October 22, 2020 3:58 am
SMITHTON, Pa. – A multi-vehicle, fatal crash shut down all lanes of I-70 in Smithton, Wednesday evening. It happened on a bridge that carries the interstate over the Yough river just before 5:30 p.m. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s office says 27 year old Dillon Walton of New Stanton was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the coroner, he was the lone occupant in a car that had stopped with other vehicles in the left travel lane of the eastbound lanes. A tractor trailer failed to slow for the stopped vehicles and struck them in the rear. Walton was partially ejected and suffered multiple blunt force injuries. A cause and manner of death are pending. One other tractor trailer and at least two other vehicles were involved. Several other people were transported from the scene but there is no word on their identities or conditions. Belle Vernon State Police tell us traffic if flowing normally through the area this morning.
October 21, 2020 2:45 pm
BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Hospitals around the United States are starting to buckle from a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, with several states setting records for the number of people hospitalized and leaders scrambling to find extra beds and staff. New highs in cases have been reported in states big and small – from Idaho to Ohio – in recent days. With persistent resistance to statewide mask mandates, some states are relying on individuals to do the right thing to stem the tide of the virus. Other states are worried about the spike putting pressures on the health system and are making plans for ensuring those infected get the hospital care they need.
October 21, 2020 11:51 am
Despite the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, organizers of the annual Washington County Veterans Day Parade say the event will be held next month in Monongahela. Officials say state COVID-19 mitigation efforts will be strictly enforced and attendance at related events will be restricted to ensure social distancing. The parade will be held on November 7th and officials say volunteer inspectors will be placed on every block to ensure people on the sidewalks are following masking and distancing requirements. The opening ceremonies will be held at ten a.m. at the Monongahela Fire Department and the parade line-up will begin at eleven at Chess Park. This will mark the 101st consecutive year for the parade, which alternates between Monongahela, Washington, Charleroi, and Donora.
October 21, 2020 11:44 am
Students in the Chartiers-Houston School District will be back in their classrooms next month. School board members voted on Monday to move from its hybrid model of learning to a four-day school week for students in the elementary, middle and high schools. Students will log-in for remote learning just one day a week, on Wednesdays. Board members say the district will, however, continue to offer a full-time remote learning option for parents who want to keep their children at home. Students are expected to return to the classrooms on November 2nd.
October 21, 2020 7:46 am
An employee in the Washington County Clerk of Courts office has tested positive for COVID-19. That has led officials to close the office until at least October 30. According to reports, the unidentified employee did not deal directly with the public or handle paperwork. Clerk of Courts Brenda Davis says the employee was last in the office on October 15. Davis says two other members of her staff have tested negative. Employees in the office will now work remotely. The office was to be deep-cleaned. Contact tracing has been implemented and any employee that may have been exposed will also be required to stay home.
October 21, 2020 6:19 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Singer Tony Lewis of The Outfield has died suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 62. His publicist says Lewis died Monday outside London. A cause of death was not given. The Outfield had a number-6 hit in 1986 with “Your Love.” The Outfield released music up until their “Replay” album in 2011. Lewis enjoyed a solo career and had released an EP called “Unplugged – The Acoustic Sessions” earlier this year.
October 21, 2020 4:17 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky (AP) – A grand juror who won a court fight to speak publicly about the Breonna Taylor investigation is taking issue with statements by Kentucky’s attorney general. The anonymous grand juror also said Tuesday that the jury was not given the option to consider charges connected to Taylor’s shooting death by police. The grand juror had filed suit to speak publicly after Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced last month that no officers would be directly charged in the March shooting death of Taylor during a narcotics raid.
October 21, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is calling on Attorney General William Barr to launch an investigation into unverified claims about Democrat Joe Biden and his son Hunter, effectively demanding that the Justice Department muddy his political opponent and abandon the department’s historic resistance to getting involved in elections. Trump for the first time explicitly called on Barr Tuesday to investigate the Bidens and even pointed to the nearing Nov. 3 election as a reason that Barr should not delay taking action. Trump has been leveling accusations of corruption against Biden without verified evidence for months, but is stepped up the pressure in the final days of the election.
October 21, 2020 4:15 am
A federal appeals court has ruled that North Carolina can accept absentee ballots for more than a week after Election Day as long as they are postmarked by Nov. 3. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling Tuesday night declining to block the deadline extension that was announced in late September. At the time, the State Board of Elections increased the deadline from three days to nine, as long as ballots were postmarked by Election Day. The change was part of a settlement with voting rights advocates. State and national Republican leaders went to court to fight the deadline extension.
October 21, 2020 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former President Barack Obama is returning to Philadelphia for his first in-person 2020 campaign event for Joe Biden. He’ll be speaking Wednesday at a drive-in rally, where supporters will listen to him over the radio inside their cars. The format underscores the challenge Democrats face in ginning up enthusiasm and getting out the vote in a year when they’ve eschewed big rallies in favor of small, socially distanced events. But Democrats say Obama remains one of the party’s greatest assets in the final stretch. Obama has already been helpful to the Biden campaign. He’s appeared at virtual fundraisers and encouraged young Americans to vote.
