September 1, 2022 4:15 am
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – A federal judge has appeared to give a boost to former President Donald Trump’s hopes for appointing an outside legal expert to review government records seized by the FBI. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon questioned the Justice Department’s arguments that Trump couldn’t make the request and that it would needlessly delay its investigation. But she did not rule on the request Thursday, saying she would do so later. Lawyers for Trump say the appointment of a special master is necessary to ensure an independent inspection of the documents seized by the FBI during the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago. The Justice Department has said an appointment is unwarranted because investigators have completed their review of potentially privileged records.
September 1, 2022 4:11 am
GREENE COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Greene County man is in jail and accused of robbing the Circle K gas station earlier this week, and investigators are crediting the community with helping to identify the alleged suspect. He gained local notoriety on social media as the “pantyhose bandit.” ”The notable thing about the incident was he appeared to be wearing pantyhose over his face,” Cumberland Township Police Sgt. Eric Orr said. A post by the Cumberland Township Police Department asking for the public’s help in identifying an alleged gas station robber earlier his week produced a tip that led them right to their suspect. ”We received another tip on our Facebook page informing us he was at an address in Fayette county, in Uniontown,” Orr said. The man underneath the pantyhose, Kevin Elias, is in the Fayette County Prison. Just after 12:01 a.m. Monday, police said Elias robbed the Circle K in Carmichaels, demanded money and took off.
Elias got away with about $200. Elias was also wanted on an active warrant by state police in Uniontown for domestic violence charges from earlier this month.
September 1, 2022 4:05 am
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Services held the first of two public hearings tonight at the Rostraver Fire Department and got an earful from concerned residents. “You sit before me in your suits. Have you been down in my storm drain? Have you taken a sample? Have you stopped at my business and seen me? The answer is no, you have not,” said John Lunt of Rostraver Township. One resident after another spoke out against Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill constructing and operating a leachate evaporation system. All who gave testimony opposed it. “I believe the people of the Mon Valley deserve and should demand clean air clean water and an environmentally safe place to live and thrive,” resident Lisa Fordanich said. According to the DEP, leachate is essentially liquid that comes into contact with waste material. The liquid, which is generated at all landfills, can pick up contamination that must be continually removed from the landfill and treated. WSL had transported the leachate out but now wants to treat it on sight. The citizens group, Protect Penn-Trafford, has been outspoken in fighting WSL’s proposal. It says the leachate would contaminate the air and put residents at risk. DEP officials say they are considering all public comments before making a final decision. The DEP is holding a virtual public hearing Thursday and is accepting public comment until Sept. 19.
September 1, 2022 2:41 am
(WPXI) – People who were at a T station in Allegheny County were evacuated after one of the cars caught fire. According to Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the South Hills Village light rail station was cleared after a rail car caught fire shortly after 2 p.m. PRT said the fire was caused by overhead power lines. PRT also said six people were on the car when the fire started. They all exited with no injuries. Light rail service was suspended from Washington Junction to South Hills Village station.
August 31, 2022 12:48 pm
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia University has suspended a fraternity over reported hazing incidents. The school says Tuesday’s interim suspension of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity prevents it from all recruitment activities along with participating or attending social functions. The suspension will remain in place while an investigation and review process continue. WVU did not provide details of the alleged hazing incidents in the statement. Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities Director Jill Gibson says the school takes every report of possible misconduct seriously. áShe says many times investigations provide a chance to help students make better choices in the future.
August 31, 2022 4:18 am
Bed Bath & Beyond announced Wednesday that it plans to close more than 100 stores and lay off staff. The company made the announcement in a news release, saying it has already identified and begun closing 150 “lower-producing” stores, and said that it “continues to evaluate its portfolio and leases, in addition to staffing.” The company says it will be laying off 20% of its staff as well. A full list of the stores that would be closing was not released. (Photo: AP)
August 31, 2022 4:17 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A survey of people ages 16 to 40 finds that millennials and Generation Z follow the news, but they aren’t that happy with what they’re seeing. The study conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute says 79% of people in that age group follow news daily, contrary to perceptions that many are tuned out. But only 32% say they enjoy following the news, down sharply from 53% in a similar study seven years ago. The study also shows many young people blame news organizations for spreading misinformation, and suggests they have had it with “food-fight journalism” that depicts debates between people with extreme views.
August 31, 2022 4:16 am
KYIV (AP) – A convoy of jeeps currying U.N. nuclear inspectors is crossing Ukraine toward the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia power plant. It holds hope that it could help secure the safety of the facility in the middle of a war zone and avoid any nuclear catastrophe. Yet, the Russia-backed local authorities in Zaporizhzhia claimed that Ukrainian forces shelled the territory of the plant and the nearby town of Enerhodar overnight. Both sides have accused each other of bombing the wider area for weeks now, increasing fears that an áaccident or radiation leak could happen any day.
August 31, 2022 4:15 am
MOSCOW (AP) – Before Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union seemed an immovable superpower in perpetual antagonism to the United States. But with a breathtaking series of reforms, Gorbachev changed all that – and redirected the course of the 20th century. He died Tuesday at a Moscow hospital at age 91. Alongside Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, he was a key protagonist in a global drama. Under Gorbachev, the Berlin Wall crumbled, thousands of political prisoners were released and millions of people who had known only communism got their first real taste of freedom. But Gorbachev was unable to control the forces he unleashed. He ultimately waged a losing battle to salvage a crumbling empire.
August 31, 2022 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Obstruction of justice is emerging as a key focus in the Justice Department’s investigation of classified government documents the FBI seized at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. The department says classified documents had been “likely concealed and removed” from Mar-a-Lago as part of an effort to obstruct the federal investigation. A court filing made Tuesday night shows the FBI also seized 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified records during its Aug. 8 search and found classified documents stashed in Trump’s office. The filing lays out the most detailed chronology to date of months of strained interactions between Justice Department officials and Trump representatives over the discovery of government secrets.
