October 25, 2019 4:12 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union says U.S. immigration authorities separated more than 1,500 children from their parents at the Mexico border early in the Trump administration, bringing the total number of children separated since July 2017 to more than 5,400. The ACLU said Thursday the government told its attorneys that 207 of the 1,556 children separated between July 1, 2017, and June 26, 2018, were under 5. A federal judge in San Diego has given the government until Friday to identify children separated going back to July 2017. The government had inadequate tracking systems at the time, complicating efforts to locate children. Volunteers working with the ACLU are searching for some of them and their parents by going door-to-door in Guatemala and Honduras.
October 25, 2019 4:10 am
BALTIMORE (AP) – The widow of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings has remembered her late husband as a man of integrity. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings thanked mourners at his funeral Friday, noting his deep love for his congressional district and Baltimore. She recalled his defense of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was in the front row of the New Psalmist Baptist Church, and said he was a “man of soul and spirit” who felt very deeply. Her voice rising, she said Cummings had the “utmost integrity” and cared deeply about our democracy, planet and community.
October 25, 2019 4:08 am
GEYSERVILLE, Calif. (AP) – Punishing Santa Ana winds that pushed fires into Los Angeles-area neighborhoods, burning six homes, are expected to last through Friday. The wind-whipped blazes broke out Thursday in the Santa Clarita area. One remains uncontained. As many as 50,000 people are under evacuation orders. In Northern California, a fire near the wine country town of Geyserville has burned 49 buildings. Pacific Gas & Electric had cut power to hundreds of thousands of people in the region as a fire safety measure but said it had not de-energized a transmission line that had a problem about the time the fire started. However, authorities have not determined causes of any of the fires. Most of those power outages ended late Thursday but PG&E warned they might resume Saturday when fierce winds are expected to return and boost fire danger.
October 25, 2019 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department has shifted its review of the Russia probe to a criminal investigation, a person familiar with the matter says. It’s a move that is likely to raise concerns that President Donald Trump and his allies may be using the powers of the government to go after their opponents. The revelation comes as Trump is already facing scrutiny about a potential abuse of power, including a House impeachment inquiry examining whether he withheld military aid in order to pressure the president of Ukraine to launch an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The person who confirmed the criminal investigation Thursday was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
October 25, 2019 3:57 am
The 2019 general election is less than two weeks away, but the League of Women Voters of Washington County has their sight set on the 2020 election. The LWV invited Washington County Director of Elections Melanie Ostrander to preview what the new machines will look like and what the process will be for their use. The machines will be delivered in December and voters will be educated on their use early next year. The process is a 3 step process where the voter will use a touch screen, much like they do now. They will print a paper ballot with their selections and then take it to a scanning machine that will register their choices and keep the paper ballot for counting. Ostrander will have workshops beginning next year to help voters acquaint themselves with the new system. In addition to the new machines, Ostrander also pointed out that several districts have had changes in their voting precincts. Voters in Cecil, North Strabane, South Strabane, Donegal and Amwell Townships have had precinct changes and new voting cards have been issued. If you have any questions please contact the Elections Office to verify you precinct and voting location. On a final note, the Elections Office is looking for poll workers. If you are interested, contact the Elections Office.
October 25, 2019 3:52 am
Three Pittsburgh women have been charged with numerous criminal offenses including felony animal cruelty charges. Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone says the charges stem from a search of 41-43 Hamilton Acres in Hopewell Township that turned up ninety-two German Shorthair Pointer dogs. Vittone says the conditions at the property were deplorable, filthy and inhumane. Vittone says many of the dogs had been fighting each other and had suffered injuries. According to Vittone, the dogs were seized and taken to the Washington County Fairgrounds where veterinary care was provided. He says two of the dogs have since died and three dogs have injuries so serious that they are still requiring care. Vittone says 30-year-old Lucy Ann Binakonsky, 26-year-old Emily David Binakonsky and 64-year-old Charlotte Binakonsky were all arraigned on multiple charges including animal cruelty, neglect of an animal and Cruelty to an animal. They face a preliminary hearing on November 18th.
October 24, 2019 4:22 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Efforts by the U.S. Census Bureau to collect state driver’s license records as part of President Donald Trump’s order to gather citizenship information have been a bust so far.
As of Wednesday, the vast majority of state motor vehicle agencies had not agreed to share their records with the bureau, according to an Associated Press survey of the 50 states. At least 13 states have refused, 17 haven’t decided how to respond, and 17 haven’t yet received a request. Three states didn’t respond to multiple AP queries. The effort has alarmed civil rights groups that see it as part of a move by the Trump administration to reduce the political power of minorities.
October 24, 2019 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The late Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings will be remembered by congressional leaders and colleagues as he lies in state at the Capitol. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other congressional leaders will speak at an arrival ceremony Thursday before Cummings lies in state at Statuary Hall. The public will be allowed to pay their respects to Cummings later Thursday. Cummings, a Democrat and chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, died Oct. 17 after complications from long-standing health problems.
A wake and funeral are planned Friday in Baltimore. A sharecropper’s son, Cummings rose to become a civil rights champion, committee chairman and a leader of an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. As a tribute to Cummings, no votes are scheduled Thursday in the House.
October 24, 2019 4:19 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – More than two months before the phone call that launched the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Ukraine’s newly elected leader told advisers he was worried about pressure from the U.S. president to investigate Democrat Joe Biden. Volodymyr Zelenskiy gathered a small group together in Kyiv on May 7, where they discussed how to navigate Trump’s insistence for a probe and to avoid becoming entangled in American elections. The meeting was recounted to The Associated Press by three people familiar with the details who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the diplomatic sensitivity of an issue that has roiled U.S.-Ukrainian relations. The meeting came before Zelenskiy was inaugurated but about two weeks after Trump called to offer his congratulations on the night of the Ukrainian leader’s April 21 election.
October 24, 2019 4:16 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania state senators have voted unanimously to transfer control of what had been the lieutenant governor’s residence at Fort Indiantown Gap to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The Senate voted Wednesday to send the House a bill directing the property be used to support veterans’ programs and National Guard families. The current lieutenant governor, John Fetterman, has chosen to rent an apartment in Harrisburg and opened the Fort Indiantown Gap home’s pool this summer for hundreds of children to swim. Fetterman, a Democrat who presides over the Senate, says he supports the bill and looks forward to signing the legislation. He says the swimming program is expected continue indefinitely. The 2,400-square-foot State House is on the National Guard base property about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Harrisburg.
