October 22, 2019 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Donald Trump and his Republican allies are “afraid” of the chief impeachment investigator, following a failed effort to censure him. Pelosi said “the GOP has not even tried to deny the facts” of Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrats. In a statement, Pelosi added a stiff defense of Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, the “the person of whom the President is most afraid.” She issued the statement after majority Democrats blocked a Republican effort to censure Schiff. Schiff later tweeted that Republicans will be remembered for lacking the courage to confront Trump. So, he said, “they consoled themselves by attacking those who did.” Republicans are criticizing Schiff in part for the secretive way he is conducting the impeachment investigation, which includes some classified material.
October 22, 2019 4:16 am
BOSTON (AP) – Actress Lori Loughlin (LAWK’-lin), her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and nine other parents face new charges in the college admissions scandal. Federal prosecutors announced Tuesday that the parents were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. The charge accuses the parents of attempting to bribe officials at an organization that receives federal funding. They are accused of paying bribes to get their children admitted to the University of Southern California. They already face charges of money laundering, fraud and conspiracy. Loughlin and Giannulli have pleaded not guilty to previous charges and have not yet commented on the new charge.
October 22, 2019 4:14 am
TORONTO (AP) – Opposition New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh says he has congratulated Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and will be a constructive participant in the new Parliament. Trudeau’s Liberal party was projected to win the most seats in the 338-seat Parliament in Monday’s national elections. That outcome would give it the best chance to form a government. Still, the Liberals were poised to fall short of a majority, meaning they will have to rely on an opposition party to stay in power. Trudeau is expected to rely on the leftist New Democrat for support at times to pass legislation.
October 22, 2019 4:07 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A Pennsylvania court has ruled that a woman fired for showing a video of naked men to co-workers isn’t eligible for unemployment compensation. A Commonwealth Court panel found that while the video was meant as a joke, Sharon Rodriguez violated policies at the Philadelphia-based clothing firm where she worked. The judges noted Rodriguez was off-duty when she sent the video via text to a co-worker in March 2018, but she also discussed the video at work with another colleague and played it for her when asked. The second co-worker reported Rodriguez to a manager, leading to her firing. An unemployment compensation referee initially sided with Rodriguez. But that ruling was overruled by the state Unemployment Compensation Board of Review.
October 22, 2019 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Legislation heading toward a vote in Pennsylvania would overhaul some aspects of how voters cast ballots while delivering much of the money counties need to buy voting machines ahead of next year’s presidential election. A measure that emerged Monday from closed-door negotiations would eliminate the ballot option for straight party-ticket voting, let any voter mail in a ballot and move the voter registration deadline closer to the election. It’s part of a deal to approve $90 million in aid for voting machines that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf wanted counties to buy. The new bill doesn’t deliver all of Wolf’s election-reform priorities. Republicans wanted to eliminate the straight-party voting option, amid worries that suburban Republican lawmakers will suffer from a voter backlash against President Donald Trump next year.
October 22, 2019 4:02 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – In preparation for President Donald Trump’s visit to Downtown Pittsburgh on Oct. 23, the city announced some security measures that will impact a lot of people. Several streets surrounding the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where Trump will speak at the Shale Insight conference, will be closed Wednesday after the morning rush hour – that will likely cause heavy delays during the evening commute. The conference is open to the public. People can register for a free general admission pass, on a first-come, first-served, basis. Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich recommended in a release that people who work downtown should consider working from home that day or leaving early. Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Anthony Hamlet, Ed.D. announced that 12 schools will be closed Wednesday.
October 22, 2019 3:08 am
A Washington man has been sentenced to fifteen to thirty-years in a state correctional facility on four separate cases, after pleading guilty to a variety of crimes, including several deliveries of heroin, possession with intent to deliver controlled substances and terroristic threats. State Police say the cases involving William Shaw date back to December of 2015 and involve undercover purchases of heroin, the discovery of various other drugs, domestic assault with a firearm, and a threatening letter from Shaw to his wife while he was in prison on unrelated charges.
October 21, 2019 2:51 pm
State Police are investigating the death of a Charleroi man Monday morning in Finleyville. The Washington County Coroner’s Office says 25-year-old Dominic Salvio jumped from the southbound span of the Joe Montana Bridge on Route 43 in Union Township. His body was found at the intersection of Route 88 and Ginger Hill Road. Emergency responders were called out around nine-thirty but the coroner’s office has not yet released a cause of death, nor the time of death. They say both are under investigation.
October 21, 2019 1:17 pm
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – In preparation for President Donald Trump’s visit to Downtown Pittsburgh on Oct. 23, the city announced some security measures that will impact a lot of people. Several streets surrounding the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where Trump will speak at the Shale Insight conference, will be closed Wednesday after the morning rush hour – that will likely cause heavy delays during the evening commute. Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich recommended in a release that people who work downtown should consider working from home that day or leaving early. He also suggested city schools allow early dismissals for students. Traffic will also be affected by rolling road closures to accommodate Trump’s motorcade as he travels to and from the convention center. The specific timing and exact road closures will be released closer to the event.
October 21, 2019 9:47 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – State attorneys general who are negotiating with drug companies say they’re confident that other state and local governments will sign on to a settlement in principle with five companies over the opioid crisis. The announcement from the top state government lawyers in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas came hours after two Ohio counties said they had settled their lawsuits against a drugmaker and the three distributors to avert the first federal trial on the opioid crisis. Opening statements in the Cleveland trial had been scheduled for Monday. The plan being hammered out by the attorneys general was worked on last week. It would be worth up to $48 billion over time in cash and treatment drugs. Paul Hanly, a lead lawyer for local governments, said it was the same deal that was already rejected. He said the companies should pay more.
