March 11, 2021 4:08 am
SOUTH FAYETTE, Pa. — (WPXI) – A South Fayette homework assignment is now under scrutiny. The assignment in question, given to high school students, asks students to figure out if they could turn a profit as a slave trader, and whether they could make more money “tightly packing” or “loosely packing” slaves on a ship. Several parents say this homework assignment is insensitive and needs to be removed from the curriculum permanently. “It’s just shocking that my son had to sit in class and figure out the price his ancestors were bought and sold for,” said Leigh Hill. Her son, Elijah, got the assignment. The district sent our news partners at Channel 11 a statement reading in part:
Dear Parents and Guardians,
“A concern from a student was brought to the attention of our administration regarding a social studies assignment about slavery. While the District does have defined and approved curricula, teachers have some latitude in the resources and materials they choose to use in their lessons. Once alerted to the existence of this assignment, the administration reviewed the assignment and met with the teacher. After taking these steps it was determined that the assignment is inappropriate, offensive and unacceptable. The assignment will no longer be used in any class and the teacher has been suspended. Further, we will engage in a systematic process to ensure that any other inappropriate assignments are identified and removed immediately. We commend the student for speaking up about this assignment and apologize for the harm that this has caused. The voices of our young people are important and heard.
Sincerely, Dr. Ken Lockette”
March 11, 2021 4:07 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The chairman of Pennsylvania’s Senate Transportation Committee wants to halt plans to toll nine major bridges around the state. Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Wayne Langerholc introduced a bill this week to require legislative authorization of any proposed transportation project with a user fee. The Public-Private Transportation Partnership Board in November authorized PennDOT to install electronic tolling gantries on bridges to finance their reconstruction. The department named nine bridges last month, but some lawmakers are unhappy over it. Transportation Secretary Yassmin Gramian says the aging bridges are in need of major reconstruction and the department needs more money to keep up with its public safety obligations.
March 11, 2021 2:38 am
Washington City Councilman Matt Staniszewski faced a hearing in front of President Judge John DiSalle on Wednesday to have his probation detainer lifted. Staniszewski is in jail on a probation violation that occurred in Bedford County. Pennsylvania State Police say they found Staniszewski intoxicated in his car in the medial strip of a major highway on February 16th. State Police alerted the Washington County Probation Office of Staniszewski’s incident and probation officers went to Staniszewski’s home to arrest him. Staniszewski’s father let officers in to take him and when they entered his room they found a nearly empty bottle of alcohol in his room and Staniszewski had to be carried to the car. Staniszewski’s attorney Sean Logue hoped to have him transferred to a rehabilitation hospital but due to insurance issues, that plan fell through and Logue then hoped to have Staniszewski released on house arrest with his father. DiSalle pointed to the fact that Staniszewski was drinking while in his father’s house when he was arrested and that there is no clear plan for treatment if DiSalle was to lift the probation detainer. DiSalle denied the petition and Staniszewski will remain in the Washington County Jail. Charges for the accident that instigated these proceedings are pending in Bedford County.
March 10, 2021 2:55 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has confirmed Merrick Garland to be the next U.S. attorney general with a strong bipartisan vote, placing the widely-respected, veteran judge in the post as President Joe Biden has vowed to restore the Justice Department’s reputation for independence. Democrats have praised Garland, a federal appeals court judge who was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court in 2016, as a highly qualified and honorable jurist who is uniquely qualified to lead the department after a tumultuous four years under former President Donald Trump. Many Republicans praised him as well, saying he has the right record and temperament for the moment.
March 10, 2021 9:35 am
Authorities investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol say two extremist groups that traveled to Washington along with thousands of other Trump supporters weren’t whipped into an impulsive frenzy by President Donald Trump that day. Instead, authorities allege evidence points to the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys laying attack plans well in advance. Internal communications and other evidence emerging in court papers and hearings show how authorities are trying to build a case that small cells hidden within the masses mounted an organized, military-style assault on the heart of American democracy. Defense attorneys accuse prosecutors of distorting their clients’ words and actions to falsely portray the attack as premeditated.
March 10, 2021 9:33 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The FBI has released new video showing someone placing two pipe bombs outside the offices of the Republican and Democratic national committees the night before the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5. The devices were located by law enforcement the next day. The video released Tuesday shows a person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, a face mask and gloves appearing to place one of the explosives under a bench outside the DNC. It shows the person walking in an alley near the RNC before the bomb was placed there.
March 10, 2021 9:29 am
Longtime attorney Joyce Hatfield Wise has announced a bid for judgeship in the Court of Common Pleas of Washington County. The 56 year old Wise has practiced law for more than 23 years. She is a graduate of Chartiers Houston High School, the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University School of Law. Wise spent 18 years as an attorney for Washington COunty Children and Youth Services. She retired from that position in 2016 and currently operates in private practice on Orphan’s Court and Juvenile Delinquency matters. She is a resident of Amwell Township.
March 10, 2021 4:29 am
Longtime NBC and CBS correspondent and television anchor Roger Mudd has died at the age of 93. CBS News says Mudd died Tuesday of complications of kidney failure at his home in McLean, Virginia. The journalist famously once stumped Sen. Edward Kennedy by simply asking why he wanted to be president. During more than 30 years on network television, Mudd covered Congress, elections and political conventions. He was also a frequent anchor and contributor to various specials. His career coincided with the flowering of television news, when the big three networks and their powerhouse ranks of reporters were the main source of news for millions of Americans.
March 10, 2021 4:28 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Jury selection opens its second day Wednesday in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged in George Floyd’s death last May. Derek Chauvin faces second-degree murder and manslaughter charges. Several potential jurors were dismissed Tuesday, including some who said they wouldn’t be able to set aside their strong views about the case. A widely seen bystander video of Floyd’s arrest last May recorded his repeated pleas that he couldn’t breathe while Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck. Jury selection is proceeding even as a potential appellate court ruling could halt the trial. That matter involves the state’s desire to add a third-degree murder charge against Chauvin.
March 10, 2021 4:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has approved Democratic legislation that would invigorate workers’ unions following decades of court defeats and legislative setbacks. The bill that passed Tuesday on a 225-206 vote would block so-called Right to Work laws across the country and generally make it easier to organize a union. It would also prohibit companies from hiring replacements for workers on strike. The legislation has been endorsed by President Joe Biden, who recently gave his support to a union drive at an Amazon facility in Alabama. But the bill faces heavy opposition from Republicans, making it unlikely that it can pass the Senate and become law.
