September 24, 2019 9:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration has issued a rule that will make overtime pay available to 1.3 million additional workers, though the proposal replaces a more generous one advanced by former President Barack Obama. The Labor Department said Tuesday that it is raising the salary level that companies will have to pay to exempt workers from overtime to $35,308 a year, up from $23,660. Americans earning less than that amount will typically be paid time and a half for any work over 40 hours a week. The new rule will benefit retail, fast-food restaurant, and home health care workers, among others. Many employees in those industries have been paid just above the $23,660 threshold, which has been in place since 2004, and then required to work overtime without extra pay.
September 24, 2019 8:51 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – Kenny Chesney will return to Pittsburgh in 2020 with a tour stop at Heinz Field. The country star’s Chillaxification 2020 Tour is hitting stadiums across the country. He’ll be bringing Florida Georgia Line, Old Dominion and Michael Franti & Spearhead along for the ride. Chesney’s Heinz Field show will be held May 30. General ticket sales begin Oct. 4 at 10 a.m.
September 24, 2019 7:25 am
LONDON (AP) – In a major blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain’s highest court has ruled that his decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks in the crucial countdown to the country’s Brexit deadline was illegal. The unanimous, strongly worded Supreme Court judgment on Tuesday declared Johnson’s order to suspend Parliament “void and of no effect.” The court found that Johnson’s suspension had the effect of limiting debate by lawmakers on Britain’s impending departure from the European Union in violation of Parliament’s constitutional role. The landmark decision was quickly criticized by Johnson and prompted calls for him to quit from opposition leaders. The Conservative prime minister and Parliament have been at odds since he took power in July with the goal of taking Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a divorce deal. Johnson vowed Tuesday that he will not resign and was flying back to London from New York overnight. Parliament resumes Wednesday.
September 24, 2019 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Pelosi announced Tuesday that the House is moving forward with official impeachment inquiry, saying “no one is above the law.” Pelosi says she made the announcement after meeting with House chairmen and members of the Democratic caucus. The announcement comes as more than a dozen Democrats, many of them moderates, have endorsed impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. Democrats have questioned whether Trump improperly used his office to pressure the Ukrainian president to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family. The administration is withholding a whistleblower complaint at least partly related to that matter from Congress.
September 24, 2019 4:13 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Pacific Gas & Electric is shutting off power to 27,500 people in Northern California to reduce the risk of wildfires in the face of hot, dry weather and gusty winds that could knock down power lines. The utility announced Monday evening that it’s turning off the electricity for customers in Butte, Nevada and Yuba counties in the Sierra Nevada. The power will stay off until conditions are safer – which could be several days. Strong winds, low humidity and warm temperatures are forecast in the region through Wednesday. More than 9,000 customers affected by the PG&E shutoff are in Butte County, where the utility’s power lines were blamed for a wildfire last year that killed 86 people and virtually destroyed the town of Paradise. Meanwhile, Southern California Edison is considering proactively shutting off power to 41,000 customers.
September 24, 2019 4:12 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – The leaders of France, Britain and Germany are urging Iran to enter talks about a new arrangement to bolster the fraying nuclear deal Tehran struck with the West in 2015 – though they said they still supported that agreement, which the U.S. has withdrawn from. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for Iran “to accept negotiation on a long-term framework for its nuclear programme as well as on issues related to regional security, including its missiles programme and other means of delivery.” Johnson went further, saying U.S. President Donald Trump should strike a new deal with Tehran. Johnson told NBC that “there’s one guy who can do a better deal … and that is the president of the United States. I hope there will be a Trump deal.”
September 24, 2019 4:10 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – A 6.0-magnitude earthquake has struck near Puerto Rico, rousing and scaring many from their sleep in the U.S. territory. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck late Monday 49 miles (79 kilometers) off the island’s northwest coast at a shallow depth of 6 miles. Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Kiara Hernández tells The Associated Press that there are no immediate reports of damage. The quake was felt across Puerto Rico and is the strongest to hit the island in recent years.
September 24, 2019 4:07 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Police say a man has been arrested on suspicion of providing a white powdery substance tainted with fentanyl at an after-party in Pittsburgh, leading to the death of three men.
Pittsburgh Public Safety spokesman Chris Togneri says Peter Rene Sanchez Montalvo was arrested Monday on federal charges of distributing a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury. Authorities say Montalvo goes by the name Carlos. No information on an attorney for him was available. Togneri says he had been at a bar earlier and invited some patrons to an after-party at an apartment where he’d been staying. Federal prosecutors say the partygoers believed the white substance was cocaine. The medical examiner’s office has initially determined it contained the powerful opioid fentanyl. It’s unclear who alerted emergency authorities, who arrived at the building to find several people dead or in need of medical help.
September 24, 2019 4:04 am
Police and fire communications will be greatly improved in Peters Township. Council unanimously approved $387,000 in funding to replace its radio communications systems for the police and fire departments. Equipment currently in use is anywhere from 15 to 18 years old and replacement parts are scarce. The purchase was made through the state’s COSTARS program. COSTARS is a purchasing cooperative that takes advantage of negotiated discounts for certain equipment needs. Lauer pointed out that Peters Township was able to negotiate an additional discount saving taxpayer even more money. Lauer expects the system to be in place by the end of the year.
September 24, 2019 4:00 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – A Pittsburgh-area doctor has been accused of giving out opioids in exchange for sex. Emilio Ramon Navarro, 58, of Coal Center is facing 29 counts total — 28 for controlled substance violations and 1 for health care fraud. According to investigators, Navarro began distributing oxymorphone and oxycodone to a person identified as “A.W.” in April 2018 and continued to do so for a year, receiving sexual favors in return. Navarro was arrested Monday morning and has already made his first appearance in federal court. The Department of Justice said he operates a private family practice in Perryopolis. If convicted, Navarro could face 20 years in prison, a fine of $1 million or both for each count of the drug violations, plus an additional 10 years and $250,000 in fines for the fraud charge.
