July 11, 2020 4:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of his longtime friend Roger Stone. The president intervened in extraordinary fashion Friday in a criminal case that was central to the Russia investigation and that concerned the president’s own conduct. The move came just days before Stone was to begin serving a 40-month prison sentence for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in 2016. The action underscores the president’s lingering rage over special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and is part of a continuing effort to rewrite the narrative of a probe that has shadowed the White House from the outset.
July 11, 2020 4:22 am
WASHINGTON, Pa – Severe storms have caused power outages across Western Pennsylvania Friday night after a week of little to no rain. Damage was reported around the area, but it seems most places in Washington County escaped without major issues. According to West Penn Power, over 500 residents in the county are without power, with most of the issues in Fallowfield and Carroll Township as well as Centerville Borough. West Penn Power says full power should be restored to the area by 11:30 p.m. Saturday night.
July 11, 2020 4:13 am
WASHINGTON, Pa – Consol Energy has announced the permanent layoffs of roughly 40% of the workforce from the idled Enlow Fork Mine. According to reports, the facility has been idled since April because the demand for coal is down due to the pandemic. Consol Energy originally furloughed those employees, but decided to permanently let them go by August 31st. In a company statement, Consol said it is tough to see when the mine will return to full capacity, and that the plan is to run the facility based on market conditions. Roughly 600 people work at the Enlow Fork Mine facility during full operation.
July 11, 2020 3:58 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – New confirmed coronavirus infections in Pennsylvania hit their highest one-day mark since May on Friday, with state health officials blaming the rising numbers on crowded bars and out-of-state travel to virus hot spots. Pennsylvania reported more than 1,000 new coronavirus infections for the first time since May 10. The state Health Department also reported another 32 coronavirus-related deaths, raising the statewide toll to 6,880. Meanwhile, West Chester University has become the first state university to announce that it will stick with remote learning in the fall
July 10, 2020 3:41 pm
(WPXI) – Washington County is still waiting on word from the Governor, but we now know that there will be no state-ordered shutdown of dine-in service at bars and restaurants in Butler County, according to the county commissioners. County leaders said they were told Friday that Gov. Tom Wolf and Department of Health would not be putting a halt to it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Butler County was one of several areas in western Pennsylvania that state officials indicated would be subject to measures aimed at curbing the rising levels of COVID-19 cases. Other counties affected included Washington and Westmoreland, but no orders have yet come down for state leaders.
July 10, 2020 12:16 pm
(WPXI) – Ascena Retail Group Inc., the owner of several high-profile mall staples, is preparing to file for bankruptcy and shutter nearly half of its almost 3,000 U.S. stores, Bloomberg reported Thursday. Mahwah, New Jersey-based Ascena owns the Ann Taylor, LOFT, Lou & Grey, Justice, Lane Bryant, Catherines and Cacique brands and operates some 2,800 stores in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, Forbes reported. Citing people with knowledge of the strategy, Bloomberg reported the company could enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy as early as this week and eliminate roughly $700 million of its $1.1 billion debt load via a negotiated lender agreement. If the plan proceeds, lenders such as Eaton Vance Corp. would assume control of the company.
July 10, 2020 10:14 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A group of parents of children with disabilities, as well as adults with disabilities themselves, have filed a lawsuit against the owners of Kennywood, Sandcastle, and Idlewild over the company’s mask policy. Palace Entertainment, the company that owns the parks, has a policy that requires all guests to wear masks to enter the parks and while they are inside the parks. The policy does not provide an exception for people who have disabilities or can’t wear a mask for medical reasons. The lawsuit claims the company’s policy violates a part of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of three kids with autism and their parents. The parents say their kids cannot wear masks due to their medical conditions. An adult with a medical excuse is also part of the lawsuit.
July 10, 2020 4:14 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minnesota judge has imposed a gag order on attorneys in the trial of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd. Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill issued his order Thursday, the day after the judge says two or more attorneys granted interviews or talked to the news media. The judge said in his order that continuing pretrial publicity in the case would increase the risk of tainting the potential jury pool and “will impair all parties’ right to a fair trial.” Cahill previously had warned he likely would move the ex-officers’ trials out of Minneapolis if public officials, attorneys and family members didn’t stop speaking out about the case.
July 10, 2020 4:11 am
HOUSTON (AP) – A state judge declined on Thursday to reverse Houston’s decision to cancel the Texas Republican convention’s in-person events due to the coronavirus pandemic. Judge Larry Weiman rejected the state GOP’s request for a temporary restraining order, one day after Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said next week’s gathering could not proceed at the downtown convention center. After a contentious two-hour hearing, Weiman said he was concerned about Houston hospitals reporting they have exceeded their regular intensive-care capacity, as the state’s coronavirus cases and deaths have surged. The judge’s decision Thursday came as Texas reported more than 100 deaths in a single day for the first time.
July 10, 2020 4:09 am
NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, has been returned to federal prison. The federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press on Thursday that Cohen had “refused the conditions of his home confinement.” A legal adviser says Cohen refused to accept conditions requiring him to avoid speaking with media and to not publish his tell-all book. The move comes weeks after the 53-year-old was released in late May to serve the remainder of his sentence at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress.
