October 26, 2023 12:34 pm
A hearing to request preliminary injunction relief was held Thursday in Washington County Court by representatives from Peters Township and North Strabane Township. At issue is the county 9-1-1 radio system that according to Peters Township Solicitor John Smith, was not properly awarded. Smith pointed to irregularities with the award process when compared to county code. Also at issue is the reliability of the system, where he brought up evidence that seems to indicate that the proposed system contracted to MRA/TAIT is sub standard compared to one proposed by Motorola. Washington County Solicitor Jana Grimm stated that all bid procedures were accurately followed and called the action a political move. The plaintiffs wish to stop a $2 million payment to be sent out Friday that may not be able to be refunded if the contract is ultimately halted. A decision on the preliminary injunctive relief is to be released on Thursday, a hearing on a permanent injunction is tentatively scheduled for Friday.
October 26, 2023 8:40 am
A change in solicitor in Charleroi Borough. In a surprise move, council on Wednesday voted to remove Sean Logue and replace him with Dennis Paluso as interim solicitor until the end of the year. According to the Mon Valley Independent, Council member Randy DiPiazza made both motions. He did so claiming that he wasn’t happy with Logue’s communications with council members. Council member Jerry Jerricho echoed that by saying he had “lost faith” in Logue. Councilmen Larry Celaschi and Joe Smith voiced their opposition to the move and voted against Logue’s ouster. DiPiazza then motioned to name former borough solicitor Dennis Paluso as interim solicitor. Celaschi, Smith and councilman Paul Pivovarnik voted against that move. Logue tells WJPA News that he is proud of the work that was done while he was there including the sale of the borough’s sewage lines that have made the borough financially solvent.
October 26, 2023 5:07 am
DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union says it has reached a tentative contract agreement with Ford that could be a breakthrough to end the nearly 6-week-old strikes against Detroit automakers. The four-year deal still has to be approved by 57,000 union members at the company. It could bring a close to the union’s series of strikes at targeted factories run by Ford, General Motors and Jeep maker Stellantis. The Ford deal could set the pattern for agreements with the other two automakers, although no other agreements were announced Wednesday.
October 26, 2023 5:06 am
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — A day after Hurricane Otis roared ashore in Acapulco, unleashing massive floods and setting off looting, the resort city of nearly 1 million descended into chaos, leaving residents without electricity or internet service as the toll remained uncertain. The early images and witness accounts were of extensive devastation, toppled trees and power lines lying in brown floodwaters that in some areas extended for miles. The resulting destruction delayed a comprehensive response by the government, which was still assessing the damage along Mexico’s Pacific coast, and made residents desperate. Many of the once sleek beachfront hotels in Acapulco looked like toothless, shattered hulks after the storm blew out hundreds — possibly thousands — of windows.
October 26, 2023 5:05 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was slapped with a $10,000 fine for violating a gag order after he was unexpectedly called to the witness stand in his New York fraud trial. Wednesday’s courtroom drama previews the tensions mounting between Trump’s competing legal and political interests as he vies for the Republican presidential nomination while facing a litany of criminal and civil cases. It also underscores how efforts to hold Trump accountable are testing the legal system in unprecedented ways as judges struggle with how to rein in the former president’s inflammatory rhetoric while balancing the free speech rights of a political candidate.
October 26, 2023 5:04 am
The new speaker of the U.S. House had a key role in trying to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. Republican Rep. Mike Johnson spearheaded a legal brief in support of an unsuccessful lawsuit trying to overturn the results. He repeated baseless conspiracy theories about the election and voted against certifying its outcome after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. His role is significant because he is now second in the line of presidential succession and because the House in January 2025 will have a key role in certifying the winner of next year’s presidential election.
October 26, 2023 5:03 am
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops and tanks launched an hourslong ground raid into northern Gaza overnight. The military said troops struck several militant targets in Thursday’s raid in order to “prepare the battlefield” ahead of a widely expected ground invasion. The raid came after the U.N. warned it is on the verge of running out of fuel in the Gaza Strip, forcing it to sharply curtail relief efforts in the besieged territory. Hospitals in Gaza are struggling to treat masses of wounded with dwindling resources. The war, sparked by Hamas’ bloody incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7, is already the deadliest of five fought between Israel and Hamas in the last 15 years.
October 26, 2023 5:02 am
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Authorities have launched a multistate search on land and water for a U.S. Army reservist who they say fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Maine. The shootings in the city of Lewiston on Wednesday night sent panicked patrons scrambling under tables and behind bowling pins. Police identified the suspect as 40-year-old Robert Card. He was still at large Thursday afternoon, sparking a massive search and prompting schools and businesses to shut down and residents to shelter in place. A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Card was taken by police for a mental evaluation in July after he was acting erratically during training. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the information and spoke on condition of anonymity.
October 26, 2023 4:58 am
MCDONALD, Pa. — (WPXI) – A bullet was found at Cecil Intermediate School in McDonald on Tuesday. According to a letter sent to parents, multiple students reported that a bullet was brought to school by another student. When leaders investigated, they found the student had a bullet in their possession. “I would like to give credit, and my thanks, to the students who reported this to staff members at Cecil Intermediate. As always, we encourage our students that when they see or hear something, they should say something. That’s just what these students did in this situation,” Principal Robert Kleinhans said in a letter to parents.
October 26, 2023 2:52 am
A candidate for borough council in East Washington will face trial on juvenile sexual assault charges. Anthony Dinch, 28 of East Washington faced his preliminary hearing on Wednesday and waived involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a minor, endangering the welfare of children and corruption of minors felony charges along with several others to court. According to police, In July, Dinch was accused by a 15 year old of at least 25 sexual assaults over several years in Dinch’s apartment. He is also accused of furnishing alcohol to the minor. Dinch is a candidate for borough council in East Washington for a four year term and a two year term. He won those primary races to appear as a Republican candidate via write in campaigns. Dinch is unopposed in the two year term race. Dinch is currently free on a $250,000 unsecured bond. He will be arraigned on November 30.
