March 27, 2022 8:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — With Pennsylvania’s ballot seemingly set, Republican candidates for governor are hitting the forum circuit in earnest, working to set themselves apart from a huge primary field with just eight weeks to go in the campaign. Questions about energy, schools and other national political themes have dominated recent forums held by local party organizations, business advocacy groups and other conservative groups. Candidates in the nine-person field — bigger than any seen by Republicans in at least decades — are largely monolithic on the issues, tending instead to try to distinguish themselves by emphasizing the depth of their commitment to those stances. The primary election is May 17. Pennsylvania’s two-time elected state Attorney General Josh Shapiro has a clear path to the Democratic Party’s nomination. Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, is term-limited and has endorsed Shapiro.
March 27, 2022 7:59 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Multiple accidents were reported overnight into Sunday morning due to snow showers and slightly covered roads in Washington County this weekend. The biggest accident occurred around midnight on Interstate 70 westbound near the Eighty-Four/Glyde exit according to reports. Officials say a rollover crash had both lanes of traffic closed at the 25-mile marker for over an hour as crews responded to the scene. There was no word on any injuries or identities of those involved. Another incident reportedly involved a tractor-trailer at the North Junction that blocked the ramp from Interstate 70 eastbound to I-79 north Sunday morning. (Photo: National Weather Service Facebook Page)
March 27, 2022 3:33 am
A Washington man was re-sentenced on Friday afternoon for a September 5, 2017 shooting in South Franklin Township. 31 year-old Keith Rosario was convicted of attempted murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, and conspiracy after a jury trial in February 2019. The jury found that Rosario, along with his co-defendant Richard Lacks and a juvenile, kidnapped and assaulted Marcus Stancik of Pittsburgh in Washington’s West End. After retrieving a gun from Rosario’s house they drove Stancik to the #4 reservoir in South Franklin where Rosario shot him in the back of the head. Stancik survived and was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital tor treatment. Rosario appealed his conviction to the Pennsylvania Superior Court which upheld the verdict but vacated the original sentence because of a change in the law. On Friday, Common Pleas Judge Valarie Costanzo sentenced Rosario to 25 to 50 years in state prison for the shooting and kidnapping. He was ordered to have no contact with Stancik. After the sentence was handed down, Rosario was taken by Washington County Sheriff deputies back to the state prison in Albion where he has been since 2019. (Photo: Washington County Correctional Facility)
March 26, 2022 3:55 am
NEW DELHI (AP) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has met with his Indian counterpart and the national security adviser to expedite the disengagement of thousands of Indian and Chinese forces involved in a tense faceoff and occasional clashes along their disputed border. A fierce brawl in June 2020 exploded into hand-to-hand combat with clubs, stones and fists that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. China said it lost four soldiers in the clash. India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told reporters after the meeting that the situation is a work in progress at a slower pace than desirable. He said the tensions arising from China’s deployment can’t be reconciled with the normal relationship between the neighbors. Wang did not speak to the media.
March 26, 2022 3:51 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – The United States says it will seek tougher U.N. Security Council sanctions after North Korea said it test-fired its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile to date. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Friday the U.S. would propose a measure “to update and strengthen” the council’s sanctions, though she didn’t specify how. But veto-wielding China and Russia have recently called instead for lifting sanctions on North Korea, citing its economic troubles. Thursday’s launch extended a barrage of weapons demonstrations this year that analysts say are aimed at forcing the U.S. to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power and remove sanctions. Meanwhile, the U.S. responded to the launch by imposing new sanctions of its own. (Photo: AP)
March 26, 2022 3:47 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian authorities say about 300 people were killed in the Russian airstrike last week that blasted open a Mariupol theater. That would make it the war’s deadliest known attack on civilians yet. Meanwhile, Russian forces appear to have halted, at least for now, their ground offensive aimed at capturing the capital, Kyiv, and are concentrating more on the fighting for control of the Donbas region in the country’s southeast. That is according to a senior U.S. defense official. The bloodshed in Mariupol is fueling allegations Moscow has committed war crimes by killing civilians, whether deliberately or by indiscriminate fire. (Photo: AP)
March 26, 2022 3:45 am
AKRON (AP) – Attorneys representing investors in utility giant FirstEnergy Corp. say the company’s former chief executive and a top official were behind the payments in an alleged $60 million corruption scheme. The two attorneys revealed the names in new court documents Wednesday under order from a federal judge. They said former FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones and senior vice president Michael Dowling were responsible for the company’s role. Both Jones and Dowling were fired by FirstEnergy in October 2020. Neither have been criminally charged. An attorney for the former CEO asserted Wednesday that Jones didn’t break law or violate any of FirstEnergy’s policies.
March 26, 2022 3:41 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The White House has removed Dr. Mehmet Oz – best known as daytime TV’s host of “The Dr. Oz Show” – and former football star Herschel Walker from the President’s Council on Sports, Nutrition and Fitness as both men run for U.S. Senate. Both Oz and Walker are Republicans who were appointed by President Joe Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump. Oz claims he was being removed for political reasons. The White House on Wednesday posted a list of appointments to the council. A White House official says Oz and Walker were asked to resign because the White House doesn’t permit candidates for federal office to serve on boards.
March 26, 2022 3:39 am
MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. (WPXI) — Our news partners at WPXI report that a McKees Rocks woman is facing multiple charges including child endangerment and aggravated assault after her 11-month-old son was found suffering from an opioid overdose that she attributes to Orajel. In a criminal complaint, Dana Hanner said she called 911 on Tuesday, March 22, when her son became unresponsive shortly after she found him with a tube of Orajel in his mouth. EMS workers said they thought the child was suffering from an opioid overdose and administered Narcan. At UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, a doctor found no traces of Orajel in a toxicology report but detected traces of fentanyl. The complaint states that during a search, police found suspected fentanyl and paraphernalia in Hanner’s home where she was living with her four children. During a review of Hanner’s history, it was found she was arrested in 2018 for endangering the welfare of children and multiple drug offenses consistent with selling opioids. Hanner’s children were removed from her care at that time. Police did not say how the 11-month-old boy is doing now or where the other three children who were living in the home are. Hanner is currently out on bond and will have a preliminary hearing on March 29.
March 26, 2022 3:34 am
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion with municipal managers to discuss what challenges face their communities and what is most important to the continued development of each. Township managers form South Strabane, North Strabane, Peters Township and North Franklin gathered and public safety was a key to maintaining growth. Peters Township and North Strabane townships are opening new fire stations to serve residential growth. South Strabane Township is moving to enlarge its full time fire fighter staff. North Franklin is served by three volunteer companies but the township not only contributes to their support, they offer each fire fighter a $20 stipend to each call that is responded. Township amenities such as parks are important as well. North Franklin and North Strabane are in the process of building new municipal offices. Peters Township and North Franklin also are investing into parks for their resident’s enjoyment. Paul Lauer, Township Manager for Peters Township pointed out the biggest hidden challenge to all local governments in southwestern Pennsylvania will be how to recruit and retain qualified people to serve in all aspects of local government.
