which accounts for 50 to 60 cents of each dollar you spend at the pump. But, we’re right around the corner from demand increasing and the sale of summer blend gasoline, which are both trends that typically push prices higher in the spring.”
March 3, 2022 10:36 am
DERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A family’s home was destroyed and four dogs died in a fire early Thursday morning in Derry Township, officials said. The flames broke out shortly after 1:30 a.m. at the home along Route 982. By the time firefighters got there, they said the second floor was already starting to collapse as flames shot from the front and back of the house. No people were home at the time. Officials said the parents were at work and their two children were with their grandmother. The family was having electrical issues and a heater likely caused the fire, according to Fire Chief Mark Piantine, of Derry Township VFD Co. 1 of Bradenville. What’s left of the home will be torn down.
March 3, 2022 10:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week reflecting a low level of layoffs across the economy. Jobless claims fell by 18,000 to 215,000 for the week ending February 26, from 233,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average for claims, which compensates for weekly volatility, fell by 6,000 to 230,500. In total, 1,476,000 Americans were collecting jobless aid the week that ended Feb. 12, a small uptick of 2,000 from the previous week’s revised number. First-time applications for jobless aid generally track the pace of layoffs, which are back down to fairly healthy pre-pandemic levels.
March 3, 2022 4:05 am
An Alabama man affiliated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia group has pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy for his actions leading up to and through the Jan. 6 riot. The conviction Wednesday of Joshua James marks the first person involved in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol to be convicted of the rarely used charge. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and nine others have pleaded not guilty to seditious conspiracy and other charges. The sentencing guideline range for James was estimated to be 7 1/4 to 9 years in prison. As part of the guilty pleas, he agreed to cooperate with authorities investigating the riot.
March 3, 2022 4:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol says for the first time that its evidence suggests crimes may have been committed by former President Donald Trump and his associates. The panel points to their failed effort to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. In a filing in federal court Wednesday, the House committee says Trump and his associates engaged in a “criminal conspiracy” to prevent Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. The lawmakers also say Trump and those working with him spread false information and pressured state officials to overturn the results, potentially violating multiple federal laws.
March 3, 2022 4:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson has begun courting senators on Capitol Hill, making her case for confirmation in private meetings as Democrats worked to move her nomination through the Senate within weeks. Senate Democrats concerned about their narrow 50-50 majority announced Wednesday that Jackson’s hearings will begin March 21, just three weeks after President Joe Biden nominated her to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. With a goal of an April confirmation, they are using Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s quick confirmation in 2020 as a model for Jackson. She would be the first Black woman to serve as a justice in the court’s 200-plus year history.
