January 16, 2020 4:02 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY — Two more flu deaths have been reported in Allegheny County, bringing the total number of flu related-deaths to three, according to the health department. The first flu-related death in the county was reported on Jan. 8. There have been 6,145 flu cases in the county this season, compared to this time last year when there was only 333. So far, 41 people have been hospitalized.
January 16, 2020 2:41 am
A preliminary hearing was held Wednesday morning for a Washington man who is facing multiple charges for possession of child pornography. Fifty-two-year-old Matthew Alan Thompson of Fayette Street appeared before District Justice Robert Redlinger and waived his case to court. Thompson is facing sixteen felony counts of possession of child pornography, three counts of dissemination of photos or film of child sex acts and one count of criminal use of a communication facility. Thompson’s attorney, Kushel Dave, declined comment. The investigation into Thompson’s case involved the Department of Homeland Security, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office and Washington City Police. The date for Thompson’s next hearing is pending. He is free on $20,000 unsecured bond.
January 15, 2020 4:54 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two U.S. agencies say the decade that just ended was by far the hottest ever measured on Earth, capped off by the second-warmest year on record. And scientists say there is no doubt at all this is man-made climate change. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday that the 2010s averaged 58.4 degrees Fahrenheit (14.7 degrees Celsius) worldwide, or 1.4 degrees (0.8 C) higher than the 20th century average and more than one-third of a degree warmer than the previous decade, which had been the hottest on record.
January 15, 2020 10:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democratic leaders have carried the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump across the U.S. Capitol in a formal procession to the Senate. Trump will now face trial in the Republican-controlled Senate, with arguments expected to start next Tuesday and all 100 senators as the jurors. Chief Justice John Roberts will preside. It’s only the third such trial in American history. Trump complained anew it was all a “hoax,” even as fresh details emerged about his efforts in Ukraine. He is accused of pressuring the Ukrainians to investigate Democrat Joe Biden, while withholding military aid as leverage..
January 15, 2020 9:31 am
MOSCOW (AP) – The Tass news agency says Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has submitted his resignation to President Vladimir Putin. Russian news agencies said Putin thanked Medvedev for his work. They said Putin will name Medvedev as deputy of the presidential Security Council. Putin asked Medvedev’s Cabinet to keep working until the new Cabinet is formed.
January 15, 2020 9:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed a new trade agreement with China that’s expected to boost exports from U.S. farmers and manufacturers.áTrump said during a White House ceremony that the the agreement is “righting the wrongs of the past.” And he promoted the signing as a way of delivering economic justice for American workers. The White House ceremony is giving the president a chance to cite progress on a top economic priority on the same day that the House prepares to vote to send articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial.
January 15, 2020 9:16 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The posthumous inductees Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G. will lead this year’s class into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. They’ll be joined by Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T-Rex. Houston, the gospel-trained singer with the soaring voice, had a string of No. 1 singles including “I Will Always Love You.” Before being killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997, Biggie was a leader of East Coast rap. The annual induction ceremony is being held in Cleveland this year and is being televised live for the first time ever, on May 2.
January 15, 2020 6:35 am
Police in Charleroi say a pedestrian was struck and killed by a train in Charleroi just before four o’clock Wednesday morning. Authorities say they believe 22-year-old Anthony Lee Meyer may have stepped off a dumpster and onto the train tracks near 3rd Street and Railroad Way. They say they believe no foul play was involved and toxicology reports are pending. The rail line is owned by Norfolk Southern and a company official said the train was traveling from Graysville to Baltimore when Meyer was killed.
January 15, 2020 6:29 am
Authorities say a one-vehicle crash in Fayette County killed two people and injured two others. Emergency crews were dispatched to the scene on Route 40 in Redstone Township at about 4:45 a.m. Wednesday. No details were immediately available about the circumstances of the crash, which occurred in the southbound lanes. Initial reports were that a car had gone over a hillside between Colvin Run Road and Grindstone Road. The two people injured were taken to a hospital, but there was no immediate information about their conditions.
January 15, 2020 4:19 am
The financial outlook for 2020 is much brighter in North Franklin Township. Supervisors set the stage for the New Year by doing some financial work in 2019. Supervisor Chairman Bob Sabot is pleased with the current financial status. He explains that the township does not need to take out a tax anticipation loan. Refinancing of township debt allowed the township to acquire $1.1 million dollars in additional capital without raising taxes and without extending the debt’s retirement date. Sabot anticipates an additional $600,000 once the Recreational Authority ceases operation. Funds left over at the dissolution of the Authority will become property of the township. Supervisors are looking to put that capital to use on a new borough building. Planning is in the early stages, Sabot hopes to identify a new location for the building in the next several months.
