WJPA News

Two City of Washington residents are facing a long list of charges after investigators say they altered and attempted to cash checks worth more than ten-thousand dollars.  According to criminal complaints,  arrest warrants will be issued for 35 year old Kristen Perchinsky and 24 year old Kolton Barnhart.  Perchinsky was terminated as an employee in the Human Resources Department of Burg Care Center, a skilled nursing facility in Wilkinsburg.  She faces charges that include; five counts of Forgery, four counts of access device fraud and three counts of identity theft.  Barnhart is facing charges that include; five counts of forgery, four counts of fraud and two counts receiving stolen property.  According to the criminal complaint,  the pair altered and attempted to cash checks of other employees at the facility.  Perchinsky was terminated after admitting to her actions and called it “a stupid thing to do”.

Conditional use hearings for a proposed data center in Hanover Township continued Wednesday night. Attorneys representing residents who oppose the development spent three hours cross-examining a return witness for Prime Data Centers. The witness, a Project Manager with Gateway Engineers, testified about the site layout and surrounding environment. Residents who oppose the development believe that there is not enough information provided in Prime’s conditional use application. These residents still share concerns about environmental impacts and their own health, safety, and welfare. Prime has repeatedly stated that more information will be available at a later stage of the project. The hearing will continue November 18 at 6:00 PM at the Hanover Township Fire Department Hall.

Uniontown, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are inviting the public to participate in Virtual Plans Displays to review and provide feedback on two area bridge projects. They are the Route 917 (Main Street) over Pigeon Creek Project in Bentleyville Borough, Washington County, as well as the Route 3013: Route 201 to Donora/Monessen Bridge Project in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County. The Bentleyville project consists of roadway construction, detours, as well as guiderail and drainage upgrades. The Donora/Monessen work includes concrete repairs, asphalt overlay, signing, pavement marking and drainage upgrades, delineation, minor drainage, signal upgrades and new guiderail installation. PennDOT officials say the purpose of the Virtual Plans Display is to provide updates on both projects, including improvements, traffic control and scheduling. The public is encouraged to participate by visiting PennDOT’s District 12 website under the Projects Near You tab. The public can participate through November 24. PennDOT has a toll-free number (1-800-FIX-ROAD) for residents to call to report any road maintenance concern.

Students in the Monessen School District are scheduled to return to in-person classes within the coming week, but parents are raising safety concerns following months of remote learning caused by a mold discovery.  The district discovered mold inside its facility over the summer, forcing several months of virtual instruction for some students.  Although administrators say the issue has been resolved, families argue board members have ignored their concerns, questioning the remediation firms hired by the district and alleging a lack of transparency.   Monessen School District Superintendent Robert Motte addressed the parents during a recent school board meeting.  “Parents are guardians. They want clear and reliable information about the environment in which their children learn,” Motte said. “That’s not only understandable, it’s something we owe you.”  Several parents noted their children may transition to remote education.

We are quickly closing in on Thanksgiving.  It’s just three weeks away and 2000 Turkeys needs  your help.  The annual fundraiser, sponsored by WJPA Radio and the Observer Reporter, raises much needed funding to provide a complete Thanksgiving dinner to thousands of families who might not otherwise enjoy the day.  This year, as food and fuel costs continue to climb, the need is great.  A special thanks goes out to Washington Financial Bank.  CEO Michael Chaido stopped in the WJPA studios to present a fifteen-thousand-dollar check from the bank and another five-thousand-dollar check from the bank’s charitable foundation.  Our 2000 Turkeys goal this year is 165-thousand-dollars, and to date, we have raised 100-thousand-dollars.  We are also hitting the streets again this year.  Range Resource’s Day is set for Wednesday, November 18^th from eight a.m. until two p.m. in downtown Washington and Canonsburg.  Employees and volunteers will be out asking for your help to reach our goal.  If you would like to help, you can send a check to P.O. Box 2000, Washington, Pennsylvania, 15301, or bring your donation to WJPA Radio at 98 South Main Street or the Observer Reporter at 122 South Main Street, both in Washington.  We are also, for the first time this year, accepting on-line donations using Zeffy.  You can find the link on the WJPA and Observer Reporter websites.  Thank you!

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police say a gunman has killed a man at a Washington, D.C., gym before fleeing and shooting four more people in a scene that has rattled a popular neighborhood near the White House. The Metropolitan Police Department’s interim chief says the suspect later shot himself inside an apartment where he’d been speaking by phone to police negotiators. Mayor Muriel Bowser says she’s “devastated” at the loss of life in a “senseless act of gun violence.” The shootings occurred Thursday morning in Logan Circle, just north of the White House. A witness at the gym says people in its cardio area had to step over the dead victim’s body to get out.

HONG KONG (AP) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is resigning after his affair raises national security concerns. The company named Colette Kress as interim CEO on Thursday. She is the current executive vice president and chief financial officer. Huang faced growing calls to resign after his affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Late Wednesday, media reports said Huang had another extramarital affair with an Nvidia employee who reports to him. Shares of Nvidia, one of the largest companies in the world, plunged 10% in premarket trading Thursday.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s mayor says at least eight people have died after a three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed at the edge of a construction site. The announcement Thursday from Mayor Zohran Mamdani came as firefighters kept digging through the rubble to find others who may be trapped beneath the wreckage. The structure fell at the edge of a construction site on Wednesday afternoon. Rescuers worked overnight into Thursday, using dogs to sniff for survivors. The cause of the collapse is under investigation. The three-story building was a mixed-use structure with apartments above commercial space. Mamdani says at least 17 people have been injured, including three firefighters.

MOSCOW (AP) — Envoys for U.S. President Donald Trump have arrived in Moscow to discuss U.S.-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff attended negotiations in Abu Dhabi which ended Wednesday with an agreement on a prisoner exchange. But no significant progress was made on ending the nearly five-year conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the prisoner exchange but insisted Ukraine won’t cede territory for peace. Russia and Ukraine remain divided on key issues including post-conflict security and European involvement in talks. Kushner aims to include European countries in future discussions.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi has elected its first Black U.S. senator since post-Civil War Reconstruction and delivered Democrats a major upset in a rocky midterm election for the GOP. Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Deep South state that has been controlled mostly by white conservatives for generations. Colom noted Mississippi’s civil rights history in his Wednesday night victory speech but pledged to represent all Mississippians. The Associated Press called the contest Wednesday evening. Hyde-Smith posted a concession video on social media. National and Mississippi Democrats are celebrating the win as a seismic shift in the state and region. Colom capitalized on the state’s large Black population, discontent with the economy and Hyde-Smith’s mistakes.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska judge has ruled that a request by Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign for a list of absentee voters whose ballots have been rejected is “not reasonable.” Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews cited in part the tight timeline elections officials face as they continue processing and counting ballots. Attorneys for Peltola’s campaign had sued state elections officials, seeking a list of absentee voters whose ballots have been rejected and the reasons for the rejections. They said their intent was to ensure that all qualified voters have their ballots counted. But attorneys for the state said the information requested would violate voter privacy.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation case against the BBC remains on track for now. A federal judge in Florida ruled Tuesday that Trump’s defamation claim could proceed, though the judge didn’t rule on its merits. The BBC had sought to dismiss the case. The judge dismissed part of the case related to Florida’s unfair business practices law. Trump’s lawsuit filed in December accuses the publicly funded British broadcaster of defamation over the documentary “Trump: A Second Chance.” The BBC has apologized for its editing but denies it defamed Trump. A different judge has ordered Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More evidence this week of hot inflation in the U.S. was unpleasant news for the Federal Reserve, not to mention consumers: Rising prices may be spreading beyond the one-time shocks from tariffs and high gas prices into the wider economy, meaning that mortgages, credit cards and other forms of borrowing are likely to become increasingly expensive. Tuesday’s consumer price index report showed broadly rising costs across a range of goods and services. There is increasing anxiety among Fed officials that higher oil prices stemming from the Iran war may last longer than previously thought.