March 7, 2020 4:03 am
WAYNESBURG, Pa. — A European company that landed state funding last summer to build a $13.3 million regional hub at Speers Industrial Park in Washington County has filed a WARN notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry that says it is closing its Waynesburg facility in Greene County next month, affecting 80 workers. TechnipFMC plc, based in London, serves the oil and gas industry around the world and has 40 facilities in the U.S. According to the WARN notice, the Waynesburg plant is to shut down as of April 14. The company’s U.S. operations are based in Houston, Texas.
March 7, 2020 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Karl Alexander, a former administrative law judge pleaded guilty to purchasing a gun for his friend, who is a convicted felon and alleged Nazi sympathizer, Dennis Riggs. Alexander was indicted by a federal grand jury. Federal authorities arrested Riggs in January at a home in Troy Hill, where he lived with Alexander. Agents found a cache of weapons, ammunition, pictures of Adolph Hitler and swastikas on the wall. On his phone, investigators found video of a mosque shooting and a picture of the South Carolina church shooter. Alexander told our partners at Channel 11 he never saw Riggs as someone who would do anything violent. Alexander admitted in court he went with Riggs to buy the gun and lied on the forms. Alexander faces up to 10 years in jail, but federal authorities are recommending 2-3 years. He will be sentenced in July, while Riggs remains in federal custody charged with illegal possession of a firearm.
March 7, 2020 3:55 am
A Carroll Township woman died in a fire Friday afternoon at her home. The fire broke out around twelve-thirty at a home at 17 Grant Street and authorities say they received word of a possible entrapment. When fire crews arrived, they said the home was fully engulfed in flames but they were able to bring it under control quickly. According to reports, they then discovered that 62-year-old Joann Wilson who lived in the home was unaccounted for. Her body was discovered on a rear second-story porch where it appeared she had attempted to escape the flames. Although authorities say they don’t believe the fire was arson, the state police fire marshal has been called in to investigate. The Washington County Coroner’s Office is investigating the cause and manner of Wilson’s death.
March 7, 2020 3:55 am
A elderly man reported missing early Friday morning in Chartiers Township has been found safe. It all began after a woman awoke and found her husband missing and his walking cane gone. The woman searched the area near the home along Glenwood Drive but could not find him and called 9-1-1 around 3:45 a.m. Police, Firefighters and others were all involved in the search which ended just after 6:30 a.m. No other information is being released at this time.
March 7, 2020 3:44 am
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf says the state’s first two cases of coronavirus have been identified, one in Delaware County and one in Wayne County. The two people are quarantined in their homes, Wolf said. No other information on the people affected has been released. Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine says the cases are not related to a case that closed schools in Bucks County. Classes were cancelled Friday at five schools because some members of its school community were exposed to a separate confirmed case of COVID-19.
March 6, 2020 3:38 pm
(AP) – A congressional committee says a “culture of concealment” at Boeing and poor oversight by federal regulators contributed to two deadly crashes involving the 737 Max jetliner. The House Transportation Committee issued a summary Friday of its investigation so far into Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration. In all, 346 people died in the crashes. The lawmakers say several factors led to the crashes, but they are honing in on a new flight-control system that pushed the nose of each plane down based on faulty sensor readings. They say Boeing downplayed how critical the system was to the plane’s safety.
March 6, 2020 3:32 pm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – For weeks the NRA has been publicizing plans to auction off firearms at a fundraising dinner at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. But a spokesperson for the museum told The Associated Press that the April event will not take place there after the AP asked questions about the museum’s no firearms policy. The NRA says in a statement Friday that the organization declined to change its firearms policy at the auction and decided to move the event. The NRA’s relationship with country music artists and country music organizations has fractured in recent years after several mass shootings, including one at a country music festival in 2017. Prominent country artists have called for gun control legislation.
March 6, 2020 12:20 pm
Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Bruce Trego is reminding Pennsylvanians to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors while changing their clocks for this weekend’s “spring forward” time change. “Our message to people is simple; a functional smoke alarm is the best way to ensure your family’s safety in the event of a home fire,” said Trego. “All too often, these critical life-saving devices are overlooked or ignored until it’s too late. Test your smoke alarms monthly and replace the batteries regularly. Trego said discharged or missing batteries are the most common cause of a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector malfunction. When functioning, smoke alarms can decrease the risk of dying in a home fire by as much as half. Often called “the silent killer,” carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that can incapacitate victims before they are aware they have been exposed. Sources include wood-burning fireplaces and stoves, gas-fired fireplaces, appliances, grills and generators, and motor vehicles. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are often mistaken for the flu and include nausea, headaches, dizziness, disorientation and fatigue. Newer models of smoke alarms marketed as having long-lasting batteries may not need to have their batteries replaced, but thousands of homeowners still use models that use standard batteries that must be replaced regularly. No matter what type of smoke alarms are used in a home, they should be tested monthly – including hard-wired units connected to the home’s electrical system. Homeowners unsure of how to maintain or install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms can call their local fire service for advice.
March 6, 2020 9:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Hiring jumped in February as employers added 273,000 jobs, evidence that the economy was in strong shape before the coronavirus began to sweep through the U.S. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, matching a 50-year low, down from 3.6% in the previous month. The job gain comes from a survey of payrolls in the second week of February, so the healthy gains pre-date the viral outbreak.
March 6, 2020 7:38 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – A woman was resentenced to prison Thursday in connection with the murder of an elderly neighbor in Washington County. Diane McClelland will spend at least 24 years behind bars for her role in the death of 92-year-old Evelyn Stepko. “She’s going to be back where she was, but she might appeal. But if she appeals, we’ll be here again,” Dolores Stepko-Sprowls, Stepko’s niece, said. McClelland was previously sentenced to 29 years in prison for conspiracy in the killing. “Obviously, we’re disappointed in the result,” Stephen Paul, McClelland’s attorney, said after Thursday’s resentencing. “I’ll be speaking with Miss McClelland, and we will be reviewing all our post-sentence options.” Stepko was stabbed to death in 2011 at her home in Coal Center. McClelland’s husband pleaded guilty to the murder and died in prison. Her stepson was also found guilty and is serving a life sentence.
