News Of Western Pennsylvania And The World
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh Police are warning area residents of an ongoing scam that is taking place.
They say some residents have been getting calls from people claiming to be with the Bureau of Police.
The caller then asks residents for personal information like social security numbers.
Police say this is a scam and that they will never call to ask for information like that over the phone.
Source: Pittsburgh Police Issue Warning Of Ongoing Scam – CBS Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh has a really vibrant and underrated cocktail scene. Bartenders across the Steel City sling inventive and delicious drinks for fairly affordable prices. While Pittsburgh’s legacy is a “shot and beer” town, that narrative is evolving rather quickly.
Read Source For Recipes: Eight perfect two-ingredient Pennsylvania cocktails for the novice home bartender | Drink | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Allegheny County Health Department ordered the Boston Market in Shadyside to close after it was deemed an imminent health hazard.
An inspector found standing water at the front cook line, employees were walking on cardboard to pass through areas and the restaurant was cited for sanitation and pest issues.
The health department’s website will be updated when the closure is removed.
Source: Allegheny County Health Department Shuts Down Boston Market – CBS Pittsburgh
No one was injured in the partial collapse of a warehouse building late Friday afternoon along Tyrol Boulevard in Rostraver.
No one was in the building at the time, according to Rostraver Police Sgt. Ron Naylor. He said the building once served as a potato chip warehouse but had not been used for some time.
Naylor said the building is in poor condition, was acquired by operators of the nearby Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill and was slated for demolition.
Source: No one injured in partial collapse of vacant Rostraver warehouse | TribLIVE.com
Security agents caught the third gun in nine days – and the second this week – at Pittsburgh International Airport on Friday, Transportation Security Administration officials said.
Security officers stopped a Westmoreland County man at the security checkpoint after they spotted a .38-caliber handgun in the man’s carry-on bag.
Allegheny County Police discovered the man, identified in court records as Richard Santone Sr., did not have a license to carry the gun.
Santone, of Hannastown, is charged with carrying a firearm without a license, court records show.
It was the second time this week TSA agents stopped a traveler trying to take a gun through security in their carry-on.
Source: Westmoreland County man charged with carrying unlicensed firearm at airport | TribLIVE.com
According to a Tuesday Op-Ed in The New York Times, many French “politicians and prominent intellectuals” believe that America’s new woke culture has gone too far and now poses an existential threat to the French republic and identity.
Specifically, they are concerned about the dangerous social theories on “race, gender and post-colonialism”, which they view as forms of separatism.
In an October speech, French President Emmanuel Macron said the threat to French culture lies in “[c]ertain social science theories entirely imported from the United States.”
Macron is absolutely correct.
In recent years, the emboldened left has tried to force Americans into adopting their radical, divisive ideas. They’ve tried to convince every white person that they’re racist and must atone for it.
TRENDING: South Bend’s Infrastructure Was So Bad When Buttigieg Was Mayor, Domino’s Had to Help Fill Potholes
Progressives are trying to insert unnatural gender ideas, critical race theory (which suggests the system is inherently racist and that whites maintain power by oppressing people of color) and revisionist history (in the form of The Times’ 1619 Project) into the curricula of public schools. And they’ve been able to do so with relative ease.
The Washington Times reported that lawmakers in two southern states have decided to stand up against the anti-American ideologies. Halleluiah!
Source: Southern Lawmakers in Multiple States Tell Leftists They’re Not Putting Up with Anti-Americanism
The media has taken a closer look into family members of Joe Biden as their business dealings present new ethical challenges to his administration.
The Biden family became a topic of debate during the 2020 election and reports are now suggesting Biden’s son-in-law Howard Krein could be the next to cash in on the presidency.
On Tuesday, the White House dismissed concerns that Krein’s work with the coronavirus response could be considered a conflict of interest. Krein, who is married to Biden’s daughter Ashley, was an early investor in StartUp Health and is now its chief medical officer.
Back in December of 2020, the company began investing in companies who had the explicit intent to build government relationships and promote their COVID-19 technology. This occurred as Krein began formally advising Biden on the pandemic.
Reporters have raised concerns that Krein could use his position to promote companies to the White House or influence policy. White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki didn’t address the rumors head on. Instead, she reiterated Biden’s previous vow on ethics.“
Well Dr. Krein is his son-in-law and I think he was here because the president was inaugurated recently, which is understandable,” Psaki stated. “The president has made it clear that there will be an absolute wall between him and any businesses dealing with his family members.”
Meanwhile, Biden’s brother Frank was featured in an advertisement in January for a law firm in which he promoted his relationship with his brother. The ad shows Frank advocating for a law firm as a non-attorney
.It focused on a class-action lawsuit against sugar cane growers in Florida with Biden stat
Source: Biden family business dealings raise ethical questions | One America News Network
PITTSBURGH — A man purposely crashed his pickup truck into a gas station and tried to steal an ATM Friday morning in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood, police said.
The crash happened about 7 a.m. at the Sunoco gas station on Centre Avenue.
Police said the man was unable to pick up the ATM and took off in the truck, but he was found and arrested on Fifth Avenue in the city’s Uptown neighborhood.
Source: Man purposely crashes into Pittsburgh gas station, tries to steal ATM
BEIJING — Chinese state TV included dancers in blackface portraying Africans during a national broadcast as Asia welcomed the lunar Year of the Ox Friday with subdued festivities amid travel curbs to contain renewed coronavirus outbreaks.
The “African Song and Dance” performance came at the start of the Spring Festival Gala, or “Chunwan,” one of the world’s most-watched TV programs. It included Chinese dancers in African-style costumes and dark face makeup beating drums.
The five-hour annual program, which state TV has said in the past is viewed by as many as 800 million people, also included tributes to nurses, doctors and others who fought the coronavirus pandemic that began in central China in late 2019.
China’s ruling Communist Party tries to promote an image of unity with African nations as fellow developing economies. But state broadcaster China Central Television has faced criticism over using blackface to depict African people in previous New Year broadcasts.
On Twitter, Black Livity China, a group for people of African descent who work in or with China, called the broadcast “extremely disappointing.” It noted CCTV’s 2018 Spring Festival Gala, which featured performers in blackface with a monkey.
“We cannot stress enough the impact scenes such as these have on African and Afro-diasporic communities living in China,” the group said.
Source: Chinese TV’s Lunar New Year gala features blackface performers
The Senate has voted unanimously to award Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman with a Congressional Gold Medal, the institution’s highest civilian honor, for his actions to protect the Congress during the deadly Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol.
Goodman was greeted in the Senate chamber on Friday with a standing ovation for his actions, which have been praised on both sides of the aisle as heroic and likely life saving.
Prior to this week’s Senate impeachment hearings, Goodman was already being praised as a hero for steering a mob of pro-Trump extremists away from the Senate chamber on the day of the insurrection. This week, House impeachment managers unveiled previously unseen footage that showed Goodman also redirecting Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, a Republican critic of former President Trump, away from an approaching swarm of rioters.
“By redirecting violent rioters away from the Senate chamber on January 6th, Officer Goodman defended our democracy and saved the lives of senators and staff,” Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said in a statement.
The Lincoln Project was plunged into even deeper turmoil Thursday, with the anti-Trump group tapping an outsider to investigate its handling of sexual misconduct allegations against a co-founder, and former employees demanding to be released from non-disclosure agreements.
On Friday, several more key advisers left the group in the wake of the previous day’s scandalous reports.
The organization fanned the flames by tweeting out what appeared to be private messages between a co-founder who left in a rancorous split and a journalist who was hoping to interview her. The Lincoln Project later deleted the tweet—which was cited by the ex-staffers as an example of retaliation.
The controversy boiled over hours after reports that leaders of the Lincoln Project knew about sexual harassment allegations against co-founder John Weaver last summer, before they became public in January. (Lincoln Project co-founder Rick Wilson is a Daily Beast columnist and co-hosts the podcast The New Abnormal.)
More than 20 men have accused Weaver of sending unsolicited sexual messages, with some saying he tried to barter his connections for sex; one was underage when Weaver began communicating. Weaver, who is married with two children, admitted his behavior was “inappropriate” but said he thought all the interactions were consensual.
Weaver resigned, but the accusations did not end there. Last weekend, co-founder Jennifer Horn stepped down, citing what she said were Weaver’s “grotesque and inappropriate behavior” and “longstanding deceptions.” The group responded by claiming she left after making financial demands including a $250,000 signing bonus.
On Thursday, the Associated Press reported that leaders of the Lincoln Project learned about allegations against Weaver in the summer after a payroll employee emailed co-founder Ron Steslow—who then reportedly shared it with corporate counsel Matthew Sanderson and other key figures and advocated for Weaver to be removed from the organization.
Source: Lincoln Project Sinks Deeper Into Turmoil Over John Weaver Sex Allegations
White House deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo was suspended for one week. President Joe Biden had said he would fire staffers who disrespected colleagues.
The White House on Friday suspended a press aide who reportedly threatened to “destroy” a reporter working on a story about his relationship with another journalist.
Deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo was suspended for one week, without pay, after Vanity Fair reported he told Politico’s Tara Palmeri that he would “destroy” her for writing about his relationship with Axios reporter Alexi McCammond.
Vanity Fair reported Friday that in a conversation with Palmeri, who previously covered the White House as a correspondent for ABC News, Ducklo had “made derogatory and misogynistic comments” — including accusing her of being “jealous” of his relationship. “I will destroy you,” he told Palmeri, according to the magazine, which cited anonymous sources.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Ducklo’s suspension on Friday, after the Vanity Fair piece was published, and called Ducklo’s behavior “completely unacceptable.”
Source: White House suspends deputy press secretary TJ Ducklo for threatening reporter – ABC News
- Rep. Claudia Tenney defeated Democratic incumbent Rep. Anthony Brindisi by 109 votes in a race that was decided this week
- On Thursday, Tenney was scheduled to be sworn in at Capitol – more than a month after the bulk of her colleagues on Jan. 3 had their swearing-in ceremony
- She said she asked to have her son, an active duty Marine and graduate of the Naval Academy, to join the ceremony
- Tenney claims Nancy Pelosi prevented her son from being in the gallery but a spokesperson for the speaker said that the decision was not handled by her office
- ‘The COVID restrictions are set by the House Sergeant at Arms and the Attending Physician,’ Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said
- Hammill added that the decision ‘has nothing to do with politics’ and that ‘the same thing would happen to a Democratic member’
St. Michael, Pa. (WJAC) — It was September 2020 when Cambria County resident Geri Maul opened “Maul’s Subs & Skillz” in St. Michael.
“We did really great in the month of September and even into October. Once November hit, between the holidays and the government shutdown, it got really slow,” she said.
Slowing down…to the point of struggling.
The business — offering 24-inch subs, baked goods, and the chance to win cash on Pennsylvania Skill machines — announced they would be closing their doors forever.
“Friday or Saturday would be our last day as soon as our supplies ran out. We were done. We weren’t going to order any more products,” Geri said.But when Geri came back to clean out the space later that weekend, she came across a generous surprise.
“There was an envelope underneath the door, and it said, “to Maul’s Subs & Skillz,” and inside was a monetary donation with a note that said, “please don’t close.”
That anonymous donation, she says, contained enough money to dig them out of their financial hole.
Source: Local sub shop about to go out of business, saved by donation from anonymous patron | WJAC
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Good morning. i expect to see a couple of snow showers popping up at times on radar through the day today with highs slightly warmer than yesterday’s 27 degrees we hit for a high. Morning lows will be near 20 degrees.
The next chance for impactful weather comes in on Saturday night.
RELATED:Pennsylvanians Experiencing Homelessness Can Now Get Free IDs
Source: Pittsburgh Weather: Wintry Conditions, Possible Freezing Rain – CBS Pittsburgh
A Colorado police officer was fired Thursday following investigations into an excessive use of force incident in which he punched a suspect multiple times in the ribs and shocked him five times with a Taser before giving any verbal commands.
Aurora police Officer Robert Rosen responded Aug. 10 to a King Soopers supermarket, where another officer requested assistance in arresting a man on trespassing charges, according to a statement from the department. The man was on the ground on his stomach with his arms underneath him, according to police and body camera video worn by the officer who was trying to initially arrest him.
Rosen arrived to the scene and immediately started punching the man in the ribs before saying anything, the body camera video showed. He then deployed his Taser five times, for a total of 27 seconds within two minutes, according to police.
The suspect suffered minor injuries.
“During the arrest Officer Rosen never attempted any lesser means of force nor did he make any attempts to deescalate the situation in accordance with Aurora Police training,” the department said in the statement.
Investigations into the incident found Rosen did not activate his body camera during the arrest and “failed to document his justifications for each use of force that he used during the arrest,” police said.
Source: Colorado officer, shown in video punching suspect multiple times, fired for excessive force
About 1,000 employees and staff members at Redstone Highlands’ three skilled nursing facilities have their first and, in some cases, second doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
With the facilities on their way to being protected, president and CEO John Dickson said it was a shock to learn the virus made its way back in. An outbreak of covid-19 was reported in the Greensburg center, where 15 residents and three staff members tested positive during the past week. One resident died.
“This has been surprising to us,” Dickson said.
Source: Despite vaccine, Redstone Highlands reports covid spike at Greensburg facility | TribLIVE.com
The largest asteroid known to be passing near Earth this year will also be one of the fastest rocks to cruise past our planet, and it’s all happening March 21.
Before you panic, just know this: though it’s been classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid — because of its size and frequency of passing near Earth — but there’s no risk of impact, according to EarthSky.
Asteroid 2001 FO32, which is approximately .6 miles in diameter, has been compared to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, although it’s not quite as long.
If you’re thinking that’s impressive, the rock will be cruising through space at about 76,980 mph — or 21 miles per second, relative to Earth.
By comparison, EarthSky reports our planet travels around the sun at about 18 miles per second.
Source: Largest asteroid to fly past Earth this year is coming soon — and it’s huge
US President Joe Biden has paused legal action against TikTok and WeChat, which could have seen the apps banned in the United States.
While president, Donald Trump had sought to ban both apps, claiming they were a national security threat.
Both companies had taken legal action against the proposed bans.
The new administration has now asked for an “abeyance” – or suspension – of proceedings while it revisits whether the apps really pose a threat.
The delay means both apps can continue to operate in the US while new staff at government agencies “become familiar with the issues in this case”, the legal documents state.
Mr Trump had claimed that the spread in the US of mobile apps developed and owned by Chinese firms threatened “the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States”.
Messaging app WeChat has more than one billion users worldwide, but says the US only accounts for 2% of its revenue.
Video-sharing app TikTok has about 800 million users worldwide, of which 100 million are in the US.
Source: US President Joe Biden ‘pauses’ TikTok and WeChat bans – BBC News
Britney Spears’ battle to remove her father’s conservatorship over her estate continued Thursday as a judge denied her father’s objections to how her conservatorship will be delegated.
Britney Spears filed a petition with the court last year to remove her father and to place a financial institution as the sole conservator over her estate. Her attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, argued last year that the singer was afraid of James “Jamie” Spears and would rather a professional financial institution take over her estate.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny denied the singer’s petition last year but appointed Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator along with James Spears.
Objections raised by James Spears’ attorney, Vivian Thoreen, on how the co-conservatorship would be delegated were rejected Thursday. One objection raised by Thoreen asked that James Spears have the power to delegate investment powers, an issue that was a point of debate between the two attorneys Thursday.
Ingham told the court that the nature of a co-conservatorship is that James Spears’ powers as sole conservator, appointed by the court in 2019, would be reduced. Thoreen argued that the court orders should be consistent with the 2019 order that gave him sole conservatorship.
“There’s no intent or desire to create unequal power or decision-making as between the two, your honor,” Thoreen argued. “This is a way to make it consistent and to not take away powers that Mr. Spears as a conservator had.”
Source: Britney Spears’ father loses bid to retain control of delegating her investments
In some Pittsburgh neighborhoods, snow doesn’t create a winter wonderland. It creates treacherous road conditions that too often go unplowed and untreated.
Following Wednesday night’s snowfall, City Councilman Anthony Coghill received five or six calls from residents who were concerned about snow-covered roads.
“That’s a walk in the park,” Coghill said, explaining that he received closer to 200 calls complaining about road conditions following a snowstorm last Christmas.
“I get phone calls every time it snows,” he said.
Coghill represents the 4th District, which encompasses Beechview, Bon Air, Brookline, Carrick, Mt. Washington and Overbrook — all hilly neighborhoods. Snow removal, he said, is a major concern for his constituents.
“I know it’s a problem,” he said. “We just need more resources.”
Source: Slow snow removal causes frustration in some Pittsburgh neighborhoods | TribLIVE.com
Criminal charges have been dropped against two police officers seen on video last spring shoving a 75-year-old protester to the ground in Buffalo, New York, prosecutors said Thursday.
Source: Buffalo police officers seen shoving elderly protester have charges dropped | Fox News
The Biden administration said it will begin phasing in a new asylum process on Feb. 19 to deal with a backlog of migrants seeking asylum on the southern U.S. border, many of whom have been waiting in squalid camps in a state of limbo for court dates because of the Migrant Protection Protocols program.
Under pressure to make good on campaign promises on immigration and facing the prospect that a new wave of migrants seeking to escape desperate situations could flood the border, the Biden team said it plans to start allowing in a trickle of asylum-seekers — about 300 people per day — from among an estimated 25,000 people with “active cases” in the now-defunct MPP program.
Former President Donald Trump called the program “Remain in Mexico” because it forced migrants from Central American countries to await asylum hearings outside the United States. Ending the program was one of Biden’s first actions when he took office, part of a sweeping rollback of Trump’s measures aimed at curbing immigration. Biden promised a more “humane” system.
Source: Biden Team Unveils New Asylum System To Start Dealing With Migrant Backlog : NPR
Republicans were outraged. U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., called for a Justice Department investigation.
“The families of thousands of dead New York seniors deserve accountability and justice for the true consequences of Governor Cuomo’s fatally flawed nursing home policy and the continued attempts to cover it up. It’s clear what’s happening here is criminal,” Zeldin said.
The Post report coincided with a second correction from state officials in as many weeks about underreported nursing-home deaths.
U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., demanded that Cuomo and his “senior team” be “prosecuted immediately” in connection with DeRosa’s revelations. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
Fox News is expanding The Greg Gutfeld Show to weeknights at 11 p.m. ET, making a rare effort to reach late-night viewers with a comedic show with the outspoken host.
The show will take the place of Fox News @ Night, anchored by Shannon Bream, which will move to the midnight slot.
Fox News said that Gutfeld, who headlines a show on Saturday night, will launch on weekdays in the second quarter. The network has not announced a replacement for Gutfeld’s weekend show.
The move is also the latest sign of Fox News expanding its nightly opinion and commentary. It recently shifted a 7 p.m. ET newscast, The Story with Martha MacCallum, in favor of Fox News Primetime, with a rotating group of hosts.
Source: Fox News Expands ‘The Greg Gutfeld Show’ To Weeknights At 11 PM – Deadline
Employees at Ocean Treasures in the North Hills are raising money to help their co-workers following a four-alarm fire in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood on Monday.
General manager Jennifer Butler told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that Willis Hurt and Evan Russell learned about the fire while at work on Monday. They had just moved into the building in January, according to Butler.
“They’re in better spirits today and you know I’ve told them we started the GoFundMe so that we can try to do more,” she said. “If one of us is in need of something then we need to be there to help each other.”Click here for the GoFundMe page.
Butler organized the page. She shared their story and listed what they need.
Two of my employees lost everything in the fire on East Carson Street on 2/8/2021. All they have are the clothes on their back. We are looking to raise money to help them get back on their feet and start over again. Anything will help. They had just moved in a month before the fire. They need clothes, shoes, furniture, a new place, and more if you are not able to donate money and would like to donate in other ways please contact us. They just moved in 1 month to the day of the fire. They are originally from Ohio and have no family in the area. We are a small family owned and operated business in Pittsburgh. If you have any other questions please contact one of our Ocean Treasures Stores in either Ross Twp or Wilkins Twp.
The goal is $5,000.
On Tuesday, crews worked to tear down the more than 150-year-old building brick-by-brick.
Source: Employees raising money for co-workers impacted by South Side fire
A Greensburg woman pulled over early Tuesday for driving erratically during a snow storm without functioning headlights was later arrested by city police and charged with illegal possession of crack cocaine and heroin.
Sarah K. Walters, 28, also was charged with child endangerment because, police say, she had two young children, ages 3 and 5, in her van who were not secured in child safety seats and left a third child, 8, at her apartment unsupervised during the trip.
Patrolman Henry Fontana Jr. said the incident began at 12:41 a.m. on the 700 block of Highland Avenue when he noticed Walters’s van with improperly working headlights having trouble navigating the snow-covered road. He pulled her over in the Nature’s Way parking lot, according to police reports.
Fontana said, when he questioned Walters, he saw two children not properly secured in child safety seats and discovered Walters in possession of suspected crack cocaine, heroin and devices to ingest the drugs.
“Through investigation, it was determined that Walters left a third child, an 8-years-old girl, at home and unattended as she drove to a Greensburg residence to purchase crack cocaine and heroin,” Fontana wrote in court documents.
(CNN)A trio of Republican senators allied with former President Donald Trump met with his defense team Thursday evening, in the middle of an impeachment trial in which they will vote on whether to convict Trump and potentially bar him from holding public office again.
Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah were spotted going into a room in the US Capitol that Trump’s lawyers were using to prepare for their arguments.Trump lawyer David Schoen said that the senators were “very friendly guys” who just wanted to make sure they were “familiar with procedure” on the eve of their rebuttal to the House impeachment managers’ presentation.When asked if it’s appropriate to meet with senators during the trial, Schoen said, “Oh yeah, I think that’s the practice of impeachment.”
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WJAC) — The attorney for a Johnstown area man who admitted to setting fire to a vacant Johnstown building that he was helping renovate for a management company that had owned the building says his client accepted responsibility as he was sentenced Thursday to an additional 30 months in federal prison and is ordered to pay more than $1.3 million in restitution.
Mark Hutchison, 35, was one of two men charged with igniting the Fairfield Avenue complex on Dec. 12, 2018. Investigators say the building had been purchased by a New York-based company from Citrona Homes, LLC in Florida and was undergoing renovations.
“Mark accepted responsibility for his role in this incident from the outset,” said Art McQuillan, Hutchison’s attorney. “We respect the sentence the court imposed.”
Source: Worker sentenced for setting vacant Johnstown building ablaze | WJAC
