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Shooting at baby shower in fire hall wounds 3; man arrested

NEW KENSINGTON (AP) — A suspect is in custody following a shooting at a baby shower at a western Pennsylvania fire hall that wounded three people, authorities said. Police in Lower Burrell in Westmoreland County were called to the Kinloch Fire Department shortly after 6 p.m. and found the suspected shooter leaving the fire hall, police said. He was taken into custody without incident, officials said. Chief John Marhefka said the shooting was initially reported as an active shooter situation but was instead “an isolated family incident” during a baby shower. A preliminary ...

Thousands of Pa. students request mask exemptions

Thousands of students have requested to go mask-free in Pennsylvania schools, claiming a medical exemption amid fierce local opposition to the state’s new face-covering mandate. The order, which went into effect Sept. 7 and applies to all K-12 schools and child care facilities in Pennsylvania, requires students, staff and visitors to wear masks inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status. But an apparent loophole has made it easier for parents in some districts to request medical exemptions for their children. Those districts are using exemption forms that require ...

PennDOT, police urge seat checks

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania State Police and Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project encourage drivers to take advantage of safety seat check resources across the state as the agencies mark National Child Passenger Safety Week, Sept. 19 to 25. Saturday, Sept. 25 has been designated as “National Seat Check Saturday.” “Seat belts and car seats are the best defense in a crash,” PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said. “PennDOT urges all parents and caregivers to take time this week to learn more about the importance of ...

Supreme Court urged to review ban on drug injection sites

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Supporters of a plan to open supervised injection sites to try to reduce overdose deaths urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to review a court decision that bans the practice. The test case centers on a nonprofit group’s Safehouse project in Philadelphia, but officials in other states are watching closely as they debate similar programs. Nationally, more than 93,000 people died last year from drug overdoses, a sharp spike from just a year earlier. A divided U.S. appeals court had rejected the Safehouse plan in January, although Philadelphia’s Democratic ...

Syrian refugee pleads guilty in IS-inspired church bomb scheme

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Syrian refugee accused of plotting to bomb a Christian church in Pittsburgh and who was inspired by the Islamic State group pleaded guilty to a federal charge on Thursday and awaits sentencing. Pittsburgh resident Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 23, entered the plea to attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic Stage group, a militant extremist organization. Authorities have said he had detailed plans in 2019 to bomb the Legacy International Worship Center, a small Christian church on the city’s North Side. Federal prosecutors said at the ...

Pa. liquor stores put 2-bottle limit on booze

HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor system will begin rationing sales of a few dozen products on Friday in response to what it describes as supply shortages beyond its control. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board notified license holders on Thursday that two-bottles-per-day purchase limits for customers at state stores, as well as well for bars, restaurants and other license holders, will remain in place indefinitely. The PLCB said “sustained supply chain disruptions and product shortages” prompted the restrictions on certain types of alcohol. The 43 items ...