July 25, 2021 7:47 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Charlie Gerow, a Republican who announced his candidacy for governor last month, said Friday that he is cooperating with a police investigation into an accident in which a motorcyclist was killed, and that shut down the Pennsylvania Turnpike for seven hours. Gerow apparently drove for several miles with the motorcycle stuck to the front of his car, according to a witness. In a statement through a spokesperson, Gerow said he did not cause the accident and he was not injured. Pennsylvania State Police have released little information about the accident Wednesday night just before 10 p.m., saying only that it involved a motorcycle and a car that a Gerow spokesperson identified as the one Gerow was driving. The turnpike was closed for seven hours after the accident in the westbound lanes in Chester County, just west of the King of Prussia interchange, police said in a news release. The Chester County coroner’s office identified the victim as Logan Carl Abbott, 30, of Bradford County. The cause of death is multiple blunt impacts and toxicology tests on the victim are pending, Chester County Coroner Christina VandePol said. It is not clear whether other vehicles were involved, or how the accident happened.
July 25, 2021 7:44 am
McKEESPORT, Pa. — A 16-year-old is in the Allegheny County Jail on Saturday afternoon after police say he gunned down another teen overnight. Phillip Payne turned himself into police at 8 a.m. and is awaiting arraignment on homicide charges. McKeesport police were dispatched to the 1200 block of Soles Street just before 2 a.m. for shots fired and found Dontae McKenith, 18, shot to death. Investigators said the two teens were handling a handgun when Payne pointed it at McKenith and pulled the trigger. He fled the scene. Police said the investigation continues.
July 25, 2021 4:25 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — An East Washington man who was charged with supplying fentanyl-laced heroin to a man who died of an overdose has pleaded guilty in county court. According to reports, Nicholas Retos, 37, agreed to a plea deal that will send him to prison for 5-10 years, with one year of supervision following his release. Back in February of 2019, Retos was arrested for supplying the lethal heroin to 31-year old Justin Platt of Washington. According to court documents, Platt’s girlfriend Amanda Czech was also unconscious after using the drugs, but she woke up and found Platt dead. Judge Valarie Costanzo immediately sentenced Retos Friday, who was scheduled to head to a pre-trial conference on July 26th, and a trial for this case on August 9th.
July 25, 2021 1:26 am
DONORA, Pa. — Emergency crews were called to the scene of a fully-involved structure fire in Donora Borough Saturday morning. According to reports, the call for the fire came in just after 6:30 a.m. at 227 Waddell Avenue. Fire personnel arrived to find flames showing from the residence. There is no word on how that blaze started, or if anyone was in the home at the time of the incident. Donora Fire Crews were first to arrive on scene, and firefighters finished up just before 11:00 a.m. Officials say no one was hurt during this fire. Assisting at the scene included Carroll Township FD, Bentleyville Fire Rescue, and Mon Valley EMS. (Photo: Facebook)
July 24, 2021 10:29 am
SYDNEY (AP) – Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Sydney and other Australian cities to protest lockdown restrictions amid another surge in cases. Police made several arrests after crowds broke through barriers and threw plastic bottles and plants. The unmasked participants marched from Sydney’s Victoria Park to Town Hall in the central business district, carrying signs calling for “freedom” and “the truth.” There was a heavy police presence in Sydney, including mounted police and riot officers in response to what authorities said was unauthorized protest activity. Police confirmed a number of arrests. New South Wales Police said it recognized and supported the rights of free speech and peaceful assembly, but the protest was a breach of public health orders.
July 24, 2021 4:37 am
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – The Justice Department says it has decided not to open a civil rights investigation into government-run nursing homes in New York over their COVID-19 response. Under former President Donald Trump, the department’s civil rights division requested data from several states about COVID-19 deaths in public nursing homes. The request came amid questions about whether New York inadvertently worsened the pandemic death toll by requiring nursing homes to accept residents previously hospitalized for COVID-19. In a letter sent Friday to several Republican members of Congress, the Justice Department said it had decided not to open an investigation after reviewing data sent by the state.
July 24, 2021 4:36 am
MIAMI (AP) – Pandemic restrictions on Florida-based cruise ships are no longer in place under the latest ruling by a federal appeals court, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention try to fight a Florida lawsuit challenging the regulations. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had temporarily blocked a previous ruling last Saturday that sided with Florida officials, but the court reversed that decision on Friday, explaining that the CDC failed to demonstrate an entitlement to a stay pending appeal. Last weekend’s temporary stay had kept the CDC regulations regarding Florida-based cruise ships in place while the CDC appeals the Tampa judge’s June decision.
July 24, 2021 4:35 am
MIAMI (AP) – Firefighters have officially ended their search for bodies in the debris of the collapsed Surfside condo building. The decision concludes a month of painstaking work removing layers of dangerous debris that were once piled several stories high. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s urban search-and-rescue team pulled away from the disaster site Friday in a convoy of firetrucks and other vehicles, slowly driving to their headquarters for the announcement. The June 24 collapse at the oceanside tower killed 97 people, with at least one missing person yet to be identified. The site has been mostly swept flat and the rubble moved to a Miami warehouse.
July 24, 2021 4:33 am
BLY, Ore. (AP) – Out-of-state crews are heading to Montana to battle a blaze that injured five firefighters as the West struggles with a series of fires that have ravaged rural lands and destroyed homes. Authorities say progress is being made on the nation’s largest blaze, the Bootleg Fire in Oregon, but less than half of it has been contained and thousands of homes remain threatened. Meanwhile, crews from California and Utah are coming to Montana where five firefighters were injured Thursday as they worked the Devil’s Creek blaze near the town of Jordan. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for four northern counties because of wildfires that he said were causing “conditions of extreme peril.”
July 24, 2021 4:32 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Nancy Pelosi and Liz Cheney have the most unlikely of partnerships. The two longtime political adversaries have joined forces to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Pelosi tapped Cheney to join the committee that will hold its first hearing next week. Rarely has there been a meeting of the minds like this – two of the strongest women on Capitol Hill, partisans at opposite ends of the political divide. They share a belief that the truth about the insurrection must come out and those responsible held accountable
