December 6, 2019 4:10 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf is commuting the life sentences of eight more people in prison, bringing the total to 19 since he took office in 2015. áWolf’s office said Thursday all eight have used their time in prison to rehabilitate themselves, remained largely free of any incident and shown remorse for their actions and victims. Wolf’s office says those receiving a commutation for a life sentence must go to a halfway house for a year, after which they are under parole supervision for the rest of their lives.
December 6, 2019 4:03 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – Several people are facing charges after more than $22,000 was stolen from a local school system using fraudulent checks. According to a police criminal complaint, 28 checks were written and cashed by 11 different people. Each check was counterfeit, appearing to be drawn on Propel Schools accounts through Dollar Bank. None of the checks were legitimate Propel Schools checks and were never made out by school personnel, police said. The total amount of money cashed using the school system’s actual bank account was more than $22,000. So far, five people have been charged in connection with the fake checks: Sasha Rucker, Nia Haley, Marquis Fussell, Alaysha Johnson and Terry Perry. Six other people were listed in the criminal complaint as having received and cashed some of the checks, but no charges have been filed against them yet.
December 6, 2019 2:26 am
A man who was the subject of a State Police search in Eighty-Four has been found dead. The Washington County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the identity of the 50- year-old man as Scott Manko of Eighty-Four. State Troopers began searching for him after he went to feed animals on Ross Farm along Route 519 and could not be located. He had last been contacted around 9 o’clock Wednesday night. Authorities say Manko was found dead on his property around three-thirty Thursday morning. He had been pinned beneath an ATV.
December 5, 2019 8:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House is moving forward to draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Pelosi delivered the historic announcement Thursday from the speaker’s offices at the Capitol. Trump tweeted that if Democrats are going to impeach him, he wants them to “do it now, fast”‘ so he can get on to Senate trial On Wednesday, Democrats are charging toward a Christmastime vote on removing the 45th president, a situation Pelosi hoped to avoid. Democrats are probing Trump’s attempts to have Ukraine investigate Democratic rivals are grounds for impeachment.
December 5, 2019 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. companies added just 67,000 jobs in November, a private survey found, barely half the gain of the previous month. Payroll processor ADP said that manufacturers, construction firms and mining companies cut 18,000 jobs combined. Companies with fewer than 20 employees also slashed their payrolls. November’s job gain is the fewest in six months and suggests that hiring could be weakening, economists said. Yet job gains frequently fluctuate from month-to-month, so last month’s meager increase could also be a one-time blip. It typically takes roughly 100,000 or so new jobs a month to absorb population growth and keep the unemployment rate from rising. If November’s modest increase were to continue, the jobless rate could rise from its currently very low level of 3.6%.
December 5, 2019 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Kamala Harris’ exit from the Democratic presidential primary has set off a stampede among her former rivals, who are moving fast to win over donors who supported the California senator. Many of her supporters are still grieving. But even as they mourned, the fierce nature of a primary stirred intense competition among those who saw a potential gain in her exit. Fundraisers for former Vice President Joe Biden, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg are all courting her donors, hoping to gain an edge.
December 5, 2019 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Three leading legal scholars testified at a congressional House hearing that President Donald Trump’s attempts to have Ukraine investigate Democratic rivals are grounds for impeachment. Yet a fourth expert called by Republicans warned against rushing the process.áMeanwhile, Speaker Nancy Pelosi tested whether House Democrats are willing to take that momentous next step. “Are you ready?” she asked behind closed doors. The answer, according to those present, was a resounding yes. That’s crucial because of the likely political aftermath in elections next year. Though no date has been set, the Democrats are charging toward a Christmastime vote.
December 5, 2019 4:15 am
HONOLULU (AP) – A military official says a sailor used his service weapons to kill two civilian workers and then himself at Pearl Harbor. The official who spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday says 22-year-old G. Romero was assigned to stand watch on a submarine undergoing maintenance at the military base in Hawaii. The shooting that also wounded a third civilian comes just days before thousands descend on the base to mark the 78th anniversary of the Japanese bombing that propelled the United States into World War II.
December 5, 2019 4:13 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – The woman accused of stabbing former NFL player Terrelle Pryor was denied bail Wednesday during a hearing. Shalaya Briston, 24, is charged with criminal attempted homicide and aggravated assault in connection with the domestic incident early Saturday at Heinz Lofts apartments in Pittsburgh. “I believe this a miscarriage of justice that occurred here today,” said Briston’s attorney, Lee Rothman. At Briston’s bond hearing, Rothman argued that Briston, who is 5 foot, 9 inches tall, was overpowered by Pryor, who is 6 foot, 4 inches tall and weighs 230 pounds. The commonwealth’s attorney’s argument was short and sweet, pointing out to the judge that Briston used a deadly weapon on a vital part of the human body. But Rothman said the judge’s decision to deny her bond sets a horrible precedent. “For the judge to make a finding that she’s a danger to the community seems to suggest, that uh, women beware, if you’re being assaulted and you defend yourself, uh, that you’re going to be held in jail without bond,” Rothman said. Rothman also attacked the charges in this case, arguing that after the stabbing Briston and her friends, took Pryor to the hospital to make sure he wouldn’t die and, because of this, Briston should not have been charged with aggravated assault, which by definition, means she acted recklessly. “The fact that she drove the individual to the hospital to preserve life would seem to be evidence to suggest that that charge should not have been charged by the district attorney’s office,” Rothman said.
December 5, 2019 4:08 am
NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. – (WPXI) – The North Huntingdon Township Police Department is investigating the “suspicious” death of a chiropractor after he was found dead inside his office. David Bailey, 54, the owner of Bailey Chiropractic on Parkway Drive, was found dead inside the business on Friday morning, police said. An employee found him just 30 minutes before his office was set to open for the day. Through the investigation, police said they determined someone killed Bailey. His death is now being called a homicide. Investigators are still examining evidence, and a cause of death won’t be released until further toxicology tests are done. The details surrounding his death are very limited, and police are staying quiet about any potential suspects or motives. Officers aren’t aware of any other previous incidents at Bailey’s office. However, police did say four detectives are actively working on the case, and they don’t believe the public is in danger. Anyone with information is asked to call North Huntingdon police at 724-863-8800.
