(File Photo)
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 6:55 AM
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s highest court is putting a final nail into the coffin of a proposed victims’ rights constitutional amendment that state voters supported by a large margin more than two years ago but which has never gone into effect. The justices ruled Tuesday by a 6 to 1 vote that the sprawling proposal violated the Pennsylvania Constitution’s requirement that amendments address a single topic to prevent lawmakers from bundling together items that might not pass on their own individual merits. Unofficial tallies indicate the so-called “Marsy’s Law” amendment question passed by a ratio of 3 to 1 in 2019.

Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 6:52 AM
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A New Jersey man accused of having thrown a homemade explosive device at police during protests in western Pennsylvania following the death of George Floyd last year has pleaded guilty to a federal obstruction charge. Twenty-six-year-old Nicholas Lucia of Long Beach Township pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Pittsburgh to a charge of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that he faces a two-year prison sentence under a plea agreement with prosecutors that is to be served at the same time as a state sentence for related conduct that has yet to be imposed.

(AP Photo)
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 6:50 AM
By FARNOUSH AMIRI and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania has rebuffed a request for him to sit down for an interview and turn over documents to the committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection. Perry joins other allies of former President Donald Trump in trying to stonewall the committee. Perry said Tuesday the nine-member panel is “illegitimate.” Perry is the first sitting member of Congress the panel has requested to speak with. The committee has requested Perry provide information for its investigation surrounding his efforts to install former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark as acting Attorney General.

(File Photo of Rochester Giant Eagle)

Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 6:48 AM

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Giant Eagle is recalling multiple Fresh Express salad items as well as select items sold in the company’s prepared foods departments. The items were sold at its Giant Eagle and Market District locations across western Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana between Dec. 12 and Dec. 20 due to possible listeria contamination.

Giant Eagle’s recall is associated with the nationwide recall by Fresh Express. Fresh Express announced its recall after learning that certain varieties of its branded and private label salad products produced at the company’s Streamwood, Illinois facility had the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Giant Eagle is conducting this voluntary recall out of an abundance of caution. Giant Eagle said there are no reported illnesses among Giant Eagle customers to date associated with this recall.

The items being recalled by Giant Eagle include:

Items sold in the produce department with production codes of Z324 through Z350. Production codes are located on the front of package below use-by date.

(File Photo)
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 6:44 AM
(Perry Twp, Lawrence County, Pa.) Two medical helicopters were called to the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Route 488 in Perry Township, Lawrence County, Monday evening around 6:30 PM

The Portersville/Muddy Creek Township Volunteer Fire Department rescued a person was trapped in one of the vehicles which was on fire under the dashboard at the time.

The vehicle was also suspended by the guard rail and crews has to stabilize the vehicle as other first responders worked to free the person and put the fire out.

The conditions of the people injured in this crash have not been released

(File Photo)
Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at6:41 AM
(Ambridge, Pa.) Ambridge Police Officers received a call for a domestic situation around 2:30 a.m. yesterday morning from Shannon Lee Hartman, who wanted to press charges against Warren Jackson, but when police arrived at the scene in Crestview Village Apartments neither Hartman or Jackson were there and officers found five children home alone living in deplorable conditions.

There was dirt, food , and feces covering the kids and the floors throughout the apartment.
A one-year-old was found crawling at the top of the steps alone in danger of falling. When they searched the rest of the house, there were four more kids alone ranging in ages two to seven.

It took almost four hours before police finally located the pair back in the apartment parking lot. One the children was taken by another family member and the other four are with children and youth services.

Both Hartman and Jackson are each facing five counts of endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person.

(Photo Courtesy of Pa Media Services)
Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 6:52 AM
(Harrisburg, Pa.) Governor Tom Wolf is taking action against surprise medical bills.
A surprise bill is an unexpected medical bill that a patient receives when they unintentionally receive health care from a provider that’s outside of their plan’s provider network.
The No Surprises Act will require emergency services to be billed as in-network, without needing prior approval.
Gov Wolf said via release that “Medical emergencies, surgeries, major medical procedures are stressful enough on their own, but for too long…Americans have suffered the added stress of surprise medical bills, These bills can cost thousands or some cases even hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they cause immense financial strain for Pennsylvanians.”
It takes effect on January 1, 2022.

(File Photo)
Story by Frank Sparks, News/Program Director
Tuesday, December 21, 2021 at 6:41 AM
(Clinton, Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver are reporting that they filed theft charges against 45-year-old Sean Watkins from East Liverpool, Ohio for theft after he took pictures for the Southside Little Rams Football organization.
Troopers say via release that Watkins took the photos in August for the organization and cashed checks valued at $5451.00 but never produced a final product as promised.
Charges of Theft were filed by Troopers against Watkins at District Court 36-3-04.

(File Photo)
(Beaver Falls, Pa.) Today is the winter solstice as winter will arrive at 3:59 PM today. It also means that today is the shortest day of the year. The sun will rise at 7:42 AM and set at 4:57 PM. The winter solstice is the point here in the Northern Hemisphere that the earth is tilted the furthest away from the sun. In the Southern Hemisphere this is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. The solstice happens twice a year and our next solstice which will be the summer solstice will be June 21, 2022 at 3:32 AM.