November 10, 2023 5:04 am
NORTH BELLE VERNON, Pa. — (WPXI) – The eastbound lanes on Interstate 70 in North Belle Vernon were closed for some four-hours after a two-vehicle crash that left three people hurt. The call for a crash in the eastbound lanes near Exit 42A came in at 10 p.m. Thursday, Westmoreland County dispatchers said. According to reports, two people, including a child, were flown to area hospitals and another person was transported by ambulance. Traffic was closed in both directions initially. Pennsylvania State Police in Belle Vernon are handling the investigation. (PHOTO: Rostraver Central Fire Department)
November 10, 2023 2:59 am
The Washington County Elections Department is working to finalize the results from Tuesday’s election. Washington County Elections Director Melanie Ostrander says the Canvass Board will be sworn-in at 9 a.m. Friday morning. They will then review some 222 ballots that either contain overvotes, are ripped or torn, or won’t scan. As for overvotes, Ostrander says the board will have to determine the voters intent. Because of the sensitivity of the machines, Ostrander says a small pen mark, or what they call a ‘hesitation mark’ can cause the ballot to be read as an overvote. If it is determined that the voter did vote for more candidates than asked, their vote in that specific race will not be counted. That work is expected to last into the afternoon. Vote totals will then be updated, but still won’t be official. Ostrander says they still have provisional ballots to deal with beginning Monday. Ostrander says they are also awaiting 7 outstanding military ballots that are due in by Tuesday at 5 p.m. For a list of all results Click Here
November 10, 2023 2:53 am
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the completion of the Welcome and Education Center. The completion of the 21,000 square foot facility is one of the final steps in its development of the East Campus. It houses a visitors’ center, classrooms, an event room, museum store and interactive exhibits. The Center enables the Museum to properly display and interpret its exhibits that tell the history of the Trolley Era. It also has STEAM-related exhibits. The exhibits, designed and fabricated by the Carnegie Science Center in cooperation with Museum staff, include dynamic interactive capabilities and historical themes. An event room features an 8 foot by 15 foot video wall to be used for educational films. The Center is located at 1 Electric Way, adjacent to Volunteer Blvd., a 33,000 brick paved street, accompanied by the restored Wexford Station, family play area and gazebo.The Museum was established in 1954 and now has a collection of 52 trolley cars from Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia along with the famous streetcar named Desire from New Orleans. The building will be open to the public beginning November 10, 2023. Autumn hours for the Museum are Friday through Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. (photo credit WTOV9)
November 10, 2023 2:17 am
PENNSYLVANIA — A restaurant chain that has locations in the Pittsburgh-area has paid $11.4 million in back wages and liquidated damages for more than 1,000 employees. According to the United States Department of Labor, the money was recovered after a series of investigations and litigation in connection with 40 Plaza Azteca Mexican restaurant locations owned by Ruben Leon in seven states. Plaza Azteca locations involved in the lawsuit included Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia. Of the over 1,000 employees involved in the lawsuit, 15 Washington workers will be getting $135,000 in back wages and damages. An investigation showed Leon and the restaurants violated overtime and minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Department of Labor said. Specifically, the department alleged that numerous Plaza Azteca Mexican restaurants paid back-of-the-house employees predetermined amounts. By doing so, the employers failed to pay some employees who worked up to 40 hours in a workweek the required minimum wage and did not pay some employees time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a workweek. The employers also failed to maintain accurate records of employees’ work hours and wages, the department said. The Wage and Hour Division encourages former or current affected employees to contact the division at 215-861-5180 with any questions.
November 9, 2023 3:29 pm
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia says he won’t seek reelection in 2024, giving Republicans a prime opportunity to pick up a seat in the heavily GOP state. The 76-year-old Manchin revealed the news Thursday in a statement, saying he had made the decision “after months of deliberation and long conversations” with his family. Manchin’s decision to retire severely hampers Democratic hopes of holding on to the coal country seat. For the last few years, Manchin has been the only Democrat elected to statewide office in West Virginia. Manchin is a longtime politician who’s served as governor, secretary of state and state legislator.
November 9, 2023 3:26 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Authorities are trying to determine who sent suspicious letters, including some containing fentanyl or other substances, to local election offices in at least three states. It’s the latest instance of threats faced by election workers around the country. Elections offices in Washington, Oregon and Georgia appeared to have been targeted. The Pierce County auditor’s office in Tacoma, Washington, released images of the letter it received, showing the letter was postmarked in Portland, Oregon, and read in part: “End elections now.” Authorities are also trying to intercept a letter headed to an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia, the largest voting jurisdiction in one of the nation’s most important presidential swing states.
November 9, 2023 10:55 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Liberal and moderate candidates have won seats in high-profile polarizing elections against social conservatives across the U.S. Candidates backed by Moms for Liberty and the 1776 Project, groups that question open discussions on race and sexuality in schools, lost Tuesday in closely watched races in Iowa, Pennsylvania, Virginia and elsewhere, though both groups claimed successes overall. While school boards deal with nitty-gritty local issues, they have increasingly been at the center of battles over what to teach about race, gender and sexuality — and how to treat transgender students. Conservatives fared well in school board races in Pennsylvania’s York County and Minnesota’s largest school district and suburban Houston.
November 9, 2023 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says the U.S. has carried out an airstrike on a weapons warehouse in eastern Syria. It targeted a facility linked to Iranian-backed militias, in retaliation for what has been a growing number of attacks on bases housing U.S. troops in the region for the past several weeks. In Wednesday’s strike, U.S. officials say two U.S. F-15 fighter jets dropped multiple bombs on the warehouse, which was known to be used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. This is the second time in less than two weeks that the U.S. has bombed facilities used by the militant groups, who U.S. officials say have carried out at least 40 such attacks since Oct. 17.
November 9, 2023 5:05 am
MIAMI (AP) — The Republican presidential candidates at Wednesday’s debate all say they support Israel, but they are squabbling over China and Ukraine. Donald Trump was again absent, holding his own event nearby. At center stage were Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who are fighting for a distant second place in the Republican field. Both traded allegations that the other had welcomed Chinese investment into their state. Tim Scott, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy were also onstage. They face new urgency to cut into Trump’s margins with the leadoff Iowa caucuses just two months away.
November 9, 2023 5:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden’s attorney says subpoenas issued by House Republicans to members of President Joe Biden’s family are a “political stunt.” Wednesday’s subpoenas are the most aggressive step yet by Republicans in an impeachment inquiry bitterly opposed by Democrats. The move by House Oversight Committee chair James Comer to subpoena the Democratic president’s son Hunter and brother James comes as Republicans look to gain ground in their nearly yearlong investigation. The Republicans have thus far failed to uncover evidence directly implicating the president in any wrongdoing. The White House and the family’s lawyers say the investigation has been a political ploy but Hunter’s attorney indicated that he could be inclined to appear “at the right time.”
