February 3, 2023 4:02 am
MOUNT LEBANON, Pa. — (WPXI) – A nursing home worker in Mount Lebanon is charged with sexual assault for what police say he did with a resident there. Certified nurse assistant Solomon Rivers, 32, also known as Solomon Roberson, is charged with institutional sexual assault. According to the criminal complaint, a resident at Mount Lebanon Rehabilitation and Wellness told police he performed a sex act on Rivers in the bathroom of his room. Documents show the victim in this case has the mental capacity of a 7-year-old and is confined to a wheelchair. According to the complaint, Rivers was interviewed multiple times and admitted to what happened saying “it went too far.” The report also says Rivers told police he would no longer “pursue a job in the healthcare field.” It is unclear whether Rivers was fired from his position. Our news partners at WPXI reached out to management at the center over the phone and in-person. They were told no one there could speak and they would have to try another day.
February 3, 2023 3:57 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Watch for icy spots early Friday as the first round of an arctic blast moves through the area. Most of the snow will taper off before or through the morning commute, but colder temperatures will mean anything that falls will stick around. Icy spots on sidewalks, roads, bridges and overpasses will be possible, so allow some extra time to get where you’re going. Cold air will rush in along with the snow and morning wind chills will be at or near zero, so grab the winter coats, hats and gloves as you head out.
February 3, 2023 2:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Republicans have voted to oust Democratic Rep. lhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The vote in a raucous session on Thursday to remove the Somali-born Muslim lawmaker came after her past comments critical of Israel. It’s an escalation of tensions in the new Congress after Democrats booted far-right GOP lawmakers from committees over their incendiary, violent remarks in the last session. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy worked quickly to solidify wavering Republican support after some GOP lawmakers had expressed reservations about taking such a dramatic step. The Minnesota Democrat has apologized for comments that she has said she came to understand were antisemitic.
February 3, 2023 2:38 am
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce held their February Breakfast Briefing at the Claysville Community Center to update members of the strides made to bring broadband service to under-served areas of Washington County, specifically the southwest corner of Washington County. A round-table discussion with Rick Newton, Vice President of the Claysville Area Business Association, John Timney, Executive Director of the Washington County Authority and Christina Sarson from the civil engineering firm HRG provided their experiences with the project so far. Sarson described difficulty reaching residents for survey input that is usually done on line. Because of the lack of broadband service, they had to resort to 20th century tactics of communication such as postcards. Newton spoke of his group’s efforts to help “Highlander Country” get access to broadband not only for entrepreneurial purposes, but for education and tele-medicine purposes that were brought glaringly to light by the COVID-19 pandemic. Timney provided background on how the county decided that the area was prime for county investment in broadband expansion. His input was the stories behind the story of students needing to drive to cell towers or restaurants to download and upload homework. Foster parents having difficulties emailing required paperwork to service agencies and seniors not being able to access health care via tele-medicine because people just a half mile outside of Claysville are not able to effectively communicate with the outside world. Jeanne Schearer from broadband supplier Kinetic states that they are providing $2.2 million of their money to the project of bringing broadband to West Finley Township. She anticipates the project to be complete at the end of 2024. (Pictured left to right: John Timney, Washington County Authority; Christina Sarson, HRG and Rick Newton, Claysville Area Business Association Vice President)
February 2, 2023 10:12 am
U.S. applications for jobless aid fell again last week to their lowest level since April, further evidence that the job market has withstood aggressive rate hikes by the Federal Reserve as it attempts to cool the economy and bring down inflation. Applications for jobless aid in the U.S. for the week ending Jan. 28 fell by 3,000 last week to 183,000, from 186,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. It was the third straight week claims were under 200,000 and the third straight weekly decline. Jobless claims generally serve as a proxy for layoffs.
February 2, 2023 7:47 am
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) – A furry critter in a western Pennsylvania town has predicted six more weeks of winter during an annual Groundhog Day celebration. People gathered Thursday at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summoned him from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he has seen his shadow. According to folklore, if he sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring comes early. The annual event in Punxsutawney originated from a German legend about a furry rodent. The 2021 and 2022 forecasts also called for six more weeks of winter.
February 2, 2023 4:12 am
NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. health officials are advising people to stop using over-the-counter eye drops that have been linked to an outbreak of drug-resistant infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday night sent a health alert to physicians. It says the outbreak includes at least 55 people in 12 states. One died in Washington state. Disease investigators have linked the infections, including some found in blood, urine and lungs, to EzriCare Artificial Tears. Many of the patients said they had used the product, which is a lubricant used to treat irritation and dryness. (Photo: ABC News)
February 2, 2023 4:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A new poll shows that more U.S. adults disapprove than approve of the way President Joe Biden has handled the discovery of classified documents at his home and former office. Yet that seems to have had little impact on Biden’s overall approval rating. The new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 41% of Americans say they approve of how Biden is handling his job as president. That’s about the same as the 43% who said that in December. In the new poll, 77% of Democrats approve of how Biden is handling his job, while 91% of Republicans disapprove.
February 2, 2023 4:07 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Tyre Nichols’ family and friends remembered him with songs of faith and heartfelt tributes, blending a celebration of his life with outraged calls for police reform after the brutal beating he endured at the hands of Memphis police. The Rev. Al Sharpton and Vice President Kamala Harris both delivered impassioned speeches Wednesday calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. It’s a broad package of police reforms that includes a national registry for police officers disciplined for misconduct, a ban on no-knock warrants and other measures. In the three weeks since his death, five officers have been fired and charged with murder, and their specialized unit was disbanded.
February 2, 2023 4:00 am
A Charleroi man who allegedly raped a minor in their Charleroi home in August of 2019 pleaded guilty in court on Wednesday. James Heinzelman-McIvor, 18 was charged in August of 2022 when a child came forward to police and claimed that Heinzelman-McIvor raped them in 2019 and continued with inappropriate advances afterward. The victim indicated that the assaults occurred when they were 11 or 12 years old. Heinzelman-McIvor pleaded guilty to statutory sexual assault. He was facing charges of child rape and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child among several other felonies not prosecuted by the district attorney. Heinzelman-McIvor will spend the next 3-6 years in state prison and will have to register as a sex offender. The judge was reluctant to take the plea to reduced charges. The district attorney stated that the victim agreed with the sentence, offering that they did not want to see Heinzelman-McIvor go to jail.
