March 26, 2022 3:33 am
(AP) – Federal prosecutors say two men who worked in direct care at a western Pennsylvania residential facility inflicted what a grand jury alleges was “violent, demeaning and humiliating” abuse on people with severe physical and mental disabilities. Federal hate crimes charges were announced Friday against 28-year-old Zachary Lee Dinell and 31-year-old Tyler Smith. They’ve both been fired from McGuire Memorial in New Brighton, Pennsylvania. The grand jury says they abused people who aren’t able to speak to report their injuries and lack the capacity to defend themselves. The men don’t have lawyers listed in court records, and messages were left for lawyers who previously represented them in state court.
March 25, 2022 1:31 pm
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A 14-year-old boy fell to his death late at night from a free-fall amusement park ride that’s taller than the Statue of Liberty along a busy street in the heart of Orlando, Florida’s, tourist district. Sheriff’s officials and emergency crews responded to a call late Thursday at Icon Park, which is located in the city’s tourist district along International Drive. The boy fell from the Orlando Free Fall ride, which opened late last year. Sheriff’s officials say he was taken to a hospital, where he died. The 430-foot ride opened late last year and is billed as the world’s tallest free-standing drop tower. (Photo: WPXI)
March 25, 2022 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Virginia Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, sent weeks of text messages imploring White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to act to overturn the 2020 presidential election – furthering then-President Donald Trump’s lies that the free and fair vote was marred by nonexistent fraud. That’s according to copies of the messages obtained Thursday by The Washington Post and CBS News. The 29 messages the pair exchanged came in the weeks after the vote in November 2020. On Nov. 10, three days after the election and after The Associated Press declared Democrat Joe Biden the winner, Thomas, a conservative activist, texted to Meadows, “Help This Great President stand firm, Mark!!!”
March 25, 2022 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A majority of Americans say they don’t blame President Joe Biden for high gasoline prices, but they’re giving his economic leadership low marks amid fears of inflation and deepening pessimism about economic conditions. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about 7 in 10 Americans say the nation’s economy is in bad shape, and close to two-thirds disapprove of Biden’s handling of the economy. What’s more, Americans are more likely to say his policies have hurt the economy than helped it. Even so, they are more likely to say that higher than usual gas prices are more because of factors outside of Biden’s control than because of Biden’s policies.
March 25, 2022 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – After more than 30 hours of hearings, the Senate is on track to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. But Democrats seem unlikely to confirm her with much Republican support. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Thursday that he’ll vote against confirming Jackson, saying he “cannot and will not” support her for a lifetime appointment. Democrats can confirm Jackson on their own in the 50-50 Senate since Vice President Kamala Harris can cast the tiebreaking vote. Jackson is the first Black woman nominated for the nation’s highest court in its more than 200-year history.
March 25, 2022 4:16 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukraine has accused Russia of forcibly relocating hundreds of thousands of civilians to Russia from devastated Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian officials allege that Moscow wants to use them as “hostages” to pressure Kyiv to give up. Ukraine’s ombudsperson said Thursday that 402,000 people, including 84,000 children, have been taken to Russia, where some have reported shortages of food and water. Russia says the people it is evacuating civilians of their own free will. Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged his country to keep up its military defense and not stop “even for a minute.” He said every day of fighting brings the country closer to victory and peace.
March 25, 2022 4:15 am
Russian forces have fired two missiles at a Ukrainian military unit on the outskirts of Dnipro, the fourth-largest city in the country, regional emergency services say. The strikes destroyed buildings and set off two fires, it said late Thursday, while the number of those killed and wounded was still being established. Dnipro is west of the regions along the Russian border that have been controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
March 25, 2022 4:09 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A judge has denied bail to a woman charged with third-degree murder in an early morning crash on a Philadelphia interstate that claimed the lives of two Pennsylvania troopers and a civilian. Twenty-one-year-old Jayana Tanae Webb was ordered held pending an April 5 hearing on charges that also include second-degree manslaughter of a law enforcement officer and vehicular homicide while driving under the influence. WCAU-TV reports that defense attorney Michael Walker argued that his client was a first-time offender and posed no danger to the public, but the judge agreed with prosecutors that there was a public safety issue. Walker said later that his client was “devastated.”
March 25, 2022 2:53 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is reversing decisions from last year and says it won’t allow beer and wine licensees to sell edible products containing the marijuana extract CBD. CBD is a non-intoxicating chemical compound, one of many chemicals found in cannabis. Marketers say CBD can treat a range of ailments. Wednesday’s decision to rescind approval was made at the request of the state Department of Agriculture. A board spokesperson says the department told the liquor board that the sale of such consumable products is illegal in Pennsylvania.
March 25, 2022 2:50 am
North Franklin Township is finishing the installation of what supervisors are calling their Community Awareness Siren. A new system of sirens that are being installed at all three fire stations will not only serve as a traditional fire siren, it will also be tied in to the National Weather Service to alert residents that severe weather is near and life saving action should be taken. Plans are also being worked out with Washington County 9-1-1 to use the system in case of any other disaster such as an explosion. The tones sent out are a traditional up and down wail that will signify a fire that will last approximately 30 seconds and the weather alert siren will be a steady 5 minute wail. Residents are concerned about how often and who will be activating the siren. They are worried about whether the siren will be activated for every little occurrence. They are also concerned about devaluation of property values. Supervisor Bob Sabot indicates that the siren will benefit surrounding areas as well. He states that because North Franklin is west of the city of Washington, they would serve as a first alert to any weather emergency such as a tornado.
