WJPA News

A Cold Weather Advisory continues.  Make sure to stay safe in the extreme cold. If you can’t stay indoors, limit your time outside, make sure to dress in warm layers and wear waterproof clothing. Cover exposed skin; wear a hat, mask and gloves. Keep pets indoors. Make sure to protect indoor pipes.  The City of Washington has also announced that there will be no trash pick-up this week because of snow covered roads and alley condition.  Services will resume Monday.  For those in need, Washington County has opened nearly two dozen warming centers.  For a complete listing, Click Here.

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that the former director of a southwestern Pennsylvania youth football league is charged with diverting nearly a quarter-of-a-million dollars in league assets to personal accounts.  William Spencer, 57, was director of the Washington/Greene Youth Football League — now known as the Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League (WPYFL) — from 2013 until he resigned in March 2025. During that time, Spencer diverted league funds to his accounts to fund credit cards, bolster a retirement account, and make various purchases at Amazon, restaurants, and other retailers.  The Office of Attorney General’s Financial Crimes Section charged Spencer this week with felony and misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, and two misdemeanor counts of misapplication of entrusted property. He is not in custody.  In total, Spencer fraudulently wrote 187 checks payable to himself from WPYFL’s accounts, totaling about $230,000, from January 4, 2020, through February 18, 2025.  Additionally, Spencer made direct payments totaling over $3,000 from WPYFL’s accounts to accounts in his and/or his wife’s name, without the knowledge or consent of WPYFL.

An investigation by the DEP and the EPA is underway into an explosion at the Langeloth Metallurgical Plant Thursday evening. Smith Township Fire Chief Brandon Kriznik said the explosion – in the 10 block of Langeloth Plant Road happened just after six, while a tanker was trying to transport chemicals. Firefighters said the spill was brought under control quickly, and because all chemicals were contained, nothing dangerous was released into the air and there is no threat to the public. Authorities say four people were hurt and taken to the hospital, and that included the truck driver and three plant employees, but they didn’t release any information on the nature of the injuries. The plant is currently shut down. Authorities say the blast was heard for miles.

PITTSBURGH — The woman pulled from her vehicle after it plunged into the Mon River died at the hospital late Thursday night. An Allegheny County dispatcher said emergency crews were called to the area of the 900 block of Second Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Bluff neighborhood around 4:36 p.m. Dive teams began entering the water at around 5:20 p.m. The victim was removed at around 5:45 p.m. Divers used a rope system and stokes basket to bring up the woman. Medics resuscitated her, and she was taken to a hospital, where she later died. The Medical Examiner’s Office identified the woman who died as Jacinta Stevens, 31, of the West End. Gilchrist commended first responders, including off-duty paramedics who responded and divers who operated in ice and sub-zero temperatures.

A Washington man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. James Howard, 37, was sentenced to 77 months for distributing methamphetamine. Prosecutors say he sold 32 grams of meth to someone in Marshall County. He has multiple prior drug convictions. Howard’s arrest was part of Operation Take Back America.

Governor Josh Shapiro called on the Pennsylvania General Assembly on Thursday to take action and send a bill to his desk requiring schools to implement a bell-to-bell ban on cell phones and mobile devices.  In a post on X, Governor Shapiro said:  “It’s time for us to get distractions out of the classroom and create a healthier environment in our schools.  “Students need to spend time focused on learning, on socializing with their peers, and on developing the critical skills they’ll need later in life.  “I’m calling on the State Legislature to send a bill to my desk requiring our schools to implement policies that take cell phones and mobile devices out of kids’ hands from the time they start class until the time they leave for home — helping teachers and kids focus on learning.”  (Photo:  AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Justice Department says it’s releasing 3 million pages of documents in the latest Jeffrey Epstein disclosure, along with 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. The documents were disclosed Friday under a law intended to reveal what the government knew about the millionaire financier’s sexual abuse of young girls and his interactions with the rich and powerful. The files include some of the several million pages of records officials said were withheld from an initial release of documents in December. Hundreds of department attorneys have been reviewing files to black out material that could reveal the identities of victims. Epstein killed himself in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial.

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has ruled that federal prosecutors can’t seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett’s ruling Friday foiled the Trump administration’s bid to see Mangione executed for what it called a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.” Garnett dismissed a federal murder charge against Mangione, finding that it was technically flawed. She left in place stalking charges that carry a maximum punishment of life in prison.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate leaders were scrambling to save a bipartisan spending deal and avert a partial government shutdown at midnight Friday as Democrats have demanded new restrictions on federal immigration raids across the country. Democrats struck a rare deal with President Donald Trump Thursday to separate funding for the Homeland Security Department from a broad government spending bill and fund it for two weeks while Congress debates curbs on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The deal came as irate Democrats had vowed to vote against the entire spending bill and trigger a shutdown in the wake of the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Journalist Don Lemon has been arrested after he entered a Minnesota church and recorded anti-immigration enforcement protesters who disrupted a service. The protest Jan. 18 increased tensions between residents and the Trump administration. It is unclear what charge or charges Lemon is facing. The arrest came after a magistrate judge last week rejected prosecutors’ initial bid to charge the journalist. Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents in Los Angeles, where had been covering the Grammy Awards. His lawyer said Lemon will “fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is suing the IRS and Treasury Department for $10 billion. He accuses them of failing to prevent a leak of his tax information to news outlets. The lawsuit was filed in a Florida federal court on Thursday. In 2024, former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison for leaking tax information about Trump and others. Earlier this week, the U.S. Treasury Department cut its contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton, where Littlejohn worked. He was charged and imprisoned for leaking tax information about thousands of wealthy individuals, including Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’ll nominate former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to be the next Fed chair. Friday’s pick is likely to result in sharp changes to the powerful agency that could bring it closer to the White House and reduce its longtime independence from day-to-day politics. Warsh would replace Jerome Powell when his term expires in May. Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but recently has assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough. Warsh’s appointment requires Senate confirmation. Warsh was on the Fed’s board from 2006 to 2011. He’s a fellow at the right-leaning Hoover Institution and a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Catherine O’Hara has died at 71. The Emmy-winning actor was known for her roles on “SCTV,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and the two “Home Alone” films. Her agency, CAA, announced she died Friday at her Los Angeles home after a brief illness. O’Hara was a Canadian-born actor who gained fame through Toronto’s Second City Theatre. She was also one of the key stars of the sketch comedy show “SCTV.” Her career spanned decades, and she was celebrated for her comedic brilliance in films including “Beetlejuice” and “Best in Show.” She won an Emmy for “Schitt’s Creek” and got Emmy nominations for late-career roles in “The Last of Us” and “The Studio.”  (Photo:  AP)