Aliquippa Man Stopped with Loaded Gun at Pittsburgh International Airport Security Checkpoint

(MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa.) An Aliquippa man was stopped going through a TSA Security Checkpoint this week at Pittsburgh International Airport after TSA Agents spotted a loaded 9mm handgun on a checkpoint X-ray machine’s monitor. Officers immediately alerted Allegheny County Police. The weapon was loaded with five bullets and one of the bullets was in the chamber of the gun ready to be fired.

After Allegheny County Police questioned the man the gun was confiscated, and he now faces federal civil penalties. This was the 14th gun that has been found at a security checkpoint in the airport this year.

Beaver County’s hazardous materials collection at the Brady’s Run Park Recycling Center on October 10 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. 

Safely dispose of common household chemicals at Beaver County’s hazardous materials collection at the Brady’s Run Park Recycling Center on October 10 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  Advance registration for the event is required.

Acceptable items include aerosol cans, automotive fluids, batteries, chemistry sets, compact fluorescent bulbs, gasoline and kerosene, household cleaners, mercury, paint products, pesticides and herbicides, photo chemicals, pool chemicals, and smoke detectors.

Additional details, fees, and items not accepted are available at www.prc.org or by calling (724) 770-2064.

2 charged for handling of virus outbreak at veterans home

2 charged for handling of virus outbreak at veterans home
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Two former leaders of a Massachusetts home for aging veterans where nearly 80 people sickened by the coronavirus died have been criminally charged for their handling of the outbreak. Attorney General Maura Healey told reporters on Friday that former Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Superintendent Bennett Walsh and former Medical Director David Clinton were indicted by a grand jury. Each is charged with five counts of criminal neglect five counts of serious bodily injury. A phone message was left Friday with a lawyer for Walsh. It was not immediately clear whether Clinton had an attorney.

Teen charged in Kenosha shootings fights extradition

Teen charged in Kenosha shootings fights extradition
By SCOTT BAUER and TERESA CRAWFORD Associated Press
WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — A 17-year-old in Illinois accused of killing two protesters days after Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is fighting his return to Wisconsin to face homicide charges that could put him in prison for life. John Pierce, an attorney for Kyle Rittenhouse, said during a brief hearing Friday that he intends to fight extradition. Judge Paul Novak gave the defense 14 days to review papers and file pleadings ahead of an Oct. 9 hearing. Rittenhouse surrendered to police in his howetown of Antioch, Illinois, a day after prosecutors say he shot and killed two and wounded a third on the streets of Kenosha on Aug. 25. His attorneys have said Rittenhouse acted in self-defense.

Minuteman Press Business Minute for Friday September 25, 2020

Dollar mixed
The U.S. dollar is mixed against other North American currencies in New York trading.
It’s worth 1.34 Canadian dollars, unchanged from late Thursday.
And the dollar is trading at 22.34 Mexican pesos, up from late Thursday.

Wall Street yo-yos as S&P 500 heads for 4th weekly loss
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are wobbling Friday morning, as the S&P 500 heads for a fourth straight week of losses amid Wall Street’s sudden September swoon. The S&P 500 was 0.1% higher after flip-flopping between small gains and losses a few times after trading opened. Stocks have been erratic recently, and indexes have taken several sharp turns in momentum each day. The S&P 500 is still on pace for a loss of 2.1% this week, which would give the index its first four-week losing streak in more than a year. Smaller stocks were faring slightly better Friday, while Treasury yields edged lower.

Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods ticks up just 0.4%
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods increased just 0.4% in August following a much larger gain in the previous month. It was the fourth consecutive monthly increase, but the most recent uptick was far weaker than the 11.7% surge in July, according to Commerce Department data Friday.  Economists had expected production to ease somewhat after manufacturers rebounded strongly in previous months from COVID-19 related shutdowns, but the growth in August was less than half what economists had projected.

Global shares mixed…More Trump tax return court arguments
HONG KONG (AP) — Global shares were mixed today, cheered by a modest rally on Wall Street and rising hopes for fresh stimulus for the U.S. economy. In early trading, France’s CAC 40 dropped 1.5%, while Germany’s DAX slipped 1.4%. Britain’s FTSE 100 edged 0.2%. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei closed 0.5% higher. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gave up earlier gains, sinking 0.3%. The Shanghai Composite index fell 0.1%. On Wall Street, Dow and S&P futures are down.
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York prosecutor engaged in a long-running battle to obtain Donald Trump’s tax returns is resorting to “speculation and innuendo” to justify his demands, the president’s lawyers argued in court papers filed Thursday on the eve of an appeals court showdown. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments today after a district court judge last month rejected Trump’s renewed efforts to invalidate a subpoena that the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. issued to the president’s accounting firm. Vance’s office says there’s “a mountainous record” of public allegations of misconduct to support its efforts to obtain Trump’s tax returns.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is expected to file an antitrust action against Google in coming weeks, focusing on its dominance in online search and whether it was used to stifle competition and hurt consumers, a person familiar with the matter tells The Associated Press. The department also is examining Google’s online advertising practices, said the person, who could not discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Antitrust officials at the department briefed state attorneys general this week on the planned action against Google, seeking support from states across the country that share concerns about Google’s conduct.

UNDATED (AP) — Hong Kong Disneyland has reopened for the second time as the semi-autonomous Chinese city again appears to have brought new coronavirus cases down to near-zero. The resort shut down during the initial stage of China’s outbreak when Hong Kong closed schools and offices. Disneyland reopened after cases dropped off but then was shut again once infections began to climb again over the summer. The resort reopened today with social distancing measures for lines, restaurant seating and rides and more frequent cleaning in crowded areas. Hong Kong’s economy is heavily dependent on tourism and the government has been moving steadily to bring back business without sparking new outbreaks in the densely populated city of 7.5 million.

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her family are facing a 35 million pound ($45 million) hit from the coronavirus pandemic, partly due to a shortage of tourists. Keeper of the Privy Purse Michael Stevens says a lack of income from visitors to royal buildings is likely to bring a shortfall of 15 million pounds, or $19 million, over three years. He says the impact of the pandemic is also likely to cause a 20 million pound shortfall in a 369-million-pound program to replace antiquated heating, plumbing and wiring at Buckingham Palace. The accounts show that the monarchy cost British taxpayers 69.4 million pounds in the year to the end of March.

Gov. Wolf to Sen. Toomey: Please Remember Your Precedent, Wait to Confirm a New Supreme Court Justice

Gov. Wolf to Sen. Toomey: Please Remember Your Precedent, Wait to Confirm a New Supreme Court Justice

Harrisburg, Pa. – Today, Governor Tom Wolf called on U.S. Senator Pat Toomey to follow the precedent he set in 2016 and refuse to vote to confirm a new Associate Justice to the Supreme Court until the presidential election concludes and the elected candidate is sworn into office. The governor made the following statement:

“At a time when vital issues that affect the lives, health and safety of Pennsylvanians are being brought for consideration before the highest court in the nation, our leaders must proceed with great care and deliberation as they determine the right person to fill Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the bench.

“The next Supreme Court Justice will join the court in ruling on key issues of our day that are of grave importance to Pennsylvanians, including health care and a woman’s right to choose. It would be an unconscionable error to rush into a nomination when the people of Pennsylvania and the nation as a whole will make clear their wishes for the future of our country in a few short weeks.

“In 2016, Sen. Toomey refused to vote on a nominee to the Supreme Court after Associate Justice Antonin Scalia passed away eleven months prior to the election. To quote the senator’s own words from that time, ‘This decision should not be rushed, and it should not be made amid the clamoring of a presidential election season.’

“With less than a month and a half before the 2020 general election, I call on Sen. Toomey to uphold his own precedent, and commit to refusing to vote for or against any nominee to the Supreme Court until the next presidential term begins.”

PennDOT Resumes Motorcycle Safety Training Courses

PennDOT Resumes Motorcycle Safety Training Courses

Harrisburg, PA   The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that through the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Program (PAMSP) it is partnering with multiple vendors to resume motorcycle safety training classes for Pennsylvania residents through a statewide pilot program for the rest of the calendar year. Classes were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic and are restarting with COVID-19 mitigation measures in place.

 American Motorcycle Training, Inc., P&P Enterprises Inc./DBA Appalachian Cycles, Shaeffer’s Harley Davidson, and Total Control Training, Inc. are the first approved vendors that will provide motorcycle safety trainings.

 Classes operating under the PAMSP are free to Pennsylvania motorcycle permit and license holders. Successful completion of a basic or intermediate course waives the requirement to take a skills test at a PennDOT Driver License Center and automatically earns the permit holder their motorcycle license. Motorcycle permit holders who complete a 3-wheel basic course will earn a motorcycle license with restriction prohibiting the operation a of 2-wheel motorcycle.

 Classes will be scheduled through the remainder of the 2020 calendar year, weather permitting, at multiple training sites throughout Pennsylvania. Class schedules are coordinated by each third-party training provider for their individual locations and additional information can be found at www.penndot.gov/PAMSP. Additional classes and locations will continue to be added.

 Considering COVID-19 health concerns, PennDOT will continue to offer a virtual motorcycle training course for individuals under 18 who are required by law to complete a department-approved motorcycle safety course before they can take the skills test and obtain their motorcycle license. To schedule or for more information on this course, visit www.penndot.gov/PAMSP.

 PennDOT understands the importance of offering motorcycle training to the public and continues to evaluate program needs and is working hard to ensure motorcycle training continues throughout the state. PennDOT is committed to ensuring the program is sustainable for the future following the COVID-19 emergency.

 Additional, COVID-19 information is available at www.health.pa.gov. For more information, visit www.dmv.pa.gov or www.PennDOT.gov.

Pa State Rep. Josh Kail Announces Grant for District

 

CENTER – Rep. Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington) announces a $70,000 Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) grant for additional development of Morris Township Community Park in Washington County.

The funding will be used for the construction of a pedestrian walkway, fishing pavilions, a pedestrian bridge and stormwater management measures. It will also be used for ADA access, landscaping, project sign and other related site improvements.

“Since so many people are staying closer to home for vacations and recreational time, it’s important that our parks are in good condition. I’m glad the grant money is coming to the district, where it will be able to benefit families of all kinds,” Kail said. “During challenging times, people need to have ways to relax, and enjoying nature is a great, healthy way to do that.”

The DCNR grant program is funded with a variety of state and federal funding sources including the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, the Environmental Stewardship Fund, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, Pennsylvania Trails fund, Pennsylvania Heritage Area Program and the ATV Restricted Management Account Fund.

For more information about Kail and his legislative priorities, please visit RepKail.com or Facebook.com/RepKail.

IMPAIRED DRIVING ENFORCEMENT THIS WEEKEND IN BEAVER COUNTY

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Hopewell, Twp., Pa.) Beaver County’s Impaired Driving Task Force Coordinator Hopewell Township Detective Greg Durkos  announced yesterday that the task force will be out conducting sobriety checking points  and /or roving patrols this weekend. Detective Durkos said this weekend’s  program is in support of the state’s Impaired Driving Enforcement Initiative.

the checkpoints or roving patrols  will be conducted at undisclosed locations throughout the county to keep roads safe, save lives, and reduce DUI crashes.
Drivers are asked to drink responsibly and assign designated drivers or make alternate arrangements to get home safely.  The task force reminds drivers to always BUCKLE UP!, this is your defense in any crash!

Beaver Falls School District Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Beaver Falls, Pa.)  Beaver Falls School District Superintendent Donna M. Nugent sent a letter to parents informing them that an employee at the high school tested positive for  COVID-19. the employee is self isolating   at home, according to a spokesperson  for the district.

According to Dr. Nugent’s letter to parents there is no  continued risk  or known exposures that would require others to quarantine or self isolate. She said that there  was no exposure to students or other staff. The information has been reported to the PA DOH.