Burgettstown Man Pleads Guilty To Murder

June 22, 2022 3:27 am

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The Burgettstown man charged with the death of a three-year-old child who was in his care earlier this year has pleaded guilty to murder. Tyler Scott Mason, 25, was left in charge of his girlfriend’s’ son Aiden Lombardi in early February. According to the criminal complaint, Mason called Megan Meyers to tell her Lombardi was not breathing. Allegheny County Police found the boy unresponsive that night in the 900 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in Coraopolis. Lombardi was rushed to UPMC Children’s Hospital where he later died that night due to blunt force trauma to the head according to the medical examiner. Paramedics who responded reported the child had significant bruising and swelling on his forehead, eye, jaw and ear, and that he was in cardiac arrest. While in the medics’ care, Aiden was unresponsive, not breathing, and had no pulse, the complaint states. Mason appeared before Judge Kelly Bigley Tuesday and pleaded guilty to one count of 3rd degree murder and one count of endangering the welfare of children. There was no sentencing agreement so a sentencing hearing has been set for September 19, 2022.

West Alexander Woman Facing Prison Time

June 22, 2022 1:42 am

A resident of West Alexander, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court in Pittsburgh to 6 months imprisonment and one-year supervised release on her conviction of filing a false income tax return.  United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Tina L. Beck, age 53, of West Alexander, Pennsylvania.  According to information presented to the court, Beck filed federal income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the calendar years 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018, on which she willfully underreported gross receipts by more than $980,000 from the operation of the garbage collection business she jointly operated with her husband known as “Beck’s Refuse Service”. In February 2022, Beck pleaded guilty to filing a false income tax return for 2018 on which she under-reported business income resulting in a tax loss to the IRS of more than $50,000. She further accepted responsibility for tax losses incurred by the IRS in 2014, 2015, and 2017, totaling more than $232,000.  Judge Horan ordered Beck, following imprisonment, to serve the first six months of supervised release in home

Broadway Is Back…Without Masks

June 21, 2022 3:12 pm

NEW YORK (AP) – In another sign that the world of entertainment is returning to pre-pandemic normal, Broadway theaters will no longer demand audiences wear masks starting in July. The Broadway League announced Tuesday that mask-wearing will be optional next month onward, a further loosening of restrictions. In May, most Broadway theaters lifted the requirement that audience members provide proof of vaccination to enter venues. The policy will “be evaluated on a monthly basis as we continue to monitor the science,” according to the League, which represents Broadway producers. It also said that “audience members are still encouraged to wear masks in theaters.”

Eleven People Taken To Hospitals After Route 28 Crash

June 21, 2022 12:30 pm

(WPXI) – Eleven people, including eight children, were injured in an overnight crash along Route 28. The crash happened around 11:40 p.m. Monday in the southbound lanes between Etna and Millvale in Shaler Township. Shaler police said eight children and three adults were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. The children range in age from 1-11 years old. Shaler police said a minivan was traveling northbound in the southbound lanes and appeared to have entered the wrong direction from the Millvale off-ramp. The minivan driver had eight kids in the vehicle, according to police. Two adults were in the other vehicle. Route 28 was shut down for around two hours but has since reopened. Shaler police said there was no evidence of impairment in either driver, but charges are pending against the minivan driver. Police said she did not have a driver’s license.

Passengers Stranded Due To Britain Rail Strike

June 21, 2022 7:37 am

LONDON (AP) — Tens of thousands of railway workers have walked off the job in Britain, bringing the train network to a crawl in the country’s biggest transit strike in three decades. About 40,000 cleaners, signalers, maintenance workers and station staff are holding a 24-hour strike on Tuesday, with two more planned for Thursday and Saturday. Major stations are largely deserted, with only about 20% of passenger trains scheduled to run. The strike is upending the plans of employees trying to get to work, students during exam season and music-lovers headed for the Glastonbury Festival, which starts Wednesday in southwest England. The dispute centers on pay, working conditions and job security as Britain’s railways struggle to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Avella Man Stopped By TSA With Loaded Handgun

June 21, 2022 7:35 am

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Washington County man had his gun confiscated after he attempted to take it through a security checkpoint at the Pittsburgh International Airport. TSA officials released information about the incident that took place on Saturday, saying the Avella man was carrying a loaded 9-millimeter handgun with 8 bullets, including one in the chamber. Once the gun was detected, TSA notified the Allegheny County Police who confiscated the weapon. Officials say the man, who was not identified, could face thousands of dollars in fines for the incident. That is the 12th weapon found going through Pittsburgh International Airport security so far in 2022.

Deshaun Watson Settles Majority Of Civil Lawsuits

June 21, 2022 3:48 am

HOUSTON (AP) – An attorney says Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson has reached an agreement to settle 20 of the 24 civil lawsuits that had been filed by women who had accused him of sexual assault and harassment. Houston attorney Tony Buzbee is representing all 24 women. He says in a statement that settled lawsuits will be dismissed once the paperwork is done. Watson has been accused by massage therapists of harassing, assaulting or touching them during appointments when he was with the Houston Texans. The quarterback has denied any wrongdoing. Watson’s lead attorney did not immediately return an email or a text message seeking comment. Two separate Texas grand juries declined to indict Watson on criminal complaints.  (Photo:  AP)

Africa ‘Taken Hostage’ By Russian Invasion

June 21, 2022 3:47 am

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – Ukraine’s leader has told the African Union that the continent has been “taken hostage” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine amid catastrophically rising food prices. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s closed-door speech Monday followed weeks of requests for him to address African nations. Many of them retain close ties to Russia and failed to support a U.N. General Assembly resolution condemning the invasion. Ukraine and the West hope to weaken those ties by emphasizing that Russia’s actions are to blame for dramatic shortages of wheat and edible oils and skyrocketing food and fuel prices across Africa.

Report: Uvalde Police Had Weapons Earlier Than Known

June 21, 2022 3:46 am

UVALDE, Texas (AP) – Documents examined by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV show armed police officers stood in a Uvalde elementary school hallway with at least one ballistic shield within 19 minutes of a gunman arriving at the school, where he killed 21 people, 19 of them children. The outlets’ report, which did not indicate the source of the documents, nevertheless intensifies the anguish and questions over why police didn’t act sooner to stop the May 24 slaughter in the Robb Elementary School classroom. The outlets reported that gunfire could be heard as much as 29 minutes before officers entered the classroom and killed the gunman.

Jan. 6th Hearings Continue

June 21, 2022 3:42 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – The House Jan. 6 committee has opened, hearing from local officials who fended off Donald Trump’s pressure to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The panel investigating the U.S. Capitol attack resumes Tuesday with testimony from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger about Trump’s call asking him to “find 11,780” votes to prevent Joe Biden’s election victory. His deputy Gabe Sterling and Arizona’s Republican state leader Rusty Bowers are also key witnesses. The panel will focus on how Trump pressured battleground state officials with schemes to reject state tallies and electors, all fueled by his false claims of election fraud.