October 6, 2021 4:01 am
Pennsylvania’s attorney general has filed criminal charges against the developer of a pipeline that takes natural gas liquids from the Marcellus Shale gas field to an export terminal near Philadelphia. Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the charges Tuesday at a news conference at Marsh Creek State Park in Downingtown. That’s where Sunoco Pipeline LP spilled thousands of gallons of drilling fluid last year. The spill occurred during construction of the troubled Mariner East 2 pipeline. Prosecutors say the multibillion-dollar pipeline project fouled waterways and residential water supplies across hundreds of miles. Texas-based Energy Transfer owns Sunoco and says “it intends to vigorously defend itself.”
October 6, 2021 2:29 am
Two teenagers will stand trial as adults for their roles in a drive by shooting in the East End of Canonsburg back in September. Ethan Perkins, 17 of Canonsburg and Mark Jones, 15 of Washington had their preliminary hearing on Tuesday in front of District Justice James Saieva. The District Attorney called 18 year old Devyn Sedora as the primary witness. She was the driver involved in a plan to have Perkins engage in a fight with another Canonsburg teen, Maurice Williams. Perkins had Sedora pick up Jones in Washington and another Canonsburg teen before meeting Williams on Duquesne Avenue in Canonsburg. When Williams was seen Perkins gave the order to shoot and Jones fired two shots from Sedora’s vehicle. Testimony from Canonsburg Police Officer Dennis Cole indicated that Jones, in a written statement admitted to firing the gun. Despite requests from both defense attorneys to have all charges dismissed, Saieva held all charges for court. Jones is charged with felony criminal attempt murder of the third degree and aggravated assault. He is also charged with misdemeanor possession of a firearm by a minor. Perkins will stand trial on charges of criminal conspiracy engaging murder of the third degree, conspiracy aggravated assault and misdemeanor tampering with evidence. Both will be formally arraigned on November 29.
October 5, 2021 4:11 pm
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Work has halted at all of the Kellogg Company’s U.S. cereal plants as roughly 1,400 workers went on strike. It wasn’t immediately clear how much the supply of Frosted Flakes or other iconic brands would be disrupted. The strike includes plants in Omaha, Nebraska; Battle Creek, Michigan; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee. The union and company have been at an impasse for more than a year. Daniel Osborn, president of the local union in Omaha said the dispute is over the loss of several key benefits, and the company has threatened to move work to Mexico. The company insists its offer is fair and would increase wages. (Photo: AP)
October 5, 2021 9:46 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Johnson & Johnson has asked U.S. regulators to allow booster shots of its COVID-19 vaccine as the U.S. government moves toward shoring up protection in more vaccinated Americans. J&J said Tuesday it filed data with the Food and Drug Administration on giving a booster dose between two to six months after vaccination. The U.S. government last month authorized booster doses of Pfizer’s vaccine in vulnerable groups. A panel of FDA advisers meets next week to consider boosters for both J&J and Moderna vaccines. It’s part of a sweeping effort by the Biden administration to boost protection amid the delta variant and potential waning of vaccine strength.
October 5, 2021 4:04 am
DALLAS (AP) – Southwest Airlines has become the latest U.S. airline to say that it will require its employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Dallas-based company said its workers must be fully vaccinated by Dec. 8 in order to continue working at the airline. Employees can seek approval to skip the shots due to medical or religious reasons. Southwest said it has to mandate vaccines because of new rules from the Biden administration that companies with federal contracts must have a vaccinated staff. Southwest’s work for the government includes flying the military in emergencies and carrying mail for the U.S. Postal Service. Southwest has 54,000 employees.
October 5, 2021 4:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration is reversing a ban on abortion referrals by federally funded family planning clinics. Monday’s action by the Department of Health and Human Services lifts a Trump-era restriction as political and legal battles over abortion grow sharper from Texas to the U.S. Supreme Court. Groups representing the clinics say they hope the rule reversal leads to the return of some 1,300 service providers that left the program to protest the Trump administration’s policy. HHS has estimated that the upheaval led to as many as 180,000 unintended pregnancies. The clinics provide birth control and basic health care mainly to low-income women.
October 5, 2021 3:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A former Facebook data scientist told Congress that the social network’s products harm children and fuel polarization in the U.S. while its executives refuse to change because they elevate profits over safety. And she laid responsibility with the company’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Frances Haugen testified to the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection. She accused the company of being aware of apparent harm to some teens from Instagram and being dishonest in its public fight against hate and misinformation. “Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division and weaken our democracy,” Haugen said. (Photo: AP)
October 5, 2021 3:56 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – After 40 drawings without a big Powerball winner, a single ticket sold in California matched all six numbers drawn Monday and was the lucky winner of the nearly $700 million jackpot prize. The winning numbers drawn Monday night were 12, 22, 54, 66 and 69. The Powerball was 15. The Powerball jackpot climbed to $699.8 million, making it the seventh largest in U.S. lottery history. The winner will be able to choose between the annuity option paid over 29 years or the cash option of $496 million. Both prize options are subject to taxes. The was the first jackpot won on a Monday night since Aug. 23, when the game launched a third weekly drawing.
October 5, 2021 3:54 am
Washington County Register of Wills James Roman appeared before District Justice Robert Redlinger on Monday to face charges that he carried a weapon into the courthouse on August 20. Roman faced a misdemeanor charge of possession of a firearm in a court facility. That misdemeanor charge was reduced to a summary charge. According to Roman, the hearing lasted nearly 90 minutes before Judge Redlinger found Roman not guilty. Roman told WJPA Radio that the sheriffs department did not stop him immediately at the security gate in the courthouse. Twenty minutes after Roman arrived at his office sheriffs deputies asked him to remove his bag because they determined that he had a gun. During the hearing sheriffs deputies were unable to produce any physical evidence that Roman in fact did have a gun in the courthouse. Roman stated that he feels that this charge was politically motivated since he began speaking out against Washington County Commissioners, specifically Commissioner Chairwoman Diana Irey-Vaughn.
October 5, 2021 3:38 am
Washington City Council received a draft report of their annual financial audit and it contained good news, considering the audit was for the year 2020. As expected, the audit showed decreases in both revenue and expenses due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Councilman Joe Manning stated that early on in 2020 he had read financial outlooks that predicted that municipalities could have had revenue decreases of up to twenty percent. Revenues in Washington were down $2.5 million and expenses decreased by $1.4 million. Long term debt decreased by $1.5 million in 2020 with hopes of retiring that long term debt by 2026. The city will be receiving about $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan funds. Manning stated that those funds are strictly regulated and cannot be spent on just any project that comes up. Council will meet again on Thursday at 1:00 PM for their regular voting meeting.
