June 4, 2021 4:11 am
(AP) – The head of an American Legion post in Ohio has stepped down after organizers of a Memorial Day ceremony silenced a speech about freed Black slaves honoring soldiers after the Civil War. American Legion leaders in Ohio also suspended the post’s charter on Friday and are taking steps to close it. The moves come in the wake of intense criticism over the decision to censor retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter at the ceremony in Hudson, Ohio. Kemter said he wanted to share the history of how Memorial Day originated. But organizers said that wasn’t relevant to honoring the city’s veterans.
June 4, 2021 3:33 am
A West Virginia man who was living in Canton Township pleaded guilty to one of several felony charges in front of Judge Valarie Costanzo on Thursday. Charles Franklin Norris, 36 pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy to manufacture or deliver a controlled substance. Norris was sentenced to 6-23 months in jail. However, the District Attorney agreed to the Public Defender’s request that Norris serve the minimum six months of the sentence and that would be served on electronic home monitoring with work release. Norris avoided several felony charges for prohibited possession of firearms and receiving stolen property. Costanzo granted the work release petition and Norris will report for his sentence on June 17.
June 3, 2021 8:49 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits has fallen for a fifth straight week to a new pandemic low, the latest evidence that the U.S. job market is regaining its health as the economy further reopens. The Labor Department says jobless claims dropped to 385,000 last week, down 20,000 from the week before. The decline in applications reflects a swift rebound in economic growth and the job market’s steady recovery from the coronavirus recession. More Americans are venturing out to shop, travel, dine out and congregate at entertainment venues. All that renewed spending has led companies to seek new workers.
June 3, 2021 4:16 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Republican George P. Bush says he’s running next year for attorney general of Texas. The 45-year-old son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made the announcement Wednesday in Austin. The decision sets up a potentially bruising GOP primary against sitting Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has served two terms but is shadowed by securities fraud charges and an FBI investigation. Bush is currently Texas’ land commissioner and is the last member of the Bush dynasty that is still in public office.
June 3, 2021 4:14 am
WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) – Celebrity attorney F. Lee Bailey has died. He was 87. The death was confirmed Thursday by Peter Horstmann, who worked with Bailey as an associate in the same law office for seven years. In a career that spanned decades, Bailey defended O.J. Simpson, Patricia Hearst and the alleged Boston Strangler. Bailey had been called arrogant, egocentric and contemptuous of authority. But he also was acknowledged as bold, brilliant, meticulous and tireless in the defense of his clients. Simpson once called Bailey the most valuable member of the legal team that got him acquitted of killing his wife and her friend in 1995. Bailey was disbarred in Florida and Massachusetts in the early 2000s for mishandling $6 million worth of stock for a client. But won the right to practice law in Maine in 2013.
June 3, 2021 4:13 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A judge has ordered a 12-year-old boy to be held for 21 days at a secure detention facility pending a hearing later this month. During a virtual hearing, Judge Michael Orfinger told the boy that he was facing charges of attempted first degree murder of a law enforcement officer and armed burglary of a dwelling. The judge appointed a public defender for the boy, who remained silent. The boy and a 14-year-old girl are accused of breaking into a house where they allegedly found guns and ammunition and fired at deputies in a standoff that ended only when deputies shot and wounded one of the teens.
June 3, 2021 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden met for nearly an hour Wednesday with the top Republican negotiator on infrastructure, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. Time is running out to strike a bipartisan deal, but they have agreed to reconnect Friday. The president is proposing $1.7 trillion for roads, bridges and other investments. The Republicans countered last week with $928 billion, and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell said tapping unspent COVID-19 aid is “key” to reaching a deal. Biden has already sized up that offer as unworkable. The administration says the deadline for making progress toward a deal is June 7.
June 3, 2021 4:10 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – Police say three officers shot responding to a call in Wilmington, Delaware, are in stable condition. A large police presence could be seen after the shooting at about 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Police say the three officers were transported to a hospital and are in stable condition. Police did not say anything about a suspect in the shooting or whether any arrests have been made. The shooting remains under investigation.
June 3, 2021 4:09 am
ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Officials said closed-circuit security cameras will be installed at Ross Park Mall following a weekend fight that sparked gunfire on the second floor. Ross Park Mall officials released this statement:
“The safety of our shoppers, retailers and associates are our top priority. We have extensive proactive and preventative security programs and measures, including utilizing off duty police officers and a private security force that actively patrol the interior and exterior of the shopping center, along with working closely with local law enforcement and retailers to prepare for potential emergencies. These programs have allowed us to achieve Homeland Department of Security safety certification. As an additional measure, we will soon begin the process of securing CCTV cameras at Ross Park Mall and South Hills Village. We are also implementing a weapons detection K9 program to enhance interior patrols at Ross Park Mall.”
Officers from nearly half a dozen different agencies rushed to Ross Park Mall on Saturday afternoon as the gunfire sent shoppers scrambling to safety. Two 17-year-old boys are facing gun charges in connection with the incident.
June 3, 2021 4:05 am
Washington County food service and hospitality businesses took center stage in Charleroi on Wednesday to accept first and second round grants from the Covid-19 Hospitality Industry Relief Program, better known as CHIRP. Governor Tom Wolf made $145 million available via a transfer from the commonwealth’s workers’ compensation fund to allow the Department of Community and Economic Development work with local officials on the distribution of those grants. DCED Secretary Dennis Davin (pictured) was on hand at the River House Café to deliver his remarks on the importance of the distribution of monies via grants and not loans. Commissioner Diana Irey-Vaughn stated that Washington County’s share of the program was $2.3 million and already $1.940 million has been distributed. Roughly $300,000 remains to be distributed. The press conference recognizing the grants drew state and local government officials and hospitality industry business owners to celebrate the program.
