January 29, 2020 4:05 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors kicked off 2020 with conditional use approval for a new gas well in the township. Range Resources will be developing the well site. The well known currently as the Guyton Well was granted conditional use approval by a vote of 4-0-1 with Supervisor Chairman Neil Kelly abstaining because of projected financial interest in the development of the site. More than 30 conditions were attached to the approval and the two that concerned residents most were dust control and noise control. Township Solicitor Gary Sweat detailed that Range Resources will need to construct a paved driveway of at least 100 feet in length with the apron and the first 50 feet being paved with asphalt and the next 50 feet consisting of packed gravel. The second issue of concern was noise and the township required Range Resources to install sound blankets and sound walls at the inception of the project. Representative from Range Resources objected to that condition pointing to their studies presented at the conditional use hearing stating that all sound testing meets township ordinances and in the case where a resident was adversely affected, Range Resources obtained a waiver. Officials had no comment after the meeting and referred questions to their Media Contact Office.
January 29, 2020 4:03 am
Improvements could be on the way for the South Strabane Volunteer Fire Department. A scope of services agreement with Jerry Ozog to conduct a strategic planning study between the department and the township is in place. All that is left is for the firefighters themselves to agree on the plan. Township Manager, Brandon Stanick and Fire Chief, Scott Reese are optimistic about the necessary vote after taking part in a seminar in July that demonstrated what upgrades could take place. Reese believes the move to the future could help with volunteer numbers with the department. Among other things with the department is the reception of a $3,150 grant that will be used to help improve safety for the firefighters.
January 29, 2020 2:16 am
(WPXI) – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is calling for Punxsutawney Phil to be retired to a reputable sanctuary and to be replaced with an animatronic groundhog that would use artificial intelligence to predict the weather. “Gentle, vulnerable groundhogs are not barometers,” said PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is offering the club a win-win situation: Breathe life into a tired tradition and finally do right by a long-suffering animal.” In a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, PETA said that as a prey species, groundhogs actively avoid humans and being in close proximity to the public causes these animals great stress. They said that by creating an AI Phil, they could keep Punxsutawney at the center of Groundhog Day but in a much more progressive way. And lastly, they offered to make recommendations for a sanctuary that would welcome Phil and the other Punxsutawney groundhog.
January 28, 2020 5:39 pm
HAVANA (AP) – A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake has struck in the Caribbean Sea between Jamaica and eastern Cuba. It shook a vast area from Mexico to Florida and beyond Tuesday, but there have been no reports of casualties or heavy damage.áThe quake was centered 139 kilometers (86 miles) northwest of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and 140 kilometers (87 miles) west-southwest of Niquero, Cuba. It hit at 2:10 p.m. (1910 GMT) and the epicenter was a relatively shallow 10 kilometers (6 miles) beneath the surface. The quake was felt strongly in Santiago, the largest far-eastern Cuban city. It also prompted some evacuations in South Florida.
January 28, 2020 1:28 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s long-awaited Middle East peace plan calls for the creation of a State of Palestine with its capital in portions of east Jerusalem. Presentation of the “two state solution” concept ends speculation that Trump might have abandoned consideration of an independent Palestine as he has adopted policies that bolster Israel at the expense of the Palestinians. U.S. officials say the plan would more than double the territory currently under Palestinian control, but it would recognize Israeli sovereignty over major settlement blocs in the West Bank. It also calls for a four-year freeze in new Israeli settlement construction, during which time details of a comprehensive agreement would be negotiated.
January 28, 2020 4:52 am
Washington City Police are looking for your help to identify an armed robbery suspect. They have posted an image of the robber on social media. The suspect robbed the Metro PCS store. Anyone with information about the suspects identity is asked to contact police at 724-223-4226.
January 28, 2020 4:17 am
CALABASAS, Calif. (AP) – A federal investigator says the pilot of the helicopter that crashed outside Los Angeles, killing Kobe Bryant and eight others, told air traffic controllers in his last message that he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer before the aircraft plunged more than 1,000 feet into a hillside. The helicopter crashed Sunday morning after requesting special permission to fly through heavy fog. Jennifer Homendy of the National Transportation Safety Board says investigators went to the scene Monday to collect evidence. She says the wreckage was scattered over a large area.
January 28, 2020 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s legal team is making a forceful case against the relevance of possible testimony from former national security adviser John Bolton. The lawyers are nearing the end of their defense, and the Senate is braced for debate on whether to allow Bolton and other witnesses into the impeachment trial. Attorney Jay Sekulow took a dismissive swipe at an unpublished book by Bolton that is said to contradict a key defense argument about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Revelations about that book have clouded White House hopes for a big finish Tuesday as well as a swift end to the impeachment trial.
January 28, 2020 4:14 am
BEIJING (AP) – China’s death toll from a new viral disease that is causing mounting global concern has risen by 25 to at least 106. The United States and other governments are preparing to fly their citizens out of the locked-down city at center of the outbreak. The total includes the first death in Beijing and 24 more in Hubei province, where the outbreak has been centered. Asian stock markets tumbled for a second day, dragged down by worries about the virus’s global economic impact. More than 4,500 cases are confirmed. The U.S., Japan, Mongolia, France and other governments were preparing evacuations. Germany announced its first case. (Photo: CNN)
January 28, 2020 4:11 am
PLUM, Pa. (AP) – A Pittsburgh-area school district has closed all schools Monday following a potential threat of violence received over the weekend. Plum Borough police say the “non-specific” potential threat against Plum School District came Sunday from an online system for reporting anonymous tips run by the state attorney general’s office. Police say the decision to close all district schools was made “in an abundance of caution.” Police chief Lanny Conley told the Tribune-Review that it was a “generalized threat to shoot up the school.” The district was closed after a threat in 2018. Six threats in spring 2017 resulted in charges against several students.
