August 15, 2020 9:36 am
BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. – A man from Bethel Park has died after crashing his motorcycle Friday night in Bridgeville. According to authorities, 19-year-old Seth Misak was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:54 p.m. near the Collier exit along Interstate 79.
August 15, 2020 5:39 am
CENTERVILLE, Pa. – A woman from Vestaburg has been indicted in federal court for social security fraud. The two-count indictment announced Friday against 51-year-old Leona Biser comes as she is accused of spending social security funds on herself when they were in fact intended for her sister. According to US Attorney, Scott Brady, Biser is charged with the neglect of her mentally-disabled sister who was allegedly kept in a wooden cage in the living room with dirty accommodations and little to no medical care. Committing social security fraud comes with a maximum of 10 years in prison or a fine of $250,000 – or both.
August 15, 2020 5:10 am
UNDATED (AP) – South Korea has announced stronger social distancing restrictions for its greater capital area where a surge in COVID-19 cases threatens to erase the hard-won gains against the coronavirus. The two-week measures starting Sunday will allow authorities in Seoul and towns in neighboring Gyeonggi Province to shut down high-risk facilities such as nightclubs, karaoke rooms, movie theaters and buffet restaurants if they fail to properly enforce preventive measures, including distancing, temperatures checks, keeping customer lists and requiring masks. Fans will once again be banned from professional baseball and soccer, just weeks after authorities allowed teams to let in spectators for a portion of their seats in each game. South Korea reported 166 new cases, the highest in five months.
August 15, 2020 5:01 am
CB Financial Services, the holding company of Community Bank, announced its new President and CEO. At a news conference at Southpointe Country Club that included live and Zoom virtual participation, John H. Montgomery was named President and CEO of CB Financial Services. Montgomery brings more than 3 decades of experience in banking from Pennsylvania through his most recent stop in St. Louis, Missouri. The Bryn Mawr, PA native finds the job attractive because of the role community banks play and because it gets he and his wife closer to family. Montgomery acknowledges the current strains on banks due to the current pandemic, but he is looking to the future to make sure he is able to position Community Bank for its customers and how they will choose to relate to the bank while conducting transactions. Whether that is in person or electronically, Montgomery wants to meet those demands quickly. Because Community Bank is so very tightly tied to the area it serves, one of Montgomery’s first orders of business is to meet the people. Montgomery will take over from Interim President and CEO Barron P. McCune, Jr. on August 31,2020.
August 15, 2020 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Postal Service has sent letters to 46 states, warning it cannot guarantee all ballots cast by mail for the November election will arrive in time to be counted. That’s according to a report published Friday by The Washington Post. The revelation that some voters could be disenfranchised if they try to vote by mail comes amid a campaign by President Donald Trump to sow doubts about the election. Though Trump casts his own ballot by mail, he’s railed against efforts to allow more people to do so, which he argues without evidence will lead to increased voter fraud. The Postal Service is bracing for an unprecedented number of mail-in ballots as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
August 15, 2020 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A major union representing U.S. postal workers endorsed Democrat Joe Biden, a move that comes after President Donald Trump acknowledged he was starving the postal service of money in order to make it more difficult to vote by mail in November’s election. The National Association of Letter Carriers, which represents 300,000 current and retired workers, said Thursday that Trump’s longstanding hostility to the mail-delivering agency has heightened during the pandemic. They say his administration has taken “steps outside of the public eye to undermine the Postal Service and letter carriers.” Union president Fredric Rolando said Biden is a “fierce ally and defender of the United States Postal Service.”
August 15, 2020 4:31 am
Freedom Transit is seeking public comment as they consider changes to its ‘Local A’ route. Beginning Monday August 17 and continuing through the end of the month, the transit agency will be accepting comments through their website, email, by phone and in person at the Washington Transit Center along E. Chestnut Street. A full list of proposed changes are available at freedom-transit.org. On Friday, August 28 and Monday, August 31, a public display with information on the changes will be set up in the lobby of the transit center from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. After a review of all comments, the Washington County Transportation Authority Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, September 1 to vote on the proposed changes.
August 15, 2020 4:22 am
The Canon McMillan School Board has approved the purchase of 14 passenger vans to transport students to parochial and other private schools. Superintendent Michael Daniels says the move was made because contracting those routes is more expensive. Progress on the new middle school is being made. Contractors are beginning to use blasting to get through rock formations. School is still scheduled to begin on August 27. The 3 day push back was needed to train teachers on the remote aspect of the hybrid system. Daniels states that students learning remotely will be able to tune in to a live class from their device at home. Finally, the middle school was designated a Don Eichorn “School to Watch”. This award is similar to the Blue Ribbon awards given to elementary schools. This is the fourth time in ten years that the school has earned this award.
August 15, 2020 4:17 am
Churches in California and Minnesota are challenging state pandemic restrictions in court, contending that they are violations of religious liberty. They’re the latest in a series of lawsuits, many in California, arguing that houses of worship should be exempt from certain limits on public gatherings. Most have been rebuffed; some have succeeded. In Minnesota a federal lawsuit challenges executive orders requiring 6-foot social distancing and the wearing of face masks at worship services. In California a lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Los Angeles church where the pastor has been holding services for throngs of worshippers in defiance of state and county orders.
August 15, 2020 4:16 am
MIAMI (AP) – Tropical Storm Josephine has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, making it the earliest “J-named” storm in a record-setting hurricane season. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said late Thursday that Josephine was located 760 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands. It was moving west-northwest with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. No coastal watches or warnings are in effect. Josephine was the earliest tenth Atlantic named storm on record, breaking the previous record of Jose, which formed Aug. 22, 2005. Only Hanna and Isaias have developed into hurricanes so far this year.
