December 7, 2019 1:00 am
City Councilman Matt Staniszewski took the next step in resolving his case of driving under the influence from August of this year. Charges of DUI and Restrictions on alcoholic beverages were held over for court. Defense Attorney Sean Logue stated the Staniszewski wants to take responsibility for his actions. “He owes that to the residents of the City of Washington. “ Logue presented Judge Ethan Ward and the District Attorney’s office documentation of Staniszewski’s in-patient and out-patient work toward sobriety since his arrest. The district attorney will study this information in the hopes of reaching a plea agreement within the next 30 days. No date has been set for the next hearing. Staniszewski is free on $25,000 bond.
December 6, 2019 3:26 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence is making another trip to the presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania this year, this time in a campaign swing.Pence will appear Tuesday in Rochester, near Pittsburgh, to speak to a Veterans for Trump group before joining the president later at a rally in Hershey. Pence has already made three trips to Pennsylvania this year to visit manufacturers to make the case for Congress to pass the Trump administration’s rewrite of a trade pact with Canada and Mexico. Pennsylvania is important to Donald Trump’s re-election campaign next year, a state where he scored a surprise win in 2016.
December 6, 2019 3:19 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Health officials investigating a nationwide outbreak of vaping illnesses have listed, for the first time, the vape brands that are most commonly linked to hospitalizations. Most of the nearly 2,300 people who has suffered lung damage were vaping liquids that contain THC, the high-inducing part of marijuana. In a report released Friday, the government listed the THC containing products that patients most often said they’d been using. Dank Vapes was the brand cited by more than half of patients. But it’s not a licensed product coming from one business: It’s empty packaging that can be ordered from the internet.
December 6, 2019 9:20 am
PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) – Two U.S. officials have identified the shooter at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola as a second lieutenant in the Saudi Air Force. The officials say authorities are investigating whether Friday’s attack was terrorism-related. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose information that had not yet been made public. Base commander Capt. Timothy Kinsella Jr. says the shooter was an aviation student, but would not comment on his nationality or potential links to terrorism. The shooting was the second at a U.S. Navy base this week. Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan says 12 people were shot, four of whom died, including the shooter.
December 6, 2019 4:52 am
The news was good coming out of Washington City Council as they passed a balanced budget for 2020. Councilman Joe Manning and his staff worked hard to hold the line on taxes. The budget is a $14.7 million dollar offering and according to Manning citizens will see even more infrastructure improvements in the new year. Council also worked on the funding for the city’s Community Block Development Grant. Highlights from that are funds for a new roof at the Stone Pavilion and $260,000 toward the purchase of a new fire truck. Council will also take on a new look next year with Councilwoman Monda Williams stepping down and business man Joe Pintola stepping in to take her place.
December 6, 2019 4:19 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A veteran television producer and entertainment executive whose credits included “Starsky and Hutch” and current drama series “Blue Bloods” has died. According to a family statement, Leonard Goldberg died Wednesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The statement says the 85-year-old died from injuries suffered in a fall. During his tenure as president of Twentieth Century Fox, the studio produced hit films including “Broadcast News,” “Big,” “Die Hard” and “Wall Street.” Starting in the 1970s, he joined with prolific TV producer Aaron Spelling to make TV series including “Charlie’s Angels,” “Hart to Hart” and “Fantasy Island.”
December 6, 2019 4:18 am
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) – Three soldiers with the Minnesota National Guard were killed when the Black Hawk helicopter they were riding in crashed. Gov. Tim Walz confirmed the deaths of the soldiers Thursday, but their names were not released pending notification of family. The crash is being investigated and preliminary information on the cause of the crash is not being released. The Guard lost contact with the helicopter shortly after it took off on a maintenance test flight from St. Cloud. Minnesota National Guard Master Sgt. Blair Heusdens says the helicopter called mayday about nine minutes after takeoff.
December 6, 2019 4:15 am
MIAMI (AP) – Court and prison records show the two robbery suspects who hijacked a UPS driver on a wild police chase across South Florida had criminal histories. Cousins Lamar Alexander and Ronnie Jerome Hill died along with UPS driver Frank Ordonez (pictured) and an unidentified bystander during Thursday’s gunbattle with police. Officials say Alexander and Hill robbed a jewelry store, seized the UPS truck and fired at pursuing officers before getting in at a stoplight. Relatives of the victims are questioning why officers had to unleash a torrent of gunfire. Policing experts say they had to contain the criminals before others were taken hostage.
December 6, 2019 4:14 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – In a long anticipated safety report, ride-sharing giant Uber says more than 3,000 sexual assaults were reported during its U.S. rides in 2018. That figure includes 235 rapes. The company hailed the report released Thursday as the first of its kind. The company said it provides a look into the traffic deaths, murders and reported sexual assaults that took place during more than one billion annual rides arranged in the U.S. using Uber’s service. Uber and its ride-hailing competitor Lyft have long faced criticism for not doing enough to protect the safety of their riders and drivers.
December 6, 2019 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A senior Trump administration official says the White House will not participate in the House Judiciary Committee’s next impeachment hearing. The decision came Friday in a letter from White House counsel Pat Cipollone. The letter to Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler did not expressly state the White House’s refusal to participate. But a senior administration official says that was the point it was intended to communicate.
