February 7, 2020 4:11 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A Pennsylvania judge accused of making racist comments about a juror has been barred from hearing any cases. A court order issued Tuesday says Judge Mark Tranquilli was suspended after being accused of referring to a black female juror as “Aunt Jemima” repeatedly in comments in the chambers following the acquittal of a drug suspect on Jan. 24. Allegheny County Bar Association says it is also “demanding a complete investigation” by the state’s Judicial Conduct Board. Tranquilli was temporarily reassigned to summary appeals on Tuesday following an interview of the judge by court administration staff. He did not responded to requests for comment this week.
February 7, 2020 4:10 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A new report recommends Pennsylvania’s Legislature increase licensing fees and take other steps to put the state Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement on more sound financial footing. The report released Thursday by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says the agency could run out of money sometime this summer. It also recommends that lawmakers increase penalties for kennels that fail inspections but remain open while they appeal. The bureau has 41 dog law wardens and inspects about 2,600 kennels. Dog licenses currently cost $6.50 a year for dogs that have been spayed or neutered, or $8.50 if they haven’t.
February 6, 2020 3:52 pm
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – A powerful winter storm is sweeping across the Deep South with high winds, rain and floods. Two people are dead and another missing, with injuries racking up as rescue crews pull people from cars and homes in high water. Afternoon tornado watches are in effect for a huge swath of the Southeast, from the Florida Panhandle up to southeastern Virginia. The storm has destroyed homes in Mississippi and Alabama, caused mudslides in Tennessee and Kentucky and flooded communities that shoulder waterways across the Appalachian region. The Tennessee Valley Authority is keeping close watch on reservoirs as water levels rise.
February 6, 2020 12:30 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A preliminary report about a bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Mt. Pleasant that killed five people early last month says light snow was falling at the time and that the bus had just passed a sign warning to keep below 55 mph on a curve. The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday put out the three-page report that says all aspects of the crash remain under investigation. The report doesn’t say how fast the bus was traveling when the driver lost control about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh. The bus had been traveling from Rockaway, New Jersey, to Cincinnati. (Photo: WPXI)
February 6, 2020 4:49 am
Kirk Douglas, the muscular actor with the dimpled chin who starred in “Spartacus,” “Lust for Life” and dozens of other films and helped fatally weaken the Hollywood blacklist, has died at 103. Douglas was nominated three times for Oscars – for “Champion,” “The Bad and the Beautiful” and “Lust for Life.” He later received an honorary award for “50 years as a creative and moral force” in the movie industry. His son Michael won Oscars as producer for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and as actor for “Wall Street.”
February 6, 2020 4:32 am
Washington County Commissioners are taking action to promote transparency and restore public trust in our election system. They have created an ‘Elections Review Committee’. The 11-member committee will consist of three appointees from each of the three commissioners, as well as a party leader from both the Republican and Democratic parties. Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughn has nominated; Peter Marcoline Jr., Laraine Grcich, and David Kresh. Commissioner Nick Sherman; Lane Turturice, Lawna Blankenship, and Eric Sivavec. Commissioner Larry Maggi; Larry Mauro, Kathleen Esno, and Suzanne Ashmore. The committee will have six total meetings. Two will be prior to the April 28 primary and four meetings prior to the November general election. The meetings will be held in the public meeting room of the Courthouse Square Building from 5 to 7 p.m. The first meeting is set for Tuesday, February 25.
February 6, 2020 4:24 am
A Cecil Township woman has died from injuries she suffered in a crash Tuesday evening in Canonsburg. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner says 54 year old Deborah Turner suffered multiple injuries. The crash occurred at First Street and Columbia Drive just after 7 p.m. Officials say her vehicle collided head-on with another vehicle. She was transported by ambulance to Allegheny General Hospital and died two hours later following surgery. According to reports, she could not be flown to the hospital because of weather conditions. The driver of the other vehicle was treated and released from Canonsburg Hospital. Canonsburg and State Police continue to investigate.
February 6, 2020 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The chairman of the Democratic National Committee is calling for a “recanvass”of the results of Monday’s Iowa caucus. Technical problems and delays have marred the first contest on the 2020 election calendar. The current results show Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders nearly tied with almost all the votes counted. But the race remained too early to call early Thursday, with 97% of precincts reporting. Party officials are scrambling to verify the remaining results three days after Iowans gathered at caucus sites across the state to begin choosing which Democrat will take on President Donald Trump in November.
February 6, 2020 4:10 am
BEIJING (AP) – Japanese health officials say 10 more people have been sickened with a new virus aboard one of two quarantined cruise ships with some 5,400 passengers and crew aboard. China has reported 73 more deaths and announced that the first group of patients were expected to start taking a new antiviral drug on Thursday. The ships in Japan and Hong Kong are caught up in a global health emergency that seems to worsen by the day. The 10 who were infected on top of 10 others on Wednesday were dropped off in Yokohama where the ship docked and transferred to nearby hospitals for further test and treatment. In the epicenter of Wuhan, in central China, a second 1,500-bed hospital is set to open Thursday.
February 6, 2020 4:09 am
BEIJING (AP) – China has cut tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. imports including soybeans, pork and auto parts in a trade truce with Washington as Beijing struggles with a costly virus outbreak. The cuts follow last month’s signing of a “Phase 1” agreement toward ending a long-running tariff war over Beijing’s technology ambitions and trade surplus. Both sides have made conciliatory gestures but the lingering dispute threatens to chill global economic growth. There was no indication Beijing altered its own reductions in response to the impact of measures imposed to contain a virus outbreak that have closed factories, restaurants and shops.
