February 15, 2024 5:01 am
LONDON (AP) — Voters in two districts in England have delivered new blows to beleaguered Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Results Friday show they elected opposition-party lawmakers in seats that Sunak’s Conservatives had held for years. Labour Party candidates won the House of Commons seats of Kingswood in southwest England and Wellingborough in the country’s center. The Conservatives won both by large margins at the last national election in 2019. The hard-right Reform Party came third, putting more pressure on the Conservatives. Labour leader Keir Starmer said the results “show people want change.” The results will likely worsen fears among Conservatives that the party is heading for defeat when a national election is held in less than a year.
February 15, 2024 1:50 am
The Washington County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of that fiery, wrong way crash on Interstate 70 in Fallowfield Township early Wednesday morning. Twenty-five-year-old Chace Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene near mile-marker 39 (Speers) just before 2 a.m. The coroner says Johnson was the operator and sole occupant of a vehicle that was observed traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes. His vehicle struck a tractor trailer and came to rest in the median. It is unknown if he was wearing a seatbelt. The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured. State Police continue to investigate.
February 15, 2024 1:38 am
Washington County Commissioners met Thursday and their first order of business was to address concerns that an emergency meeting held February 6, violated the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act. That meeting centered on the cyber attack of county computers that took place in January by Russian cyber criminals. In a statement read by County Solicitor Gary Sweat, he stated that based on information that he gathered from cyber legal and IT professionals, an emergency meeting needed to be scheduled regarding threats being made by the cyber attackers. He cited section 712.1(b) of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Law as basis for his suggestion. That paragraph permits emergency meetings to be scheduled without notice when there is a “clear and present danger to life or property”. The results of that meeting authorized a payment to the cyber criminals and associates of more than $350,000 to obtain a decryption key to unlock county data. The data that was seized by the hackers contained personal information such as social security numbers and drivers license numbers of county residents and employees. The motion passed 2-1 to authorize the payments and protect county information. Two motions were voted on in Thursday’s regular meeting ratifying the motions approved during the emergency meeting and memorializing them in public record. Commissioner Larry Maggi was the dissenting vote each time. In a written statement Maggi said that “There are no guarantees that the county will get our data back and that the information won’t be placed on the dark web. There are no guarantees that this will not happen again.” According to Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman, county operations are back to approximately 80% of capacity.
February 14, 2024 3:59 pm
KANSAS CITY (AP) — Minutes after Kansas City Chiefs players vowed to go for a third-straight Super Bowl title, shots were fired and multiple people were carried from the screen on stretchers. Fire Department Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins said eight to 10 people were injured Wednesday but declined further comment, saying only that additional information will be released soon. Police said in a news release that two people were detained. Fans were urged to exit the area as quickly as possible. Officers could be seen rushing toward Union Station, but later announced that they were releasing everyone from outside.
February 14, 2024 6:59 am
Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi is questioning the apparent removal of a Local Share Account grant as Commissioners prepare to vote on a recommended list provided by the LSA Committee. Maggi says an original list included 51 total grant recipients but then a second list had only fifty. Maggi says the project excluded was for $500,000 for Washington City Mission. Maggi claims he was never given an answer as to why that project was removed and he fears such action could lead some to question the legitimacy of the grant process. Maggi says he is proud of the County’s LSA system he claims is “touted throughout the state for how pristine it is and I want it to remain that way”. Commissioner’s Chairman Nick Sherman says he doesn’t serve on the LSA board and “an email was sent to me with the final approvals and I have read over the final approval and I think they are good projects and I intend to vote for it on Thursday. LSA Committee Chairman Jeff Kotula says 50 projects were selected out of more than 90 applicants for $8.7 million dollars. He confirmed that the City Mission project was among 44 applicants that were not recommended. Commissioners meet Thursday morning at 10 a.m and are expected to approve the list of 50. Meanwhile, Washington County Solicitor Gary Sweat announced that he will present a detailed statement at Thursday’s meeting to explain why an emergency meeting was necessary in regards to the cyber attack that struck the County’s computer system. Sweat says he will present two motions, the same that were approved at that emergency meeting, for commissioners to approve again. Sweat says he will also detail how the State Sunshine Act was not violated. Commissioner’s approved spending some $400,000 for upgrades and improvements to the county’s computer system at that meeting. There have been questions as to whether a ransom payment was included in that money.
February 14, 2024 5:13 am
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration has become the latest backdrop for a mass shooting as gunfire sent fans scrambling for cover and left 21 people wounded and one woman dead. At least eight children are among those who were shot. Wednesday’s shooting outside the city’s historic Union Station happened despite the presence of more than 800 police officers on hand for the parade. Police say three people were taken into custody and firearms were recovered. But no details have been given about those who were detained or possible motive.
February 14, 2024 5:01 am
Feb. 14 is a holiday heavyweight this year due to a calendar collision. It’s Valentine’s Day, the fixed annual celebration of love and friendship, marked by cute couples, eager elementary school students — and critics who deride its commercialization. But it also happens to be Ash Wednesday, the solemn day of fasting and reflection that signals the start of Christianity’s most penitent season. Ash Wednesday is not a fixed date. Its timing is tied to Easter Sunday, and for most Christians, Easter will fall on March 31 this year. Easter also moves annually, swinging between March 22 and April 25 based on a calendar calculation involving the moon.
February 14, 2024 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House has voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S-Mexico border. In a historic rebuke of a sitting Cabinet secretary, the Republican majority was determined to try again to impeach Mayorkas after having failed last week. Tuesday evening’s vote was tight, even with the arrival of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who has been away from Washington for cancer care. Speaker Mike Johnson’s threadbare majority could not spare defections or absences in the face of staunch Democratic opposition. President Joe Biden called the impeachment of Mayorkas a “blatant act of unconstitutional partisanship that has targeted an honorable public servant in order to play petty political games.”
February 14, 2024 4:58 am
MOUNT LEBANON, Pa. — (WPXI) – Gov. Josh Shapiro walked up and down the main street in Mount Lebanon on Wednesday visiting several small businesses as part of his statewide “Main Street Matters” tour. The governor, along with local legislators, highlighted their $25 million proposal to support small businesses across the commonwealth including Empire Music in Mount Lebanon. The store’s owner said the community is their strength. “What’s really unique about this uptown district is that the businesses are born out of the needs of the community. Most important, to have things local to you that serve people best around you,” said Joe Ravita, the owner of Empire Music. In his speech, the governor said main streets in small towns are the backbone of the commonwealth and it’s a critical part of his economic development strategy. The proposal is part of his 2024-25 budget. The new proposal builds off of a previous state program known as Keystone Communities program.
February 14, 2024 4:58 am
New York Democrat Tom Suozzi has won a special election for the House seat formerly held by George Santos. Suozzi defeated Republican Mazi Pilip in a contest to represent a district that includes parts of Long Island and the New York City borough of Queens. Pilip is a Nassau County legislator. The win narrows an already-thin margin held by Republicans in the House. The race has been closely monitored for clues about suburban voter sentiment heading into the 2024 election campaign nationwide. Suozzi previously represented the district for three terms but gave up the seat during an unsuccessful run for governor in 2022. Santos was expelled from Congress after he was indicted. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud and stealing from donors, among other crimes.
