August 16, 2024 12:55 pm
Widely scattered power outages within the city of Washington Friday morning have been confirmed, and a cause given. It was all thanks to a squirrel. West Penn officials say a squirrel managed to get past their animal guards that surround a sub-station in the city and came into contact with an energized piece of equipment – shutting down the electricity for about twenty-nine-hundred customers. Officials say the outage happened around eight-thirty and power was restored a short time later.
August 16, 2024 12:18 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Russell, the lead singer of the bluesy ’80s metal band Great White whose hits included “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me” and was fronting the band the night 100 people died in a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island, has died. He was 63. Russell was leading his band during a show at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island when the band’s pyrotechnics sparked a fast-moving blaze that caused a bottleneck as fans tried to flee. The fire killed 100 people, including the band’s guitarist and injured more than 200 others. A statement posted Thursday on his Instagram page said Russell’s “unshakable contribution to rock and roll where his legacy will forever thrive.” (Photo: AP)
August 16, 2024 7:22 am
Washington County Commissioners were once again confronted with their decision to disallow ballot curing in county elections. In their meeting on Thursday, several residents voiced their displeasure over the costs that the county is paying to defend a lawsuit filed to overturn that decision. City of Washington Mayor JoJo Burgess asked commissioners for a cost comparison between the lawsuit and the amount that would be spent to cure the 259 ballots in question. In a response to Burgess, Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman pointed out to Burgess his affiliation with the NAACP, who is a party to the lawsuit and Sherman’s concern in answering his question. The remark caused a brief outburst between the two over the reason Sherman needed to remark about the affiliation. The meeting was called back to order and ended quietly. A report says the county is paying $475 per hour fee to the special counsel hired to defend the county. Additional hourly fees of $350 for an associate attorney and $150 for paralegal work were also disclosed. Residents stepped up and complained that the money is being wasted and that ballot curing that had been done in past years would be much cheaper than a lawsuit. Sherman called the lawsuit frivolous and stood behind the decision saying that the county is following state law.
August 16, 2024 5:05 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Ernesto has strengthened into a Category 2 storm as it barrels toward Bermuda after leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico without power or water. Sweltering heat enveloped the U.S. territory, raising concerns about people’s health. A hurricane warning is in effect for Bermuda, with Ernesto expected to pass near or over the island Saturday. Ernesto is forecast to possibly reach Category 3 strength Friday and drop between four to eight inches of rain in Bermuda, with up to 12 inches in isolated areas. Ernesto is then expected to pass near or east of Atlantic Canada on Monday.
August 16, 2024 5:03 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — International diplomacy to prevent the war in Gaza from spreading into a wider regional conflict is intensifying. The British and French foreign ministers are making a joint trip to Israel on Friday to push for peace. Meanwhile, internationally mediated cease-fire talks in Qatar were expected to enter their second day. The new push for an end to the Israel-Hamas war came as Gaza health authorities say the Palestinian death toll in Gaza climbed past 40,000. And fears are still high that Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon would attack Israel in retaliation for the killings of top militant leaders. United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy said before his visit that the conflict risked erupting across the region.
August 16, 2024 4:54 am
WASHINGTON — (WPXI) – The Secret Service will use bulletproof glass to protect former President Donald Trump during outdoor campaign events, NBC News reports. According to the report, that ballistic glass is already available to sitting presidents and vice presidents. The glass is transported using military aircraft when the president travels. Not every event will require ballistic glass, but NBC News reports it is likely to be used whenever there are issues at specific sites or there are needs for added security. The addition of ballistic glass is one of several security measures being used to protect Trump after the assassination attempt on him in Butler on July 13. Trump has not held an outdoor campaign event since the attempted assassination.
August 16, 2024 4:34 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates say a verbal agreement has been reached to settle a lawsuit by Major League Baseball Players Association against the team’s parent company and the convenience store chain Sheetz Inc. alleging unlicensed use of players’ names and images on social media. MLB Players Inc., a union business subsidiary, claimed violation of Pennsylvania law regarding the unauthorized use of name and likenesses, common law misappropriation of identity and unjust enrichment. The Pirates announced a jersey patch sponsorship deal with Sheetz on June 21 and the union alleged improper use of images on social media.
August 16, 2024 2:53 am
Washington County Commissioners approved a measure to award Motorola the contract to rebuild the emergency radio system. The vote to approve was 2-1 with Commissioner Larry Maggi dissenting. The agenda item that was approved had no cost numbers associated with it. It did state that the contract was contingent on contract approval. Before the vote was taken Maggi asked for clarification on numbers so tax payers would know what was being spent. He also asked if the solicitor has read the contract prior to its approval. The solicitor said he did not read the contract yet. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman spoke generally around the issue of cost and equipment saying that all of those items were covered in a meeting with Motorola yesterday. The cost would be somewhere in the range of $24 million. Sherman did say that the build out would be paid for by American Rescue Plan Act funds. He also stated that maintenance and upgrades that could cost $1.5 million annually would be budgeted for every year. When asked in public comment about the cost associated for local organizations for the purchase of equipment, Sherman said that the contract is all inclusive and that local organizations will have their radios, base stations, and repeaters supplied at no cost. Sherman said that final numbers for the contract will be available in the next month or two and those figures will be made public. Commissioners then went on to cancel a maintenance agreement with MRA, Inc. MRA is the current supplier of radio communications for the county.
August 15, 2024 3:56 pm
(WPXI) – The Pittsburgh region was back in the political spotlight Wednesday as JD Vance made a campaign stop in Lower Burrell Wednesday morning. The invite-only event at VFW Post 92 was for local veterans and was not open to the public. Secret Service was on site since our crews arrived around 4 a.m. and canvassed the entire building before anyone was allowed inside. Vance spoke about the honor and sacrifice of military members and how we, as a country, need to prioritize the 300,000 homeless veterans nationwide. He said that includes getting veterans the healthcare choices they need. He also talked about policy and how he believes a Trump-Vance administration could help the economy rebound. “We’ve got 300,000 veterans who are homeless in this country right now. Let’s take care of them first,” Vance said. “I think we ought to be giving veterans more choice in their healthcare, and if we do, that’s how we stay faithful in the promises he made to them.” Much of what he said resonated with local veterans, including the commander of VFW Post 92, Lee Johnson. “The benefit part is the biggest thing we need to get straightened out, and he’s gonna touch on that, and I think the benefits and the better care,” Johnson said. This weekend, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, will kick off their bus tour in Pittsburgh on Sunday, ahead of the Democratic National Convention
August 15, 2024 11:44 am
(AP) – The creator of the Famous Amos cookie empire has died. Wally Amos’ children say he died Tuesday at his home in Honolulu from complications with dementia. He was 88. Amos eventually lost ownership of the company and rights to use the catchy Amos name. He later became a children’s literacy advocate and proprietor of a cookie shop called Chip & Cookie in Hawaii. He was also co-founder of Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co. His shop had a reading room with dozens of donated books, where he usually spent Saturdays reading to children. (Photo: AP)
