August 20, 2024 6:37 am
The Peters Township School Board quickly disposed of their agenda filled largely with procedural voting items. The board of directors is looking forward to a new year that will begin Wednesday August 21. Superintendent Dr. Jeannine French says she is looking forward to greeting the students this year. She says that crews were hard at work making sure the facilities are nice and fresh for students when they arrive. She says that the district will keep focusing on the basics of education. That way the district should be able to maintain its local, state and national recognition that it has enjoyed for the last several years. According to USNews.com, the district ranks third in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Region, 11th in Pennsylvania and 503rd in the nation last year. French also expressed her gratitude to the union leaders, teachers negotiating team and staff for coming together on a five year labor agreement last month.
August 13, 2024 4:54 am
Peters Township Council spent the majority of their agenda authorizing bids and proposals for several future projects. Council first approved a $45,000 contract to help the library reimagine its space and help it better utilize that space for programming that was not thought of when the building was built 25 years ago. They also approved solicitation for bids for a new pumper truck for the fire department. Finally, council approved the execution for a grant agreement with the state in order to lock in grant funding for the splash pad that is proposed for Rolling Hills Park. Once all of the paperwork is finalized bids can be submitted. It is hoped that in late September or early October, council will be able to vote on recommendations for a final contract.
August 19, 2024 4:59 am
HENRY CLAY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A homeowner who shot a burglary suspect in Fayette County will not face any charges, District Attorney Michael Aubele announced Monday. Aubele said his office determined the homeowner’s actions were “appropriate” and have cleared him of any wrongdoings. Just before midnight on Saturday, police were called to a home on Mae West Road in Henry Clay Township for a burglary in progress. During the burglary, the homeowner retrieved a gun and confronted the intruder, who PSP identifies as David Luczak, 62, of Cleveland. PSP said when Luczak didn’t leave after being approached by the homeowner, the homeowner fired the gun several times. Luczak was struck twice in the face and was treated on scene by troopers and medics, then life-flighted to a hospital. He was last listed in stable condition. Aubele said his office, along with state police, reviewed several pieces of evidence including witness statements and surveillance footage. The DA’s office also considered the remote location of the home and Luczak’s criminal history, which includes involvement in a 2013 homicide in Cleveland. “Most importantly, we acknowledge the absolute right of every citizen to make reasonable, split-second decisions to use deadly force to defend themselves and others,” Aubele said in a press release. Luczak is facing several charges including burglary and remains in the hospital.
August 20, 2024 5:02 am
FINDLAY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Transportation Security Administration officers caught a man with a loaded gun in his carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport’s main security checkpoint. TSA said the gun was intercepted on Sunday, Aug. 18. A man from Commodore, Indiana County, had a .38 caliber firearm loaded with six bullets in his bag, which was also packed with a gun magazine that had six more bullets. When TSA officers detected the firearm, the checkpoint lane came to a halt until the police responded and removed the carry-on bag from the X-ray machine. “We are seeing way too many guns show up at our checkpoints,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the airport. “If you own a firearm, do not bring it to a checkpoint. If you must travel with your gun, the proper way to do it is to make sure it’s unloaded, packed in a hard-sided locked case and taken to the airline check-in counter. The airline will ensure it is transported in the belly of the aircraft.” TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website. Civil penalties for bringing a weapon into a checkpoint can reach up to $15,000, depending on the specific weapon and the circumstances.
August 20, 2024 5:05 am
CHICAGO (AP) — President Joe Biden has delivered his valedictory address to the Democratic National Convention, saying, “I gave my best to you.” He basked in a long ovation that reflected the energy released by his decision to cede the stage to Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden received a hero’s welcome weeks after many in his party were pressuring him to drop his bid for reelection. The opening night of the convention in Chicago was designed as a handoff from the incumbent to his hand-picked successor — albeit four years before he intended for her to follow him. A visibly emotional Biden was greeted by a more than four-minute-long ovation and chants of “Thank you Joe.”
August 20, 2024 5:08 am
Barack Obama is returning to the Democratic National Convention stage two decades after his memorable debut. His job is different this time. In 2004, Obama was a young state senator from Illinois stumping for nominee John Kerry and introducing himself to the nation. That speech came months before his election to the U.S. Senate and catapulted him on a course to the presidency barely four years later. This time, Obama is the 63-year-old elder statesman eight years removed from serving two terms as the nation’s first Black president. And he will be making the case for another historic figure: Vice President Kamala Harris. Democrats say they expect Obama to balance aggressive attacks on Republican Donald Trump while boosting Harris.
August 20, 2024 5:09 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Dozens of protesters broke through a security fence near the site of the Democratic National Convention on its opening day as thousands took to the streets to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza. Families with babies in strollers, students, elected leaders and others holding signs and flags joined the march on Monday to the United Center, where the convention is being held, to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. As the larger group marched peacefully, a few dozen who broke away tore down pieces of the security fence. Several protesters who had managed to get through the fence were detained and handcuffed by officers.
August 20, 2024 2:12 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. won’t testify in defense of his effort to appear on Pennsylvania’s presidential ballot. That’s after he showed up late Tuesday to a court hearing in Pennsylvania where Democratic activists are trying to bar him from the ballot in the battleground state. Kennedy’s lawyer blamed a canceled flight from Boston to Philadelphia. Lawyers for the challengers say Kennedy’s candidacy paperwork states a fake home address and falls short of the signature-gathering requirement applied by state law to third-party candidates. Kennedy’s campaign dismisses the challenge as “frivolous.” Should Kennedy appear on Pennsylvania’s ballot, he could siphon support from Republican nominee Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. (Photo: AP)
August 20, 2024 5:32 pm
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois will soon become just the fifth state in the nation to prohibit corporal punishment in all schools. Legislation that Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law this month bans physical punishment in private schools while reiterating a prohibition on the practice in public schools, first implemented 30 years ago. The law takes effect in January. Illinois will join New Jersey, Iowa, Maryland and New York in prohibiting paddling, spanking or hitting in all its schools. Chicago Democratic Rep. Margaret Croke was inspired to take up the issue after the American Association of Pediatrics’ updated call to end the practice. Seventeen U.S. states allow some sort of corporal punishment in all schools.
August 20, 2024 5:10 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it has recovered the bodies of six hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that started the war in Gaza. The operation came as U.S. and Arab mediators try to advance an agreement to halt the fighting and release scores of other militant-held captives. The military announced the recovery on Tuesday, without saying when or how the six died. Hamas says some captives have been killed and wounded in Israeli airstrikes. The recovery is a blow to Hamas, which hopes to exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a lasting cease-fire. But it was also likely to increase pressure on Israel’s government to reach a deal to release dozens of hostages who are still believed to be alive.
