September 17, 2019 10:42 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Cokie Roberts, longtime political reporter and analyst at ABC News and NPR, has died at age 75. ABC announced her death on Tuesday. Roberts was the daughter of Hale and Lindy Boggs, two members of Congress from Louisiana, and went on the chronicle the political world she grew up in. She joined ABC News in 1988 and was co-anchor with Sam Donaldson of the Sunday political show “This Week” from 1996 to 2002.
September 17, 2019 10:34 am
NEW YORK (AP) – “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek says he’s had a setback in his battle with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy again. Trebek told ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday that after a short period of optimism when he stopped chemotherapy, his “numbers shot up” and doctors ordered him back on the treatment. The 79-year-old game show host announced in March that he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. But he hasn’t missed a day on the show, which tapes its episodes in advance. Trebek said his goals for the summer were to get his strength and hair back, and his progress on both fronts was “dismal.”
September 17, 2019 8:56 am
One week after approving a five-year contract for teachers, the Washington School Board has unanimously approved a new, five-year deal for district support staff. Superintendent Dr. James Konrad says it calls for an ‘average of about two-and-a-half percent wage hike over the course of the deal’. Health care costs will remain the same but there will be a slight increase for the retirement incentive. Konrad calls it ‘a fair deal.’ No other details were released.
September 17, 2019 8:52 am
Washington County has found its new voting machines. The County Elections board Monday unanimously voted to go with ‘Election Systems and Software’ of Omaha, Nebraska. They were selected out of five vendors seeking to provide the equipment that will provide a required paper trail when ballots are cast. Washington County Commissioner’s Chairman Larry Maggi says the price tag comes in at more than $2.8 Million dollars but will be paid for with Act 13 money. Maggi says they chose the company, which also supplies voting machines in Greene County, because they had “the best and most reliable machine”. He says it was “more user friendly and offered the most secure functions”. County Commissioners are expected to approve the deal when they meet October 3.
September 17, 2019 4:18 am
RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) – President Donald Trump made a pocketbook appeal to New Mexico voters, assuring them at a rally Monday night near Albuquerque that his energy policies have made the state wealthier. Trump warned that that those gains could disappear if the proposal known as the Green New Deal takes effect. He accused Democrats of wanting to annihilate New Mexico’s economy. New Mexico hasn’t backed a Republican for president since 2004. Trump rallied supporters in suburban Rio Rancho as part of an effort to turn the state and expand his grip on the Electoral College in next year’s election. Trump usually ventures to Republican-friendly states. The New Mexico rally demonstrates a reelection campaign with resources to try turning a few Democratic-leaning states its way.
September 17, 2019 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Corey Lewandowski is confirming that President Donald Trump asked him to urge Jeff Sessions to reverse himself and oversee the Russia investigation. Lewandowski never delivered that message, but he told the House Judiciary Committee that Trump didn’t ask him to break the law. He said, “I didn’t think the president asked me to do anything illegal.” Under questioning later by Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson, Lewandowski confirmed as “accurate” that Trump had asked him to deliver the message. Asked why, according to the Mueller report, he never delivered the message to Sessions as instructed, Lewandowski answered that he had taken his kids to the beach. Lewandowski never worked for Trump in the White House, but remained a confidant. The questioning came as the Democratic-led panel conducted its first impeachment hearing. (Photo: CNN)
September 17, 2019 4:16 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says “there will be no talks with the U.S. at any level” – remarks apparently meant to end all speculation about a U.S.-Iran meeting at the U.N. later this month. Iranian state TV on Tuesday quotes Khamenei as saying this is the position of the entire leadership of the country and that “all officials in the Islamic Republic unanimously believe” this. There has been speculation about a possible meeting between President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, during the upcoming U.N. General Assembly this month in New York. Tensions roiling the Persian Gulf have escalated following a weekend attack on major oil sites in Saudi Arabia that U.S. alleged Iran was responsible for. Iran denies the charge.
September 17, 2019 4:12 am
MCKEESPORT, Pa. – Sam Davis won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a guard in the 1970s. He was found dead at a local personal care home hours after he was reported missing. State officials said they’re now investigating the facility. Officials with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services said they’re looking into the New Life Care Personal Home in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. In the last nine years, inspections of the facility found a number of violations including a gas can found in a smoking area, six resident records not containing pictures and urine stored with food in the pantry. The owner told our news partners at Channel 11 he cannot make a statement because the investigation is ongoing. Davis’ family sent a statement saying in part “We do still have a lot of questions and concerns surrounding the passing of our father. But now, we want to focus on our father’s legacy and say goodbye properly.”
September 17, 2019 4:09 am
BETHEL PARK, Pa. – (WPXI) – Police in Bethel Park are asking for the public’s help finding a man wearing a ski mask who allegedly forced his way into a person’s home when they answered the door. The man claimed to be looking for someone who did not live in the home, police said. “We want people to be aware and take extra precaution until we are able to find him and put him in jail,” police chief Timothy O’connor said. If you recognize the man, you’re asked to contact police at 412-833-2000 or email crimewatch@bethelpark.net.
September 17, 2019 4:05 am
A husband and wife duo of social and political activists came to Washington to hold a roundtable discussion regarding coal and its effects on climate change. Dave and Erin Ninehouser of the organization Hear Yourself Think, want to spark discussion between people to help eliminate division and arrive at a solution. The roundtable discussion was an experiment. About 10 people participated giving their opinions on the subject from their experiences in coal mines and power generation. Joe Smyth, a 40 year veteran of the power generation industry feels that coal does have an effect on climate but says that it would be nearly impossible to replace coal as a fuel source for electricity. Ron Sicchitano, a 35 year coal miner feels that if research would have been performed, the coal industry would not be in the state it is right now. Hear Yourself Think will be back in our area to discuss this issue further. For more information you can go to their website HearYourselfThink.org.
