September 13, 2021 11:44 am
NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. (AP) – Authorities are asking for help from the public in their search for a teenage suspect who opened fire at a popular Halloween attraction in western Pennsylvania over the weekend, killing one 15-year-old youth and wounding another. Allegheny County police said 15-year-old Steven Eason of Wilmerding was shot in the chest and stomach Saturday night at the Haunted Hills Hayride in North Versailles. The other youth is in stable condition. Detectives said Eason and friends knew the other youth casually and went to his aid when they saw him in a confrontation with the 15- to 17-year-old suspect, who drew a handgun and fired three times.
September 13, 2021 4:27 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Britney Spears has announced her engagement to her boyfriend Sam Asghari with an exuberant post displaying a diamond ring engraved with the word lioness. The news comes days after her father filed to end the court conservatorship that has controlled the singer’s life and money for 13 years. She announced the engagement with a short video of the couple winking, smiling and kissing. The couple met on a music-video set in 2016. The singer told a judge in June she wanted to marry Asghari and have a baby with him as she made an impassioned plea to end the conservatorship
September 13, 2021 4:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Allies of former President Donald Trump are calling those charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol “political prisoners.” Such rhetoric ahead of a rally planned for Saturday at the Capitol is the latest attempt to explain away what played out for all the world to see when rioters loyal to Trump stormed the building to try to stop Congress from certifying the election for President Joe Biden. Many Republicans who had voted to challenge Biden’s victory have not said if they will attend the rally. Rally organizer and former Trump campaign strategist Matt Braynard says those jailed are being unfairly prosecuted.
September 13, 2021 4:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A Democratic senator vital to the fate of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion plan for social and environmental spending says he won’t support even half that amount or the ambitious timetable envisioned for passing it. The stand taken by Sen. Joe Manchin is described as unacceptable by the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Sen. Bernie Sanders, who’s helping craft the measure. Manchin also says there’s is “no way” Congress can meet the goal of passing the bill by late this month. Democrats have no votes to spare if they want to enact Biden’s massive “Build Back Better” agenda.
September 13, 2021 4:21 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – President Joe Biden will promote his administration’s use of the Defense Production Act to aid in wildfire preparedness during a western swing in which he’ll survey wildfire damage in Idaho and California. Biden is aiming to drum up support for his massive $3.5 trillion spending plan by linking it to wildfires and social programs while visiting those two states and Colorado. Biden’s trek on Monday and Tuesday also coincides with the recall election of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The president is set to appear with Newsom on the eve of Tuesday’s vote.
September 13, 2021 4:20 am
MIAMI (AP) – Tropical Storm Nicholas is strengthening early Monday as it travels up the western Gulf Coast. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say coastal areas of Texas, Mexico and Louisiana could see heavy rain and flooding. Nicholas has top winds around 60 mph. Tropical storm warnings have been issued for coastal Texas. Nicholas is expected to produce storm total rainfall of up to 10 inches across portions of coastal Texas into southwest Louisiana through midweek. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 5 inches were expected through Monday over the eastern portions of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.
September 13, 2021 4:18 am
Pennsylvania health officials say some physicians are offering stock “doctor’s notes” for use by parents wishing to have their children exempted from wearing masks in school. The Health Department says it has referred these doctors for possible disciplinary action. A statewide, universal mask mandate for Pennsylvania schools went into effect Tuesday. The order contains a medical exemption, but parents have complained it’s been difficult to find a physician who will sign off. The Health Department says some doctors are pushing stock exemptions that are available to anyone, regardless of medical necessity.
September 13, 2021 4:17 am
BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI)- Beaver Area School District officials said they are dealing with a “previously unimaginable number of COVID-19 positive students” at the high school and Dutch Ridge Elementary. According to a message on the district’s website, the number of students and staff members in those two buildings who have tested positive over the past two weeks is now above the threshold at which the Pennsylvania Department of Health recommends closing. As a result, only the high school and the elementary school will move to remote instruction starting Monday. Students will return to class in-person Monday, Sept. 20. District leaders are asking parents to monitor their children for any symptoms and to keep them home if they don’t feel well. While it’s not clear how many students have tested positive at the high school and elementary school, school officials posted that there are currently 60 students and seven staff members who are COVID-19 positive throughout the district.
September 13, 2021 4:14 am
NORTH VERSAILLES — One teen died and another one was injured after a shooting at the opening night of the Haunted Hills Hayride along Route 48 in North Versailles shortly before 8:30 p.m. Saturday. According to investigators, one of the teens was shot in the shoulder and was listed in stable condition at last check. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased teen as Steven Eason of Wilmerding (pictured). Eason was a student at Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic High School. Both teens were 15 years old. Police said Eason went to the attraction with a group of friends. While there, the group witnessed the second victim get into an argument with the suspect. They knew the second victim casually and went to help. That’s when police said the suspect drew a handgun and fire three times, hitting Eason and the other victim. The suspect then fled. He is believed to be between the ages of 15 and 17 and he was wearing dark clothing. Police said the incident occurred behind the ticket booth, near the entrance to get on the hayride and there was an estimated 50 to 100 people in the immediate area when the shooting started. (PHOTO: WPXI)
September 13, 2021 3:53 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. (WPXI) — The Canon-McMillan school district is facing another legal challenge. A lawsuit filed on Friday alleges the rights of students were violated when they were asked for personal and medical information as part of the district’s COVID-19 contact tracing efforts. “This lawsuit isn’t about vaccines, it’s not about masks, it’s about following the law,” said attorney Lane Turturice. According to documents filed in court, parents claim their children were required to divulge personal medical information and undergo medical examinations in front of other students, all of which happened without parental consent. “They have formulated a policy and allowed it to be implemented in a way that has drastically infringed on the individual rights in privacy of students and parents,” Turturice said. “We are asking a judge to put the school district’s policies and practices under a microscope and determine whether or not those policies and procedures are in conformity with the law.” This latest suit comes just weeks after a judge struck down another lawsuit filed by parents who were seeking mandatory masking for the Canon-McMillan school district.
