Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano
(Aliquippa, Pa.) There was a water line break Thursday morning that occurred in the area of St. Titus Roman Catholic Church on Franklin Avenue.. The break has been repaired, according to a spokesperson for the Aliquippa Water Authority.
(File Photo)
Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano
(Aliquippa, Pa) Beaver County 9-1-1 reported Friday morning that a shooting occurred Thursday night on Sheffield Avenue in Aliquippa near the Eleanor Roosevelt Apartments. The call came in at 8:50 p.m.. The shooting victim was life flighted to a Pittsburgh hospital. .
In 25th Amendment bid, Pelosi mulls Trump’s fitness to serve
By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) — The tensions between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump are getting even worse. Now she is questioning his fitness to serve. And she’s announced legislation that would create a commission to allow Congress to intervene under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and to remove the president from executive duties. Pelosi says Trump needs to disclose more about his health after his COVID-19 diagnosis. The president quickly answered back on Twitter, saying that “Crazy Nancy is the one who should be under observation.” Congress isn’t in legislative session, and so any serious consideration of the measure, let alone votes in the House or Senate, is unlikely.
Scalia ‘heir’ Barrett may be open to reversing Roe v. Wade
By MICHAEL TARM AP Legal Affairs Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee has made clear in her academic writings that she’s at least open to reversing some long-established precedents, possibly including the Roe v. Wade ruling that entrenched women’s abortion rights. Amy Coney Barrett in a 2013 Texas Law Review article described precedent as a “soft” high-court rule and not “an inexorable command.” She added that “legal culture” has never “treated the reversal of precedent as out-of-bounds.” But Barrett has also sometimes struck a pragmatic chord, warning that reversing precedents could shatter trust in the Supreme Court.
Pennsylvania reports most daily virus infections since April
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
Pennsylvania is reporting its highest number of confirmed coronavirus infections in more than five months. The Department of Health said Thursday that another 1,376 people tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19. It was the second consecutive day that new infections rose above 1,300. Thursday’s statewide case count was the highest since April 30, when Pennsylvania recorded 1,397 new infections. Health officials cite increased spread among college and university students. The governor is expressing concern but says the state is in a much better position now to handle the influx than it was at the beginning of the pandemic.
“The new anti-fraud steps we are taking with ID.me allow us to more efficiently process PUA claims while reducing fraud,” said Secretary Oleksiak. “Pennsylvania families are relying on the money they receive through the PUA program to pay their bills, buy food, and keep a roof over their families. ID.me is another step we are taking to help out-of-work Pennsylvanians get the PUA benefits they’re eligible for while preventing fraudsters from illegally lining their pockets.”
Claimants should check their PUA dashboards for secure notifications from ID.me and promptly follow the directions they receive to verify their identities. Only PUA claimants who have been contacted can complete the steps. If claimants do not complete the steps, their payments may continue to be held.
L&I contracted with ID.me to complete additional identity verification after detecting a surge of fraudulent claims through the PUA program in mid-September. Payments to all new claimants for the PUA program were temporarily paused while additional identity verification steps could be implemented to prevent payouts to fraudsters.
ID.me can initially vet about 5,000 claimants daily and expects to ramp up its capacity in the coming days. This new step is in addition to several others taken since fraudulent activity began to be detected in the PUA program in several states this past Spring.
This fraud, which is widespread in many states throughout the country, is occurring when scammers use personal information obtained through previous, non-government data breaches to file for PUA under stolen identities.
ID.me is a federally certified identity verification provider that specializes in digital identity protection. ID.me is already assisting several other states with preventing fraud within the PUA program. L&I continues to work with law enforcement officials to investigate suspected cases of fraud and bring scammers to justice.
Politics has way of finding Supreme Court eager to avoid it
By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court might prefer to avoid politics, but politics has a way of finding the court. President Donald Trump wants the court to keep his taxes from being turned over to New York’s top prosecutor and allow his administration to exclude non-citizens from the census count. He wants the justices to counteract an order making it easier for women to get an abortion pill and rein in voting by mail. And Trump is hoping to have his third high court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, installed before Election Day. That would forge a 6-3 conservative majority on the court.
US layoffs still high, but so is skepticism on jobless data
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dipped last week to a still-high 840,000, evidence that layoffs remain elevated seven months into the pandemic recession. Yet economists say they are increasingly dubious about the unemployment claims figures, even though there is little doubt that hiring has slowed and employers have continued to lay off workers. One reason layoffs remain high is that companies often hold on to workers when a recession begins, if they can, in hopes of outlasting the downturn. Yet if the recession drags on, many will eventually give up and cut workers.
13 charged in plots against Michigan governor, police
By ED WHITE Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — Six people have been charged in federal court with plotting to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home. Separately, seven more people have been charged with trying to target police and the Michigan Capitol. The FBI says in a court filing that four had planned to meet Wednesday to “make a payment on explosives and exchange tactical gear.” The FBI quoted one of the accused as saying Whitmer “has no checks and balances at all.” The government used informants and undercover agents to thwart the plot. U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge says the men are “violent extremists.”
Pennsylvania House Republican Leaders Call on Rep. Aaron Bernstine to Resign Immediately
HARRISBURG – The leadership of the Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus issued the following statement today regarding the conduct of Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence):
“As parents and fellow legislators, we are disgusted by Rep. Bernstine’s conduct. In order to take the time necessary to focus on his family and repair his relationships, we call on Rep. Bernstine to immediately resign.”