May 3, 2024 12:29 pm
(WPXI) – A woman was killed in a construction accident near Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said emergency crews were called to the area at 10:40 a.m. A woman was found to have catastrophic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The initial investigation indicates that a large metal drum escaped a nearby construction site, rolled down the hill, broke through fencing and hit the woman on the sidewalk. Public safety officials said the piece of metal weighs at least one ton. Initial reports indicate the woman was an employee at one of the local hospitals and was with one or two coworkers when she was hit. A massive construction cylinder is seen in the middle of the road resting against a pickup truck. Pitt Police said there are traffic disruptions on Desoto Street between Sutherland Drive and O’Hara Street. Police are asking the public to avoid the area or allow extra time for traffic.
May 3, 2024 9:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers pulled back on their hiring in April but still added a decent 175,000 jobs in a sign that persistently high interest rates may be starting to slow the robust U.S. job market. Last month’s hiring gain was down sharply from the blockbuster increase of 315,000 in March. Yet the moderation in the pace of hiring, along with a slowdown last month in wage growth, will likely be welcomed by the Federal Reserve, which has kept interest rates at a two-decade high to fight persistently elevated inflation. Hourly wages rose a less-than-expected 0.2% from March and 3.9% from a year earlier, the smallest annual gain since June 2021.
May 3, 2024 2:11 am
Washington County Commissioners met Thursday and what began as a very run of the mill meeting, took a sudden turn during public comment. Washington County Controller April Sloane took the microphone and announced results of her audit of county spending for the first quarter of this year. Sloane indicated troubling results from last year and the beginning of this year. According to Sloane, the county jail was just over $1 million over budget in 2023. The county is already exceeding its 2024 budget by approximately $1 million. Sloane alleges that the ransom paid to rectify a cyber attack earlier this year was illegally funded by funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). She further questioned some payroll usage of ARPA funds. She also stated that nearly $46,000 in hotel taxes were not collected in 2022. Most recently Sloane stated that a salary request from Chief of Staff Daryl Price was sent back for review before being presented to the salary board. That review of numbers saved taxpayers $12,000 in annual salary for one position. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman says that Sloane’s statement is inaccurate. Spending is up because of the use of the $98 million the county received through ARPA and that all expenditures are legal under the act. He further stated that if anyone has a dispute with the spending of those funds, they can file a complaint with the District Attorney. Sherman says that he and his colleagues will do everything in their power to keep that ARPA money in Washington County.
May 3, 2024 5:16 am
Donegal Township Supervisors were greeted at their business meeting with approximately 3 dozen supporters of the township road crew that is represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 66. Supporters lined the street with signs and chants of support prior to the meeting. William Riggle is a member of the road crew that saw its numbers dwindle from a high of six workers to its present two through recent layoffs. He says that the township supervisors are picking on the road crew specifically and are trying to have the union removed. Riggle says they don’t care for the people and gave the example of him being hurt and his colleague having to work alone as Riggle himself recovers from an injury. Recently a third person was brought on until Riggle fully recovers. During the meeting, Supervisors had their labor negotiator Phil Binotto make a presentation to residents. He called the situation an impasse and is urging both the union and supervisors to sit down and come to common ground. The road crew has been working on an expired five year contract since 2023. Binotto described the contract as very union friendly and rich. According to Supervisor Chairman Jim Bauer, the township is looking to regain control of finances and management of the employees. Some of the items that are at issue are health care benefits, currently the union has all of their health care paid in full. The township is looking for premium payment and deductible concessions. Currently overtime is paid in comp time. The township wishes to return to paid overtime. The township also wishes to use subcontractors when that would be a cheaper option than using in house labor. Several other issues remain unsolved. Both Binotto and IUOE 66 representative Larry Cardillo agree that both sides need to return to the bargaining table.
May 3, 2024 5:00 am
HOUSTON BOROUGH, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Pittsburgh Pirates jumped in to help save the season for the Chartiers-Houston Girls Softball Association after a series of floods put it in doubt. President of the association James Hollenbach said he was at a loss for words when he saw the flooding on April 9. It was the second time in a week that heavy rains forced a nearby creek to overflow and flood the nearby softball field. The season for the girl’s softball program was set to begin in only a few weeks, but at the time, that felt like an unreachable goal. Everyone rushed to help. Parents, local businesses and even the Pirates pitched in. The Pirates’ Fields For Kids program specializes in renovating community fields. Team president Travis Williams told Channel 11 that the organization jumped in to help as soon as they saw the photos of the flooding. Hollenbach added that without the community’s help, they still may not have a season. Instead, they were able to start on time last week. The Pirates and the Chartiers-Houston Girls Softball Association celebrated the renovation ahead of a game on the field Thursday. Players and coaches will also attend a Pirates game on Saturday to celebrate a job well done.
May 2, 2024 2:53 am
A Natrona Heights woman and former nurse pleaded guilty Thursday to harming and killing patients she was supposed to care for. It comes nearly a year after Heather Pressdee, 41, was first arrested and charged with harming and killing patients. As the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General continued to investigate, it found more victims going back to late 2020. Pressdee, who pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, received life in prison with no possibility for parole. Investigators said Pressdee admitted to unnecessarily injecting her patients with insulin, killing them or attempting to kill them and even injecting some patients on more than one occasion if they did not die. The incidents happened at nursing home facilities in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler and Westmoreland counties. Her alleged victims range in age from 43 to 104 years old.
May 3, 2024 5:06 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police have arrested nearly 2,200 people during pro-Palestinian protests at college campuses across the United States in recent weeks. They have sometimes used riot gear, tactical vehicles and flash-bang devices to clear tent encampments and occupied buildings. At Columbia University, one officer accidentally discharged his gun inside an administration building while clearing out protesters camped inside. That’s according to the NYPD. No one was injured by the officer’s actions. A tally by The Associated Press recorded at least 56 incidents of arrests at 43 different U.S. colleges or universities since April 18 stemming from recent campus protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
May 3, 2024 5:11 am
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Some U.S. universities with weekend graduation ceremonies are taking steps to keep a lid on possible disruptions. The school year is closing with campus tension over the Israel-Hamas war and pro-Palestinian protests. The University of Michigan says staff and security officers are ready to respond to any disruptions. It says interfering with commencement will not be considered free speech. Indiana University is designating protest zones outside graduation venues. Northeastern University in Boston is holding its commencement at Fenway Park a week after a pro-Palestinian encampment was removed and nearly 100 protesters were arrested.
May 3, 2024 5:04 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’ signing of the repeal of a Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions was a stirring occasion for the women working to ensure the 19th century law remains in the past. Current and former state lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates crowded into the 9th floor rotunda outside Hobbs’ office at the Capitol on Thursday afternoon, hugging and taking selfies to capture the moment. Hobbs says the move is just the beginning of a fight to protect reproductive health care in Arizona. A repeal won’t take effect until 90 days after the current legislative session ends.
May 3, 2024 5:08 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Former longtime Donald Trump adviser Hope Hicks is recounting how his 2016 presidential campaign became embroiled in a political firestorm over a tape in which he boasted about grabbing women without their permission. The infamous “Access Hollywood” tape is central to the case. Prosecutors say it hastened his then-lawyer Michael Cohen’s hush money deal with porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier. Hicks testified that after learning of the tape’s existence, she knew it was a “damaging development.”
