August 31, 2019 4:12 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Traci McDonald-Kemp was sworn in Friday in Washington County Court as the county’s newest judge. McDonald-Kemp won both the Democratic and Republican Primary in May and in June, the state Senate unanimously approved her appointment. McDonald-Kemp’s name though will still appear on the ballot in the November general election as she runs for a full ten-year term. McDonald-Kemp, who is 48-years-old, is the first black woman to take the oath of office as a judge on the bench of Washington County’s Common Pleas Court.
August 30, 2019 12:44 pm
After several reprieves, the Sears store at Washington Crown Center will be closing. Store officials say it will shut its doors in December. The Washington Crown Center Sears was one of the last two remaining stores in the immediate area to stay open amid a plethora of shutdowns across the country. The other remaining store is at the Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield Township. There has been no word yet on when the store’s liquidation sale will begin.
August 30, 2019 10:49 am
DETROIT (AP) – Ford is recalling more than 550,000 trucks and SUVs in North America because seat backs may not properly restrain people in a crash. The recall covers certain 2018 through 2020 F-150 pickups, 2019 and 2020 Super Duty trucks, 2018 and 2019 Explorer SUVs, and 2019 and 2020 Expedition SUVs. All have manual driver or front passenger seat-back recliner mechanisms. Also included are some 2020 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator SUVs with rear seats with manual seat-back mechanisms. Ford says the trucks may not have a third pawl needed for seat strength, increasing the risk of injury in a crash. Ford says it doesn’t know of any crashes or injuries. Dealers will inspect seat structures and replace them if needed. Most are expected to pass. Owners will be notified starting Oct. 7.
August 30, 2019 7:56 am
CHICAGO (AP) – A lawyer says singer R. Kelly is enduring “cruel and unusual punishment” by being held in solitary confinement in a Chicago jail on sexual misconduct charges. Defense attorney Steve Greenberg on Thursday filed a motion asking a judge to order the Federal Bureau of Prisons to allow the entertainer to interact with other inmates of the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center. In the motion, Greenberg told U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber that the 52-year-old Kelly is being held on the most restrictive floor of the jail. He contends the floor is where inmates are sent for violating the facility’s rules, which Kelly hasn’t done. Prison officials have pointed to Kelly’s “alleged offense and notoriety” as a reason to keep him in solitary. Leinenweber, who ordered Kelly held without bond in July, is to take up the motion next week. Kelly is accused of sexual misconduct in Illinois, Minnesota and New York, in addition to federal charges.
August 30, 2019 7:53 am
HELSINKI (AP) – The first legal challenge to prevent British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from suspending Parliament has failed in a Scottish court. The Court of Session in Edinburgh refused Friday to take legal action to prevent Johnson from suspending Parliament for several weeks during part of the period ahead of the Brexit deadline on Oct. 31. The decision in Scotland’s highest civil court is a setback for a cross-party group of legislators seeking to broaden the period for parliamentary debate in a bid to prevent a disorderly departure from the European Union by Britain.
Two other legal cases are still in progress. One is in Northern Ireland and the other is in London. Former Prime Minister John Major is seeking to join the case in London to argue against suspension.
August 30, 2019 4:38 am
State Police are investigating after a Washington man died Thursday night at Consol Energy’s Enlow Fork Mine along Dry Run Road in Prosperity. The Washington County Coroner’s office says a long wall gave way and collapsed on top of 25 year old Tanner McFarland around 6 p.m. He was pronounced dead just before 9 p.m. A cause and manner of death are pending. No other information is being released at this time.
August 30, 2019 4:22 am
HONG KONG (AP) – Demosisto’s vice-chairperson says the arrests of two prominent members of the pro-democracy group are an attempt to spread fear and “white terror” among Hong Kong residents. Isaac Cheng spoke to reporters Friday about the arrests of activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow before Saturday’s banned rally. Cheng accused authorities of trying to identify leaders in a “leaderless” movement that has rocked Hong Kong for nearly three months. Cheng says the Communist Party-ruled government in Beijing is pulling the strings and has “misjudged” the situation. He is urging residents to continue protesting despite a high risk of arrest. Wong and Chow were arrested Friday on suspicion of participating in an unauthorized June protest and inciting others to join it.
August 30, 2019 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s call for new “mental institutions” to help address gun violence is drawing pushback from many health officials. Mental health experts say that approach would do little to reduce mass shootings in the United States and incorrectly associates mental illness with violence. In the weeks following the deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton, the president has been placing more emphasis on the problem of mental illness as a leading cause of such events. Now, in response to Trump’s concerns, White House staff members are looking for ways to incorporate the president’s desire for more institutions into a long list of other measures aimed at reducing gun violence.
August 30, 2019 4:18 am
MIAMI (AP) – President Donald Trump has declared an emergency in the state of Florida as it braces for the brunt of Hurricane Dorian . Trump, whose Florida properties could sustain damage, has warned that Dorian could be an “absolute monster.” In issuing the emergency declaration, Trump has ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local efforts responding to Dorian. The storm is expected to strengthen into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 form and slam the Florida coast late Monday or early Tuesday. Trump canceled a weekend trip to Poland so he could stay in Washington to monitor the storm.
August 30, 2019 4:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A man charged with driving his Mercedes-Benz through a crowd that was protesting the police shooting of an unarmed black teen has avoided trial. Gregory Wagner’s trial was to get underway on Thursday, but earlier this month he was admitted into a probationary program for nonviolent, first-time offenders. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports 59-year-old Wagner must also complete 25 hours of community service. If Wagner successfully completes the program, remaining charges will be dismissed and his record will be expunged. The ordeal happened on June 22, 2018, during protests over the shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. He was shot and killed by a white East Pittsburgh officer after he fled from a traffic stop. The officer was charged with homicide. A jury acquitted him earlier this year.
