January 9, 2023 4:20 am
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Brazilian authorities were picking up pieces and investigating after thousands of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace then trashed the nation’s highest seats of power. They were seeking military intervention to either restore the far-right Bolsonaro or oust newly inaugurated Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in scenes that evoked the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. The government described the protesters actions Sunday as terrorism and coup-mongering and tallied 300 arrests. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the so-called “fascist fanatics” and their financiers must be punished and accused the former president of encouraging their uprising. Bolsonaro repudiated that.
January 9, 2023 4:16 am
UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. — PennDOT is displaying plans to replace a bridge along Mingo Church Road in Washington County. Officials say the existing structure carrying State Route 1061 over Froman Run in Union Township was built in 1934 and is currently in an advanced state of deterioration while not giving enough clearance for large vehicles at the T-Intersection with State Route 88 (Union Street.) The proposed replacement structure will include installing a new Precast Reinforced Box Culvert with a clear span of 10 feet, a vertical clearance of 3 feet, and a curb-to-curb width of a minimum of 28 feet 6 inches. Traffic will be maintained with a Detour during Construction. Construction is anticipated for the summer of 2024 and will cost between $175,000 and $250,000. More information can be found on the PennDOT District 12 website.
January 9, 2023 4:08 am
Turnpike toll increases have become a fact of life statewide. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission announced the increase in rates in August. They went into effect on Sunday. The tolls went up by 5% for all E-Z pass and toll-by-plate customers. Turnpike officials say the most common toll for E-Z pass customers is going to go up 10 cents to $1.80 The most common toll for “toll-by-plate” customers is up 30 cents to $4.40 cents. The PTC says that based on current traffic and revenue projections, there are going to continue to be toll increases. The next hike could be by 5% through 2025. The rate increase is nothing new. The Turnpike Commission has been raising what people pay since 2007. That year, the state passed a law requiring the PTC to help pay for state transportation costs. The Turnpike Commission plans to raise rates by at least 3% until the year 2050.
January 9, 2023 2:23 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Another Mega Millions drawing, another night without a big winner. No one hit all six numbers and won the estimated $940 million jackpot, pushing the lottery prize to an estimated $1.1 billion ahead of the next drawing Tuesday night. The numbers drawn late Friday were: 3, 20, 46, 59, 63 and gold Mega Ball 13. The prize is now the third-largest in U.S. history. There have been 24 drawings without a jackpot winner. The winless streak is largely due to the game’s long odds of 1 in 302.6 million. The new estimated prize is for a winner who chooses an annuity paid annually over 29 years. Grand prize winners usually take the cash option, which for Tuesday night’s drawing will be an estimated $568.7 million.
January 8, 2023 8:09 am
BERLIN (AP) — German officials said Sunday that a 32-year-old Iranian man has been arrested in Germany on suspicion of planning an attack with deadly chemicals. Police and prosecutors said the man and another person were detained overnight in the town of Castrop-Rauxel. Authorities said the man is suspected to have planned a serious attack motivated by Islamic extremism, for which he had allegedly obtained the potent toxins cyanide and ricin. German news agency dpa quoted a spokesman for Duesseldorf prosecutors saying that an initial search of the premises turned up no toxic substances. It wasn’t immediately clear how far advanced the plans for an attack were and whether the suspect had picked a specific target.
January 8, 2023 8:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is heading to the U.S.-Mexico border later Sunday for a firsthand look at border security. The stop in El Paso, Texas, will be his first visit to the border as president. Republicans have hammered him as soft on security while the number of migrants crossing spirals. El Paso is currently the biggest corridor for illegal crossings, in large part because of Nicaraguans fleeing their country. They’re among migrants from four countries who are now subject to quick expulsion from the border under new U.S. rules. Biden is expected to meet with border officials to discuss migration as well as the increased trafficking of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.
January 8, 2023 8:06 am
PENN HILLS, Pa. (WPXI) — Penn Hills police are looking for a missing woman they consider to be endangered. Authorities say Nia Rash was last seen on Dec. 28. She was seen at a bus stop on Frankstown Road and Duff Road in Penn Hills at around 4:15 p.m. and later seen getting off of a bus at Penn Avenue and South Graham Street in Pittsburgh. Rash was wearing a black coat with a hood with fur, gray sweatpants and light brown Ugg boots when she went missing. Family members say Rash requires medication but it was left at her house when she left. Anyone with information on Rash’s location is asked to call 911 or to contact Penn Hills Police at 412-342-1167.
January 8, 2023 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican Kevin McCarthy has been elected House speaker on a historic post-midnight 15th ballot, overcoming holdouts from his own ranks. Floor tensions boiled over into shouting after a chaotic week that tested the new GOP majority’s ability to govern. But McCarthy prevailed in the end as he had said he would. “Now the hard work begins,” he declared as supporters cheered. During four days of grueling ballots, McCarthy flipped more than a dozen conservative holdouts to supporters. Then a few of the remaining holdouts switched to merely vote “present,” dropping the tally McCarthy needed to win. Members were finally sworn into office.
January 8, 2023 4:17 am
State Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-46) announced that she has been assigned to serve on five standing Senate committees during the 2023-2024 legislative session. Bartolotta will serve as vice chairperson on the Labor and Industry committee and will also serve on the Judiciary, Rules and Executive Nominations, Transportation and Veterans Affairs and Emergency Services. The purpose of each of the committees is to provide legislative oversight and help shape the language of bills that fall under their areas of responsibility.
January 8, 2023 2:14 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh announced Thursday that he intends to seek the Republican nomination for District Attorney in the upcoming May Primary. Walsh assumed the role of district attorney in August of 2021 after the untimely death of Gene Vittone, following his battle with lung cancer. Walsh has been with the office since 2016 as a Deputy District Attorney, where he was responsible for prosecuting homicides and other violent crimes. He was then promoted to First Assistant District Attorney where he assumed managerial duties but also continued to prosecute homicides. Walsh is a lifelong Washington County resident and Donora native. He is a graduate of St. Francis University and the Ohio Northern University School of Law. Prior to joining the district attorney’s office, Walsh had a private law practice. In 2022, Walsh received the Robert Faulkner Memorial Award for Outstanding Prosecution for his role in the prosecution of the Pagan Motorcycle Gang. Walsh lives in Carroll Township with his wife Rebecca and their four children.
