WJPA News

A search warrant was executed at the Washington Community Club on North Main Street in the city of Washington, to obtain surveillance video following a shooting on Thanksgiving.  Early that morning, officers responded to the area of 127 North Main Street for a reported shooting. When they arrived, they found a man who had been shot multiple times. He was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. During the investigation, Washington Police said they had made several attempts to obtain surveillance footage from the club to help identify those involved, but they received limited cooperation, so they obtained a court-authorized search warrant for the club and on Tuesday, they got the surveillance video and are currently reviewing it.

Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh has announced the arrest of ten individuals as part of a roundup that involved numerous law enforcement organizations. Walsh tells WJPA News that seven of those arrests took place here in Washington County. Two were taken into custody in Allegheny County and one in West Virginia. Walsh says the affidavits of probable cause are sealed until the preliminary hearing per Court Order. Charges vary based on the individual but range from Riot, Corrupt Organizations, Robbery, Aggravated Assault and related offenses. Those involved in the Tuesday sweep include; Pennsylvania State Police Troop A, Troop B, Washington County Sheriffs Department, FBI, ATF, Washington Regional SWAT, Westmoreland SWAT and Pittsburgh SWAT.

PennDOT has unveiled plans for improvements along Interstate 79 between Marianna and Waynesburg impacting Amwell Township in Washington County and Franklin and Washington Townships in Greene County. A Virtual Plans Display is up on the PennDOT District 12 website which allows for public comment until December 17. The project is proposed to start in the summer and be completed in Fall of 2027. PennDOT says the project will “maintain and improve the condition of the existing pavement and structures including minor safety enhancements”. The work is to be completed in phases under long-term single lane restrictions in both directions. Additional travel restrictions will include temporary lane shifts onto ramps, as well as intermittent short-term truck detours and reduced speeds to accommodate concrete bridge deck restoration at select locations. Ramp detours will also be necessary as interchanges are patched or re-paved.

Canonsburg Council has approved its preliminary budget and it looks like residents will see a slight tax increase in the new year.  According to the Observer-Reporter, the spending plan totals more than $6.5 million and would hike the millage rate by .2 mills.  That would an increase of twenty-seven-dollars for the average homeowner.  Council is to formally adopt the budget when they meet Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced a proposal to weaken vehicle mileage rules for the auto industry. If the plan announced Wednesday is finalized next year, it would ease pressure on automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and trucks. The proposal would significantly reduce fuel economy requirements through the 2031 model year. Those requirements set rules on how far new vehicles need to travel on a gallon of gasoline. It’s the Trump administration’s latest move to reverse Biden-era policies that encouraged cleaner-running cars and trucks, including electric vehicles. Environmentalists said the rule change would increase pollution and raise prices for consumers by allowing less fuel-efficient cars.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it will withhold funds for administering SNAP food aid in most Democratic-controlled states starting next week unless they provide data about those receiving the assistance. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday that the action is looming because those states are refusing to provide requested information about the recipients, including their names and immigration status. She says it’s necessary that states comply to root out fraud in the program. Democratic states have sued to block the requirement. About 42 million lower-income Americans rely on SNAP to help buy groceries. The USDA said it is targeting states’ administrative funds, not the benefits people receive.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s watchdog has found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he used the Signal messaging app to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen. That’s according to two people familiar with the findings on Wednesday. One of the people says Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly. Hegseth denied posting classified information regarding plans for a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen in March. The review by the Pentagon inspector general’s office was delivered to lawmakers, who were able to review the report in a classified facility at the Capitol.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor who sold ketamine to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry before his overdose death has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. A federal judge in Los Angeles handed down the prison sentence plus two years of probation to 44-year-old Dr. Salvador Plasencia on Wednesday. Plasencia admitted to illegally selling ketamine to Perry, knowing he was a struggling addict. Plasencia has surrendered his medical license and pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution. Prosecutors said the ketamine that killed Perry was not provided by Plasencia, but his actions contributed to Perry’s harm.  (Photo:  AP)