March 5, 2024 3:41 pm
(WPXI) – The Monroeville Convention Center will remain open, local leaders announced. The convention center was set to become a retail space later this year, but officials announced there were “successful discussions” with Hobby Lobby and Oxford Development Company to ensure convention center operations will continue. Public officials reportedly provided Hobby Lobby and Oxford with information about the convention center’s importance to the community after the announcement of the facility’s closure- and after review, both organizations decided to pursue termination of their lease at this location. Officials say outreach will begin soon to vendors of shows slated on June 1 or later in 2024, hoping that they will have their events at MCC as originally planned. Several stakeholders, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Allegheny County and the Municipality of Monroeville, have committed to a transition plan for the convention center. Under this plan, the convention center will operate as a “long-term community asset” under a community or government-based ownership structure, or a government-backed lease. Officials say plan details are still being formulated. (Photo: WPXI)
March 5, 2024 11:34 am
(AP) – A technical issue caused widespread login issues for a few hours across Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Messenger platforms Tuesday. Andy Stone, Meta’s head of communications, acknowledged the issues on X, formerly known as Twitter, and said the company “resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted, and we apologize for any inconvenience.” Users reported being locked out of their Facebook accounts and feeds on the platform as well as Threads and Instagram were not refreshing. WhatsApp, which is also owned by Meta, appeared unaffected. A senior official with the U.S. Cyber-security and Infrastructure Security Agency told reporters Tuesday that the agency was “not aware of any specific election nexus nor any specific malicious cyber-activity nexus to the outage.” (Photo: AP)
March 5, 2024 4:47 am
Washington City Council heard public comment at their agenda meeting Monday night. One important comment was from Fern Sibert, Director of Clean and Tidy our County Inc. Fern announced several clean up dates that will occur in the area and she is looking for volunteers. On March 23 they will concentrate on roads and highway ramps. On April 20, parks and playgrounds will be the focus. She also said that she would like to possibly have a competition between city wards to see which ward could clean their area best. Finally, on May 18 the group will focus on waterway washup. Volunteers may sign up using QR Codes on flyers posted throughout the city and on the group’s Facebook page. Not only is Sibert picking up trash, she also has a cap sorting event coming up. She is looking for help to sort collected bottle caps to be packed up to be taken to be made into park benches and tables. She says that she has 7000 pounds of caps and she could use all of the help she can get. That event will be on April 6 from 9 AM until 6 PM at the Holy Trinity Church on Hewitt Avenue. Volunteer information about this event is also available on the Facebook page. In City business council will look to adopt several resolutions to apply for grants that will benefit the park comprehensive plan update and the Stone Pavilion floor rehabilitation project.
March 5, 2024 4:57 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania state court says spreadsheets of raw data associated with every ballot cast in an election aren’t subject to public scrutiny. The Commonwealth Court ruled Monday on “cast vote records,” which were requested by an election researcher whose work has fueled right-wing attacks on voting procedures. The 5-2 ruling sides with Secretary of State Al Schmidt, whose office argued against access to these electronic records from Lycoming County for the 2020 General Election. The court majority says the cast vote records are the “electronic, modern-day equivalent” of all the votes in a traditional ballot box. State law says the contents of ballot boxes are not public records.
March 5, 2024 4:54 am
PITTSBURGH — Gas prices are going up in western Pennsylvania. The average price in the region, according to AAA, is $3.65, up two cents from last week. AAA said that a year ago, on March 6, 2023, the average price was $3.76. Here in Washington the average is also $3.65. Trple-A says the national average is nine-cents higher than one-week ago. Historically, March and April bring higher prices as travelers start heading out of town for Spring Break and demand increases. This week’s national average is 24-cents more than one-month ago.
March 5, 2024 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump are poised to have the biggest day of the primary campaign move them to the brink of winning their party’s presidential nominations and set up a historic rematch that many voters would rather not endure. Super Tuesday elections are being held in 16 states and one territory. Hundreds of delegates are at stake, the biggest haul for either party on a single day. In a dramatic departure from competitive Super Tuesdays of the past, the contests are effectively sealed this year. Both Biden and Trump have easily repelled challengers despite polls showing voters don’t want this year’s general election to be identical to 2020’s.
March 5, 2024 3:53 pm
PHOENIX (AP) — Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has announced that she won’t run for a second term. Sinema’s decision Tuesday comes after her estrangement from the Democratic Party left her politically homeless and without a clear path to reelection. Senate Republicans recently blocked a bipartisan bill to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border and deliver military aid to Ukraine and Israel, which Sinema spent months negotiating. Sinema had hoped it would be a signature achievement addressing one of Washington’s most intractable challenges. Sinema says she loves Arizona and is proud of what she’s delivered but chooses “civility, understanding, listening, working together to get stuff done.” (Photo: AP)
March 5, 2024 5:00 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Six Republicans accused of falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of Nevada’s 2020 presidential election will not stand trial until next January. A Nevada judge on Monday pushed back the trial date because of conflicting schedules. The judge also set a hearing for next month on a bid by state GOP chairman Michael McDonald and other defendants to throw out the indictment. Defense attorneys contend that Nevada state Attorney General Aaron Ford improperly brought the case in Las Vegas instead of Carson City, the state capital. They also say he failed to present evidence to the grand jury that would have exonerated their clients.
March 5, 2024 5:06 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ plans to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally and order them to leave the country is headed to the Supreme Court in a legal showdown over the federal government’s authority over immigration. Justice Samuel Alito on Monday issued an order that puts the new Texas law on hold for at least next week while the high court considers what opponents have called the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since an Arizona law more than a decade ago. The law had been set to take effect Saturday under a decision from an appeals court. Alito’s order pushed that date back until March 13.
March 5, 2024 5:07 am
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers, who face public pressure to get in vitro fertilization services restarted, are nearing approval of immunity legislation for providers. Three IVF providers paused services after the state Supreme Court’s ruling last month that frozen embryos were children under the state’s wrongful death law. Legislative committees on Tuesday will debate the bills that would protect clinics from lawsuits and criminal prosecution for the “damage or death of an embryo” during IVF services. Lawmakers are aiming to get the bills approved Wednesday.
