WJPA News

On Friday, in front of a backdrop of a partially demolished wall and under the raindrops from a summer storm, local, county and state government officials gathered with members of the new owners and demolition team of the Washington Mall to celebrate the first steps in its demolition. Tony Rosenberger is a member of the development team 79/70 Associates that closed on the purchase of the mall two weeks ago for a purchase price of more than $12 million. He detailed the chronology of events that led up to the celebration of the demolition. Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman described Washington County’s role in delivering $5.9 million in county blight mitigation funds to the project to spearhead the demolition. While everyone there was celebrating, one South Strabane Township resident did not share the same view. Thomas Lonich attended the event at the invite of Sherman. Lonich spoke out at the most recent commissioner’s meeting asking for transparency of the county’s involvement. He also questioned the logic in using taxpayer dollars for a demolition project that he feels could have been funded by the developers themselves. With no environmental issues to navigate, the project is set to begin. In addition to the funding. Washington County will be contributing debris from the Courthouse Square building demolition to use as fill on the Washington Mall site.

It is not often that questions arise over advertisements for bids on county services. That is what happened Thursday when Commissioners voted on a measure to advertise requests for proposals for payroll services. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman said that the idea is something that he has desired for several years. He said he is looking for ways to save taxpayers money and streamline government and this may be a way to do that. Commissioner Larry Maggi wanted to delay action and have more conversation about the idea. He said he is in favor of saving money, he just is questioning why it is being done now, right before an election in November that will elect a new County Controller. Regardless, the measure passed unanimously and formal requests for proposals will be sent out next week.

Community people, union leaders, and advocates gathered on the steps of the Washington County Courthouse for the “Good Trouble Lives On” demonstration, part of a global day of action to defend democracy and workers’ rights. A few days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision allowing the Trump administration to proceed with large-scale layoffs in the U.S. Department of Education. The Washington and Greene Counties Central Labor Council organized the rally, which was part of a national coordinated movement against President Donald Trump’s policies and inspired by the legacy of civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis. His encouragement to generate “good trouble” in the face of injustice was mirrored in speeches and signs carried by attendees. The event drew a diverse crowd of labor activists, including teachers, health care workers, tradesmen, and retirees. Speakers highlighted what they regarded as escalating challenges to civil freedoms, attacks on working families, and moves to weaken protections for public employees. In addition to remembering John Lewis’ life, the demonstration served as a reminder of the strength of organized labor and grassroots activism. Participants encouraged continuing participation through voting, public advocacy, and union solidarity.

Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says members of the District Attorney’s Drug Task Force executed a search warrant along Brownstown Road in Avella Thursday.  Walsh says it resulted following a several week long investigation concerning the distribution of Methamphetamine from the residence. The Washington Regional SWAT also took part in the operation. Detectives seized methamphetamine, paraphernalia associated with the distribution of methamphetamine and two handguns. Michael Boyer, 43 was arrested and lodged in the Washington County Prison on an outstanding probation warrant.  According to Walsh, narcotics charges are pending against the occupant of the residence identified as 58 year old James Lucas.  Smith Township Police along with State Police Washington assisted.  The investigation is ongoing.

Two Weirton residents, 29 year old Ashley Shelton and 34 year old Joshua Lockerbie, were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the drowning of Reese Hanshaw in the Ohio River last month. Hanshaw was a 13 year old girl from Burgettstown. On June 30, police said the pair brought six children, as young as 4 and as old as 13, to swim in the river near the Veterans Memorial Bridge. According to Weirton Police, Officer Adam Mortimer responded quickly and entered the river to bring Reese ashore. Life-saving efforts were immediately performed by first responders transporting Reese to Weirton Medical Center, where she later died. Family members said that Reese was pulled away by the current while trying to help her younger cousin out of the water. Authorities said there were no flotation devices, and both Lockerbie and Shelton knew that none of the children were strong swimmers. They’ve been charged with child neglect causing death and gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. They’re being held in a West Virginia jail on $150,000 bail.

(WPXI) PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Regional Transit is reminding drivers that enforcement on the new red bus lanes in Downtown Pittsburgh will begin on Sunday. PRT said that Port Authority Police have been issuing warnings since the lanes were installed last month. According to Pennsylvania law, drivers using bus-only lanes may be issued a citation of $25 with associated fees that will bring the total cost to nearly $200. All private vehicles are prohibited from entering, stopping or parking in the bus lanes, even if it’s briefly. “These dedicated bus lanes are reserved exclusively for buses and emergency vehicles and are clearly marked to ensure the smooth and efficient flow of public transit. Drivers should pay close attention to street signage and lane markings to avoid violations,” PRT said in a release.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The controversy over President Donald Trump’s handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation entered a new dimension Thursday as his administration struggles to make good on its promises to release details on the sex trafficking case involving a one-time friend of the now-president. Trump threatened a lawsuit after The Wall Street Journal on Thursday described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter. Trump in recent days has berated supporters vying for more records from the Epstein probe, after years of courting political support from those who have stoked claims of a coverup in the case.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will gain access to personally identifiable information for all of the nation’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees. That’s according to an agreement obtained by The Associated Press. ICE officials plan to track immigrants who may not be living legally in the United States. The agreement was signed Monday between officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security. Direct access will be given to the addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates as well as the ethnicity and race of all Medicaid enrollees.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid. Democrats argued that the Republican administration’s animus toward foreign aid programs would hurt America’s standing in the world and create a vacuum for China to fill. The White House argued that the cuts best served the taxpayer and would incentivize other nations to do more to address humanitarian crises. The cancellation of $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Pubic Broadcast represents the full amount it is due to receive during the next two budget years. Some lawmakers voiced concern about what the cuts could mean for local public stations in their state.

(AP) An explosion early Friday at a law enforcement training facility in Los Angeles that left three people dead was being investigated as a possible training accident. Officials said the explosion was reported around 7:30 a.m. at the Biscailuz Training Facility. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Nicole Nishida said three members of the department died. It was not immediately known what caused the explosion or what the department members were doing at the time. An early line of the investigation was looking at a possible training accident, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the matter who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. (Photo: AP)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are in merger talks to create the largest railroad in North America that would connect the East and West Coasts. A person familiar with the talks who isn’t authorized to discuss them publicly said the merger discussions began during the first quarter of this year. Both railroads declined to comment. Within the industry there is widespread debate over whether such a merger would be approved by the Surface Transportation Board even though those regulators approved the deal that created CPKC railroad two years ago. The bar for major railroad mergers in the U.S. was raised substantially after several disastrous deals in the 1990s that snarled traffic.

CBS is canceling “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” next May, shuttering a decades-old TV institution and removing from air one of President Donald Trump’s most prominent late-night critics. The announcement came three days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global settling with Trump over a “60 Minutes” story, against the backdrop of a pending corporate merger. Network executives praised Colbert in a statement that noted the cancellation was “purely a financial decision” and “not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.” David Letterman began hosting “The Late Show” in 1993 and Colbert took over in 2015.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been ordered to wear an ankle monitor, his press office has confirmed. The development on Friday came as federal police conducted searches at his home and his party’s headquarters in Brasília. The former president is facing trial at the Supreme Court for allegedly leading a coup attempt to overturn the 2022 election. Bolsonaro has called the trial a “witch hunt,” echoing statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has defended him. On Tuesday, Brazil’s Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet said in a report to the Supreme Court that the “evidence is clear: the defendant acted systematically, throughout his mandate and after his defeat at the polls, to incite insurrection and the destabilization of the democratic rule of law.” (Photo: AP)