March 7, 2023 4:09 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro delivered his first budget proposal on Tuesday, and emphasized school funding and making Pennsylvania more competitive for cutting-edge tech firms. He delivered his plan as the state keeps rolling up robust tax collections. Shapiro addressed a joint session of the House and Senate, focusing on what he called a “down payment” on the billions of dollars that public school allies say are necessary to help the poorest districts. Shapiro also said he wants to slash the state’s corporate tax rate, a move that would save businesses billions of dollars.
March 7, 2023 4:07 am
FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man is facing attempted homicide charges after an incident in Fayette County in January. According to Pennsylvania State Police, troopers were called to the 500 block of Braddock Road in Henry Clay Township on Jan. 29 at 12:54 a.m. for reports of a domestic disturbance. Troopers interviewed the victims and learned that John Prinkey, 43, engaged in a physical altercation with a family member. Following the altercation, police said Prinkey indicated he was going to recover a gun and kill everyone in the home. Police said two of the victims attempted to flee the residence when Prinkey grabbed a shotgun and fired multiple rounds towards them. Troopers were able to take Prinkey into custody without issue. He is facing multiple charges including attempted homicide, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault. Prinkey is being held in Fayette County prison and was denied bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 20.
March 7, 2023 4:02 am
Cecil Township Supervisors met Monday evening and worked through a brief agenda that included several items of importance. Supervisors approved an ordinance that has the township act as a guarantor for a loan that will be taken out by the Cecil Township Municipal Authority. The loan with PENNVEST is for the new wastewater treatment facility that is being built in the village of Lawrence. Supervisors also awarded the 2023 road resurfacing contract to Youngblood Paving, Inc. for $821,325. Several meetings were also scheduled. A conditional use public hearing will be held on April 3 at 6:00 PM regarding the installation of a cell tower by Crown Castle, Inc. on Lewicki Rd. Additionally a workshop is scheduled on March 20 for supervisors to consider zoning districts on the township map as provided by the recently approved comprehensive plan.
March 7, 2023 4:01 am
A Washington County man learned his sentence after being convicted of drug delivery resulting in death on Monday. Sherman Springer, 50 whose last known address was in Washington was sentenced to 9-18 years in state prison. Springer, known as “Detroit Shawn”, was convicted in a jury trial on December 8 for supplying the fatal dose of cocaine laced with fentanyl to Lonnie Barnes of Washington in April of 2020. During his allocution statement Springer offered his condolences to the Barnes family and denied being the one to cause Barnes’ death stating that he “was not the author of Mr. Barnes’ death.” He continued to deny responsibility for the death quoting scripture. Springer questioned the fairness of the trial stating that his jury was all white and he is black. In addition to his prison sentence, Springer will need to make restitution of nearly $2300 to cover the funeral expenses of Lonnie Barnes.
March 6, 2023 5:25 pm
(WPXI) – Authorities are investigating an overnight fire in North Fayette that left a man and his two dogs dead. They say the fire broke out in a mobile home, which was left badly damaged and charred. According to the assistant fire chief, the man was home alone with his two dogs when the fire broke out around around 2:30 along Valleyview Drive in Allegheny County. Firefighters quickly went inside the home to try to rescue the man, but they were unsuccessful. Firefighters say flames were shooting out the back door when they arrived and the smoke was intense. They say fires like this are especially challenging because mobile home fires spread quickly. Homes on either side of where the fire started sustained minor damage.
March 6, 2023 5:21 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has decided to set aside the usual big White House budget unveiling to showcase his new fiscal year plans this week in Pennsylvania. Not coincidentally, that’s a must-win state in the 2024 election. His trip to Philadelphia on Thursday is a sign that the president’s budget proposal will be a form of political messaging, not just an outline of the government’s finances. Biden hinted in a Monday speech that tax increases on the wealthy will be at the core of his budget plan, saying he will be proposing a tax that targets billionaires.
March 6, 2023 5:19 pm
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) — The FBI and Mexican officials say four U.S. citizens were kidnapped by gunmen after crossing into Mexico. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday the four were going to buy medicine and were caught in the crossfire between two armed groups. They had entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday. They were travelling in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates. The FBI says the vehicle came under fire shortly after it entered Mexico. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said they were kidnapped at gunpoint and an “innocent” Mexican citizen was killed. Matamoros is home to warring factions of the Gulf drug cartel.
March 6, 2023 9:18 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Josh Shapiro says Norfolk Southern has pledged several million dollars to cover the cost of the response and recovery in Pennsylvania after last month’s derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals just across the border in Ohio. Shapiro’s office said Monday that Norfolk Southern will pay $5 million to reimburse fire departments for equipment that was contaminated or damaged in the response and $1 million to Beaver and Lawrence counties to help business owners and residents whose livelihoods were damaged. The cleanup from the Feb. 3 derailment continues in East Paletine, Ohio, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Norfolk Southern to cover the costs of cleaning up.
March 6, 2023 4:37 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News for its coverage of false claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election isn’t the only thing putting pressure on the standard for U.S. libel law. Two politicians popular with Fox’s audience, former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have advocated for the Supreme Court to revisit the libel standard that has protected media organizations for more than half a century. Current libel law requires plaintiffs to prove that a news organization acted with reckless disregard for the truth. Fox is using that standard to defend its actions that promoted false claims of voter fraud.
March 6, 2023 4:36 am
LACONIA, N.H. (AP) — Democrats across New Hampshire are upset with President Joe Biden for undermining their state’s status as home to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. But their concerns about Biden run much deeper, in line with a majority of Democratic voters nationwide, who oppose the 80-year-old president’s plans to launch his reelection campaign. Many worry about his age. Others are upset about the messy withdrawal from Afghanistan. And the party’s more progressive wing has never been enthusiastic about Biden. The resistance from the Democratic Party’s rank and file stands in sharp contrast with the party establishment of governors, senators and congressional representatives who are virtually unanimous in supporting Biden’s reelection.
