September 9, 2020 8:51 am
ESTACADA, Ore. (AP) – Firefighters in the Pacific Northwest are scrambling to keep up with dozens of wildfires that have burned houses, forced people to flee and trapped firefighters and civilians. Oregon’s governor said Wednesday that hundreds of homes have been destroyed. In neighboring Washington state, one fire leveled an entire farming town. Pacific Northwest firefighters say they are stunned by the intensity and speed of the blazes in areas that almost never experience such fire activity because of the zone’s normally cool and wet climate. Gusting winds with speeds of 30 to 50 mph that can easily fan flames were forecast Wednesday through Thursday.
September 9, 2020 8:49 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A western Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 14 to 28 years in the death of a university professor found slain two years ago in the Pittsburgh home the two men shared. Thirty-seven-year-old Joseph Martin was sentenced Tuesday by an Allegheny County judge and will be allowed to serve his sentence in a facility with mental health treatment. Martin pleaded guilty but mentally ill in June in the death of 71-year-old Ricardo Tobia, a voice instructor at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. Tobia was a professor there for 35 years and worked part time.
September 9, 2020 8:48 am
CALIFORNIA, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Central Catholic graduate and California University of Pennsylvania football player died Tuesday, reportedly from complications due to COVID-19. Jamain Stephens was the son of former Steelers offensive tackle Jamain Stephens. According to the university, the younger Stephens was a business administration major and a senior on the football team. He played in 32 games for the university. “Jamain was such a wonderful student with a smile on his face every time you saw him,” said athletic director Dr. Karen Hjerpe. “His personality was contagious, and he made such a positive impact on everyone he met.” Central Catholic High School posted on Facebook that Stephens commonly went by his nickname, “Juice,” and was a defensive lineman for the school. He won two Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League championships and a state championship in 2015. “Rough day. Jamian had a huge impact on our program, was well-liked by everybody. He had a personality that was contagious,” said Cal U head football coach Gary Dunn. It’s evident that Stephens had a big personality and was loved by so many. “You could always count on him putting his big hand on ya and saying, ‘What’s up, coach?’ and I’m just going to miss him being around,” Dunn said.
September 9, 2020 8:45 am
North Franklin Supervisors met Tuesday evening and approved two ordinances. One ordinance will offer a stipend of twenty dollars to each qualified fireman who answers a call. Supervisor Chairman Bob Sabot says that the $20 per person per call will be paid quarterly and come from township funds. No tax increase is necessary for this stipend. Supervisors officially dissolved the North Franklin Township Recreation and Business Improvement Authority. The township will now take responsibility of all property and assets that once fell under the Authority’s responsibility. Work continues on West Chestnut Street to repair the storm drain that causes flooding near Franklin Farms Road. Work should be complete at the end of September. The township also announced that the township’s clean up day is October 17 from 10-2. Fall leaf pick up will begin October 19 and run through November 30. Halloween is scheduled for October 31 from 6:00 pm until 7:30 pm.
September 8, 2020 5:58 pm
(AP) – Top police leaders in Rochester are retiring en masse amid criticism of the city’s handling of the suffocation death of Daniel Prude. Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said Tuesday that the city’s police chief is among those retiring, along with other senior commanders. Warren made the surprise announcement of the retirements at a City Council briefing being held online. Prude died several days after an encounter with police on March 23. Officers who found him running naked down the street handcuffed him, put a hood over his head to stop him from spitting, then held him down for about two minutes until he stopped breathing.
September 8, 2020 1:37 pm
(AP) – It’s the time of year when gardeners are turning their ripe tomatoes into sauces and salsas and cucumbers into pickles but a boom in gardening and preparing food at home during the coronavirus pandemic has led to a scarcity of certain supplies with which to preserve them. From Maine and Vermont to Louisiana and West Virginia gardeners have reported being in a pickle finding certain sized glass jars or the special lids used to safely seal them. A spokesperson for Newell Brands, owner of Ball, which produces Mason jars and lids, says it’s increased glass production, found additional lid manufacturers and expanded its pack out locations to replenish the stock as quickly as possible.
September 8, 2020 10:52 am
HARRISBURG (AP) – Pennsylvania restaurants will be allowed to seat more patrons inside after Gov. Tom Wolf announced he is relaxing restrictions on indoor dining. Restaurants may increase indoor occupancy from 25% to 50% of capacity starting Sept. 21. That’s more than two months after the administration first reimposed pandemic restrictions on the state’s beleaguered hospitality industry in response to a spike in virus infections. Wolf said at a news conference in Lancaster on Monday that the state has made sufficient progress to enable a partial lifting of restrictions on the hospitality industry. Wolf also announced Tuesday that starting Sept. 21 restaurants will not be allowed to sell alcohol past 10 p.m. Any restaurant that wishes to increase to 50% capacity on September 21st must complete the online self-certification process by October 5th. The self-certification documents and information about the Open & Certified Pennsylvania program can be found online starting September 21 and will contain the following:
- A list of requirements contained in the current restaurant industry guidance and enforcement efforts
- A statement that the owner has reviewed and agrees to follow these requirements
- The business’ maximum indoor occupancy number based on the fire code
- A statement that the owner understands that the certification is subject to penalties for unsworn falsification to authorities
September 8, 2020 9:49 am
Students in the Washington School District began classes for the 2020-2021 school year on Tuesday. Superintendent Dr. James Konrad said it feels great to have students back in the building. Classes begin at 8:20 every day and students lined up early on Tuesday waiting to get back to school. Before doors opened, building administrators and school police lined students up six feet apart and making sure masks were on before they entered the building. Konrad states that about one third of students are making use of the district’s cyber option. Konrad is asking for everyone’s patience as teachers and students become acclimated to the new learning platform. Konrad is looking at the different type of year that this year is as an opportunity to work with parents and the community to make sure students get the quality education that Washington School District offers. Students in the Trinity School District also began their school year on Tuesday.
September 8, 2020 9:43 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democrats will investigate whether Postmaster General Louis DeJoy encouraged employees at his business to contribute to Republican candidates and then reimbursed them in the guise of bonuses, a violation of campaign finance laws. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, House Oversight Committee chair, announced the investigation Tuesday. The Washington Post reports that five people who worked for DeJoy’s former business were urged to write checks and attend fundraisers at his North Carolina mansion. Two former employees said DeJoy would give bigger bonuses to reimburse them. It’s not illegal to encourage employees to contribute to candidates but it is illegal to reimburse them as a way of avoiding federal campaign contribution limits.
September 8, 2020 4:57 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – In-person classes will be canceled at West Virginia University’s Morgantown campus on Tuesday, with nearly all undergraduate classes moving online on Wednesday. According to a school news release, graduate and professional courses will continue to be offered in person. The changes apply to the Morgantown campus only. They come in response to a recent increase in positive cases among students and a concern that cases may increase even more following reports of parties over the holiday weekend. áWVU placed 29 students on interim suspension on Sunday amid ongoing COVID-19 investigations. Additional sanctions are pending. If the public health situation improves, in-person classes will return on Monday, Sept. 28.
