WJPA News

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a pair of western Pennsylvania-based amusement companies pleaded guilty to felony corrupt organizations regarding the widespread distribution of hundreds of illegal video gaming devices.  The companies — Buffalo Skills Games, Inc. and J.J. Amusement, Inc. — agreed to dissolution and the forfeiture of $5 million in assets, as part of the plea resolution.  Investigators seized nearly 400 illegal gambling devices from more than 60 locations in several western Pennsylvania counties, including Washington County.  ”This resolution secures a multi-million-dollar forfeiture for the Commonwealth, while assuring the companies will cease to exist,” Attorney General Sunday said. “I commend our partners at the Pennsylvania State Police for helping disband a large-scale operation that involved slot machines essentially dressed up as skill games.”  The Pennsylvania State Police assisted the Office of Attorney General’s Gaming Enforcement and Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Sections in a series of 2024 seizures at bars, gas stations, and convenience stores in Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Crawford, Indiana, Somerset, Venango, Erie, Washington, Armstrong, and Westmoreland counties.

CARROLL TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A North Charleroi man faces charges after Carroll Township police said he attacked a doctor and staff members at Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital. Court documents police were called to the hospital early Saturday for a report of a violent patient. Court documents said Victor Tyree attacked staff members after being asked not to live-stream video of the emergency room area. Police said surveillance video shows Tyree punching, pushing, and grabbing a doctor and two security guards.

North Strabane Township staff moved into their new Municipal Building last fall, but they waited for nicer weather to officially introduce the building to the public. Township officials and several elected officials participated in a ribbon cutting on Tuesday. Township Council President Neil Kelly was excited about the building saying it was desperately needed as their previous building suffered from structural and plumbing issues. Township Manager Andrew Walz said that the building will offer residents amenities that the old building did not have. Residents may rent an event space with a full kitchen for birthday parties, meetings or even exercise classes. Smaller areas are available for business people to rent if they need a temporary office. Instead of constructing a new building from scratch, the township purchased the former Lighthouse Electric offices. County Real Estate records indicate that the building was purchased for $2.75 million. Walz said that $1.6 million in renovations was needed. He said that $1 million of those costs were covered by grants through the state. Walz said the township is not done. A poll of residents last year indicated that they would like an indoor recreation facility. A feasibility study has been ordered for that. Walz said that the site of the old municipal building could be the location for that facility.

Community Bank will celebrate its 125th anniversary on July 1, 2026. Founded in 1901 in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania, Community Bank has grown from a single office in Greene County to 12 branches serving communities across Southwestern Pennsylvania and the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.  As part of the anniversary, Community Bank is launching the “Generations of Trust” campaign, a multi-month initiative designed to honor the people, families, and communities that have shaped the bank over more than a century. Officials say the campaign reflects Community Bank’s long-standing commitment to building relationships rooted in trust, partnership and local service.  They say the campaign will spotlight the enduring relationships that have defined Community Bank’s legacy, including real families whose banking relationships with the institution span multiple generations. Through storytelling shared across television, radio, print, digital, and social media channels, Community Bank will highlight how these relationships reflect the bank’s role in supporting local families and businesses across generations.  Community Bank’s branch locations will host anniversary celebrations on the official milestone date by honoring the bank’s 125 years of shared history and deep community roots, with customer appreciation gifts and baked goods that showcase the talents of local customers specializing in baking and artistry.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The parents of a toddler have been charged with endangering the welfare of children after the child squeezed through a fence at a Pennsylvania theme park zoo and made contact with a wolf. The child suffered a minor injury Saturday at ZooAmerica at Hersheypark. Police say the parents were about 25 to 30 feet away and appeared to be paying attention to their cellphones. The child went through a wooden barrier and put a hand through a metal fence. A wolf grabbed onto the hand with its mouth. Bystanders intervened to help. The parents await a preliminary hearing. Messages were left for the father’s lawyer.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran, the United States and Israel have agreed to a two-week ceasefire. The 11th-hour deal headed off U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to unleash a bombing campaign that would destroy Iranian civilization. But hours after the announcement, Iran and Gulf Arab countries reported new attacks Wednesday. It was not clear if the strikes would scuttle the deal. U.S. Vice President JD Vance called it “fragile.” Even before the new attacks Wednesday, much about the agreement was unclear as the sides presented vastly different visions of the terms.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stock markets are surging worldwide, and oil prices are plunging back toward $90 per barrel after President Donald Trump pulled back from his threat to force a “whole civilization” to die in the war with Iran. The S&P 500 leaped 2.4% after Trump announced a two-week ceasefire, just 90 minutes before a deadline Trump had set for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz. The Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,332 points, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.9% following bigger gains in Europe and Asia. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil tumbled 16.1% below $92, down from $119 earlier in the war.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military says it detected North Korea firing several short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea Wednesday. North Korea has launched missiles in two consecutive days. The latest launches came hours after a senior North Korean official issued a statement ridiculing South Korean hopes for warmer ties. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from an area near the eastern coastal town of Wonsan. Seoul says North Korea also fired an additional ballistic missile toward its eastern waters later Wednesday, without giving further details. The South’s military was also analyzing a projectile launched from an area near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Tuesday.

RINGGOLD, Ga. (AP) — Republican Clay Fuller has won Marjorie Taylor Greene’s former U.S. House seat in Georgia. Fuller’s special election win Tuesday bolsters a slim GOP majority. President Donald Trump in February endorsed Fuller, a former district attorney, propelling him to the front of a large field. Fuller beat Democrat Shawn Harris, who led the first round of voting in March but couldn’t overcome the northwest Georgia district’s strongly Republican tilt. Fuller will have to run again later this year to secure a full two-year term. Greene, once among Trump’s most ardent supporters, resigned in January after a falling out with the president.

BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has confirmed that American journalist Shelley Kittleson, who was kidnapped last week in Iraq, has been released. Kittleson was abducted by the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah from a street corner in Baghdad on March 31. Rubio said in a statement posted on X, “We are relieved that this American is now freed and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq.” He thanked Iraqi authorities, as well as the FBI and U.S. defense department and other U.S. agencies for their work toward securing Kittleson’s release.