March 7, 2020 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is shaking up White House leadership, replacing his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney with Republican Rep. Mark Meadows. Trump announced the staff reshuffle in Friday night tweets. The long-rumored move comes as Trump has been surrounding himself with loyalists as he prepares for a tough reelection bid. But the timing – as the Trump administration was already facing criticism over its handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak – threatened to exacerbate concerns about the government’s ability to protect the nation. Meadows will be fourth chief of staff in as many years.
March 7, 2020 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two people who attended the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington earlier this week have tested positive for the coronavirus. The group made the disclosure Friday on Twitter. The cases are the first linked to the nation’s capital. Thousands of people attended the AIPAC policy conference, including some members of Congress, and Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were among the speakers. AIPAC says it has been in touch with health officials in New York and Washington. It is urging attendees to get in touch with their medical providers if they feel ill.
March 7, 2020 4:03 am
WAYNESBURG, Pa. — A European company that landed state funding last summer to build a $13.3 million regional hub at Speers Industrial Park in Washington County has filed a WARN notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry that says it is closing its Waynesburg facility in Greene County next month, affecting 80 workers. TechnipFMC plc, based in London, serves the oil and gas industry around the world and has 40 facilities in the U.S. According to the WARN notice, the Waynesburg plant is to shut down as of April 14. The company’s U.S. operations are based in Houston, Texas.
March 7, 2020 3:56 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Karl Alexander, a former administrative law judge pleaded guilty to purchasing a gun for his friend, who is a convicted felon and alleged Nazi sympathizer, Dennis Riggs. Alexander was indicted by a federal grand jury. Federal authorities arrested Riggs in January at a home in Troy Hill, where he lived with Alexander. Agents found a cache of weapons, ammunition, pictures of Adolph Hitler and swastikas on the wall. On his phone, investigators found video of a mosque shooting and a picture of the South Carolina church shooter. Alexander told our partners at Channel 11 he never saw Riggs as someone who would do anything violent. Alexander admitted in court he went with Riggs to buy the gun and lied on the forms. Alexander faces up to 10 years in jail, but federal authorities are recommending 2-3 years. He will be sentenced in July, while Riggs remains in federal custody charged with illegal possession of a firearm.
March 7, 2020 3:55 am
A Carroll Township woman died in a fire Friday afternoon at her home. The fire broke out around twelve-thirty at a home at 17 Grant Street and authorities say they received word of a possible entrapment. When fire crews arrived, they said the home was fully engulfed in flames but they were able to bring it under control quickly. According to reports, they then discovered that 62-year-old Joann Wilson who lived in the home was unaccounted for. Her body was discovered on a rear second-story porch where it appeared she had attempted to escape the flames. Although authorities say they don’t believe the fire was arson, the state police fire marshal has been called in to investigate. The Washington County Coroner’s Office is investigating the cause and manner of Wilson’s death.
March 7, 2020 3:55 am
A elderly man reported missing early Friday morning in Chartiers Township has been found safe. It all began after a woman awoke and found her husband missing and his walking cane gone. The woman searched the area near the home along Glenwood Drive but could not find him and called 9-1-1 around 3:45 a.m. Police, Firefighters and others were all involved in the search which ended just after 6:30 a.m. No other information is being released at this time.
March 7, 2020 3:44 am
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf says the state’s first two cases of coronavirus have been identified, one in Delaware County and one in Wayne County. The two people are quarantined in their homes, Wolf said. No other information on the people affected has been released. Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine says the cases are not related to a case that closed schools in Bucks County. Classes were cancelled Friday at five schools because some members of its school community were exposed to a separate confirmed case of COVID-19.
March 6, 2020 3:38 pm
(AP) – A congressional committee says a “culture of concealment” at Boeing and poor oversight by federal regulators contributed to two deadly crashes involving the 737 Max jetliner. The House Transportation Committee issued a summary Friday of its investigation so far into Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration. In all, 346 people died in the crashes. The lawmakers say several factors led to the crashes, but they are honing in on a new flight-control system that pushed the nose of each plane down based on faulty sensor readings. They say Boeing downplayed how critical the system was to the plane’s safety.
March 6, 2020 3:32 pm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – For weeks the NRA has been publicizing plans to auction off firearms at a fundraising dinner at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. But a spokesperson for the museum told The Associated Press that the April event will not take place there after the AP asked questions about the museum’s no firearms policy. The NRA says in a statement Friday that the organization declined to change its firearms policy at the auction and decided to move the event. The NRA’s relationship with country music artists and country music organizations has fractured in recent years after several mass shootings, including one at a country music festival in 2017. Prominent country artists have called for gun control legislation.
March 6, 2020 12:20 pm
Pennsylvania State Fire Commissioner Bruce Trego is reminding Pennsylvanians to change the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors while changing their clocks for this weekend’s “spring forward” time change. “Our message to people is simple; a functional smoke alarm is the best way to ensure your family’s safety in the event of a home fire,” said Trego. “All too often, these critical life-saving devices are overlooked or ignored until it’s too late. Test your smoke alarms monthly and replace the batteries regularly. Trego said discharged or missing batteries are the most common cause of a smoke alarm or carbon monoxide detector malfunction. When functioning, smoke alarms can decrease the risk of dying in a home fire by as much as half. Often called “the silent killer,” carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless, tasteless gas that can incapacitate victims before they are aware they have been exposed. Sources include wood-burning fireplaces and stoves, gas-fired fireplaces, appliances, grills and generators, and motor vehicles. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are often mistaken for the flu and include nausea, headaches, dizziness, disorientation and fatigue. Newer models of smoke alarms marketed as having long-lasting batteries may not need to have their batteries replaced, but thousands of homeowners still use models that use standard batteries that must be replaced regularly. No matter what type of smoke alarms are used in a home, they should be tested monthly – including hard-wired units connected to the home’s electrical system. Homeowners unsure of how to maintain or install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms can call their local fire service for advice.
