March 21, 2024 12:51 pm
(WPXI) – Allegheny County police have charged an Etna woman in the drowning death of her one-year-old son. On the afternoon of July 13, County 911 was notified of an unresponsive one-year-old child in the 30 block of Sycamore Street in Etna. First responders performed life-saving measures and transported the child to an area hospital in critical condition. On July 27, the child was pronounced dead at the hospital. Detectives interviewed the child’s mother, Brittany Garrison, 28, and learned Garrison had taken the child and a sibling outside to swim in an above-ground pool. Garrison left the child alone in a flotation device inside the pool and went inside the residence with the sibling, according to a police report. A short time later, the child was found unresponsive outside of the flotation device in the pool. Police determined the child was not wearing any additional flotation device or life jacket. Police have filed charges against Garrison including involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children and recklessly endangering another person. She was taken into custody Thursday morning and released on non-monetary bond.
March 21, 2024 5:03 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired 31 ballistic and cruise missiles at Kyiv before dawn in the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in 44 days. Officials say air defenses shot down all the incoming missiles, though 13 people including a child were injured by falling wreckage. Residents of Kyiv were woken up by loud explosions around 5 a.m. Thursday as the missiles arrived at roughly the same time from different directions. Ukraine’s air force says Russia launched two ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles against the capital. An 11-year-old girl and a 38-year-old man were reported to be hospitalized and eight other people sustained light injuries.
March 21, 2024 5:02 am
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the “gaps are narrowing” in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas over another cease-fire and hostage release that the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have spent several weeks trying to broker. Blinken’s sixth visit to the region since the start of the Israel-Hamas war began in Saudi Arabia and will take him to Egypt on Thursday and Israel on Friday. In an interview Wednesday with the Al-Hadath network in Saudi Arabia, Blinken said he thinks an agreement is very much possible. Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 31,800 Palestinians have been killed since the war began. Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people in the surprise Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza that triggered the war, and abducted another 250 people.
March 21, 2024 4:54 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Employers in Pennsylvania could get a tax credit if they make contributions to their employees’ tuition savings account, under a Pennsylvania House of Representatives bill. The legislation passed out of the chamber unanimously on Wednesday. It now goes to the state Senate. The bill would allow employers to contribute up to $500 to an employee’s tuition savings account for a tax credit equal to 25% of the employer’s total contributions. Sponsors for the bill say that with student debt totaling $1.77 trillion nationally, the legislation would help reduce the financial burden on students.
March 21, 2024 4:53 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — For Democrats trying to defend the White House and Senate majority, Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania is emerging as the tip of the spear in trying to reframe the election-year narrative around inflation. It’s a key soft spot in 2024 for Democrats and President Joe Biden. Casey argues that consumer prices are high primarily because of “greedflation,” a term that describes profiteering corporations jacking up prices. Casey’s opponent, Republican David McCormick, calls Casey’s contentions “nonsense” and blamed federal spending under Biden and rising energy prices. Economists tend to list many forces behind global inflation, including pandemic-fueled supply-chain shortages, a strong labor market and Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
March 21, 2024 4:51 am
JEANNETTE, Pa. — (WPXI) – The community of Jeannette is grief-stricken after a fire killed a young father and four of his six children Wednesday. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said Tyler King, 27, Kyson John, 7, Kinzleigh John, 6, Keagan John, 3, and Korbyn John, 1-month, were all killed. The mother and two other children were taken to the hospital but survived. Firefighters say they ran into issues with water from a hydrant. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County tells our news partners at Channel 11 they are in charge of the water for the hydrants in Jeannette. They said to their knowledge they work properly and are regularly maintained. These hydrants, according to MAWC, were last checked six to eight months ago. They said there could be a lot of circumstances that led to a water problem. The ATF’s fire investigators are assisting state police and Jeannette Police in this investigation.
March 21, 2024 4:51 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A fifth suspect has been charged in a shooting that wounded eight Philadelphia high school students at a bus stop earlier this month. City police announced Thursday that 15-year-old Jeremiah Jefferson, of Philadelphia, faces counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy, reckless endangerment and weapons charges. They say the teen was in communication with the shooters before the gunfire erupted and also identified and provided information about some potential targets, as well as noting what he was wearing so he himself did not become a victim. The March 6 shooting occurred as students at Northeast High School, the city’s largest public high school, were waiting to board the bus.
March 21, 2024 2:52 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The United Steelworkers Union has endorsed President Joe Biden, giving him support from another large labor union. The announcement Wednesday by the Pittsburgh-based union came less than a week after Biden voiced opposition to the planned sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan. The USW represents 850,000 workers in metals, mining, rubber and other industries. It said that Biden has a track record of supporting retirement security, affordable health care and laws that support workers. The union said those issues are important to its members. The AFL-CIO, United Auto Workers, and several other unions previously endorsed Democrat Biden in his race against Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. The Teamsters union has yet to announce its pick. (Photo: AP)
March 21, 2024 1:50 am
A Monongahela man was charged with five felony counts of dissemination of photos or films of child sex acts and one felony count of criminal use of a communications device. Caleb Beers, 32 will face trial after all of his charges were held for court without a hearing on Wednesday. According to the criminal complaint, on December 3, alleged child pornography was downloaded from a person to person file sharing account that was traced to an address in Monongahela. A February 28 search warrant to the home allowed police to uncover a computer belonging to Caleb Beers that was found to have the content police obtained and multiple other suspected child pornography files. Beers admitted to viewing child pornography to police. Beers is in the Washington County Jail on $50,000 bond. His formal arraignment will be April 25.
March 20, 2024 10:22 am
It looks like the Washington City Mission will land a $500,000 LSA grant after all. At the request of County Commissioners, the Local Share Account committee reconvened for a virtual meeting Wednesday morning to again consider the Mission’s grant request towards its women’s shelter project. The meeting lasted less than thirty minutes and ended with a unanimous vote on a motion to amend the original vote and add the project to its list of projects for approval. It now goes back to County Commissioners for a vote that is expected at their Thursday morning meeting. Washington County Commissioner Larry Maggi says the project was on an initial list of 51 projects recommended by the LSA Committee for approval totaling $9.2 million but was then excluded from a list commissioners approved last month that totaled 50 projects and $8.7 million. Former, longtime Commissioner Diana Irey Vaughan (pictured) is now the President and CEO of the City Mission and took part in the the virtual meeting. She and others from the Mission answered questions from the board before the vote was taken. Irey Vaughan is thrilled that the project will land the funding. Maggi, who led the effort to get the project back to the LSA board, is also happy. He tells WJPA News the committee “did the right thing” but he also has concerns that what transpired will lead some to question the grant awarding process.
