Fire chief faults utility in shopping center blaze
PENN HILLS, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania fire chief is faulting a utility company’s response to a shopping center fire near Pittsburgh that destroyed several businesses and injured a number of firefighters.
Chief Bill Jeffcoats of the Penn Hills fire department said Peoples Natural Gas didn’t get gas service shut off for about five hours after the blaze at Churchill Center was reported at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that “There’s no amount of water we could put on the fire when it’s fed by natural gas.”
Utility spokesman Barry Kukovich said two of the three lines were shut down quickly but the third was harder to locate and shutting it off was delayed due to the emergency equipment and the “significant amount of water” used to fight the fire.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is criticizing Al Sharpton, a prominent defender of Rep. Elijah Cummings. Over the weekend, Trump lashed out at Cummings, a prominent black congressman, calling his Baltimore-area, majority-black district a “rodent-infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.” On Monday, Trump also tweeted against Sharpton, a prominent African American media figure who was in Baltimore to hold a press conference condemning Trump. Sharpton responded by calling Trump a bigot.

GILROY, Calif. (AP) — Police say the shooter who attacked a California festival used an assault-type rifle and opened fire on three local police officers who immediately responded. Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee says even though the handgun-equipped officers were outgunned, the officers were able quickly fatally shoot the gunman. The shooting on the closing day of the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival killed a boy, a teenage girl and a young man.

PENN HILLS, Pa. (AP) — Authorities in western Pennsylvania say a large fire at a shopping center near Pittsburgh destroyed several businesses and injured a number of firefighters. The blaze at Churchill Center in Penn Hills was reported at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Fire Marshal Chuck Miller said four firefighters were hurt when an explosion occurred and a fifth was taken to a hospital for severe heat exhaustion. No life-threatening injuries were reported. Damage was estimated at $1.2 million to $1.5 million.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR MONDAY, JULY 29TH, 2019

TODAY – PLENTY OF SUNSHINE. HIGH NEAR 90.

TONIGHT – PARTLY CLOUDY. LOW – 68.

TUESDAY – SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. HIGH NEAR 80.

The recent heatwave has PA drivers worried about their car batteries sustaining damage. Beaver County Radio News Intern, Kristian Biega, has more on the story…

The frayed relationship between President Donald Trump and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats reflects broader divisions between the president and the government’s intelligence agencies. Coats is resigning after a turbulent two years in which he and the Republican president were often at odds over Russian interference in the 2016 election. Coats regularly appeared out of step with Trump, who says he plans to nominate a Texas congressman  to replace Coats when he leaves next month.

President Donald Trump is criticizing Al Sharpton, a prominent defender of Rep. Elijah Cumminhgs. Over the weekend, Trump lashed out at Cummings, a prominent black congressman, calling his Baltimore-area, majority-black district, a “rodent-infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.” On Monday, Trump also tweeted against Sharpton, a prominent African American media figure who was in Baltimore to hold a press conference condemning Trump. Sharpton responded by calling Trump a bigot.

U-S Representative Conor Lamb is continuing to push the I-R-S to forgive a sizable fine levied against Beaver County for misfiled payroll tax paperwork. In a letter sent last week, Lamb asked the agency to waive 387-thousand in fines and penalties saying the taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay the price for the mistakes made by an individual. The misfiled paperwork has been corrected and resubmitted. The payroll supervisor that misfiled the paperwork in 2016 and 2018 has been fired.

A 6-year old boy was one of the three people killed when a gunman opened fire at a Northern California garlic festival. “My son had his whole life to live and he was only 6,” his father, Alberto Romero told NBC Bay Area. “That’s all I can say.” Three people were killed and at least 15 others injured in the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, authorities said.