November 10, 2021 2:37 am
PITTSBURGH, PA – Typically, when Deputies are contacted to approach the magnetometers at the court facilities it involves a weapon, such as a knife or a firearm, not a half-naked man. Wednesday afternoon around 1:00 p.m., authorities say attorney Jeffrey Pollock, 59, arrived at the Family Division Complex in Pittsburgh for a hearing. Pollock attempted to go through the magnetometers, but he kept alerting the machine when walking through. He explained that his suspenders were the cause of the alert and that he could not take them off. Building Guards continued to ask him to walk through until the alerts stopped. After a heated discussion with the guards, Pollock unhooked his suspenders, dropped his drawers, took them off, and placed them in the bin to go through the metal detector. At this point, Pollock was standing in the middle of the Family Division Rotunda wearing only his shirt and underwear. Sheriff’s Deputies were notified of this unusual behavior and took Pollock into custody. Pollock, who resides in Squirrel Hill, was released and charged with disorderly conduct for his gesture. The Sheriff’s Office would like to forewarn anyone who attends the Family Court Division that visible underwear is not part of the dress code.
November 9, 2021 4:46 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Big cannabis companies are backing a new, celebrity-infused campaign to enlist marijuana users to pressure Congress to legalize pot nationwide. The initiative launched Tuesday is spearheaded by the industry’s U.S. Cannabis Council and HeadCount, a voter registration group. Actor-comedians Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman are among the celebrities backing the Cannabis in Common effort. Pro-legalization groups have mounted state and federal campaigns for years, and advocates are split on the new campaign. Organizers say it breaks ground by so extensively involving major industry players and aiming to mobilize their customer bases.
November 9, 2021 4:23 pm
(AP) – Pfizer is asking U.S. regulators to allow boosters of its COVID-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older. Older Americans and other groups particularly vulnerable to the virus have had access to a third dose of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine since September. But the Food and Drug Administration has said it would move quickly to expand boosters to younger ages if warranted. The filing was announced Tuesday. Pfizer is submitting early results of a booster study in 10,000 people to make its case that it’s time to further expand the booster campaign.
November 9, 2021 12:57 pm
(WPXI) – Lock Four Volunteer Fire Company in Washington County had to temporarily shut down after approximately a third of their department tested positive for COVID-19, and most of the remaining firefighters had to quarantine. Chief Fred Schwalb says he has been hit hard by the virus, and while he’s in bed recovering, he wanted to thank a neighboring department for taking all of their calls. Schwalb contacted Washington County Emergency Services asking for help dispatching calls. Fallowfield Township has been taking calls for the last few weeks. Their chief says it’s a small community and they are glad to help when any department is in need. Schwalb says Lock Four has six firefighters who tested positive. He says the bingo fundraiser is still scheduled for Friday, calling it their biggest fundraiser. He says the hall is sanitized after every event.
November 9, 2021 12:51 pm
(WPXI) – A man is charged with homicide in the Tuesday morning stabbing deaths of his father and aunt at a home in Penn Township, authorities said. Police were called about 2:30 a.m. to the home on Harrison Avenue, near Burrell Hill Road. When officers got there, 41-year-old Neal Hubish was in the front yard. Neal Hubish told officers he was asleep when he was awakened by his father, 70-year-old Arthur Hubish, and aunt, 76-year-old Maria Puskarich, arguing, police said. He initially claimed he found them both lying on the ground inside the home, but later admitted to killing them. Arthur Hubish was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics. His sister, Puskarich, died in an ambulance while she was being taken to a hospital. The three lived together. Investigators said there was a history of domestic violence between Neal Hubish, his father and his aunt. Neal Hubish is charged with two counts of criminal homicide.
November 9, 2021 7:40 am
General Electric is splitting itself into three public companies that concentrate on aviation, healthcare and energy. The company said Tuesday that it plans a spinoff of its healthcare business in early 2023 and of its energy segment in early 2024. GE anticipates keeping a 19.9% stake in the healthcare unit. The company expects one-time separation, transition, and operational costs of approximately $2 billion related to the actions.
November 9, 2021 7:38 am
CANONSBURG, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Netflix drama series ‘Squid Game’ features adults playing children’s games for money. Losing participants face violent deaths. The hit show, created for adults, is raising concern among administrators in the Canon-McMillan School District. They say kids at Borland Manor Elementary School are playing similar games at recess, including violent outcomes. “My 9-year-old came home and asked me what ‘Squid Games’ were, and I was kind of like floored,” said Jamie Renschler, the mother of two Borland Manor students who are in 2nd and 3rd grade. “The concern is not playing red light green light. My concern is the copycat violence,” said Renschler. The school district emailed a letter to parents on Sunday. It reads, in part: “Please have a conversation with your child about this show and its content being inappropriate for school. Please let them know that they are not to talk about the games or play the games with rules from the show at school. Students that continue to play will be subject to disciplinary measures as they do not align with our school community values.” A spokesperson for the school district says administrators do not believe Borland Manor is the only school where this is happening. They will continue to monitor the issue and take action when necessary.
November 9, 2021 4:11 am
(AP) – The Biden administration is framing its vaccine mandate for private employers in life-and-death terms in a legal filing that sought to get the requirement back on track after it was halted by a federal court. Its filing in response to a stay issued over the weekend said there is no reason to rush into a ruling on whether the halt should be made permanent because the vaccine mandate won’t take effect until Jan. 4. Government lawyers said Monday that stopping the mandate from taking effect will only prolong the COVID-19 pandemic and would “cost dozens or even hundreds of lives per day.” At least 27 states have filed legal challenges.
November 9, 2021 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is launching his sales pitch for his recently passed $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Biden predicted Monday that a notoriously congested bridge that sits in Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s backyard will finally get a long overdue overhaul. Biden said in an interview with WKRC-TV that he expected the Brent Spence Bridge, which connects Cincinnati with Northern Kentucky, would get funding in the bill that the House passed last week and he is expected to soon sign into law. Biden is beginning what is expected to be an administration-wide effort to tell the country about what the bill could mean for Americans.
November 9, 2021 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has issued subpoenas to six more associates of former President Donald Trump who were involved in his efforts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election. Among those newly subpoenaed are Trump’s 2020 campaign manager Bill Stepien, senior adviser Jason Miller (pictured) and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The panel’s chairman, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, said in a statement Monday that the committee is demanding testimony and documents from former Trump campaign officials and others who strategized about how to halt the certification of Biden’s victory in a “war room” ahead of the siege.
