April 18, 2024 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has dismissed all impeachment charges against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, ending the House Republican push to remove the Cabinet secretary from office over his handling of the U.S.-Mexico border and ending his trial before arguments even began. Senate Democrats argued that the articles were unconstitutional. The first article charged Mayorkas with “willful and systemic refusal to comply” with immigration law. The second article charged Mayorkas with a “breach of trust” for saying the border was secure. The votes were 51-48 and 51-49, both along party lines. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the House Republicans’ case failed to meet “the high standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.”
April 18, 2024 5:02 am
An Avella man was killed in a one-vehicle crash Wednesday evening in Independence Township. The Washington County Coroner’s office say 29 year old Cody Hukill was pronounced dead at the scene in the 2-thousand block of Avella Road (Route 50). The crash occurred just after 7 p.m. Investigators say he lost control while traveling east and struck a tree. He was not wearing a seatbelt. A cause and manner of death are pending. State Police are investigating.
April 18, 2024 2:37 am
A Burgettstown man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers with a weapon during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Thirty-one-year-old Joshua Lee Atwood is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon; entering, remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and an act of physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon. Authorities say a man, later identified as Atwood, was seen in police body-worn camera and open-source video footage attacking law enforcement officers defending the Lower West Terrace Tunnel between approximately 4:51 p.m. and 5:03 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021. The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day. The FBI arrested Atwood Wednesday in Burgettstown and he made his initial court appearance in the Western District of Pennsylvania.
April 18, 2024 2:29 am
An inmate at SCI Fayette has died. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections said Aurelio Rivera-Lopez, 50, was found unresponsive in his cell during regular rounds. Life-saving measures were started by security staff until medical staff arrived. Rivera-Lopez had been at SCI Fayette since October 2023. He was convicted of robbery in Lancaster County and sentenced to seven to 14 years in prison. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating, per state policy. The official cause of death will be determined by the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.
April 17, 2024 2:56 pm
(AP) – Boeing is in the spotlight as members of Congress examine allegations of major safety failures at the embattled aircraft manufacturer. The Senate held back-to-back hearings on Wednesday to hear from aviation experts and people who have worked at Boeing. The witnesses included two whistleblowers, a former Boeing manager and a current engineer at the company who has made serious safety allegations about two of Boeing’s biggest planes, the 787 Dreamliner and the 777. No Boeing representatives attended either hearing but the company has disputed the engineer’s claims. Boeing has been in crisis mode since a door-plug panel blew off a 737 Max jetliner during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.
April 17, 2024 2:55 pm
DETROIT (AP) — Tesla will ask shareholders to reinstate the compensation package for CEO Elon Musk that was rejected by a judge in Delaware this year and to move the electric carmaker’s corporate home from Delaware to Texas. In January, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick ruled that Musk is not entitled to a landmark compensation package awarded by Tesla’s board of directors that is potentially worth more than $56 billion. Musk said a month later that he would try to move Tesla’s corporate listing to Texas, where he has already moved company headquarters. In a document filed with federal regulators Wednesday, the company said it was putting that move up to a vote.
April 17, 2024 1:44 pm
(WPXI) – An iconic coaster at Kennywood will not open this season. Park officials say the Steel Curtain is undergoing an extensive modification project “to increase ride reliability and longevity.” Kennywood worked with third-party engineers and the ride’s manufacturer for several months to find a long-term solution for the coaster so it can run without interruption. “Our ultimate goal is to obviously ensure that the Steel Curtain is part of everyone’s Kennywood experience once the rides reopens,” said Rick Spicuzza, assistant general manager at Kennywood. The Steel Curtain was introduced to Kennywood in 2019 and quickly became a flagship attraction.
April 17, 2024 7:52 am
An arrest has been made in the shooting death of an 83-year-old man in Fayette County. Norman Pennington, 65, was taken into custody. That’s according to reports from our news partners at Channel 11. The arrest comes after Anthony Dicenzo Sr., 83, (pictured) was found shot to death inside his car several hours after he was reported missing. The car was found at a pull-off spot along Riffle Hollow Road in German Township on Saturday. Officials said they will release more information Wednesday afternoon.
April 17, 2024 5:11 am
A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that 45% of U.S. adults say they have become more concerned about climate change over the past year. That includes roughly 6 in 10 Democrats and one-quarter of Republicans. President Joe Biden’s signature climate change policy, the Inflation Reduction Act, was intended to address some of those fears, investing billions in incentives for consumers and businesses to move toward clean energy sources. Biden points to this climate agenda as a success during his run for reelection. But the poll suggests that although the law has already affected some Americans, it’s not widely known — and may not be the electoral boost Biden is looking for.
April 17, 2024 5:10 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The first seven jurors for Donald Trump’s hush money trial have been chosen after lawyers grilled members of the jury pool about their social media posts, political views and personal lives. The questioning was designed to help decide whether they can sit in fair judgment of the former president. The panelists who were selected are an information technology worker, an English teacher, an oncology nurse, a sales professional, a software engineer and two lawyers. Eleven more people still need to be picked before opening statements begin as early as next week. The Manhattan case accuses the Republican of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal during his 2016 campaign. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
