South Strabane Supervisors Accept Manager’s Resignation

June 28, 2023 5:00 am

Township Manager Brandon Stanick is officially resigning. The South Strabane Board of Supervisors unanimously accepted his resignation at their latest meeting. Stanick says he wanted to work on more development-focused efforts in Findlay Township. The board has set up an Interview Committee and has appointed interim township positions to maintain responsibilities before a new township manager is selected.

North Strabane Solves Garden Street Issue

June 28, 2023 4:52 am

The safety of the intersection of Garden Street with State Route 980 in North Strabane Township has been at issue since several traffic studies were performed in conjunction with the proposed expansion of Greenwood Village. Those traffic studies showed that the sight distance required to make a left turn onto Rt. 980 is deficient and puts the township at a liability risk. At their legislative meeting on Tuesday, supervisors decided to enforce a measure adopted in June of 2022 but never enforced. Garden Street will now be a one way street. Traffic will no longer be allowed to access Rt. 980 from Garden Street. Supervisors received an opinion from PennDot that would allow a no left turns to onto Rt. 980 from Garden Street. Some traffic questions remained such as would drivers still be allowed to directly access Boone Avenue and Vance Drive from Garden Street or would they be forced to travel into Canonsburg and turn around. The one way street designation will also allow residents to park their vehicles on Garden Street. This issue is important as two homes built there have no driveways.

State Trooper Lauded As Hero

June 27, 2023 5:27 pm

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania state trooper who was shot and killed earlier this month when he went to work on his day off after learning his barracks had been attacked by an armed man was lauded during his funeral as a hero who only wanted to serve his community. The service for 29-year-old Jacques “Jay” Rougeau Jr. was held Tuesday at Bayfront Convention Center in Erie. Rougeau was shot June 17 by 38-year-old Brandon Stine of Thompsontown, who also critically wounded another trooper that day in a separate incident before he was shot and killed himself after a manhunt and a fierce gunbattle, Stine’s motive remains under investigation. Rougeau was killed by a gunshot through the windshield of his patrol car.  (Photo:  AP)

State Courts Can Play Role In Policing Federal Elections

June 27, 2023 10:57 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has ruled that North Carolina’s top court did not overstep its bounds in striking down a congressional districting plan as excessively partisan under state law. The justices on Tuesday rejected the broadest view of a case that could have transformed elections for Congress and president by leaving state legislatures virtually unchecked by their state courts when dealing with federal elections. The high court did, though, strongly suggest there are limits on what state courts can do. Another redistricting case from Ohio is pending, if the justices want to say more about the issue before next year’s elections.

Canadian Wildfires Persist

June 27, 2023 5:21 am

CHICAGO (AP) — The haze of unhealthy air that settled over the Great Lakes region Tuesday reminded U.S. residents from the Midwest to the Northeast and as far south as Kentucky to brace for more depending on which way the wind blows as Canadian wildfires rage on. National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Jackson says, “Until the fires are out, there’s a risk.” Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada has created curtains of haze and raised air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region and in parts of the central and eastern United States. The Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.gov site shows parts of Illinois, lower Michigan and southern Wisconsin have the worst air quality in the U.S.

Ryan Seacrest Will Become New “Wheel Of Fortune” Host

June 27, 2023 5:18 am

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ryan Seacrest will become the new “Wheel of Fortune” host after Pat Sajak’s retirement next year. Seacrest and Sony Pictures Television announced Tuesday that Seacrest has signed a multi-year deal to host the long-running game show starting with Season 42. Sajak recently announced the upcoming 41st season would be his last on the show. It’s the latest hosting gig for Seacrest, the popular “American Idol” host who also now rings in the new year for many on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.” Seacrest in his statement also praised Vanna White, another mainstay of “Wheel of Fortune.” Both White and Sajak have been on the show since the early 1980s.

Scorching Temps Expected To Spread To The North & East

June 27, 2023 5:16 am

DALLAS (AP) — Scorching temperatures meteorologists say were brought on by a heat dome have taxed the Texas power grid and threaten to bring record highs to the state before they are expected to expand to other parts of the U.S. National Weather Service Forecaster Bob Oravec said Monday that the heat dome is expected to reach north to Kansas City and east to the Florida Panhandle and continue at least until the July Fourth holiday. The National Integrated Heat Health Information System reports more than 46 million people are under heat alerts. Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said the dome is not unusual because this is the time of year the atmospheric conditions combine to create such a threat.

Judge To Weigh Moving Trump N.Y Case To Federal Court

June 27, 2023 5:15 am

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York City is set to hear arguments Tuesday over whether the state criminal hush money prosecution of former President Donald Trump can be moved to federal court. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein will preside over the hearing. He’s unlikely to immediately rule. Trump’s lawyers sought to move the case to Manhattan federal court soon after Trump pleaded not guilty in state court in April to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide 2016 hush money payouts to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters. They say his alleged criminal conduct occurred while he was president. Prosecutors say he can’t invoke official immunity for unofficial actions.

E-Cigarettes Pour In Despite FDA Crackdown

June 27, 2023 5:13 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of different e-cigarette devices sold in the U.S. has nearly tripled to over 9,000, despite a three-year effort by the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on kid-friendly flavors. The rise in electronic cigarettes has been almost entirely driven by a wave of cheap, disposable devices imported from China. That’s according to sales data obtained by The Associated Press. Most are sold in fruit and candy flavors that can appeal to teenagers. All are technically illegal, but they continue to flow into U.S. ports with little threat of retaliation. The trend underscores the FDA’s inability to control the tumultuous vaping market previously dominated by Juul and other reusable e-cigarettes.

Actor Julian Sands Has Been Found Dead

June 27, 2023 5:10 am

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities have confirmed that British actor Julian Sands died while hiking on a Southern California mountain. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday that remains found by hikers have been identified as the 65-year-old Sands, who went missing in January. Sands starred in many acclaimed films of the 1980s and 90s, including the 1985 British romance “A Room With a View” opposite Helena Bonham Carter. He also appeared in the films “Arachnophobia,” “Naked Lunch,” “Boxing Helena” and “Leaving Las Vegas.” Sands made regular guest appearances on television series including “24,” “Dexter” and “Smallville.”  (Photo:  ABC)