March 19, 2024 4:48 am
Peters Township School Board Directors discussed several measures at length at their meeting Monday night. The item that brought deep discussion was a draft version of the school calendar for two years from today. Two versions of 2025-2026 calendar were presented with the only difference between them was the length of Spring Break around the Easter holiday. One version had a ten day break for students, the second only five days. Approved by a 6-3 vote was the calendar with the longer break. That calendar will be presented to the public for their comment in the near future. As far as the calendar for the 2024-2025 school year, that was approved in January. The first day of school will be August 21, 2024. Christmas break will begin December 21 and students will return on January 2, 2025. The last day of school will be June 5, 2025. A second topic that drew discussion was the planned upgrades to computer devices that are issued to students for their classroom use. A $182,000 annual lease for a combined 1048 laptops and chromebooks was approved unanimously after detailed discussion was held regarding whether computers should be district owned or privately owned. The item is part of a three year upgrade program to replace computers that have been worn out through student use.
March 19, 2024 2:37 am
Pennsylvania Lottery officials say they will be upgrading their computer system this week, and as a result, your ability to buy certain tickets and cash some winning tickets, will be impacted. They say the upgrade will start after midnight and will continue through late day Tuesday. During that time, officials say drawings will still occur, but you won’t be able to buy any Fast Play tickets or Draw Game tickets at lottery retail locations or online. Draw Games include Powerball, Mega Millions, Treasure Hunt, Cash 5 with Quick Cash, Match 6 Lotto, Cash4Life and the PICK family of games. (Photo: AP)
March 19, 2024 2:22 am
(WPXI) – A Bethel Park man was caught – for a second time – trying to take a loaded gun onto a flight at Pittsburgh International Airport Friday. The man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers with a .380 caliber handgun loaded with six bullets among his carry-on items. He did not have a valid permit to carry a firearm. The man was also caught with a gun in 2014. The catch brings the total number of guns caught at the airport’s checkpoints to seven so far in the first eight weeks of the new year.
March 18, 2024 4:26 pm
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A badly decomposed body of a child has been found inside a duffel bag by crews who were cleaning a site in west Philadelphia. The body was found Monday morning in the city’s Mantua neighborhood by workers with the Community Life Improvement Program. Police say it wasn’t immediately clear how the child died, how long the body had been at the site or how it ended up there. Officials also did not describe where the discovery was made. The child apparently was between 2 to 4 years old, but its gender has not yet been determined. An investigation is ongoing.
March 18, 2024 4:23 pm
(AP) – The CEO of United Airlines is trying to reassure travelers that the airline is safe despite a series of recent incidents ranging from a panel falling off a plane to an engine fire. CEO Scott Kirby said Monday that United will review safety training for all employees. Kirby says the airline was already planning an extra day of training for pilots starting in May and changes in training curriculum for new mechanics. In a message to customers, Kirby says the recent incidents are reminders of the importance of safety. He says the flight issues are all unrelated, but they have grabbed United’s attention. (Photo: AP)
March 18, 2024 4:17 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Fabric and crafts retailer Joann has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as consumers continue to cut back on discretionary spending and pandemic-era hobbies. The Hudson, Ohio-based company said that it expected to emerge from bankruptcy as early as the end of next month. Following this process, Joann will likley become privately-owned by certain lenders and industry parties, the company added — meaning its shares would no longer be listed on stock exchanges. Joann’s more than 800 stores and its website will continue to operate normally during the bankruptcy process, the company said, pointing to a deal it had struck with most of its shareholders for financial support.
March 18, 2024 3:45 pm
(WPXI) – A player is facing charges alongside two Rivers Casino employees after what investigators are calling a “complex cheating conspiracy” that took place at a Roulette table. Robin Schnepp, a table games dealer, and supervisor Anthony Laush helped at least two players cheat on several occasions and win thousands of dollars. State police said the casino lost more than $10,000 because of the cheating. Investigators were tipped off by an anonymous letter sent to Rivers Casino earlier this year about Interblock Roulette, which requires the dealer to manually spin the ball in the opposite direction of the wheel. When that does not happen, sensors do not identify that the wheel has been spun, allowing players to continue to place bets, even after the ball lands on a number and the outcome has been determined. State police said on more than one occasion, surveillance video shows Schnepp spinning the roulette ball incorrectly, and a man and a woman increasing their bets after the ball landed. Laush then comes over and validates the spin, with both players each walking away with more than $2,000 in fraudulent winnings. Laush is also accused of loading fraudulent comps onto that same man’s account. One of the players, Jack Daniel Mars III, is also facing charges in the incident. State police are trying to identify one other person in the theft by deception. Anyone with information is asked to call 412-770-9107.
March 18, 2024 5:17 am
President Vladimir Putin is basking in a victory early that was never in doubt, as officials said he won reelection with an overwhelming number of votes. After facing only token challengers and harshly suppressing opposition voices, Putin was set to extend his nearly quarter-century rule for six more years. Even with little margin for protest, Russians crowded outside polling stations at noon on Sunday, apparently heeding an opposition call to express their displeasure with the president. Putin hailed the overwhelming early results early Monday as an indication of “trust” and “hope” in him. Critics saw them as another reflection of the preordained nature of the election.
March 18, 2024 5:15 am
Israeli forces have launched another raid on the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, accusing Hamas militants of using it as a base. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesman, said the army had launched a “high-precision operation” in parts of the medical complex. He said senior Hamas militants had regrouped there and were directing attacks from the compound, without providing evidence. The military said militants had opened fire from within the hospital. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the army attacked the hospital early Monday, directing gun and missile fire at a building used for specialized surgeries. It says a fire broke out at the hospital’s gate.
March 18, 2024 5:13 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, days after the end of the South Korean-U.S. military drills that the North views as an invasion rehearsal. The launches were North Korea’s first known missile testing activities in about a month. Japan, South Korea and the U.S. condemned the launches as threats to regional peace. Observers say the missiles’ fight distances indicate they are weapons targeting major facilities in South Korea, such as its military headquarters in the central region. The U.S. and South Korea recently concluded 11 days of joint drills that involved computer simulations and a variety of field exercises.
