July 30, 2019 4:25 am
A security breech that crippled City of Washington computers is causing City Council to export their computers out of the city for increased security. Councilman Joe Manning explained that the cyber attack that occurred in May caused the city quite a bit of distress but measures before council will go a long way to prevent that from occurring again. Council paid $40,000 to Sylint Group, Inc. to regain control of their computers. Council would pay $15,000 in set up fees to Blue Bastion and Ideal Integrations to host and monitor their computer system. Once that is complete, an $8400 monthly charge to the city is anticipated to avoid any shutdown like the one experienced by the city back in May. Councilman Manning acknowledged the cost but explained that the city is actually playing catch up with security measures that exist and are not in place right now. Manning went out of his way to further explain that it took over 109,000 attempts by the hackers to gain access to the city’s computers anyway. The measures will be voted on at the next regular meeting on Thursday.
July 30, 2019 4:21 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf is warning that food stamp benefits for about 200,000 people are jeopardized by a Trump administration move to stop allowing states to exceed federal income eligibility thresholds. Wolf said Monday that such a change would primarily affect the elderly, the disabled and lower-income families. He also says it’ll result in fewer school lunches.
In Pennsylvania, more than 1.7 million people are in the food stamp program, called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP. Current federal guidelines forbid people who make more than 130% of the poverty level from getting food stamps. But most states bypass the limits under a federal policy that allows people who receive benefits through other government programs to automatically qualify for SNAP. The Trump administration seeks to end that policy.
July 30, 2019 4:18 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – Food giant The Kraft Heinz Co. may give up naming rights on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ home turf, Heinz Field, when the $57 million deal expires in 2021, according to Street & Smith’s Sports Business Journal, a publication that is owned by American City Business Journals, which also owns the Pittsburgh Business Times. Industry insiders expect Kraft Heinz to drop naming rights to stadium. A 20-year deal expires in 2021 as Kraft Heinz — and professional sports — have undergone big changes. The company put its name on the stadium in 2001 when it was still known as the H.J. Heinz Co. But since then, much has changed for Heinz, which was acquired by private equity firm 3G Capital and Berkshire Hathaway in 2013, then merged with Kraft Foods Inc. two years later. Staff and offices have been slashed in Pittsburgh, and the executive team is based in Chicago, although the company says it is headquartered in both cities. SBJ cites industry experts as saying they don’t expect the Heinz name to be on the stadium come 2021. It does, however, note that Heinz is still at the table
July 30, 2019 4:15 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. – (WPXI) – A woman has turned herself in after a bizarre incident at the Walmart in West Mifflin, police said. The woman is accused of urinating on potatoes at Walmart. Surveillance pictures of the woman were released by police. A Walmart representative said a store employee saw what the woman was doing. “My first reaction is one, kind of horrified. I realize that some people have issues that might lead them to do things that might be considered unusual,” said Beth Elliot, who shops at the store. Walmart issued the following statement: “This type of obscene conduct is outrageous and we immediately disposed of the affected products and sanitized the area to ensure its cleanliness and safety for our customers. We’re working with the West Mifflin Police Department to find the responsible party and have them prosecuted.”
July 30, 2019 3:40 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Pfizer is buying Mylan in an all-stock deal and combining the $10 billion generic pharmaceutical company with its own off-patent branded and generic business. The Pfizer business, called Upjohn, makes Lipitor, Celebrex and Viagra. Mylan, based just outside of Pittsburgh, is best known for its EpiPen, an injector used to halt life-threatening allergic reactions. Pfizer Inc. shareholders will own 57% of the combined new company and Mylan shareholders will own 43%. The deal Monday arrives at a precarious time for big drug makers who are threatened by patent protection losses and lower-priced rivals. The new company will be incorporated in Delaware and run operations in Pittsburgh, Shanghai and Hyderabad, India. The combination is expected to close in the middle of next year.
July 29, 2019 5:59 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf is warning that food stamp benefits for about 200,000 people are jeopardized by a Trump administration move to stop allowing states to exceed federal income eligibility thresholds. Wolf said Monday that such a change would primarily affect the elderly, the disabled and lower-income families. He also says it’ll result in fewer school lunches. In Pennsylvania, more than 1.7 million people are in the food stamp program, called the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP. Current federal guidelines forbid people who make more than 130% of the poverty level from getting food stamps. But most states bypass the limits under a federal policy that allows people who receive benefits through other government programs to automatically qualify for SNAP. The Trump administration seeks to end that policy.
July 29, 2019 5:55 pm
NAGS HEAD, N.C. (AP) – Police say a 6-year-old boy from Pennsylvania has drowned in a swimming pool at a home on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. According to Nags Head police, emergency responders went to a home on South Virginia Dare Trail at around 5:25 p.m. on Sunday. A statement from police says family members performed CPR on the boy after he was found unresponsive in the pool, but he was pronounced dead at Outer Banks Hospital. A news release says the incident is under investigation. Police have not released any identities.
July 29, 2019 2:48 pm
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce and the Southpointe CEO Association sponsored a panel discussion featuring the Grow America’s Infrastructure Now Coalition. The group advocates the construction of underground pipelines to transport natural gas to areas of the country that would use the gas or to deliver it to facilities to ship elsewhere in the United States or overseas. GAIN Strategic Advisor Brigham McCown spoke to the safety advantages of pipeline delivery. GAIN Spokesperson Craig Stevens expressed the need to communicate effectively the needs and efficiencies of underground pipelines. Also on the panel, former Chester County state Senator Earl Baker described how the Mariner Pipeline running across Pennsylvania can provide a dual purpose solution for immediate needs for people in Johnstown and also delivery to export facilities in Marcus Hook, PA. Locally, state Senator Camera Bartolotta expressed the needs of this infrastructure investment so that possible ethane storage facilities currently under study in Greene County may come about. Information about pipeline infrastructure construction may be found at www.gainnow.org.
July 29, 2019 10:35 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed a bill ensuring that a victims’ compensation fund related to the Sept. 11 attacks never runs out of money. Appearing in the Rose Garden on Monday with first responders from the 2001 terrorist attacks, Trump approved a bill extending the fund through 2092, essentially making it permanent. The $7.4 billion fund had been rapidly depleting, and administrators recently cut benefit payments by up to 70%. The bill passed Congress on a bipartisan basis but only after delays by some Republicans that exposed the legislative branch to withering criticism from activists, including comedian Jon Stewart. More than 40,000 people have applied to the fund, which covers illnesses potentially related to being at the World Trade Center site, the Pentagon or Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after the attacks.
July 29, 2019 10:16 am
CONNOQUENESSING, Pa. (AP) – State police say a deer struck by a car in western Pennsylvania went airborne and through the windshield of an SUV, killing an Ohio man driving the SUV. The crash occurred late Sunday afternoon on Route 68 in Connoquenessing. Authorities say 53-year-old Anthony McCoppin, of Blawnox, was driving eastbound when he hit the deer. The animal went airborne, directly into the path of the westbound SUV driven by 73-year-old Michael Modjallal, 73, of Akron, Ohio. He was killed and his passenger was hurt
