July 4, 2019 3:54 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A new Pennsylvania law says task forces that use officers from different municipalities will no longer have to comply with a requirement that each municipality pass an ordinance authorizing participation. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday signed the bill that was crafted in response to a May decision by the state Supreme Court. The new law says police and agents with the attorney general’s office can participate in task forces as long as their departments have given their consent. The bill passed both legislative chambers overwhelmingly and the task force provisions took effect immediately. The high court’s decision concerned a 2013 sobriety checkpoint in the Pittsburgh area.
July 4, 2019 3:52 am
CANONSBURG, PA – Another successful Canonsburg 4th of July Parade rolled through town, after a protest sparked controversy over the event earlier in the week. A social justice group wanted to relay the concerns of the welfare for minorities in Washington County to the public, and initially the group was looking to shut down the parade. Trey Willis of Washington led the group #Justice4ALL RALLY and claimed that the protest would be peaceful. After meeting with officials Wednesday, both sides came to a resolution to let protesters march in the parade to ensure their voices were heard. Willis has recently staged several demonstrations in connection with the shooting of a juvenile at the Regal Crown Center Theatre at Washington Crown Center Mall in North Franklin Township. Willis says the protests are designed to bring awareness to what he calls the light treatment of those accused of violence against black citizens.. The parade also commemorated former Mayor Anthony Colaizzo who recently passed away earlier this year at the age of 88. The parade committee wore Colaizzo’s signature bow ties and Panama hats during the event.
July 3, 2019 4:28 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Actor Arte Johnson, who won an Emmy for comedy sketch work on the television show “Laugh-In,” has died in Los Angeles. He was 90. Family representative Harlan Boll says Johnson died early Wednesday of heart failure following a three-year battle with bladder and prostate cancer. No services have been planned, but his ashes will be spread in a private ceremony. Johnson became known for his catchphrase “Verrry interesting” on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.” The Michigan native won an Emmy in 1969 and was nominated two more times through his work on the hit show. One of his characters was Wolfgang, a cigarette-smoking German soldier who thought World War II was still going on. Johnson’s other television appearances include “Bewitched,” “The Partridge Family,” “Lost in Space” and “The Donna Reed Show.”
July 3, 2019 3:39 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania officials are accusing a medical marijuana growing company of failing to follow regulations that require it to keep records about the plants it grows. The state Health Department said Tuesday it ordered Carmichaels-based AGRiMED Industries of PA to stop harvesting or destroying plants outside the presence of an agency inspector. The department says it found during an inspection on June 6 that AGRiMED couldn’t produce records about the plants it has destroyed, or required security footage of any plants being destroyed. A company spokesman says it’s identified “numerous inaccuracies” in the findings and takes compliance matters seriously. The state says the company can continue to grow marijuana but can’t remove anything from the plants without an inspector watching. It also may not turn off security equipment without written permission.
July 3, 2019 3:24 pm
What was supposed to be a protest that would “shut down the Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade,” has now changed to a “Peaceful Presentation.” Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome tells WJPA News that he and Canonsburg Police Chief Al Coghill met Wednesday with the organizer of the #Justice4ALL RALLY, Trey Willis, and he has agreed that the group’s planned demonstration on Thursday will be a peaceful presentation. Rhome would not go into detail about exactly what that would entail, saying only that he and Willis shook hands and he’s confident that Willis will honor his end of the deal. Willis has recently staged several demonstrations in connection with the shooting of a juvenile at the Regal Crown Center Theatre at Washington Crown Center Mall in North Franklin Township. Willis says the protests are designed to bring awareness to what he calls the light treatment of those accused of violence against black citizens, pointing his finger specifically at the Washington County District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Gene Vittone however, questioned Willis’ motivation, saying that Willis just completed a four to ten year jail term for his conviction on aggravated assault and robbery charges and believes he may not be a fan of the district attorney’s office.
July 3, 2019 12:20 pm
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) – President Donald Trump is expected to visit West Virginia later this month for a reelection fundraiser. The Intelligencer reports Wednesday that the private fundraiser is being hosted by Robert E. Murray, the president and CEO of Murray Energy. It is scheduled to take place at WesBanco Arena on July 24. The newspaper reports that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and West Virginia House Speaker Roger Hanshaw will be in attendance. Trump officially kicked off his 2020 campaign at a Florida rally last month where he told a crowd of thousands that Democrats “want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it.” Less than 24 hours later, the national chairwoman of the Republican Party announced that Trump had raised $24.8 million.
July 3, 2019 9:36 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Relatives of those killed in the U.S. Navy’s 1988 shootdown of an Iranian passenger jet have thrown flowers into the Strait of Hormuz to mark their deaths. Iranian state television aired footage Wednesday of mourners in the strait, as armed Iranian Revolutionary Guard fast boats patrolled around them. They tossed gladiolas into the strait as some wept. The July 3, 1988 downing of Iran Air flight 655 by the U.S. Navy remains one of the moments the Iranian government points to in its decades-long distrust of America. The U.S. Navy’s mistaken missile fire killed 290 people. This year’s commemoration comes amid heightened tensions with the U.S., after President Donald Trump pulled America from Iran’s nuclear deal. Iran this week broke a low-enriched uranium stockpile limitation set by the deal.
July 3, 2019 9:26 am
MOSCOW (AP) – President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill suspending Russia’s participation in a pivotal nuclear arms treaty. Putin’s decree released on Wednesday formalizes Russia’s departure from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty with the United States following Washington’s withdrawal from the pact. The U.S. gave notice of its intention to withdraw from the INF in February, setting the stage for it to terminate in six months unless Moscow returns to compliance. Russia has denied any breaches, and accused the U.S. of violating the pact. Moscow followed Washington’s example in February, also suspending its obligations under the treaty. Putin has warned the U.S. against deploying new missiles in Europe, saying that Russia will retaliate by fielding new fast weapons that will take just as little time to reach their targets.
July 3, 2019 8:48 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is promising military tanks along with “Incredible Flyovers & biggest ever Fireworks!” for the Fourth of July in Washington. But the District of Columbia’s government’s says “Tanks, but no tanks.” Others say Trump will politicize the festivities. Trump said Monday that tanks will be part of a special event he’s headlining Thursday to honor the military. An Associated Press photographer found at least two tanks and other military vehicles on flatcars in a railyard in southeast Washington. Trump tweeted Tuesday: “Big 4th of July in D.C. ‘Salute to America.’ The Pentagon & our great Military Leaders are thrilled to be doing this & showing to the American people, among other things, the strongest and most advanced Military anywhere in the World. Incredible Flyovers & biggest ever Fireworks!”
July 3, 2019 7:57 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – A woman has been found dead in the remains of a home leveled by a fire and explosion in North Carolina’s largest city. Charlotte Fire Battalion Chief Matt Westover told reporters that the woman’s body was found Tuesday night, nearly seven hours after the blast was reported by a man trapped in the home. Chief Reginald Johnson said the man, described as a resident, was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. It’s unclear what caused the blast. Westover declined to say if the woman was a resident, citing the pending investigation. Authorities didn’t immediately release their identities. The CEO of Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley, West Virginia, told WSOC-TV that the man is a hospital cardiologist named Jebran Karam. CEO Matt Roberts says Karam and his wife bought the home in 2015.
