May 14, 2020 4:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Several Pennsylvania counties say they are moving ahead with plans to defy the governor by lifting some pandemic restrictions. Others backed down Wednesday under Gov. Tom Wolf’s threat to withhold COVID-19 funding. Commissioners in many GOP-controlled counties where the Democratic governor has yet to ease any restrictions say they can manage the coronavirus threat and reopen safely. They say the prolonged shutdown threatens to destroy local economies, especially small businesses. Wolf says moving too fast risks jeopardizing the progress Pennsylvania has made against a virus that has sickened some 59,000 and killed nearly 4,000 statewide.
May 14, 2020 4:01 am
Charleroi Borough will receive an update on their two-year STMP study conducted by the Commonwealth. Formerly known as, “Early Intervention,” the study looked into the borough’s finances, management, personnel, and departments to try and get them on a stable path moving forward. At Wednesday’s regular meeting, Council President, Mark Alterici, said the preliminary report says the borough is in “good shape” financially. The details of the report will be released to the public at the June meeting. In other business, polling locations within the borough have changed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Voters are to be notified of their new location before the June 2nd primary.
May 14, 2020 2:41 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. immunologist who says he lost his government job because he warned the Trump administration to prepare for the coronavirus pandemic isn’t backing off his bleak forecast. Dr. Rick Bright told Congress Thursday that America faces the “darkest winter in modern history” unless its leaders act decisively to prevent a rebound of the coronavirus. Bright is appearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He told the panel that the pandemic will get far worse and cause unprecedented illness and fatalities. President Donald Trump has called Bright “a disgruntled employee.” (Photo: CNN)
May 13, 2020 9:54 am
Washington County is preparing for Friday’s shift from ‘red’ to ‘yellow’ under Governor Tom Wolf’s reopening plan. Commissioner’s Chairman Diana Irey-Vaughn says they are in the process of determining which employees, that have been working remotely, will be allowed to return. Irey-Vaughn says they are working with department heads and the Human Resources Department in making those decisions. She says some departments won’t be able to bring everyone back because of office space and social distancing guidelines. In addition, Irey-Vaughn says Commissioner’s meetings will be returning to the public meeting room effective next week. Those meetings have been held through teleconference. Irey-Vaughn has commended County residents for their efforts during the ‘stay at home’ order but is recommending that they continue to wear masks and practice good hygiene.
May 13, 2020 9:40 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been released from federal prison to serve the rest of his sentence in home confinement over concerns from the coronavirus. Manafort’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, says his client was released Wednesday morning from FCI Loretto, a low-security prison in Pennsylvania. Manafort had been serving more than seven years in prison after being convicted as part of the special counsel’s Russia investigation. His attorneys had asked the Bureau of Prisons to release him to home confinement, arguing that he was at high risk for coronavirus because of his age and pre-existing medical conditions.
May 13, 2020 9:39 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the threat of a prolonged recession remains and urged Congress and the White House to act further to prevent long-term economic damage from the viral outbreak. Both the Fed and Congress have taken dramatic steps to counter the economic downturn resulting from the widespread shutdown of the U.S. economy, Powell said Wednesday. But there still could be widespread bankruptcies among small business and extended unemployment for many.
May 13, 2020 4:21 am
North Franklin Township Supervisors spent a good deal of time discussing roads during their Tuesday night meeting. The biggest news came in the form of anticipated legal action due to the flooding on West Chestnut Street. Attorneys for the Guttman Oil Corporation filed an emergency injunction with Washington County Court to try and advance repairs that would cure flooding on West Chestnut Street. A hearing on that injunction will be held Thursday in front of Judge Michael Lucas. Supervisors updated progress on road repairs on McElree Road. They indicate the piping and storm drain repairs should be done by week’s end and the road will be scheduled for paving in 2021. Supervisors are also moving forward with the demolition of 3 dilapidated structures by accepting bid estimates for those demolitions. Advertisement for bids for the projects are pending. Finally, supervisors forwarded an ordinance to the planning commission to regulate poultry in the township. The purpose of the ordinance is to formally address the existence of chickens and ducks in the township and to make certain roosters and geese and any other poultry fowl is prohibited. In anticipation of moving into Pennsylvania’s Yellow Phase of economic reopening, supervisors voted to lift the State of Emergency declared earlier this year, effective May 18. The township building will reopen on May 18, visitors will need to be masked, adhere to social distancing practices and abide by any other practices suggested by the Department of Health.
May 13, 2020 4:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has finished hearing arguments in two cases involving President Donald Trump’s bid to keep his tax, bank and other financial records private. Though the justices’ discussion was lengthy, it was unclear whether they would uphold lower court decisions that found subpoenas to Trump’s accountant and banks by Manhattan prosecutors and Congress should be enforced. The arguments were conducted by telephone because of the coronavirus.
May 13, 2020 4:03 am
Democrats are making new moves toward a virtual presidential nominating convention this August. The Democratic National Committee’s influential Rules & Bylaws Committee voted Tuesday to grant convention organizers in Milwaukee the authority to design an event that won’t require delegates to attend in person amid the coronavirus pandemic. Party chairman Tom Perez says the move gives organizers “the tools necessary to adapt and plan” for a gathering and “ensure that every delegate is able to accomplish their official business without putting their own health at risk.” The convention committee will be able to determine the convention’s final dates, along with its “format, voting mechanisms, structure and other logistical aspects.”
May 13, 2020 4:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal judge is making clear he will not immediately rule on the Justice Department’s decision to dismiss its criminal case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan says he will instead let outside individuals and groups weigh in with their opinions. Flynn pleaded guilty, as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, to lying to the FBI about conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the presidential transition period. But the Justice Department said last week that the FBI had no basis to question Flynn in the first place.
