April 29, 2023 3:47 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Pittsburgh’s next police chief has been chosen. Our news partners at Channel 11 say they have confirmed that Larry Scirotto will become the bureau’s next chief of police. Scirotto is a native of Monessen and is no stranger to the city of Pittsburgh. He served as an assistant chief in the department for years before stepping down in 2018. Most recently, he was forced to resign as chief of police in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The resignation followed complaints of hiring and promotions that improperly favored minority candidates. “I am somewhat surprised,” Executive Director of Pittsburgh’s Citizens Police Review Board Beth Pittenger said. She told Channel 11 she’s skeptical of the hire. “There’s nothing in particular about Mr. Scirotto I would find offensive. But we know there was somewhat of a negative experience in his last position. He was terminated,” Pittenger said. “There was a whole process that was utilized that has not been disclosed. You hear a lot of rumors. I think it would be to everyone’s benefit if the whole process was simply disclosed.” An official announcement could come in the next several days.
April 29, 2023 3:46 am
PennDot announced Friday that it will be conducting bridge inspections along I-79 in southern Allegheny County next week. Single-lane restrictions will take place beginning Monday at 7:00 p.m. at the Alpine Road bridge in South Fayette, and will last through Tuesday morning at 6:00 a.m. The Heidelberg interchange in Collier Township will be inspected beginning Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. through Thursday morning at 6:00 a.m. The single-lane restrictions will be in place in both directions, and delays are possible. PennDot advises to use caution in those construction areas.
April 28, 2023 5:09 am
Washington County Prothonotary, Republican Laura Hough has responded to the report that County Commissioners were reviewing her actions after claiming she improperly accessed a law enforcement data base used to gather information on individuals. In a written statement, Hough calls the move a “last minute hit piece put out by Larry Maggi and his Democrat allies.” Hough goes on to say “It is clear that the Democrats are interfering in the upcoming Republican primary because they know that I am the only qualified candidate running for Prothonotary.” Hough also claims that “Lexis Nexis is not a law enforcement software, but rather a search engine resource”. She says “it was a tool used for legitimate Prothonotary office activity”. Commissioner’s say they have restricted Hough’s use of Lexis Nexis while a review of her actions continues.
April 28, 2023 4:33 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Fox News viewers are reacting to Tucker Carlson’s firing by abandoning the network in his old time slot — at least temporarily. Fox had 1.33 million viewers in the 8 p.m. Eastern hour on Wednesday, down 56% from the 3.05 million that Carlson had on the same day a week ago. Meanwhile, Eric Bolling at the conservative alternative Newsmax has seen his audience shoot up. Bolling had 510,000 viewers on Wednesday, compared to 168,000 on the previous Wednesday. It’s reminiscent of Fox’s slump among viewers who are angry at the network’s coverage of election night 2020. But that anger proved only temporary, and viewers later returned.
April 28, 2023 4:31 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence has testified before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his Republican allies to overturn the 2020 election. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the private appearance before the grand jury. Thursday’s appearance by Pence came hours after a federal appeals court denied a bid by Trump’s lawyers to block Pence’s testimony. Pence was subpoenaed to testify earlier this year, but Trump’s lawyers objected, citing executive privilege concerns. Pence’s grand jury appearance in Washington is a milestone in the Justice Department’s investigation into the conversations and events preceding the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.
April 28, 2023 4:21 am
UMAN, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has fired more than 20 cruise missiles and two drones at Ukraine in attacks that killed at least 16 people. Most of the victims died when two cruise missiles slammed into an apartment building in central Ukraine early Friday. The attacks included the first one on Ukraine’s capital in nearly two months. The Kyiv government said Ukraine’s air force intercepted 11 missiles and two drones, and no hits on any targets in the city were reported. The strikes on the apartment building occurred in Uman, a city located around 215 kilometers (134 miles) south of Kyiv. Fourteen people died in that attack, according to the interior ministry, including two 10-year-old children and a toddler.
April 28, 2023 2:33 am
The Washington County Agricultural Fair is set to celebrate its 225th year and announcements were made about the upcoming event and other happenings to help celebrate the anniversary. Chief among the celebrations is the announcement that the 225th Memorial Plaza will be built to commemorate the anniversary and the agricultural history that has occurred in Washington county over the last two centuries. Sponsorship pavers are available for $225 for a 4”by 8” paver and $500 for an 8” by 8” paver. The Board commissioned a local artist to create a mural on a building adjacent to the Memorial Plaza celebrating the agricultural history of Washington County. The fair will be featuring “Green Gus” a 1959 Ford Truck that carries a 1949 Ford Tractor to promote the fair at various events in the area. The first event that will feature “Green Gus” is the May 6 “Running of the Wools” event. That is a sheep race that will take place on Main Street in Washington that ties directly into the promotion of the fair and local City of Washington Businesses. The event starts at 9:30 with a Breakfast Crawl with the race beginning at noon. A kitchen Clash winds up the event at 3 PM. This year’s fair will take place from August 12 through August 19.
April 28, 2023 2:18 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia University announced Monday it will no longer require applicants to submit SAT or ACT test scores. The public university’s Board of Governors approved the test-optional admissions policy, which had been adopted in 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and had been extended three times since then. The last extension runs through spring 2024, after which the permanent policy will take effect, WVU said in a news release. Test scores could still be required for some course placements. Scholarships will continue to be offered by the 27,000-student university for test-optional applicants and those providing test scores, the statement said. The SAT or ACT remain requirements for the merit-based PROMISE Scholarship offered by the state for residents of West Virginia. “Students have been embracing test-optional admissions processes as part of their college searches since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and, going forward, we have an obligation to remove any barriers that may deter those interested in higher education,” said George Zimmerman, the university’s assistant vice president for enrollment management. “Giving students the flexibility to choose whether or not standardized tests are included in their college applications has shown to be effective in helping them feel more in control of the process.”
April 27, 2023 11:37 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — Jerry Springer, the former Cincinnati mayor and news anchor whose namesake TV show unleashed strippers, homewreckers and skinheads to brawl and spew obscenities on weekday afternoons, has died. He was 79. A family spokesperson says he died Thursday at home in suburban Chicago. At its peak, “The Jerry Springer Show” was a ratings powerhouse and a U.S. cultural pariah. The show known for chair-throwing and bleep-filled arguments was a favorite American guilty pleasure, at one point topping Oprah Winfrey’s show. It ran for 27 years, ending in 2018. The Jewish immigrants’ son who was born in an underground bomb shelter was active in politics most of his adult life. (Photo: ABC)
April 27, 2023 9:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy slowed sharply from January through March, decelerating to just a 1.1% annual pace as higher interest rates hammered the housing market and businesses reduced their inventories. Thursday’s estimate from the Commerce Department showed that the nation’s gross domestic product — the broadest gauge of economic output — weakened after growing 3.2% from July through September and 2.6% from October through December. But consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity, remained resilient, growing at a 3.7% annual pace, the fastest such rate in nearly two years. Spending on goods, in particular, was solid: It rose at its fastest pace since the second quarter of 2021.
