October 1, 2019 4:53 am
Effective methods of eliminating blight in Washington are always on the minds of Washington City Council. Mayor Scott Putnam says council is looking into joining the Washington County Land Bank. Putnam indicates that the land bank is a program run by the Washington County Redevelopment Authority that uses county money to purchase and market distressed properties in a community. Council has reviewed the proposal to join but has some items that need clarification. Putnam also stated that this is similar to the Citywide Development Corporation program that is already in use. The advantage to joining the land bank would be access to county funding. After further discussion with the Redevelopment Authority, Council expects to vote on the proposal at its next meeting.
October 1, 2019 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump recently asked the Australian prime minister and other foreign leaders to help Attorney General William Barr with an investigation into the origins of the Russia probe that shadowed his administration for more than two years, the Justice Department said Monday. The revelation underscores the extent to which Trump remains consumed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, and the ways in which he has used the apparatus of the United States government to investigate what he believes are its politically motivated origins. It also highlights Barr’s hands-on role in leading that investigation, including traveling overseas for personal meetings with foreign law enforcement officials.
October 1, 2019 4:17 am
NEW YORK (AP) – An international team of researchers is questioning the advice to limit red and processed meats, saying the link to cancer and heart disease is weak. Their conclusions published Monday were swiftly attacked by a group of prominent U.S. scientists who tried to stop publication of the research, arguing it sends the wrong message. The new work does not say red meat and processed meats like hot dogs and bacon are healthy or that people should eat more of them. But the authors say the increased risks appear very small and uncertain and that cutting back likely wouldn’t be worth it for people who enjoy meat. It’s the latest example of the criticism facing nutrition research. Defenders counter that nutrition studies can rarely be conclusive, but that they offer important insights.
October 1, 2019 4:16 am
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – A towering bridge over a bay in eastern Taiwan has collapsed sending an oil tanker truck falling onto boats in the water below. A disaster relief official said the collapse Tuesday set off a fire and at least 10 people have been hurt. The bridge collapsed about 9:30 a.m. in Nanfangao, a tiny but often-crowded Pacific coast fishing village. The weather at the time of the collapse was sunny, hours after a typhoon swept across parts of the island. A National Fire Agency spokesperson said the tanker’s fall smashed three boats. Six of the 10 people hurt were sent to a hospital with major injuries and the other four had minor injuries.
October 1, 2019 4:11 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Authorities say a street brawl involving several men in a Pittsburgh neighborhood left at least one man wounded after shots rang out. Police responded around 1:30 a.m. Sunday to reports of shots fired in the area of West Liberty Avenue. They didn’t find any combatants but did locate several shell casings in a parking lot. Around that time, the injured man walked into a hospital seeking treatment for a gunshot wound to the thigh. Authorities say the man told him he had argued with a group of men and one of them shot him. The injured man was hospitalized in stable condition. His name has not been released. No arrests have been made.
October 1, 2019 4:07 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. – (WPXI) – Prosecutors told Channel 11 they are working to revoke bail for a Washington man accused of child luring. Jan Ondra was questioned by North Strabane police on Saturday on suspicion that he approached three kids and offered them candy. The kids had just finished a dance class and were walking to a bakery a few doors down. Investigators said when they arrived at the scene, Ondra was still there. Ondra was arrested in June on suspicion of trying to lure a 10-year-old girl into his van and is out on bail. The district attorney’s office is asking for a hearing to revoke his bail. There is a stipulation of his bail that he have no contact with children. Ondra’s defense attorney said he “would never do anything like that. He did not offer them any candy.” Police said they cannot file any charges in connection with the incident because Ondra did not ask the kids to come with him or get in his car.
October 1, 2019 3:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Rudy Giuliani, the president’s lawyer, has retained a lawyer. Jon Sale, an assistant special prosecutor in Watergate, confirmed on Tuesday that he has been brought on by Giuliani, who received a congressional subpoena on Monday. Giuliani is President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and was instrumental in his efforts to stymie special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. He also is at the center of Trump’s efforts to push Ukraine to investigate the family of political rival Joe Biden. Those efforts have prompted House Democrats to open an impeachment inquiry against Trump. They issued a subpoena Monday for documents related to Giuliani’s dealings with Ukraine. (Photo: CNN)
October 1, 2019 3:20 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) – A warehouse that once housed nightclubs in Pittsburgh’s Strip District caught fire Monday morning. Fire officials are calling the fire suspicious as they are still working investigating the cause. The fire was reported just after 4:30 a.m. at the four-story warehouse, which has been under construction at the intersection of Smallman and 16th streets. The building is being converted to office, retail and restaurant space. At one point, electrical wires caught fire, officials said. Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said because the building is under construction, there were specific dangers for fire crews. “There was heavy fire on the Smallman Street side. There’s many hazards. The building is currently under construction. Floors were missing. There are different various cylinders throughout the building and, of course, we have concerns with electricity and gas throughout the building,” Hissrich said. Heavy smoke was seen coming from the building before firefighters brought the fire under control. Drivers were asked to avoid Smallman Street, Penn Avenue and Liberty Avenue between 11th and 21st streets. Liberty and Penn avenues have since reopened.
September 30, 2019 4:50 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – For years, teens packed Forever 21’s massive stores at the nation’s malls for its speedy take on fashion, like $5 halter tops and $25 mini dresses. But the chain that helped popularize so-called fast fashion has proven too slow for a new generation of young customers. The Los Angeles-based chain has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a victim of rapidly changing tastes among teens who are increasingly turning away from malls and toward eco-friendly fashions like pants made from recycled plastic.
September 30, 2019 3:34 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Former U.S. Rep. Chris Collins has pleaded guilty in an insider trading case, a day after he resigned from Congress. The Republican from western New York entered the plea on Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan. He had been accused of leaking confidential information about a biopharmaceutical company to his son while attending a White House picnic in 2017. The information allowed the son and another man to dump their stock in the company and avoid nearly $800,000 in losses. The U.S. House made Collins’ resignation official Tuesday morning. It’s now up to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to set a special election to fill the seat in the Republican-leaning district. The 69-year-old Collins was among the first members of Congress to support President Donald Trump’s run for the White House.
