January 7, 2020 3:33 am
The new board of Washington County Commissioners held their first agenda meeting of the new year and voted in Republican Diana Irey Vaughn as the new chairman of the board. In addition, the board, which now includes Republican Nick Sherman who ousted incumbent Democrat Harlan Shober in the November General Election, named John Haynes as the new Chief of Staff. The position is a brand new one for the county and comes with a salary of ninety-five-thousand-dollars a year. The 45-year-old Haynes grew up in Wilmerding and most recently served as a managing director for a private equity firm in Pittsburgh. Commissioners are also expected to appoint Jana Grimm of Steptoe and Johnson in Southpointe, as the county’s new solicitor to replace Lynn DeHaven.
January 7, 2020 3:18 am
Washington City Council welcomed one new member and two familiar faces in their first meeting of the new year. Businessman Joe Pintola was sworn in as councilman, taking over for the departed Monda Williams. Pintola thinks his ownership of a business and real estate in the city will prove valuable to his position. Councilman Ken Westcott was sworn in again as was Mayor Scott Putnam. Putnam wants to continue his fight against blight. He also would like to see homeownership in the city increase. He is looking to sponsor homebuyer programs in an effort to bring a larger home owner base to the city. Currently, the city has a 57% landlord base of property owners. Also sworn into their positions on Monday were Nick Dubina as Controller and Anthony Nicolella as Treasurer.
January 6, 2020 5:20 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former White House national security adviser John Bolton says he is “prepared to testify” if he is subpoenaed by the Senate in its impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Bolton’s surprise statement Monday bolsters congressional Democrats, who are pushing for the Senate to call new witnesses in the trial. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has publicly expressed resistance to calling new witnesses. Democrats want testimony from Bolton and others who didn’t appear before the House in its impeachment inquiry. It’s unclear whether Bolton’s testimony would hurt or help Trump. The two clashed while Bolton was in the White House. No date for the Senate trial has been set.
January 6, 2020 3:14 pm
UNDATED (AP) – Borden is filing for bankruptcy protection, the second major US dairy to do so in as many months. American refrigerators are increasingly stocked with dairy substitutes like soy and almond milk, hammering traditional milk producers like Borden, which was founded in 1857. Dean Foods, the nation’s largest milk producer, filed for bankruptcy protection in November. Both dairies are based in Dallas. Borden Dairy Co. – whose smiling mascot Elsie the cow first appeared on milk cartons in the 1930s – says it will continue operations during its financial restructuring.
January 6, 2020 11:48 am
GREENSBURG, Pa. (WPXI)- The Westmoreland County Courthouse was evacuated Monday morning. Officials have not said why the courthouse in Greensburg has been evacuated, but police are using K9s to search the building. Police have blocked off the complex, and no one is allowed in or out of the courthouse.
January 6, 2020 8:42 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two top Senate Democrats are calling on President Donald Trump to immediately declassify the administration’s reasoning for the deadly strike on an Iranian official. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Senate Foreign Relation Committee’s Sen. Robert Menendez say there’s “no legitimate justification” for keeping the information from the public. Schumer and Menendez say in a Monday letter to Trump the White House’s classified notification sent to Congress Saturday under the War Powers Act was insufficient. Trump has warned the U.S. will levy harsh sanctions if Iraq expels American troops in retaliation for the strike in Baghdad that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Iran has vowed to retaliate.
January 6, 2020 7:39 am
No injuries have been reported following a fire Monday morning in New Eagle. The blaze broke out around 4:45 a.m. along Crestview Estates Drive at a mobile home at Crestview Estates. It was unclear if anyone was inside the home at the time. The mobile home appeared to be gutted in the blaze. There is no word on what may have caused the fire.
January 6, 2020 4:25 am
MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the military to prepare to deploy its aircraft and ships “at any moment’s notice” to evacuate thousands of Filipino workers in Iraq and Iran should hostilities erupt there. Other Asian nations with large populations of expatriate labor may face similar decisions amid the rapidly escalating tensions between the United States and Iran following last week’s U.S. airstrike that killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad. There are more than 7,000 Filipino workers and their dependents in Iraq and Iran. Many more Filipinos are employed in countries lining the Persian Gulf.
January 6, 2020 4:21 am
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) – The Golden Globe for drama best picture goes to “1917.” áThe epic about a World War I mission from director Sam Mendes that was filmed to look like a single continuous shot took home the biggest trophy of the night Sunday, beating out fellow nominees “The Irishman,” “Marriage Story,” “Joker” and “The Two Popes.” It beat only other drama films, however, as the Golden Globes unlike the Oscars, has a separate category for best musical or comedy film. Mendes won the best director honor earlier Sunday. Renee Zellweger won the Golden Globe for best actress in a film drama for her portrayal of Judy Garland in “Judy.” Joaquin Phoenix took the Globe for best actor for playing mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck as he becomes the fabled title super-villain in director Todd Phillips “Joker.”
January 6, 2020 4:20 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Los Angeles prosecutors have charged Harvey Weinstein with sexually assaulting two women on successive nights during Oscars week in 2013, bringing the new case against the disgraced Hollywood mogul on the eve of jury selection for his New York trial. The case puts Weinstein in deep legal peril on both coasts, where he built his career as the one of the most powerful – and feared – figures in show business before a barrage of allegations led to his downfall and ignited the #MeToo movement. His lawyers have yet to comment.
