Pennsylvania could soon join 20 other states in banning drivers from using handheld cellphones while operating a vehicle. The bipartisan bills recently received approval by the PA House Transportation Committee. One of the bills was filed by Rep. Rosemary Brown (R-Monroe County). The other was filed by Rep. Tony DeLuca (D-Allegheny County). The law in place bans texting while driving, but DeLuca believes that language needs to include all types of cellphone use. Versions of this bill have failed repeatedly over the last several years, but DeLuca is confident 2020 will be different since it’s gaining bipartisan support.

A landslide continues to block Route 51 in Moon Township after several days. The hillside gave way late Thursday, bringing down trees and power lines. There was hope that the stretch of roadway between Purdy and Stoops Ferry roads would reopen Monday, but that was not possible. PennDOT officials said geotechnical engineers determined the slide continued to move over the weekend. However, the rock that needs to be removed is on private property, so PennDOT has to wait to get authorization from the property owner before moving forward.
The continued closure of Route 51 is bad news for business owners in the area. Northbound drivers must detour around the closure by turning left onto Flaugherty Run Road. Southbound drivers need to take Brodhead Road.

The New Castle Police Department are searching for a missing woman. 39-year-old Sabrina Salamon has been missing since Dec. 20 from the City of New Castle. Salamon is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and has brown hair and green eyes. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call New Castle police at 724-656-3586 or you can leave a tip on their website, newcastlepd.com.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8TH, 2020

 

TODAY – CONSIDERABLE CLOUDS THIS MORNING. SOME
DECREASE IN CLOUDS LATER IN THE DAY.
HIGH – 33.

TONIGHT – MOSTLY CLEAR. LOW – 16.

THURSDAY – PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH – 42.

Iran strikes back at US with missile attack at air base
By NASSER KARIMI, AMIR VAHDAT and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press
Iran has struck back at the United States for the killing of a top Iranian general. Iranian state TV says Tehran fired a series of surface-to-surface missiles at an Iraqi air base housing U.S. troops and warning the United States and its allies in the region not to retaliate. U.S. officials confirmed airstrikes at the air base. There was no immediate word on injuries.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

For 30 years, Danny Cellini was a constant force of hard work and recognition in the city of Beaver Falls as its treasurer. That came to an end Friday with Cellini’s passing at the age of 64–a moment that has allowed citizens, co-workers, and loved ones alike to remember and recall the impact he had on their lives and living spaces. One such remembrance comes from Beaver Falls City Manager Charles Jones, who spoke to Beaver County Radio about how he’ll remember Cellini:

 

Inevitably though, a new treasurer must take hold in the city, and Jones gave an update on the current status of the process:

 

Cellini, along with being a Beaver Falls Treasurer for 30 years, was also born and raised in the city starting in 1955. He was laid to rest Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn deserves up to six months in prison. That’s according to a court filing Tuesday. Flynn pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about his conversations with the then-Russian ambassador to the United States, including about his request that Russia not escalate tensions with the U.S. following sanctions imposed by the Obama administration for election interference. At the time, he was the closest Trump associate to agree to cooperate in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state TV says a stampede at the funeral for a top general slain in a U.S. airstrike has killed 56 people and injured 213 others. Thousands of mourners had surrounded the coffin of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in his hometown of Kerman when the crush occurred. It was unclear what set off the stampede. Online videos showed people lying lifeless on a road and others shouting and administering CPR. Soleimani’s death has brought calls across Iran to take revenge against America, drastically raising tensions across the Middle East. The U.S. warned ships of an unspecified threat from Iran across the region’s waterways that are crucial routes for global energy supplies.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Canada’s top general says his country’s military is temporarily relocating some soldiers from Iraq to Kuwait. He made the announcement Tuesday. Western troops in Iraq have been on high alert since the killing of Iran’s top general by a U.S. drone strike last week in Baghdad. Canada has about 500 soldiers in Iraq to help fight the Islamic State group. Canada currently leads the NATO training mission in Iraq.