WJPA News

Lithium batteries in a maintenance room were the cause of a fire at the City Mission in downtown Washington Friday morning.  Washington County 911 says the fire was reported around 7:30 a.m.  Washington City Fire Chief Chris Richer tells WJPA News the batteries were properly mounted to a charging shelf above a chair and once they combusted the chair caught fire.  Richer says the buildings sprinkler system put the fire out and crews found minimal fire but there was heavy smoke.  The entire complex was evacuated but no injuries resulted.  The fire has been ruled accidental. City Mission President and CEO Diana Irey Vaughan says the fire was in the single men’s residence area near the cafeteria.

One person was injured in a tractor-trailer rollover crash on Interstate 79 north in Amwell Township.  Washington County 911 says it happened around 9:30 p.m. between the Amity/Lone Pine and Laboratory  exits. The driver reportedly had to be extricated from the cab.  They were transported to a local hospital by ambulance and there is no word on their condition.  Dispatchers day the tractor trailer was blocking both the north and southbound lanes and closed the Interstate for several hours.  Things are back to normal this morning.

An Oakdale man accused of lane splitting between two trucks and killing a man on the roadside will face trial. Jaxon Farrell, 18 faces homicide by vehicle and aggravated assault by vehicle and 18 other charges. At his preliminary hearing, Farrell waived his charges to common pleas court. The criminal complaint states that on August 25, Farrell was lane splitting on an entrance ramp to the Southern Beltway from Route 22 eastbound in Robinson Township. Farrell sped to the right of a tractor trailer and struck a disabled tractor trailer beyond the fog line on the shoulder of the on ramp. In the process Farrell struck and killed 46 year old Brian Everhart who was working on the disabled vehicle. Farrell did not stop to render aid, he continued to drive until his vehicle became disabled. That is where State Police apprehended him. Jaxon told police he hit the truck but did not know he hit a person. Farrell will be formally arraigned on June 30.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Kennedy Center board’s March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” with no regard for its legal obligations. “The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one,” he wrote. Cooper also concluded that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s holding a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers as he looks to make a “final determination” on moving forward with a deal to extend the Iran ceasefire. Iran says the agreement has not been finalized. Trump confirmed the high-level talks on Friday, the day after The Associated Press and other news outlets reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had come to terms on a tentative agreement. The deal would extend the fragile ceasefire by 60 days and reopen the Strait of Hormuz as new talks are held on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs remain low despite economic uncertainty caused by the Iran war. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims were up to 215,000, up from 210,000 the week before. The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, rose by nearly 6,300 to 209,000. The number of Americans signing up for unemployment benefits — a proxy for layoffs — has stabilized in a low range of mostly 200,000 to 250,000 a week since the U.S. economy emerged from a brief but nasty pandemic recession in 2020.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi has finished her interview with House lawmakers about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Bondi stood behind the Trump administration’s release of the Epstein files but refused to answer questions on President Donald Trump’s involvement in it. Democratic lawmakers said Friday that Bondi told them she would not speak about the Republican president in the closed-door interview. Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse gathered outside the Capitol office where lawmakers were interviewing Bondi. The survivors tried to make their presence known to Bondi as she entered the room but say they were shoved aside by police officers.  (Photo:  AP)

(AP) – Virginia State Police say a bus crashed into vehicles slowing for a work zone on Interstate 95 early Friday, killing five people in two cars and sending dozens to hospitals. The crash happened at about 2:35 a.m. on southbound I-95 in Stafford County. A state police statement says all five of those killed were from Massachusetts. Most of the injured were taken to hospitals in Stafford and Fredericksburg. Three were in critical condition, police said. Police said the crash is under investigation and charges are pending. The southbound lanes were reopened by noon, with traffic backups.

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A court in Kenya has suspended a U.S. plan to establish a quarantine facility for Americans exposed to a rare Ebola virus in northeastern Congo. The decision came on Friday after backlash from medical workers and activists. The U.S. intended to send affected and exposed individuals to Kenya instead of flying them home. The Kenyan government has only acknowledged discussions about Ebola preparedness, not the facility itself. The High Court in Nairobi halted any agreements until petitions are heard on Tuesday. The Kenya Law Society and Katiba Institute challenged the facility, citing public health risks and lack of public participation.

BANGKOK (AP) — Rescue divers in Laos have safely evacuated the first of five villagers trapped in a cave for over a week due to floodwaters. The rescue happened Friday night, with the villager seen walking unsteadily with assistance. Divers found the group on Wednesday, but two villagers remain missing. Rescue teams from Laos, Thailand, Japan, and Malaysia are working together, with more help on the way. The villagers had entered the cave to search for valuable minerals and were trapped by flash flooding. Rescuers are pumping water out of the cave, but rain has complicated efforts.