July 31, 2019 4:16 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence is making his second visit in two months to the presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania to urge Congress to pass President Donald Trump’s rewrite of a trade pact with Canada and Mexico. Pence’s planned Thursday visit is to a crane manufacturing facility in southern Pennsylvania, a few miles from the Maryland border.
The visit comes as House Democrats and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer report progress toward a deal that would clear the way for Congress to approve Trump’s U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Pence visited a York-based robotics maker in June and predicted the trade pact would boost America’s manufacturing sector. Trump’s campaign is ramping up its re-election effort in a state where he scored a surprise 2016 win and delivered a crushing loss to Democrat Hillary Clinton.
July 31, 2019 4:14 am
FINDLAY TOWNSHIP, Pa. – (WPXI) – Amazon will expand its presence in Pennsylvania, opening a non-sortable fulfillment center in Findlay Township that will create hundreds of full-time jobs, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced Tuesday. A new 1,000,000-square-foot distribution facility will be built for Amazon, which has committed to investing more than $30 million into the project, a news release said. The project is expected to create 800 full-time jobs offering a starting wage of $15 per hour. “It’s a great win any time a business comes in and pledges to create 800 new jobs,” Wolf said. “This is a significant investment for Pennsylvania and I applaud Amazon for selecting our commonwealth as the location for this facility.” Amazon currently has about 10,000 full-time employees across the state. “Pennsylvania is a great state for business and Amazon is excited to continue its growth and investment with our newest fulfillment center in Allegheny County,” Alicia Boler Davis, Amazon’s vice president of global customer fulfillment, said in a statement. Amazon received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development for $1.6 million in Job Creation Tax Credits that will be distributed after the creation of new jobs, the release said.
July 31, 2019 3:59 am
A shipping mistake has landed a Canonsburg man in jail and may have prevented a tragedy. Canonsburg Detective, Sergeant Charles Tenny tells WJPA News that Harry Wesler was arrested earlier this month after a shipping mistake sent a box of one-thousand rounds of pistol ammunition to the wrong address. Tenny says the homeowner who received the package, which was from a Virginia company, contacted police and an investigation began. Tenny says Wesler is known to police, having been the subject of at least fourteen mental health checks at his home over the past year. Tenny says Wesler had also been convicted in 2013 in Washington County, of driving under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance. Tenny says that crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and qualifies as a federal felony for the purposes of disqualifying someone from owning guns or ammunition under federal law. A preliminary hearing for Wesler was scheduled for Tuesday but was postponed.
July 31, 2019 3:50 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A regatta that has been a tradition in the city of Pittsburgh for more than four decades has been canceled days before its scheduled opening. Attorney Charles Scholz told reporters Tuesday that The EQT Three Rivers Regatta promoter LionHeart Event Group hadn’t secured proper permits or paid vendors, including the state for use of Point State Park and police. Scholz said the regatta board had no choice but to withdrew its permit application. Officials said investigations had begun and legal remedies would be pursued with an eye to bringing the regatta back next year. The regatta, a summer tradition since 1978, features powerboat races, an “Anything that Floats” race, and various water stunts and concerts. LionHeart president Derek Weber didn’t immediately return a call and email seeking comment.
July 30, 2019 5:52 pm
LONDON (AP) – Prince Harry says he and his wife Meghan will have no more than two children because of concerns for the environment. In an interview with primatologist Jane Goodall for British Vogue, Harry said becoming a father in May had changed his perspective. He said “I view it differently now, without question. But I’ve always wanted to try and ensure that, even before having a child and hoping to have children.” When Goodall added “Not too many,” Harry said: “two, maximum.” Harry interviewed Goodall for the September issue of British Vogue, which was guest-edited by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. He said destruction of the environment was “terrifying,” adding: “We are already living in it. We are the frog in the water and it’s already been brought to the boil.”
July 30, 2019 5:22 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence is making his second visit in two months to the presidential battleground state of Pennsylvania to urge Congress to pass President Donald Trump’s rewrite of a trade pact with Canada and Mexico. Pence’s planned Thursday visit is to a crane manufacturing facility in southern Pennsylvania, a few miles from the Maryland border. The visit comes as House Democrats and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer report progress toward a deal that would clear the way for Congress to approve Trump’s U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Pence visited a York-based robotics maker in June and predicted the trade pact would boost America’s manufacturing sector. Trump’s campaign is ramping up its re-election effort in a state where he scored a surprise 2016 win and delivered a crushing loss to Democrat Hillary Clinton.
July 30, 2019 3:50 pm
EAGLEVILLE, Pa. (AP) – A former Pennsylvania attorney general is about to be released from a county jail after serving about eight months for leaking grand jury material and lying about it. Montgomery County Correctional Facility Warden Julio Algarin said Tuesday that Kathleen Kane shaved about two months off her minimum sentence by serving her time without any problems. She’s scheduled for release early Wednesday. The 53-year-old Kane was sentenced to 10-to-23 months for perjury, obstruction and other counts. She turned herself in to the jail at the end of November. She was the first Democrat and first woman to be elected the state’s top prosecutor. A special prosecutor was named to investigate Kane after former prosecutors with the attorney general’s office reported that secret grand jury material had been leaked to a newspaper.
July 30, 2019 10:29 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Department of Homeland Security plans to issue a security alert for small planes, warning that modern flight systems are vulnerable to hacking if someone manages to gain physical access to the aircraft. The Tuesday alert, obtained by The Associated Press, recommends plane owners ensure they restrict unauthorized physical access to their aircraft until the industry develops safeguards to address the issue. Boston-based cybersecurity firm, Rapid7, informed DHS that attackers could potentially disrupt electronic messages transmitted across a small plane’s network and affect aircraft systems. Most airports have security in place to restrict unauthorized access and there’s no evidence anyone has exploited the vulnerability. DHS says it decided it was important to issue a warning after it confirmed the flaw with outside partners and a national research laboratory.
July 30, 2019 10:21 am
SOUTHAVEN, Miss. (AP) – Officials say two people are dead and a police officer and a suspect were shot at a Walmart in the northern Mississippi city of Southaven, a suburb of Memphis, Tennessee. WREG-TV reports both of the people who died Tuesday morning were Walmart employees. WHBQ-TV reports one person was found dead in the store and another found dead in the parking lot.
The suspect was taken to a Memphis hospital. His condition wasn’t reported. Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto tells WATN-TV the officer was hit in his bulletproof vest and not seriously injured. The Walmart is in a shopping complex in Southaven, just south of Memphis. A massive police presence surrounded the store Tuesday morning. Walmart employees joined a prayer circle outside. The company didn’t immediately respond to phone calls and information requests.
July 30, 2019 9:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is threatening to get “much tougher” with China on trade if he wins reelection in 2020. Trump is tweeting his frustration as negotiations between the countries resume Tuesday two months after talks aimed at ending a tariff war broke down. Trump complains China’s leaders “always change the deal in the end to their benefit” and suggests they should wait out the election to see if a Democrat wins. But, he adds: “The problem with them waiting, however, is that if & when I win, the deal that they get will be much tougher than what we are negotiating now…or no deal at all.” He says, “We have all the cards.” Talks will be held Tuesday and Wednesday in Shanghai to try to resolve disagreements, including over China’s tech giant Huawei (WAH’-way).
