September 10, 2019 4:21 am
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) – The government in the Bahamas says the death toll from Hurricane Dorian has risen to at least 50. Health Minister Duane Sands on Tuesday confirmed the increase in the death toll in a message to The Associated Press. Authorities say they expect to find more bodies as they search through debris in devastated areas of the northern Bahamas. Members of the Gainesville, Florida, fire department found five bodies Monday in the destroyed neighborhood known as The Mudd, the Bahamas’ largest Haitian immigrant community. Dorian is blamed for at least seven other deaths in the Southeast U.S. and Puerto Rico.
September 10, 2019 4:20 am
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) – Republicans are hoping an eleventh-hour pep talk from President Donald Trump will help them win Tuesday’s special congressional election in North Carolina. The race could shed light on Republicans’ chances of retaking the U.S. House and Trump’s reelection prospects in 2020. At a rally in Fayetteville on Monday night, Trump campaigned for conservative state Sen. Dan Bishop. Opposing Bishop is moderate Democrat Dan McCready, a former Marine who narrowly trailed in an election for the seat last year that was invalidated after evidence of election fraud surfaced. Trump carried the district by 11 points in 2016. Both sides see the race as too close to call. More than half the district’s votes likely will come from Charlotte’s suburbs. When Democrats retook the House in 2018, many of their pickups were in suburbs.
September 10, 2019 4:18 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A teenager has died after he was shot apparently by accident inside a home in Pittsburgh. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Officer says 16-year-old Alexander Alman died Monday at a hospital. Family members tell WPXI-TV Alman and another boy were playing with a gun when he was shot in the face on Sunday afternoon. Police are questioning the other teen.
September 10, 2019 4:17 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvanians who won’t be able to vote in person this fall will be able to apply online for absentee ballots for the first time. The Wolf administration said Monday voters can use the new site next week, for absentee ballots in the Nov. 5 election. Applicants will need a PennDOT driver license or ID number, although that is expected to change next year. It will also be expanded in 2020 to military and oversees voters. The online option will add convenience to an existing system that requires applicants to fill out paper forms and deliver them by hand or mail to county elections offices. Critics have argued changes to Pennsylvania’s comparatively strict absentee voting rules would make voting easier and more widespread. Applications will be accepted starting Monday, Sept. 16.
September 10, 2019 4:15 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – EQT Corp. is readying plans to lay off around 200 employees in a move that could happen sometime this week. Multiple sources told the Business Times about the plans for the layoffs, which would be a significant portion of the 800 or so employees that are working at the downtown Pittsburgh-based natural gas driller. It would be the second round of layoffs at EQT (NYSE: EQT) since January, when about 100 employees were laid off by the previous management team. EQT declined comment.
September 10, 2019 4:06 am
The question of whether Washington City Councilman Matt Staniszewski would show up for Council’s Monday meeting has been answered. Staniszewski did not attend his first council meeting after his August 26 DUI arrest. A quorum to conduct business was reached with the participation of councilmen Joe Manning and Ken Westcott and Mayor Scott Putnam. Councilwoman Monda Williams was also absent from the meeting. When asked about communication with Staniszewski, Putnam stated that he had not talked to him in the last two weeks. Putnam also stated that he had not had any contact with Governor Tom Wolf’s office regarding the removal of Staniszewski from office. Putnam called Staniszewski’s arrest a “Black Eye on the City” and hoped that Staniszewski could get the help that he seems to need.
September 9, 2019 5:38 pm
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) – Crews battled a large fire at a Pittsburgh church Monday afternoon according to officials. The fire started at the Sheraden United Methodist Church located on Chartiers Avenue around 3 p.m. Heavy smoke was seen pouring out of the church, and multiple firefighters were trying to put out the blaze. Officials say one firefighter was taken to the hospital with a minor arm injury. The church is three stories tall, but it is unclear how the fire started or if anyone was inside when it did start. Witnesses said they saw the roof was on fire and appeared to have collapsed.
September 9, 2019 4:52 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal health authorities say vaping giant Juul Labs illegally pitched its electronic cigarettes as a safer alternative to smoking, including in a presentation at schools. The Food and Drug Administration issued a stern warning letter to the company Monday, flagging various claims by Juul, including that its products are “much safer than cigarettes.” The FDA has been investigating Juul for months but had not previously warned the company. The FDA letter highlights an incident recounted by two New York high school students during a congressional hearing in July. The students said a representative of Juul was invited to address the school on addiction issues. During the presentation, the representative told students the company’s product was “totally safe.” Juul says it discontinued its school programs last September.
September 9, 2019 3:50 pm
CUMBERLAND, Md. (AP) – Maryland’s Highway Administration has removed several road signs for “Negro Mountain” over concerns about racial insensitivity in the name. Agency spokeswoman Lora Rakowski confirmed to news outlets Sunday that four signs along Interstate 68 and U.S. Alternate Route 40 were removed in April. Rakowski told the Cumberland Times-News the agency is working with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and community members going forward. Historian Lynn Bowman told the newspaper the origin of the mountain’s name is unknown, but some accounts refer to it being named after a black man who died in a battle with Native Americans. Lynchings were also said to have taken place on the mountain. The mountain’s ridge runs 30 miles through the Allegheny range and peaks in Pennsylvania.
September 9, 2019 12:47 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvanians who won’t be able to vote in person this fall will be able to apply online for absentee ballots for the first time. The Wolf administration said Monday voters can use the new site next week, for absentee ballots in the Nov. 5 election. +Applicants will need a PennDOT driver license or ID number, although that is expected to change next year. It will also be expanded in 2020 to military and overseas voters. The online option will add convenience to an existing system that requires applicants to fill out paper forms and deliver them by hand or mail to county elections offices. Critics have argued changes to Pennsylvania’s comparatively strict absentee voting rules would make voting easier and more widespread. Applications will be accepted starting Monday, Sept. 16.
