July 29, 2020 4:16 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Heavy rains are hitting the eastern Caribbean due to a weather system headed to Puerto Rico and other islands that’s expected to develop into a tropical storm and unleash flooding and landslides.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Wednesday the storm is expected to move over or near Puerto Rico on Wednesday night, then brush the northern shores of Hispaniola the following day while on a path that could take it to the U.S. mainland by the weekend.
July 29, 2020 4:13 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors have authorized the purchase of a second canine police unit. Pending finalization of donations, the township will begin the process of acquiring the dog and training it. Outfitting a vehicle and acquiring protective gear for the dog is also needed. The final number needed to proceed is $75,000 and no action will be taken until that number is reached. No taxpayer dollars will be used for the establishment of the unit. All funds have been privately raised. Supervisors passed an ordinance establishing stricter guidelines for road and sidewalk restoration for utility companies once they have made repairs to their lines. The township will also apply for a PennDot Multi Modal grant to fund improvements along McDowell Lane. The improvements would run in conjunction with the replacement of a bridge that crosses Canonsburg Lake. Bike lanes and expanded pedestrian walkways are envisioned. Monies from developer impact fees will also be used to make up any difference that the grant money would not cover.
July 29, 2020 4:09 am
Two Washington County teens were sentenced by Judge Gary Gilman on Wednesday. Christopher Urista, 17 of Washington and Jamie Watkins 15, of Monongahela received identical sentences for their roles in the robbery and beating of Steven Whatley and his girlfriend in Monongahela back in December. Both men are juveniles being sentenced as adults. Plea agreements for both were reached with the District Attorney’s office. Both men will receive sentences that are single charges of felony robbery and felony conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Those charges carry a 4-8 year sentence each and will be served concurrently. A single charge of felony aggravated assault will carry a sentence of 5 years probation to be served consecutively once the prison sentence is complete. Restitution in the amount of $26,347 will be split between both men. The sentences require that there be no contact with the victims and a drug and alcohol evaluation must be performed. Urista and Watkins will be transferred to SCI Pine Grove to begin their sentences in a juvenile wing of that facility.
July 29, 2020 4:07 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – People who rely on mass transit are concerned because their means to get around – as well as their jobs – could be in danger if critical funding isn’t provided quickly. Workers and riders are calling on Pa. Sen. Bob Casey to help push for adequate public transportation funding. “COVID-19 has pushed public transit to the brink of extinction,” said Bill McDowell, of Pittsburghers for Public Transit. Downtown Pittsburgh is desolate, buses are seemingly empty and so is the T. As the pandemic lingers, downtown offices are empty. Every day, millions in fare and tax revenue is lost in Pennsylvania. And Yasha Zarrinkelk, of Transit for Philadelphia, said that fair hikes, layoffs and shutdowns are “on the horizon if Congress doesn’t pass the $32 billion necessary for transit.” If this public service isn’t fully funded, community leaders and advocates argue the outcomes disproportionately affect essential workers, those with disabilities and people of color. Lish Danielle, a representative for One Pennsylvania, said 60% of public transit riders are African-Americans.
July 29, 2020 2:44 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Eight people face federal charges over alleged actions amid racial justice protests in Pittsburgh two months ago. Jurors indicted people on charges that include throwing objects at officers or into a police vehicle, vandalizing a police vehicle, burning a police vehicle and hitting police horses. The incidents occurred on May 30, as large protests were going on after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. Public safety officials said multiple officers were hurt and three journalists attacked or injured, although the injuries were not deemed to be serious. Damage in downtown Pittsburgh was described as extensive.
July 28, 2020 4:50 pm
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) – Agriculture officials in multiple states have issued warnings about unsolicited shipments of foreign seeds and advised people not to plant them. In Kentucky, the agriculture department says it was notified that several Kentucky residents received unsolicited seed packets sent by mail that appeared to have originated in China. Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said Monday the types of seeds are unknown and could be harmful. He stressed that the seeds should not be planted. In North Carolina, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says it was contacted by numerous people who received seed shipments they did not order.
July 28, 2020 4:37 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. health officials are warning Americans again to avoid a growing list of imported hand sanitizers that may be contaminated with the toxic chemical methanol. The Food and Drug Administration said Monday there have been increasing reports of injury due to people using– sometimes ingesting-the unauthorized sanitizers, which can lead to blindness, heart problems and death. The active ingredient that kills germs in legitimate sanitizers is ethyl alcohol, which is consumable. But some Mexican companies have been replacing it with poisonous methanol, or wood alcohol, which is used in antifreeze.
July 28, 2020 4:23 pm
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) – Google has decided that most of its 200,000 employees and contractors should work from home until July 2021. It’s a sobering assessment of the pandemic’s potential staying power from the company that provides the answers for the world’s most trusted internet search engine. The remote-work order issued Monday by Google CEO Sundar Pichai also affects other companies owned by Google’s corporate parent, Alphabet Inc. It marks a six-month extension of Google’s previous plan to keep most of its offices closed through the rest of this year. The prolonged lockdown of Google’s offices could influence other major employers to take similar precautions.
July 28, 2020 3:44 pm
(AP) – New study results are boosting hopes that there soon may be a simple, reliable way to help family doctors diagnose the most common form of dementia. Researchers say an experimental blood test was able to distinguish people with Alzheimer’s disease from those without it in several studies. The accuracy ranged from 89% to 98%, though the test still needs more validation. Several companies are developing these tests, which measure a protein that damages the brains of people with the disease. The results were discussed at an Alzheimer’s conference Tuesday and some were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
July 28, 2020 12:50 pm
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Authorities in Maine say the woman killed in a rare shark attack off the state’s coast was a 63-year-old resident of New York City. The Maine Department of Marine Resources says the shark bite killed Julie Dimperio Holowach. The shark fatally bit Holowach off Bailey Island on Monday while she was swimming. The marine patrol said a witness saw Holowach swimming off the shore of Bailey Island when she was injured. Two kayakers then helped her get to shore, and an ambulance provided further assistance, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
