August 6, 2024 4:51 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ coronation as the Democrats’ standard-bearer for the 2024 presidential election is now official after the Democratic National Committee announced the formal results of the online voting by delegates on Monday night. It caps a tumultuous period for the party prompted by President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance and his subsequent withdrawal from the race. Harris is a daughter of immigrants who rose through the California political and law enforcement ranks to become the first female vice president in U.S. history. She is clinching the nomination more than four years after her first attempt at the presidency collapsed.
August 6, 2024 4:49 am
(AP) – Boeing factory workers say they were pressured to work too fast and asked to perform jobs that they weren’t qualified for, including opening and closing the door plug that later blew off an Alaska Airlines jet. Those accounts from inside the company were disclosed Tuesday, as federal investigators opened a two-day hearing into the blowout, which further tarnished Boeing’s safety reputation and left it facing new legal jeopardy. A Boeing door installer said he was never told to take any shortcuts but everyone faced pressure to keep the assembly line moving.
August 6, 2024 4:47 am
GREENE COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Greene County Regional Police Department is searching for a man they think could be tied to a drug cartel. Police say the search for a stolen motorcycle led them to Jimmy Butterfield’s Morris Township home. At the house, police say they found more stolen bikes, a sawed-off shotgun, an assault rifle and a pound of meth they believe came from a drug lab across the southern United States border. “These are staging areas for a lot of the dealers to network their narcotics throughout the areas and into major cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia,” said Greene County Regional Police Department Chief William DeForte. Anyone with information on Butterfield’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Greene County Regional Police Department.
August 6, 2024 2:43 am
Attorneys representing seven disenfranchised voters, the Washington Branch of the NAACP and the Center for Coalfield Justice squared off against special counsel appointed by Washington County Commissioners to defend their policy to prohibit notice to mail in voters that there are defects in their ballots and not allow curing of ballots. This policy segregated 259 votes from being counted in the April 2024 primary election, even though in 2023, those voters with ballots in similar condition could have been notified and offered the opportunity to cure the violating condition. Vic Walczak, Legal Director of the ACLU of PA says that their argument is based on the Pennsylvania Constitution under the due process clause. Not notifying the voters of the problematic ballot denied them the due process to be able to have their vote count and thus robbed them of their right to vote. David Berardinelli, Special Counsel appointed by commissioners to defend their decision to not allow notice and curing stood behind the Pennsylvania Election Code, stating that no language exists covering ballot curing. He called it a legislative issue and those decisions on ballot curing should be made by state representatives and senators. They argue that notice has been given in mail in ballot directions that state that if the envelopes are not filled out precisely, that ballot will not be counted. He cautioned the judge that deciding against the policy in place may put him in the position of legislating from the judicial bench. The judge took the matter under advisement for further review. A decision is expected in the coming weeks.
August 6, 2024 2:41 am
Activists gathered on the steps of the Washington County Courthouse to air their feelings about notification of deficient mail in ballots and ballot curing in upcoming elections in Washington County. The Center for Coalfield Justice hosted the rally about a hearing on arguments regarding the Washington County Board of Elections decision to not give mail in ballot users notice that their ballot contains errors and disallowing ballot curing in total. They want to make sure voters are aware that clerical errors may cause their vote not to count. Bracken Burns spoke on behalf of the Washington Branch of the NAACP in an address that went through the alphabet describing how the commissioner’s decision was unamerican, unpatriotic and unrepublican. Bruce Jacobs is one of those mail in ballot users that weeks after the April primary election, found out that his ballot was not counted and he considers himself disenfranchised. He said that the commissioner’s decision to not notify mail in voters of defects in their ballot was a deliberate act to disenfranchise. After the rally, the two dozen activists filled the courtroom of Judge Brandon Neuman to hear arguments in the case.
August 5, 2024 9:59 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly everything on Wall Street tumbled as fear about a slowing U.S. economy worsened and set off another sell-off for financial markets around the world. The S&P 500 sank 3% Monday for its worst day in nearly two years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 1,000 points, and the Nasdaq composite slid 3.4%. That followed a 12.4% plunge for Japan’s Nikkei 225, its worst since 1987. Treasury yields pared their losses after a report showed U.S. services businesses are continuing to grow. But worries are still high after Friday’s report showing U.S. employers pulled back on hiring last month by more than expected.
August 5, 2024 5:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats have unified with remarkable speed behind Vice President Kamala Harris as she has taken over the top of the party’s ticket heading into the November presidential election. It may be another story when it comes to a running mate. Sources are saying that Harris has narrowed the field for her choice for a vice presidential running mate to two men, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. An announcement is expected before a rally Tuesday evening in Philadelphia.
August 5, 2024 5:15 am
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — A man is dead after an early Saturday morning shooting at a Uniontown club. The Uniontown City Police Department says the shooting happened a little before 5 a.m. on Morgantown Street at Club Lux. A man was shot multiple times in “vital areas of his body,” according to Lt. Tom Kolencik. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The Fayette County Coroner identifies the man killed as Timothy Brooks, 24, of Uniontown. No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been identified yet. Lt. Kolencik says it’s still early in the investigation, and they are still interviewing witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Uniontown City Police Department or Crimestoppers of Fayette County.
August 5, 2024 5:12 am
GREENE COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – A boil advisory in a Greene County community has been lifted. The East Dunkard Water Authority issued a boil advisory for the Davistown area after a power failure caused the Donley water tank to drain on July 27. The water company is now lifting the advisory since water samples collected on Aug. 2 and 3 came back with acceptable results. Davistown residents no longer need to boil water or take other precautions before use.
August 5, 2024 5:08 am
SOUTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Five people were injured in a crash in South Strabane Township. Washington County dispatch said emergency crews were called to the intersection of Route 19 and Trinity Place at 4:21 p.m. on Sunday. South Strabane Township firefighters say the crash involved two vehicles. One had rolled onto its roof. Five people were taken to a hospital as a result of the crash. One person was flown to Allegheny General Hosptial and the other four were taken to local hospitals in ambulances. Their conditions are unknown at this time.
