WJPA News

The Washington Park is hosting the 6th Annual Dark in the Park Haunted Hayride and Walk Thru. The event will be Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24 from 6:45-10:00 PM. DeAnna Martin, the park director, explains that Friday is geared towards a younger crowd, or those who want less fright, whereas Saturday is dedicated to a full scare. There will be a maze, bonfire, movie screening, and concessions both nights. Martin is grateful to have plenty of volunteers who make the event possible. She says the ultimate goal is to give the community a fun experience at a reasonable price. The ticket booth will open at 6:00 each night, and tickets are only $5 each.

PARIS (AP) — A weekend event for Pittsburgh Steelers fans in Paris has been canceled because of security concerns following recent street protests in the French capital. The NFL and the team both said Thursday that the event at a bar in the Bastille neighborhood was off. The announcement came a day after league Commissioner Roger Goodell said he has a high comfort level in the the teams playing in Paris amid recent civil unrest. More demonstrations could be in store this weekend in the capital and elsewhere around France.

With host communities across the U.S. turning against their gargantuan data centers, America’s technology giants are promising to take fewer taxpayer handouts, keep fewer secrets or shower more money onto the communities willing to allow the server warehouses. The promises come as anti-data center sentiment has become a potent issue in the midterm election with control of Congress and 36 governors’ offices on the line. In addition to ramping up financial incentives, officials with Google and Meta said in interviews with The Associated Press they are trying to address mistrust by being more transparent with communities where they would like to build.

As Halloween approaches, pumpkins are in high demand for carving, painting, and decorating. If you have not bought your pumpkins yet, you may notice that the prices are a bit higher now. Jaime Ursic serves as Master Gardener County Coordinator for Washington County. She says prices are peaking not because there was a crop shortage, but because Halloween is getting closer. Leah Fronk, a horticulture educator with Penn State Extension, agrees that this was a good year for pumpkins overall. Fronk explains that common diseases that usually affect pumpkin plants were not seen until later in the season, and they were not as bad as previous years. However, Fronk says consumers may notice their pumpkins getting soft quicker, because of the heavy rains that many fields got over the summer.  Local master gardeners are available to answer questions about the pumpkin crop, or gardening in general, here.

The woman allegedly causing a man’s death on the Mon-Fayette Expressway by driving the wrong way will face trial. Maciola Newman, 72 of Pickerington, Ohio waived her charges to common pleas court. According to the criminal complaint, Pennsylvania State Police were called to mile marker 37 of the Mon-Fayette Expressway, just north of its intersection with Interstate 70 at 4:30 AM on July 14. There they found that Newman’s car was driving north in the southbound lanes before colliding head on with a car driven by 24 year old Jacob Huber of Ruffs Dale, PA. Huber was pronounced dead at the scene. Newman and her passenger, 38 year old Charles Newman were extricated from their car with serious injuries and flown to a Pittsburgh hospital. Newman has been charged with felony homicide by vehicle, misdemeanor involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment along with several summary offenses. Newman is free on $50,000 bail. She will be formally arraigned on December 3.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former FBI intelligence officials who specialized in foreign election interference have been charged with lying about their roles in investigating the origins of Hunter Biden’s laptop in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides surrendered Friday and made their first appearance in federal court in Washington. The Justice Department says Floris and Benavides lied to Congress in 2023 about the involvement of a specialized foreign-influence task force in investigations into Biden. Floris’ lawyers describe the case as “nonsense.” The case marks the latest in a series of politically charged investigative actions the Justice Department has undertaken in the run-up to the midterm contests.

BLAINE, Wash. (AP) — The Trump administration’s top border official is defending plans to build a wall in Texas’ Big Bend region. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott argues the entire $46 billion wall project is essential for U.S. border security. This comes despite opposition from landowners, businesses and environmentalists in Texas. A judge recently paused construction, citing potential harm. Scott emphasizes the importance of knowing who and what enters the United States, calling it “non-negotiable.” The Republican administration is pushing to complete the wall by the end of President Donald Trump’s second term. Scott talked to The Associated Press in Washington state, where he accompanied a CBP unit that patrols coastal waterways.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Most of the immigrants targeted by federal authorities in California this week for alleged voter fraud had applied for U.S. citizenship and now face charges related to lying on forms or during interviews. Those charges could lead to years in prison and thwart their efforts to naturalize. As of Thursday morning, the government had filed charging documents in 10 of the 28 cases. Federal authorities have charged more than two dozen legal permanent residents in California in a crackdown on people accused of illegally registering to vote or casting a ballot in U.S. elections.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — President Donald Trump is urging Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican nominee for Ohio governor, to keep running a controversial ad. It features the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton. Trump criticized Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who called the ad “deeply troubling.” DeWine, who endorsed Ramaswamy, urged him to remove the ad but didn’t withdraw his support. The ad has sparked division among Ohio Republicans, with some expressing disgust and others supporting it. The ad has also drawn national attention, with mixed reactions from conservative media and political figures. The debate has threatened to spill into other races and states.

State officials say in court filings that the federal government has stopped sharing evidence with Minnesota authorities who are investigating the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers. Attorneys for the Justice Department argued this week that it’s within their discretion to decline to share information with state authorities. Minnesota officials sued President Donald Trump’s administration in March for materials they said they needed to investigate the shootings during Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis earlier this year. State prosecutors announced in July that the federal government had begun turning over key evidence in the cases. But Minnesota investigators said the transfer of evidence stopped soon after the July announcement.

MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11. The order Thursday from U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett came as the BBC’s lawyers complained that Trump had delayed his appearance. Lett said Trump must sit for a deposition by Dec. 11 or face sanctions up to dismissal of his lawsuit unless the discovery period is extended past Dec. 18. The judge also ordered the Department of Justice to respond to former special counsel Jack Smith about whether he has permission to be deposed in the case.