March 2, 2022 2:29 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia Republicans have forged ahead with an overhaul of mine safety regulation that strips the state of its ability to cite coal companies for unsafe working conditions. They blocked an effort Tuesday by Democrats to derail the measure. That came after dozens of miners and former miners gathered at the Capitol to testify against the bill. It would essentially strip the state office of miners’ health, safety and training’s ability to enforce laws – in fact, it eliminates all enforcement language from state code. The bill is scheduled for a final reading Wednesday in the House and still must be considered in the Senate.
March 2, 2022 2:09 am
A Canonsburg man asked for a jury trial for felony drug and firearm possession charges that he is facing. John Lazear, 38 is facing possession with intent to deliver and illegal possession of firearms and is accused of supplying heroin to a woman that was picked up by North Strabane Township Police. She was found to be intoxicated and had a large amount of heroin in her car. During her interview with police she gave a great deal of information about Lazear, prompting a warranted search of his home by a SWAT team and police. Lazear is scheduled for trial in May.
In a second case, Jevonne Crawford, 23, of Donora had his case continued. He is accused of shooting and killing Dakota Johnson and shooting his girlfriend Tionya Gaston in their Donora home. His case is being delayed by an ongoing mental health evaluation. A trial date for Crawford is pending the results of that evaluation.
March 1, 2022 5:48 pm
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) – Major League Baseball has canceled opening day, with Commissioner Rob Manfred announcing Tuesday the sport will lose regular-season games over a labor dispute for the first time in 27 years after acrimonious lockout talks collapsed in the hours before management’s deadline. Manfred said he is canceling the first two series of the season that was set to begin March 31, dropping the schedule from 162 games to likely 156 games at most. Manfred said the league and union have not made plans for future negotiations. After the sides made progress during 13 negotiating sessions over 16 1/2 hours Monday, the league send the players’ association a “best and final offer” Tuesday on the ninth straight day of negotiations. (Photo: AP)
March 1, 2022 4:33 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – People are out to party as New Orleans’ first full-dress Mardi Gras since 2020 dawns Tuesday, with a day of back-to-back parades through the city. Masks against COVID-19 are required only in indoor public spaces. Parades were canceled last year because officials realized that tightly packed crowds in 2020 had created a superspreader event. As it has for years, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club will open the day with a parade that started as a mockery of white festivities, with Black riders wearing blackface and grass skirts. Next come the elaborate floats of Rex, the self-styled king of Carnival, followed by lots of homemade floats on long flatbed trailers.
March 1, 2022 4:32 am
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes and many more have been told to prepare to flee as parts of Australia’s southeast coast are inundated by the worst flooding in decades. The flooding has claimed at least nine lives. Scores of residents spent hours trapped on their roofs in recent days by a fast-rising river in the town of Lismore in northern New South Wales state. The body of a woman in her 80s was found by a neighbor in her Lismore home on Tuesday. There were no details of how she died. The New South Wales government says 40,000 people have been ordered to evacuate.
March 1, 2022 4:32 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A 40-mile convoy of Russian tanks and other vehicles is threatening Ukraine’s capital as an intense shelling attack targeted the country’s second-largest city. Meanwhile, both sides look to resume talks in the coming days aimed at stopping the fighting. Ukraine’s embattled president said he believed the stepped-up shelling was aimed at forcing him into concessions. The developments came as Russia finds itself increasingly isolated as a result of international condemnation and potentially backbreaking economic sanctions. Six days into the invasion, the Russian military’s movements have been stalled by fierce resistance on the ground and a surprising inability to dominate the airspace.
March 1, 2022 4:31 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Authorities say a man shot and killed his three daughters, their chaperone and himself during a supervised visit with the girls at a church in Sacramento, California. An official says deputies responding to reports of gunfire around 5 p.m. Monday found five people dead, including the shooter, at the church in the Arden-Arcade neighborhood. The victims included three girls ages 9, 10 and 13. The sheriff says the shooter was estranged from the children’s mother, who had a restraining order against him. Investigators believe the shooting happened during a supervised visit with the children and the fourth victim was their chaperone.
March 1, 2022 4:29 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russian strikes pounded the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city and other civilian targets, and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital. Ukraine’s embattled president accused Moscow on Tuesday of resorting to terror tactics to press Europe’s largest ground war in generations. With the Kremlin increasingly isolated by tough economic sanctions that have tanked the ruble currency, Russian troops advanced on Ukraine’s two biggest cities. In strategic Kharkiv, explosions tore through the region’s Soviet-era administrative building and residential areas on Day 6 of an invasion that has shaken the 21st century world order.
March 1, 2022 4:28 am
A Washington & Jefferson College student is no longer enrolled at the school after displaying a sign at Saturday’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship game against Westminster. In a statement sent to WJPA, Eva Chatterjee-Sutton, the Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students said the student was “immediately removed from the game when the incident was brought to the attention of college administrators. As of February 27, 2022 the student is no longer enrolled at W&J.” It goes on to say, “out of respect for the Westminster student, we believe it would be inappropriate to discuss the content of the sign. We are continuing to investigate the matter to determine whether other were involved in any way.” She says the college community has extended messages of apology and support for the Westminster student. According to reports, the W&J student was sitting in the student section displaying a sign the had the date of when the Westminster players father died. The player says comments were made to her about her fathers passing at a previous game against W&J. The players mother also posted on social media about the incident. She claims the previous incident was brought to the attention of W&J officials but nothing was done. She called the incident, “heartbreaking” and “sickening”.
March 1, 2022 4:09 am
The Chartiers Township Zoning Hearing Board held a public meeting to gather testimony regarding the construction of a 150 foot cell phone tower that is proposed for an R-2 residential neighborhood. Vogue Towers Partners VII, LLC have applied to build the tower at 604 Ridge Avenue. Their customer, Verizon Wireless has determined that coverage for cell phones in that area is deficient and a tower needs to be built to better deliver cell phone service. Vogue Towers has filed an application for a substantive validity challenge and special exception to build the tower and supporting facilities. More than 30 residents of the area around Ridge Avenue and Cynthia Drive showed up to listen and offer more than four hours of testimony. Residents are concerned about additional landslides that plague the area. Health concerns and property devaluation issues were also aired. Representatives from Vogue Towers answered questions and concerns for the board and residents. Answers from Vogue Towers were not well received by residents. The board closed testimony and will deliberate the matter and will give their final decision at their next board meeting on March 21 at 5:00PM.
