August 19, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The postmaster general says he is halting some operational changes until after the November election. Democrats contended that the changes threatened mail-in voting, and some states planned to file lawsuits. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced Tuesday he would “suspend” his initiatives until after the election “to avoid even the appearance of impact on election mail.” The crisis at the Postal Service has erupted as a major election year issue as DeJoy, a Trump ally who took control of the agency in June, has swiftly engineered cuts and operational changes that are disrupting mail delivery operations. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she doesn’t trust the Postmaster. The House is pushing ahead with vote on legislation on the Postal Service.
August 19, 2020 4:11 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – Democrats formally nominated Joe Biden as their 2020 presidential nominee Tuesday night, as party officials and activists from across the nation gave the former vice president their overwhelming support during his party’s all-virtual national convention. The moment marked a political high point for Biden, who had sought the presidency twice before. At the convention, Biden is drawing on a collection of the Democratic Party’s most experienced leaders – and fresher faces, too – to show the party has the experience and energy to defeat Donald Trump this fall. Also Tuesday night, Biden was introducing his wife, Jill Biden to the nation for the first time as the prospective first lady.
August 19, 2020 2:53 am
WHITEHALL, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say the death of an elderly resident of an eastern Pennsylvania care home has been ruled a homicide, but no charges will be filed. The Lehigh County medical examiner’s office said Wednesday that 89-year-old Frank Schwartz died in January, 40 days after the attack early Dec. 15 at Whitehall Manor. Officials said his injuries were “consistent with him being struck with an object.” District Attorney Jim Martin said Schwartz was likely attacked by a fellow resident in the dementia care unit, but that would be difficult to probe and the person believed responsible would probably never be deemed competent for trial.
August 19, 2020 2:37 am
Police in McDonald say 53-year-old Alfred Quevi Junior of McDonald has been charged with shooting his 20-year-old stepson, Tyler Shrum, late Monday night. Authorities say Schrum, who was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, was shot in the stomach at point-blank range. His condition has not been released. The shooting occurred just after eleven o’clock at Quevi’s home at 331 East Lincoln Avenue. Police say Quevi fled the scene in his vehicle before police arrived, but later turned himself in. He’s facing multiple charges including aggravated assault, making terroristic threats and reckless endangerment. Quevi is being held in the Washington County Jail without bond.
August 19, 2020 2:08 am
Two Washington County Men appeared in front of Judge Gary Gilman for plea hearings on Wednesday. Gene Carey, 49 from Richeyville is charged with felony attempted homicide and aggravated assault for discharging a firearm in the direction of his wife while intoxicated. His charges will be held for trial. A pre-trial conference is set for Sept. 4. Douglas Schrecengost, 38 of Coraopolis is charged with 3 felonies that include aggravated assault and arson. Schrecengost is accused of abusing a woman in North Strabane Township over the course of three days. He allegedly soaked the woman with rubbing alcohol and set her on fire. His hearing was continued until October 14 due to new evidence. Both men are represented by the Public Defender’s Office. Both men remain in the Washington County Jail without bond.
August 18, 2020 4:19 pm
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – This year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally drew over 460,000 vehicles during the 10-day event, according to a count released by South Dakota transportation officials. The count is a decrease of nearly 8% from last year, but showed that many were undeterred by the coronavirus pandemic. Sturgis officials said they expected fewer people to show up this year, estimating they would see between 250,000 and 300,000 people. Most people didn’t take significant precautions against COVID-19 infections at this year’s rally. A few people wore masks and some said they were avoiding crowds, but many others packed close together at bars and rock shows.
August 18, 2020 3:25 pm
(AP) – A group of 29 female current and former attorneys general have backed former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House on the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The group of all Democrats includes current and former attorneys general from 24 states and U.S. territories. They acknowledged the history made by Harris’ nomination and cited their experience working with Harris during her six-year tenure as California Attorney General. Among them are New York Attorney General Letitia James, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto.
August 18, 2020 3:12 pm
SEATTLE (AP) – The attorneys general of Washington and Pennsylvania say they are leading states that art suing to block service changes at the U.S. Postal Service. They made the announcement Tuesday as the U.S. postmaster general announced the reversal of some postal service changes amid a national outcry. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro are both Democrats. In filing the lawsuit, they cited policy changes that included limiting worker overtime and late or extra shifts. They say the postmaster general ignored rules requiring the postal service to follow procedures before making changes that affect national service.
August 18, 2020 5:38 am
CHEAT LAKE, W.Va. — An explosion on board a boat being operated on Cheat Lake Sunday has caused seven injuries, with two people needing to be flown to the burn treatment center in Pittsburgh. According to Lawrence Messina, an officials with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, the boat operated by Yuan C. Xiao, 50, of Washington, Pa., had recently refueled at the Edgewater Marina when Xiao attempted to start the engine, at which point an explosion occurred. The other occupants of the boat, Chen Wu, 47; Xiao Xiao, 25; Nancy Xiao, 18; Tiffany Xiao, 17; Tristan Xiao, 12; all of Washington, Pa., and Angela Wu, 16; and Evan Wu, 5; both of Morgantown, were present during the explosion, according to Division of Natural Resources officials.
Of the eight occupants on the boat, seven were injured and taken to Ruby Memorial Hospital for treatment; two of the injured needed to be flown from Ruby Memorial to the burn center at West Penn Hospital, Messina said.
August 18, 2020 4:18 am
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) – President Donald Trump is zeroing in on Midwest battleground states with a law and order message to counter former Vice President Joe Biden’s show at the Democratic convention. On Monday, Trump visited Minnesota and then Wisconsin, the official host state for the entirely virtual Democratic National Convention. The GOP has a week of travel and political events aimed at blunting the customary polling bounce that candidates get during their convention. In Mankato, Minnesota, Trump called Biden a “puppet of left-wing extremists.” In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the president declared that the coronavirus outbreak makes another victory in Wisconsin more difficult but claims “we handled it.”
