March 22, 2023 2:14 am
(AP) – Defense lawyers say a former truck driver about to face trial for shooting to death congregants in a Pittsburgh synagogue more than four years ago has schizophrenia and structural and functional brain impairments. Lawyers for Robert Bowers told a federal judge in a court filing this week that they are concerned about a prosecution proposal to have their own psychiatric experts examine or evaluate him. Jury selection is scheduled to begin next month in Bowers’ trial for shooting to death 11 people and wounding seven others at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the nation’s most deadly attack on Jewish people. Bowers has offered to plead guilty in return for a life sentence, but prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
March 22, 2023 2:02 am
(WPXI) – A new athlete has just been signed as a competitor in the “Great Pittsburgh Pierogy Race.” PNC Park Events announced on Twitter that Potato Pete will be joining the current list of racers taking a competitive tater-tote around the stadium. Pete will race against Sauerkraut Saul, Cheese Chester, Jalapeno Hannah, Oliver Onion and Bacon Burt. The races are held at the end of the fifth inning during every Pittsburgh Pirates home game. The pierogies run for a total of 280 yards during each race. Potato Pete was one of the original three pierogies to run in the race when it originally started.
March 21, 2023 1:54 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Norfolk Southern’s CEO is offering support for some parts of a bipartisan U.S. Senate bill to put tougher safety regulations on railroads. A fiery hazardous materials train derailed last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. CEO Alan Shaw is under pressure from senators and federal safety regulators to step up his commitment to safety regulations as he appears before the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday. Shaw says in prepared remarks that Norfolk Southern will “support legislative efforts to enhance the safety of the freight rail industry. But he does not address several key provisions of the Railway Safety Act of 2023. (Photo: AP)
March 21, 2023 10:46 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is trying to project calm after recent regional bank failures in California and New York. Yellen says additional bank rescue arrangements “could be warranted” if any new failures at smaller institutions pose a risk to financial stability. Yellen, who made her remarks at the American Bankers Association on Tuesday. The Treasury secretary says that overall the bank situation “is stabilizing” and the U.S. banking system “remains sound.” Yellen adds the government’s intervention has been necessary to “protect the broader banking system” and more rescue efforts could be necessary. Earlier this month, Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank failed.
March 21, 2023 4:19 am
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Top Republicans, including some of Donald Trump’s potential rivals for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, are rushing to his defense after Trump said he’s bracing for possible arrest. The reaction points to the political risks faced by would-be opponents who are eager to convince voters that it’s time to move on from the former president but also fear alienating his loyal base. The comments came hours after Trump declared in a social media post that he expects to be arrested this coming week in a case that the Manhattan district attorney is investigating over hush money payments made to women who alleged Trump had sexual encounters with them. Trump has denied the allegations.
March 21, 2023 4:17 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is telling employees in a memo that the company plans to eliminate 9,000 more jobs in the next few weeks. The job cuts would mark the second largest round of layoffs in the company’s history. Amazon had already cut 18,000 in the past few months. In the memo on Monday, Jassy said the second phase of the company’s annual planning process completed this month and led to the additional job cuts. This time around, the job cuts will hit profitable areas for the company including its cloud computing unit AWS and its burgeoning advertising business. Twitch, the gaming platform Amazon owns, will also see some layoffs.
March 21, 2023 4:13 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began a surprise visit to Ukraine early Tuesday, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in neighboring Russia for a three-day visit. The dueling summits come as the longtime rivals are on diplomatic offensives. Kishida will meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital. He will “show respect to the courage and patience of the Ukrainian people who are standing up to defend their homeland under President Zelenskyy’s leadership, and show solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine as head of Japan and chairman of G-7,” during his visit to Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in announcing his trip to Kyiv.
March 21, 2023 4:07 am
DUNBAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A woman was killed and a student and school van driver were flown to trauma centers after a three-vehicle crash in Fayette County on Monday afternoon. According to Fayette County 911, emergency crews were called to Furnace Hill Road in Dunbar Township at 3:33 p.m. State Police said a woman driving one of the vehicles involved was attempting to pass another vehicle in front of her in the westbound lane. While the woman was attempting to pass, a Connellsville Area School District van was traveling in the eastbound lane. The woman failed to get back into her correct lane of travel and struck the school van head on. The woman’s car was thrown back into the westbound lane on impact and was struck by a third car that was unable to stop. The woman, Brenda Dewitt, 56, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other students were hospitalized for minor injuries. All of the students involved were elementary age, according to the Connellsville superintendent. State Police said alcohol and speed are believed to be contributing factors in the crash.
March 21, 2023 2:47 am
Pennsylvania agencies will maintain a long term presence in Darlington Township, Beaver County as it relates to the nearby train derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in nearby East Palestine, Ohio. Governor Josh Shapiro’s office announced the plan on Monday. Beginning Thursday March 23 staff from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Health will be on site at the Darlington Township Building every Thursday from noon until 5:00 PM to meet with residents. Commonwealth agency staff and Beaver County staff will be on hand at open houses that will be held Thursday evenings from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM to offer one on one discussions and provide resources and information. Residents will continue to have access to expert staff and ask questions about their health and the health of pets, farm animals and inquire about air, soil and water testing. Resource materials will be available on days when agency officials are not on site.
March 21, 2023 2:28 am
The Chartiers Township Fire Department is announcing that they have been notified by MarkWest and Sunoco that they will be flaring at their plant on Western Avenue near Westland this week. The hope is that the flaring will be completed by this weekend but there are factors that could impact the completion date. Officials from the companies also state that residents should expect the normal sounds associated with flaring to be common during the week.
