September 5, 2020 4:01 am
Funding for several projects was addressed by Washington County Commissioners on a teleconference meeting on Friday afternoon. The three agenda items all passed unanimously. Commissioners approved a short term loan to the Washington County Fair Board in the amount of $52,000. Funds for that loan will come from the fairgrounds gas lease and will be repaid by the Fair Board at a future date. A professional services agreement with Zelenkofske, Axlerod, LLC was approved for consulting services on the Covid-19 Washington County Relief Block Grant. The cost of the agreement is not to exceed $35,000. Commissioners also approved a professional services agreement with HTC Communications. The $496,750 labor only agreement will work to provide the county with broadband access to unserved and underserved areas. Funding from the agreement will come from the Washington County Relief Block Grant.
September 5, 2020 4:00 am
PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh AM radio show host Wendy Bell has been taken off the air until further notice due to controversial comments. According to a spokesperson from KDKA-AM, which is owned by Entercom and is not affiliated with KDKA-TV, Bell was removed from her show because of comments she made “that do not align with Entercom’s values.” In one segment, Bell encouraged violence against vandals at monuments. Bell was let go from her position with WTAE-TV in 2016 after making comments on social media regarding a shooting at a backyard barbecue that left 5 people dead. Here is the full statement sent to ours news partner WPXI on Friday:”Entercom is home to thousands of voices representing Americans of all races, ethnicities, gender identity, sexual orientation, beliefs and ability. We take very seriously our responsibility to provide a platform for our communities to engage in diverse and meaningful dialogue, debate and the right to freedom of speech. We do not condone the incitement of violence on any of our platforms. Members of our community have recently brought to our attention comments made by Wendy Bell that do not align with Entercom’s values. Wendy has been taken off air until further notice.” (Photo courtesy pghcitypaper.com)
September 4, 2020 5:22 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has declared President Donald Trump “unfit” for the presidency, delivering an impassioned reaction to a report that Trump – who never served in uniform – allegedly mocked American war dead. Defending himself, Trump says the allegations published by The Atlantic are false. Biden is intensifying his efforts to frame the 2020 election as a referendum on the president’s character. The allegations, sourced anonymously, describe multiple offensive comments by the president toward fallen U.S. service-members, including calling World War I dead at an American military cemetery in France “losers” and “suckers” in 2018. áTrump calls it “Fake News.”
September 4, 2020 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. unemployment rate fell sharply in August to 8.4% from 10.2% even as hiring slowed, with employers adding the fewest jobs since the pandemic began. The Labor Department says employers added 1.4 million jobs, down from 1.7 million in July. The U.S. economy has recovered about half the 22 million jobs lost to the pandemic. Friday’s report adds to evidence that nearly six months after the coronavirus paralyzed the country, the economy is mounting only a fitful recovery. From small businesses to hotels, restaurants, airlines and entertainment venues, a wide spectrum of companies are struggling to survive the loss of customers with confirmed viral cases still high.
September 4, 2020 4:21 am
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden told residents in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that the turmoil their city has experienced following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, could help the nation confront centuries of systemic racism. The Democrat sought to draw a sharp contrast with President Donald Trump, who visited Kenosha earlier this week but concentrated on praising law enforcement and accusing protesters of “domestic terrorism.” Biden met Thursday with the Blake family and talked with the hospitalized Blake on the phone. Jacob Blake’s uncle said Biden’s visit was more unifying, and he noted Trump did not ask at all about his nephew.
September 4, 2020 4:19 am
DELRAY BEACH, FLa. (AP) – A new report details multiple instances of President Donald Trump making disparaging remarks about members of the U.S. military who have been captured or killed, including referring to the American war dead buried in a cemetery in France as “losers” and “suckers.” The allegations were first reported in The Atlantic. A senior Defense Department official with firsthand knowledge and a senior U.S. Marine Corps officer who was told about Trump’s comments confirmed some of the remarks to The Associated Press, including the 2018 cemetery comments. Trump says the story is “totally false.”
September 4, 2020 4:18 am
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) – Seven police officers involved in the suffocation death of Daniel Prude last spring in Rochester, New York, have been suspended by the city’s mayor, who said she was misled for months about the circumstances of the fatal encounter. Prude, who was Black, died when he was taken off life support March 30. That was seven days after officers who encountered him running naked through the street put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting, then held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren announced the suspensions Thursday at a news conference.
September 4, 2020 4:17 am
LACEY, Wash. (AP) – A man suspected of fatally shooting a supporter of a right-wing group in Portland, Oregon, last week was killed late Thursday as a fugitive task force tried to arrest him in Lacey, Washington. The U.S. Marshals Service said Friday that 48-year-old Michael Forest Reinoehl was killed as a federal task force attempted an arrest. Authorities say Reinoehl was a suspect in the killing of 39-year-old Aaron “Jay” Danielson, who was fatally shot Saturday night. Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt. Ray Brady says four members of the task force fired their weapons, including members from local city police and county sheriff’s departments.
September 4, 2020 4:15 am
LATROBE, Pennsylvania (AP) – President Donald Trump on Thursday honed the “law and order” message he intends to wield for the next two months against his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, stepping up attacks that his campaign believes are resonating with battleground state voters. Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania comes as his campaign is claiming signs of momentum in the state – a longtime Democratic stronghold that Trump won by less than 45,000 votes in 2016. Trump was speaking in front of a crowd of hundreds packed into an airport hangar, where people stood closely together and few were seen wearing masks, despite the continued pandemic. (Photo: TribLive)
September 4, 2020 4:09 am
Washington City Council had a quick and effective meeting Thursday night. Council gave final approval to an expansion project of the Get Go convenience store on Wylie Avenue. The approval is subject to several conditions such as permit and plan approvals from PA American Water, PennDot and WEWJA. They also approved a parking change on W. Maiden St. Parking from the corner of South Main to two parking spaces past the new TRIPL building will be eliminated. Twelve structures were added to the city’s demolition list. Mayor Scott Putnam credited the new code enforcement officer for his hard work in gathering the list. Putnam also alerted city residents to a rash of car break ins happening in the city. Putnam asks that everyone keep their cars locked and valuables out of sight. Vandals are looking for unlocked cars to steal valuable items. Council’s next meeting will be at 7:00 PM on October, 1.
