August 27, 2019 4:12 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A judge has imposed a 6- to 22-year sentence in a drive-by shooting that preceded the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager fleeing a Pennsylvania traffic stop. Eighteen-year-old Zaijuan Hester was sentenced Monday in Allegheny County Court on earlier guilty pleas to aggravated assault and firearms crimes in the June 2018 shooting in North Braddock. Minutes after that shooting, which wounded two people, police stopped a car matching the suspect vehicle. Police say Hester and 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. fled, and Rose was shot and killed by a police officer. Jurors in March acquitted East Pittsburgh officer Michael Rosfeld, who is white, of homicide in Rose’s death. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Hester apologized, saying he hasn’t been the same since “my actions cost my friend his life.”
August 27, 2019 4:09 am
A proposed ordinance to deal with nuisance property maintenance issues was authorized by Peters Twp Council. Planning Director Ed Zuk explained the idea behind the “Quality of Life Ordinance”. He stated that the new ordinance will be more efficient in enforcement of property maintenance issues than the one currently in use. The process is a 3 step process beginning with a door hanger explaining the violation and the time frame to rectify the problem. If the problem continues, a ticket for $35 will be written and a second timeframe directed. If the issue persists, a second ticket for $50 will be issued and a final completion date stated. If the property owner still does not comply, the township will then seek remedy from the magistrate. Overgrown lawns, excessive weeds, junk cars and unruly animals are just a few of the items covered in the ordinance. Staff is currently developing the materials necessary to implement the ordinance. They will begin enforcement as soon as possible.
August 27, 2019 4:06 am
The Canonsburg Lake Restoration and Improvement Association (CLRIA) approached Peters Township Council to approve a measure to access funds that were granted to another organization 6 years ago. The Washington County Watershed Alliance (WCWA) received a donation of $100,000 from Peters Township in 2013. Those funds were earmarked for engineering purposes to restore Canonsburg Lake. The WCWA allocated funds to the CLRIA over the years. Grant funding to benefit the CLRIA has been difficult to obtain because of the relationship between the two organizations and because the CLRIA was not a certified 501c3 non-profit entity. The CLRIA took care of the designation and petitioned Peters Township to authorize the transfer of the funds instead of asking for a refund. That request was granted by council in a 6-0 vote. Tim Silbaugh, Chairman of the CLRIA states that the monies earmarked for engineering will be used for those purposes. He went on to explain that the lake is an important venue because of the income it generates for local businesses from the tourists that visit the lake.
August 27, 2019 3:34 am
NEW YORK (AP) – More than a dozen women who call themselves survivors have spoken out in court about sexual abuse they say they’ve suffered at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein. The emotional two-and-a-half-hour testimony Tuesday came weeks after the 66-year-old financier killed himself in a New York jail cell while awaiting his sex trafficking trial. The extraordinary court hearing was called by the judge presiding over Epstein’s trial. He set the hearing after prosecutors asked that he scrap charges against Epstein since the defendant is dead. Many of the women said this was the closest they’d come to getting their day in court. Most remained composed but several cried as they described falling into Epstein’s web. His death left some of them angry, others sad and one of them described her relief that he was gone and could abuse no others.
August 26, 2019 4:22 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – An attorney for Harvey Weinstein says new charges against the movie mogul show prosecutors “are desperate.” Defense attorney Donna Rotunno spoke on Monday after Weinstein pleaded guilty in a Manhattan courtroom. Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents Weinstein accusers, said she wondered why the defense is “so afraid of having additional witnesses testify.” Prosecutors say a new indictment was needed to lay the legal foundation for “Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra (shee-OR’-uh) to testify against Weinstein. She claims he raped her in 1993. Weinstein’s trial is being pushed back to January. He denies all accusations of non-consensual sex.
August 26, 2019 4:17 pm
DUQUESNE, Pa. (AP) – A chase involving two vehicles in western Pennsylvania ended with a pedestrian being shot and an SUV crashing into a home. Authorities learned about the chase when a woman walking home from a store was shot in the lower leg around 1:45 p.m. Sunday in Duquesne. Witnesses said people in a car were chasing people in an SUV when the shots rang out. The SUV’s driver eventually lost control of the vehicle a short time later and crashed into a West Mifflin home. Two men in the SUV ran off but were captured by police after a short foot chase. The men remain jailed Monday, but details on the charges they face haven’t been disclosed. The car involved in the chase was found abandoned Sunday night. Authorities say it had bullet holes, but further details were not disclosed.
August 26, 2019 1:36 pm
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Several employees of a Florida nursing home have surrendered to face charges in connection with a power outage at a Florida nursing home that led to the deaths of 12 patients. Jim Cobb represents a former administrator at Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills who’s one of those charged. Lawrence Hashish represents one of three nurses charged. Both told The Associated Press that the administrator and two nurses had surrendered Monday. It wasn’t clear whether a third nurse had turned herself in. Cobb says the caregivers are taking the punishment that belongs squarely with state officials, including former Gov. Rick Scott and the power company. State officials didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment. The residents died after the home lost power amid sweltering heat after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
August 26, 2019 9:45 am
Stocks are rising on Wall Street in early trading after President Donald Trump struck a conciliatory tone on trade talks with China, saying Beijing was willing to reopen talks. Big technology companies which do a lot of business in China and have much riding on the outcome of the trade dispute, rose the most early Monday. Apple climbed 2%. Traders will be closely watching the next steps in the trade negotiations, having been disappointed many times recently by early signs that the chill between the two economic giants was thawing. U.S. stocks are coming off their fourth straight week of declines.
August 26, 2019 9:43 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Target is hoping to bring the magic of characters like Mickey Mouse and Elsa to its own customers by creating permanent Disney shops at a cluster of stores starting this fall. As part of its collaboration with The Walt Disney Co., the Minneapolis-based discounter says it will open 25 Disney-branded stores starting Oct. 4, with 40 additional locations opening by October 2020. Target is also launching a Disney-focused online experience on its site on Sunday. And it plans to open a new store near the entrance of the Walt Disney World Resort in 2021. The moves, announced Sunday, come as Target aims to build on its strong sales momentum. Disney, which operates 300 stores globally, is looking for new ways to reach its fans. Financial terms were not disclosed.
August 26, 2019 4:25 am
BEIJING (AP) – China has allowed its yuan to sink to an 11-year low against the dollar after President Donald Trump threatened to block American companies from doing business with this country. The yuan declined Monday to 7.1468 to the dollar, its weakest rate since January 2008. Chinese leaders have promised to avoid “competitive devaluation” to hold down export prices in the face of Trump’s tariff hikes. But regulators are trying to make the state-controlled exchange more market oriented, and investor jitters about the tariff war are pushing the yuan lower. Trump said Friday he was ordering American companies to stop dealing with China. He said later he was threatening to use emergency powers under a 1977 law that targets rogue regimes, terrorists and drug traffickers.
