August 30, 2019 7:53 am
HELSINKI (AP) – The first legal challenge to prevent British Prime Minister Boris Johnson from suspending Parliament has failed in a Scottish court. The Court of Session in Edinburgh refused Friday to take legal action to prevent Johnson from suspending Parliament for several weeks during part of the period ahead of the Brexit deadline on Oct. 31. The decision in Scotland’s highest civil court is a setback for a cross-party group of legislators seeking to broaden the period for parliamentary debate in a bid to prevent a disorderly departure from the European Union by Britain.
Two other legal cases are still in progress. One is in Northern Ireland and the other is in London. Former Prime Minister John Major is seeking to join the case in London to argue against suspension.
August 30, 2019 4:38 am
State Police are investigating after a Washington man died Thursday night at Consol Energy’s Enlow Fork Mine along Dry Run Road in Prosperity. The Washington County Coroner’s office says a long wall gave way and collapsed on top of 25 year old Tanner McFarland around 6 p.m. He was pronounced dead just before 9 p.m. A cause and manner of death are pending. No other information is being released at this time.
August 30, 2019 4:22 am
HONG KONG (AP) – Demosisto’s vice-chairperson says the arrests of two prominent members of the pro-democracy group are an attempt to spread fear and “white terror” among Hong Kong residents. Isaac Cheng spoke to reporters Friday about the arrests of activists Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow before Saturday’s banned rally. Cheng accused authorities of trying to identify leaders in a “leaderless” movement that has rocked Hong Kong for nearly three months. Cheng says the Communist Party-ruled government in Beijing is pulling the strings and has “misjudged” the situation. He is urging residents to continue protesting despite a high risk of arrest. Wong and Chow were arrested Friday on suspicion of participating in an unauthorized June protest and inciting others to join it.
August 30, 2019 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s call for new “mental institutions” to help address gun violence is drawing pushback from many health officials. Mental health experts say that approach would do little to reduce mass shootings in the United States and incorrectly associates mental illness with violence. In the weeks following the deadly shootings in El Paso and Dayton, the president has been placing more emphasis on the problem of mental illness as a leading cause of such events. Now, in response to Trump’s concerns, White House staff members are looking for ways to incorporate the president’s desire for more institutions into a long list of other measures aimed at reducing gun violence.
August 30, 2019 4:18 am
MIAMI (AP) – President Donald Trump has declared an emergency in the state of Florida as it braces for the brunt of Hurricane Dorian . Trump, whose Florida properties could sustain damage, has warned that Dorian could be an “absolute monster.” In issuing the emergency declaration, Trump has ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local efforts responding to Dorian. The storm is expected to strengthen into a potentially catastrophic Category 4 form and slam the Florida coast late Monday or early Tuesday. Trump canceled a weekend trip to Poland so he could stay in Washington to monitor the storm.
August 30, 2019 4:15 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A man charged with driving his Mercedes-Benz through a crowd that was protesting the police shooting of an unarmed black teen has avoided trial. Gregory Wagner’s trial was to get underway on Thursday, but earlier this month he was admitted into a probationary program for nonviolent, first-time offenders. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports 59-year-old Wagner must also complete 25 hours of community service. If Wagner successfully completes the program, remaining charges will be dismissed and his record will be expunged. The ordeal happened on June 22, 2018, during protests over the shooting of 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. He was shot and killed by a white East Pittsburgh officer after he fled from a traffic stop. The officer was charged with homicide. A jury acquitted him earlier this year.
August 30, 2019 4:14 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A commission set up by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is recommending Pennsylvania redraw congressional and legislative districts through an 11-person appointed group that would provide a set of options that state lawmakers would choose from. The report issued Thursday by the Pennsylvania Redistricting Reform Commission says people want limits on the role of politicians in drawing maps and that gaining partisan advantage should not be a major factor. The commission says many state residents believe the political system is “built to serve the interests of those who work in it, not theirs.” Republican legislative leaders opted not to send appointees to the commission. After the Democratic majority on the state Supreme Court redrew congressional maps last year, the Republicans’ 13-to-5 advantage became a 9-to-9 tie.
August 30, 2019 4:12 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – Another priest within the Diocese of Pittsburgh has been placed on leave following accusation of sexually abusing a minor. Father Robert Cedolia has been a priest for the past 41 years in various capacities. The allegation is from the 1990s while Cedolia served as pastor at Our Lady of Joy Parish in Holiday Park. According to the diocese, Cedolia was currently serving as priest-administrator of Saint Clare Parish in Clairton, Holy Spirit Parish in West Mifflin, Saint Thomas a Becket in Jefferson Hills and Saint Elizabeth of Hungary in Pleasant Hills. “(The) safety of young people is of utmost concern to the Diocese of Pittsburgh. We will follow our procedures for response to such allegations,” the diocese said in a statement. The Allegheny County District Attorney has been notified of the new abuse allegation, which the diocese said was made through the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program. (Photo: WPXI)
August 30, 2019 3:14 am
An Avella man was shot and killed Wednesday night in Independence Township. The Washington County Coroner’s Office says 31-year-old Joshua Ryan Bowlan was shot by his mother’s significant other, 64-year-old Arnold Webster during an apparent domestic dispute at 156 Camp Ground Road just before nine o’clock. State Police say when they arrived on the scene they found a sawed-off shotgun owned by Webster. He was at that time, charged with owning a prohibited offensive weapon. There’s been no word yet on what, if any, other charges Webster will now be facing. Webster was released Thursday from the Washington County Jail on a $5,000 unsecured bond set by District Judge Robert Redlinger.
August 29, 2019 10:56 am
(AP) – A government report says mumps has swept through 57 immigration detention facilities in 19 states since September. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday new mumps cases continue as migrants are taken into custody or transferred between facilities. As of last week, outbreaks were happening in 15 facilities in seven states. It’s the first official report on the outbreaks in the overloaded immigration system. Mumps is a contagious virus that causes swollen glands, puffy cheeks, fever, headaches and, in severe cases, hearing loss and meningitis. The virus has sickened 898 adult migrants and 33 detention center staffers. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Bryan Cox says medical professionals at detention facilities screen new detainees within 24 hours of their arrival to ensure that highly contagious diseases are not spread.
