June 17, 2020 4:04 am
A Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter prohibited from covering the city’s Black Lives Matter protests because of a tweet sued the paper on Tuesday. Alexis Johnson, who is black, filed the lawsuit in federal court in Pennsylvania alleging the Post-Gazette was engaging in racial discrimination and retaliation. Johnson was not allowed to pursue planned stories related to the protests after sending a tweet that mocked the different treatment of property damage done by black and white people. The suit says the move illegally discourages black employees from speaking out against racial discrimination. An email seeking comment on the lawsuit was sent to Johnson’s editors.
June 17, 2020 4:03 am
Supervisors in North Strabane Township got their opportunity to go back to their normal two meeting per month schedule with their non-legislative meeting taking place on Tuesday. Prior to the supervisors meeting a Public Hearing was conducted to collect opinion on a proposed ordinance that would allow the township to collect fees and fines if anyone was found to be abusing the 9-1-1 emergency response system. The ordinance is being brought about by residents calling 9-1-1 and claiming a health issue and having first responders arrive only to help open windows, find keys or locate a television remote. Fire and Police Chiefs testified that it is an issue because they do not want to be doing something unnecessary when a real emergency arises. Action on the ordinance is pending. In departmental reports during the regular meeting, Police Chief Brian Hughes assured the public that extensive background checks, documentation from other departments and his own department and training above and beyond recommended standards make him feel comfortable that all of his officers would not commit the acts that have been brought to the nation’s attention in Minneapolis and Atlanta. Council will act on bringing back employees furloughed during the Covid-19 pandemic and will consider lifting the state of emergency declaration due to the pandemic.
June 16, 2020 5:44 pm
Washington and Jefferson College’s Center for Energy Policy and Management began their series on the “Effects of Covid-19 and the economic downturn on Western Pennsylvania shale gas development”. Daniel Weaver, President of the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association (PiOGA) spoke industry officials and local governmental officials about the state of the shale gas industry during the Covid-19 pandemic. Weaver’s statements were cautious in stating that just like all industries, work was disrupted while solutions on how to deal with the virus were developed. Positively speaking, pricing for natural gas stayed stable even though there has been a downturn in demand. Weaver is pleased that gas is now moving more easily to the east coast through pipeline development and sees a further need to develop more pipelines into the northeast especially in New York City and Boston. Weaver described “virtual pipelines” where gas was shipped via truck instead of pipeline. Weaver says that his organization supports research in the cases of high levels of Ewing’s Sarcoma throughout western Pennsylvania. He also recognized the recent penalty arrangement between Range Resources and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office. He said that Range Resources has taken responsibility for the actions of previous high level officials and credits them for their actions. He also welcomes oversight in the gas drilling industry. Weaver also says his group is monitoring regulators to make sure a level playing field is maintained.
June 16, 2020 9:40 am
BALTIMORE (AP) – U.S. retail sales jumped by a record 17.7% from April to May, with spending partially rebounding after the coronavirus had shut down businesses, flattened the economy and paralyzed consumers during the previous two months.The Commerce Department’s report Tuesday showed that retail sales have retraced some of the record-setting month-to-month plunges of March (8.3%) and April (14.7%) as businesses have increasingly reopened. Still, the pandemic’s damage to retail sales remains severe, with purchases still down 6.1% from a year ago.
June 16, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed an executive order on policing following weeks of national protests after the death of George Floyd. The order is aimed at encouraging best practices and tracking officers with excessive use of force complaints. In the Rose Garden, Trump stressed the need for higher standards and commiserated with mourning families, even as he hailed the vast majority of officers as selfless public servants and held his law-and-order line. The order comes as Senate Republicans prepare to unveil their own package of policing proposals after Democrats did the same.
June 16, 2020 4:08 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas continued an upward trend in hospitalizations of coronavirus patients and set a new one-day high Monday for the seventh time in eight days. That trend has local officials in some of the state’s largest cities pleading with residents to be diligent about social distancing and other measures such as wearing masks. Texas health officials reported 2,326 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and 1,254 new cases. That’s the most new cases reported for a Monday, which is typically the lowest day of the week for new virus cases.
June 16, 2020 4:01 am
SEATTLE (AP) – The Seattle City Council has voted unanimously to bar police from using tear gas, pepper spray and several other crowd control devices after officers repeatedly used them on mostly peaceful demonstrators protesting racism and police brutality. The 9-0 vote Monday came amid frustration with the Seattle Police Department, which used tear gas to disperse protesters in the city’s densest neighborhood, Capitol Hill, just days after Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best promised not to. The council heard complaints from residents forced out of their homes by the gas even though they weren’t protesting.
June 16, 2020 4:01 am
ATLANTA (AP) – A widely available drug is showing promise of treating the most seriously ill coronavirus patients. It’s a welcome bit of hope as countries grapple with spikes in contagion as they loosen restrictions and reopen their economies. Researchers say the steroid, called dexamethasone, reduced deaths by 35% in patients who needed breathing machines and by 20% among those using supplemental oxygen. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the drug was the “biggest breakthrough yet” in treating the virus, and top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci called it “a significant improvement in the available therapeutic options that we have.” Since the virus emerged in China last year, there have been more than 8 million confirmed cases and more than 435,000 deaths around the world.
June 16, 2020 3:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department has set new dates to begin executing federal death-row inmates following a monthslong legal battle over the plan to resume the executions for the first time since 2003. Attorney General William Barr directed the federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the executions, beginning in mid-July, of four inmates convicted of killing children. Three of the men had been scheduled to be put to death when Barr announced the federal government would resume executions last year. The move is likely to add a new front to the national conversation about criminal justice reform.
June 16, 2020 3:54 am
NEW CASTLE, Pa. — (WPXI) – The New Castle police chief has told our news partners at Channel-11 the body of Amari Wise, who has been missing for over a week, was found in a wooded area off Pennsylvania Avenue in Shenango Township Monday afternoon. Officials said it was a Shenango Township police officer driving along the road who found Wise’s body near a creek. The coroner has ruled Wise’s death as a homicide due to a gunshot wound to the head. Two men have been charged in connection with Wise’s death. Police said Connor Henry, 20, faces charges of criminal homicide and tampering with evidence, and his father, Todd Henry, 47, was charged with criminal conspiracy to commit homicide, obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. Connor Henry was arrested Sunday night in Ocean City, Maryland, New Castle police said. Todd Henry was arrested on Monday. (Photo; WPXI)
