January 9, 2026 6:37 pm
A fight that broke out in August at the Forty Bar and Grill in North Franklin Township caused 8 men to face preliminary hearings for their roles in the incident and all will face trial. Top charges for all men were Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) charges along with riot with intent to commit a felony charges. The crux of the prosecution’s argument centered on the fact that all men charged are members of the War Dogs Motorcycle Club and the victim, Jordan Henderson is a member of the Pagans Motorcycle Club and that is what caused the fight. Testimony came from Julia Quarture, the bartender that was on duty when the fight broke out. She described how Kenneth Haymon entered the bar and spoke to Henderson instigating the fight. The bar’s owner Cheyenne Bennison testified to activity at the scene when she arrived after being called by her bartender. Police testimony centered on surveillance video from the bar. Detective and expert witness testimony was offered building a case for the RICO charges. In the end, the judge dismissed The RICO charges and held charges for riot with intent to cause a felony. Clark Young, Robert Conner, Kristoper Gardner, Jerry Barnett, Daniel Ullrick, Paul Prevost, Zachary Williams and Benjamin Bowman will face that charge. Barnett, Young, Conner and Gardener all face assorted other charges including aggravated assault. Two other men, Eric Hadrych and Corey Palmer waived their cases to court prior to the hearings. Not charged in the case is Kenneth Hayden. He was killed in a separate incident in Allegheny County in October. All will be arraigned next month.
January 9, 2026 2:54 pm
Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is announcing daylight lane restrictions on eastbound (outbound) I-376 (Parkway East) in the Municipality of Monroeville, Allegheny County will begin Monday, January 12 weather permitting. A single-lane and shoulder restriction will occur Mondays through Thursdays from 6:00 AM to 3:00 PM on eastbound (outbound) I-376 between the Penn Hills (Exit 81) and Monroeville/Plum (Exit 84 A/B) interchanges through late March. Fridays may be utilized as make-up days for inclement weather. Crews will conduct pipe lining work. Lane restrictions on westbound (inbound) I-376 are anticipated to begin in late January. Additional information will be provided in advance of the work beginning.
This work is part of the $70.1 million I-376 Parkway East Betterment Project. Work will include a superstructure replacement over Old William Penn Highway, two bridge rehabilitations over Old William Penn Highway/Lougeay Road/Sunset Drive and Thompson Run Road/Thompson Run/Union Railroad, and six bridge preservations along the I-376. Throughout the project motorists can expect long-term single-lane restrictions, several weekends with traffic down to a single lane, and a long-term crossover in 2025. The improvements on the 4.5 miles of the Parkway East between the Churchill/Route 130 (Exit 79B) and Monroeville/Route 48 (Exit 84A) exit are anticipated to conclude in the fall 2026. Swank Construction Company, LLC is the prime contractor.
To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for Parkway East traffic advisories and construction updates. Updates can also be found on the I-376 Parkway East – Churchill to Monroeville webpage, by following PennDOT’s regional X page @511PAPittsburgh or joining the Greater Pittsburgh Area PennDOT Facebook group.
January 9, 2026 1:50 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says U.S. forces have boarded another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as the Trump administration continues to target sanctioned tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. The pre-dawn action was carried out by Marines and Navy sailors launched from an aircraft carrier that is part of the extensive force the U.S. has built up in the Caribbean. That’s according to U.S. Southern Command, which declared “there is no safe haven for criminals” as it announced the seizure of the vessel called the Olina on Friday. The Olina is the fifth tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to control the production and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products.
January 9, 2026 2:40 am
Washington County Commissioners and the Redevelopment Authority of Washington County have been grappling with an appointment to the LSA Review Committee. The Tri-County Borough Association decided to change their elected representative in March. The person elected to take that place was deemed ineligible to serve because they did not live in Washington County. In what commissioners describe as a bureaucratic mix up, The Tri-County Borough Association held a second election in October, to appoint Jim Plugh as the Association’s representative. Prior to that election, county officials appointed Bill Nutt to the committee because he finished second in the initial election. The Association made their displeasure known at the commissioner’s agenda meeting that they want Plugh to represent their interests. In an effort to compromise, Commissioner Larry Maggi suggested that both Nutt and Plugh serve on the committee for one year. After legal research and discussions with the Redevelopment Authority, it was decided that both men will serve on the committee for one year only and then the committee will then revert back to its original 10 person committee format next year. That item was approved unanimously by commissioners at their voting meeting on Thursday.
January 9, 2026 5:01 am
REDSTONE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man is accused of locking a woman in a house for multiple days. State Police said the incident happened on Simpson Road in Redstone Township in Fayette County. 33 year old Kevin Fields is accused of keeping a woman there for four days in December. Troopers said he also strangled and punched her during that time while threatening to kill her. Fields was arrested at that house on December 16. He is last reported held without bond.
January 9, 2026 11:49 am
PENN HILLS, Pa. (WPXI) — No one was injured after a Penn Hills School District bus caught fire on Friday. Penn Hills No. 7 VFC says crews were called to Frey Road at Universal Road just before 9 a.m. for a reported school bus fire. Firefighters arrived and began extinguishing the “well-involved” fire, while police controlled traffic. The fire damaged overhead utility lines, creating another hazard for first responders. No injuries were reported, and the fire is under investigation. Before the fire, the school bus became disabled with about 40 kids on board, the fire company says. Another bus had already picked up the kids when the original bus started smoking and caught fire. In a statement, Penn Hills School District said the bus was taking students to Penn Hills Elementary School when it had a mechanical issue. The driver immediately pulled over when warning lights activated, and all students got off the bus “well before the bus caught fire,” the district said. All students are safe and were taken to school on a different bus. School nurses checked out each student out of an abundance of caution, the district said.
January 9, 2026 5:08 am
State Police have released their report on DUI arrests and crashes over the New Year’s holiday. From New Year’s Eve through Jan. 4, troopers investigated 1,098 vehicle crashes. Three of those crashes were fatal and 158 resulted in injuries. Of the recorded crashes, 69 were DUI-related. One of the DUI crashes caused a fatality. In total, 378 people were arrested for driving under the influence. Troopers issued nearly 5,000 citations to motorists. Those citations included 4,377 for speeding, 508 for failing to wear a seat belt and 60 for not securing children in safety seats. The review only covers incidents that State Police responded to. Other law enforcement agencies are not included.
January 9, 2026 4:57 am
A new report shows that Pennsylvania’s current overdose prevention program saved thousands of lives last year. The Shapiro Administration released the Overdose Prevention Program Annual Report on Wednesday. The program is run by the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and focused on preventing fatal overdoses in the Commonwealth. It does this by distributing supplies to local organizations, providers and people within communities. That includes 800,000 doses of naloxone and 737,000 fentanyl and xylazine test strips which were given out in 2025. Those supplies are given shared with recovery programs, libraries, churches, campuses, drop-boxes, mail-based distribution, mobile outreach and other places. Nearly 9,500 overdose reversals were reported between January and September last year, the report said. The DDAP said early estimates indicate that 2025 had the lowest overdose deaths in Pennsylvania in over a decade.
January 9, 2026 5:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed legislation that extends expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act. It’s a remarkable rebuke of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who tried to stop it. But renegade Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats on a so-called “discharge petition” to force action. The health care tax breaks have lowered health insurance costs for roughly 22 million people, but expired last month. The Congressional Budget Office said the proposed three-year extension would increase the nation’s deficit by about $80.6 billion over the decade, and increase the number of people with health insurance by millions. Members of the Senate are working on an alternative bill.
January 9, 2026 5:13 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Anger and outrage are spilling out onto Minneapolis’ streets over the fatal shooting of a woman the day before by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. A new shooting by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday left two people inside a vehicle wounded and is eliciting more scrutiny of enforcement operations throughout the U.S. Hundreds of protesters marched Thursday night down one of Minneapolis’ major thoroughfares over the death of 37-year-old mother of three Renee Good and blocked off the street where she was shot in the head. The FBI is investigating the shooting in Portland. The conditions of the man and woman who were wounded were not immediately known.
