August 12, 2023 3:45 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Five former leaders of the Pennsylvania corrections officers’ union have been charged with theft after investigators say they used union funds to pay for personal expenses and hid the transactions. PennLive reported the criminal charges, made last month in a Harrisburg court, on Thursday. Two former union presidents and three ex-vice presidents are charged. The transactions — which allegedly totaled more than $23,000 among the five men — were made between 2015 and 2019 and included iTunes purchases, wineries and vineyards, and luxury venues in Las Vegas, the Harrisburg-area newspaper reported. The five men used union credit cards to make the personal purchases, submitted vague expense reports and attempted to block any questioning from other leaders, police say. The charges came after the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association’s own audit of questionable credit card purchases. Charged are former union President Jason Bloom for unlawful transactions totaling $8,286.48; former President Roy Pinto for $2,030.50; former Executive Vice President Tim Walsh for $5,834.58; former Western Region Vice President Larry Blackwell for $2,488.02; and former Eastern Region Vice President Robert Storm for $4,422.13. The Associated Press left messages seeking comment Friday with attorneys representing Bloom, Blackwell and Storm. Walsh’s attorney’s office declined to comment. No attorney for Pinto was listed in the online court docket. Bloom was suspended without pay from his position at a state prison, and the other four do not work for the government anymore, according to Maria Bivens, a state Department of Corrections spokesperson. The current union leadership says none of the men are still involved with the union.
August 11, 2023 3:22 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Authorities have released the name of the third person killed in a bus crash on a Pennsylvania interstate near the commonwealth’s capital city. The Dauphin County coroner’s office said Friday that Kadiatou Barry, 21, of Cincinnati, died in the crash that occurred shortly before midnight Sunday north of Harrisburg on Interstate 81, but did not disclose her cause of death. The office had previously announced that 39-year-old Alioune Diop of the Bronx, New York, and 26-year-old Serigne Ndiaye, whose residence is unknown, died of multiple traumatic injuries. State police have said the bus, carrying up to 50 people and heading from New York to Ohio, was traveling south on I-81 during heavy rain. It was in the right lane on a right-hand curve when it left the road, struck an embankment, turned onto its right side and hit a sport utility vehicle that had stopped in traffic in the right lane, police said. Those killed on the bus operated by the Super Lucky Tour Company of Boston were declared dead at the scene, while other passengers suffered injuries that ranged from minor to severe. The occupants of the SUV were taken to a hospital with moderate injuries. Peter Chan, the bus company manager, said in a phone interview Monday that he was “very sorry to hear about the accident” but had no further information because he hadn’t been able to talk to the driver, who was hospitalized after the crash. (Photo: AP)
August 11, 2023 12:49 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday he is appointing a special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe, deepening the investigation of the president’s son ahead of the 2024 election. Garland said he is naming David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who has been probing the financial and business dealings of the president’s son, as the special counsel. Garland said on Tuesday that Weiss told him that “in his judgment, his investigation has reached a stage at which he should continue his work as a Special Counsel, and he asked to be appointed.” “Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Garland said. The move is a momentous development from the typically cautious Garland and comes amid a pair of sweeping Justice Department probes into Donald Trump, the former president, and President Joe Biden’s chief rival in next year’s election. It comes as House Republicans are mounting their own investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings. “Upon considering his request, as well as the extraordinary circumstances relating to this matter, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint him as special counsel,” Garland said.
August 11, 2023 8:57 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says seven men and women, believed to be members of a multi-county methamphetamine ring have been arrested and charged with drug delivery and conspiracy. Walsh says 29-year-old Jaclyn Farabee, 27-year-old Merrieann Parr-Loar, and 37-year-old Jami Rhodes, all of Waynesburg, along with 29-year-old John Bizet and 34-year-old Rebecca Carn, both of Cokeburg; and 31-year-old Michael Vallor of Bentleyville and 46-year-old Travis Frye of Brownsville, are facing multiple charges related to the delivery of more than three and a half pounds of methamphetamines to undercover officers.
August 11, 2023 5:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration says it could soon launch a formal evaluation of risks posed by vinyl chloride, the cancer-causing chemical that burned in a towering plume of toxic smoke following the fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The Environmental Protection Agency is set to review risks posed by a handful of chemicals later this year and is considering chemicals used for plastic production as a key benchmark. Vinyl chloride, used to make PVC plastic pipes, is among chemicals eligible for review. EPA said a risk evaluation would take at least three years. Environmental and public health groups have long pushed to ban the chemical, also used in vinyl siding and children’s toys.
August 11, 2023 5:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge overseeing the 2020 election conspiracy case against Donald Trump will hear arguments over a request by prosecutors for a protective order seeking to bar the former president from publicly disclosing evidence shared by the government. Prosecutors have raised concerns that Trump may reveal sensitive case information that they are legally obligated to hand over to the defense. The protective order sought by special counsel Jack Smith’s team has become an early flashpoint in the case accusing the Republican of illegally scheming to cling to power after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Friday’s hearing will be the first time the lawyers appear before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.
August 11, 2023 5:07 am
(WPXI) – Corday Davis, 21, of Aliquippa, is in the Beaver County Jail, facing charges for allegedly scalding a 14-month-old girl in a bathtub. Ambridge police say a social worker contacted them about a toddler being treated for burns because the story about what happened to the child didn’t add up. The child’s mother says Davis dropped her off at work, and at that point, the little girl had no visible injuries, according to court documents. Davis called the child’s grandmother on the date of the incident and said, “I have some bad news, the baby got burnt in the tub. Her skin is falling off,” according to the complaint. But the doctor said the victim’s burns have multiple features that are characteristics of inflicted injury, according to police. A doctor also said none of the stories provided by Davis were a plausible explanation for any of the injuries the child had. Davis faces a number of charges, including simple assault, aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.
August 11, 2023 4:50 am
As violent crimes continue to rise, police have been forced to crack down harder in various neighborhoods. William Oberschelp, 28, waived all of his charges to court Thursday morning, as he is charged with a slew of offenses including attempted criminal homicide. According to police, Oberschelp broke into his ex-girlfriend’s home on Thompsonville Road in Peters Township in July of 2023. Oberschelp told police that an altercation ensued, which resulted in him hitting her in the back of the head with a hammer. The victim’s father eventually found her after he heard noises coming from the garage. According to court documents, Oberschelp kicked the victim while she was lying on the ground, and fled the scene with her cellphone. Oberschelp was denied bond, and he was ordered to have no contact with the victim or her family.
August 11, 2023 4:46 am
(WPXI) – A self-proclaimed white supremacist was arrested on criminal charges related to his alleged obstruction and witness tampering in the federal trial of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting. Forty-five-year-old Hardy Carroll Lloyd, who used to live in Crafton, was taken into custody early Thursday morning. According to the criminal complaint, Lloyd made online comments about the federal hate crimes trial of Robert Bowers, the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooter. Lloyd, a self-proclaimed “reverend” of a white supremacy movement, made threatening social media posts, website comments, and emails toward the jury and witnesses during the trial. Lloyd is charged with obstruction of the due administration of justice, transmitting threats in interstate and foreign commerce and witness tampering. He faces up to ten years in prison for the obstruction charge, up to five years for the threats charge, and up to 20 in prison for the tampering charge. (Photo: ABC)
August 11, 2023 4:06 am
As public safety continues to be a prominent subject, local hospitals have started to take the initiative to educate people on the importance of safety. Canonsburg hospital will be informing the public with a safety fair Saturday, August 12th at St. Patrick’s Church in Canonsburg. During Monday’s Canonsburg Borough Council Agenda meeting, Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome shared that the fair will be held from 11 AM to 2 PM. The event is being put on through the Allegheny Health Network, and there will be many agencies participating in the event including the Canonsburg Police Department and Fire Department. Minimal road closures are expected for the event, with potential traffic backup near the Hutchinson Avenue area that will be turned into a one way. The event is expected to have 400 to 500 people, and with a positive turnout it could lead to similar fairs in the near future.
