September 29, 2020 4:35 am
A 24-year-old man has been arrested following a police chase that began in Allegheny County, wound its way through Washington County, moved into West Virginia and ended in Ohio. Authorities say Shad Boccella began his crime spree on Saturday when he assaulted two women in a parking lot on East Carson Street and stole their car, only to abandon it a short distance away. Police say he was then arrested and taken to jail after reports of a theft at a restaurant on the South Side. Boccella was released from jail on Sunday but then reportedly stole a bike from someone on a bridge in McKeesport, and then tried to jump into a boat that was being towed away. Police say Boccella was high on meth, and he was arrested again and taken back to jail, only to be released again Monday morning. Shortly after that, the chase began. It eventually ended in St. Clairsville, Ohio where Boccella was arrested and is currently in the Belmont County Jail in Ohio on fleeing and eluding charges. He’s facing charges in Pittsburgh as well.
September 29, 2020 4:15 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California’s governor says the state is showing signs of a potential new surge of coronavirus cases. Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that could prompt another shutdown of businesses and further delay school reopenings. The number of new cases in California has improved over the last few weeks, but Newsom said he is concerned about the “reproduction number” in several highly-populated areas. A number greater than one means the virus is spreading. The “R number” is close to one in the San Francisco Bay area and in parts of Southern California. Still, the Newsom administration plans to lift virus restrictions in more counties on Tuesday.
September 29, 2020 4:14 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Northern California’s wine country was blanketed by fire again Monday as strong winds fanned flames in the already scorched region, destroying homes and prompting evacuation orders for nearly 70,000 people. Further north near Redding, Shasta County Sheriff Eric Magrini announced that three people had died in a fire there. The fires that began Sunday in the famed Napa-Sonoma wine country north of San Francisco and around Redding came near the third anniversary of deadly wildfires that erupted in 2017, including one that killed 22 people. They are among nearly 30 major wildfires burning across California. The wildlife death toll in California wildfires this year is now 29.
September 29, 2020 4:14 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in a case that could result in the purging of about 130,000 people from voter rolls in the hotly contested battleground state. The arguments Tuesday come just five weeks before the election in one of several closely watched lawsuits in Wisconsin. However, it wasn’t clear if the court would rule in time to affect the Nov. 3 election that was just five weeks away. Attorneys for both sides didn’t expect a decision after the election. President Donald Trump won Wisconsin by fewer than 23,000 votes in 2016.
September 29, 2020 4:13 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – The first debate between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden looms as a milestone in an American election year like no other. It’s a potential pivot point for a race that has remained stubbornly unchanged in the face of historic tumult. But with partisan feelings hardened over the most polarizing of presidents, comparatively few undecided voters remain. That raises questions as to how, or if, Tuesday night’s debate might shape a race that has been defined by its bitterness and, at least so far, its stability.
September 29, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. computer networks of a major hospital chain have been knocked offline in a cyberattack. Universal Health Services, which has more than 250 facilities in the U.S., acknowledged the outage Monday but would not confirm whether ransomware was responsible. Doctors and nurses at affected hospitals and clinics had to resort to paper records and described chaotic conditions, with lab work backed up. The company says no patient or employee data appears to have been accessed. The company also has hospitals in the United Kingdom, but a spokeswoman says its operations in that country were not affected.
September 29, 2020 4:11 am
NEW DELHI (AP) – The worldwide death toll from the coronavirus has eclipsed 1 million. The milestone, recorded by Johns Hopkins University, comes nine months into a crisis that has devastated the global economy, tested world leaders’ resolve, pitted science against politics and forced multitudes to change the way they live, learn and work. The virus has also spread untold misery. One million is greater than the population of Jerusalem or Austin, Texas. It is more than four times the number of people killed by the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Even then, the toll is almost certainly a vast undercount because of inadequate or inconsistent testing and reporting. And more people are dying daily.
September 29, 2020 4:09 am
A Romanian Couple charged with felonies in two jurisdictions faced their preliminary hearing on Monday in front of District Justice Michael Manfredi. Ionel Mihai, 35 and Adela Chiciu, 27 were charged with felony conspiracy, theft, forgery and access device fraud for stealing checks and other valuables from mailboxes at churches in North Strabane Township and Peters Township. The preliminary hearing was a combination hearing between North Strabane and Peters Township judiciaries in order to streamline an already difficult case. The couple is from Romania and does not speak English. An interpreter was used to help the couple understand the hearing. Detectives Gary Scherer from the North Strabane Police Department and Evan Caruso from the Peters Township Police Department testified to video evidence of the couple stealing from mailboxes. Evidence turned over by Northwest Bank proved the forging of endorsements on checks deposited into accounts opened by the couple. The couple was arrested at a hotel near Washington. They have no address in the United States and are considered homeless. Manfredi was asked to modify bail but he declined to change the decisions of two other justices. Mihai and Chiciu are being held in the Washington County jail without bond.
September 29, 2020 4:05 am
Washington City Council Department reports included a review of the audit of the city’s expenditures for 2019. Reports also brought about complaints that have been plaguing the Seventh Ward playground. Comments from the public continued about people at the park at all hours of the night, illicit activities and people having parties and leaving their trash. Council authorized the erection of a fence around the property to eliminate access. Council will also be entering a cooperation agreement with The Dreamers Company to enhance and develop the property. The Dreamers Company will also assist in obtaining a grant to help offset the cost of the park’s improvements. Council will formalize the actions at their regular meeting on October 1.
September 29, 2020 4:01 am
Peters Township Council moved quickly through their agenda on Monday night. The highlight of the meeting was authorizing the acceptance of a grant from the Washington County Redevelopment Authority for $160,000. The matching grant will allow the development of a connector to allow people using Arrowhead Trail to gain access to the new Rolling Hills Park. Phase one of the park’s development is going out to bid this week, and the connector will be part of that development. At the other end of the park, the realignment of East McMurray Road is going on. The realignment is in place and paving is expected to begin shortly. Township Manager Paul Lauer says the project is on budget and on time. The brand new intersection with a traffic signal will be complete in January 2021.
