WJPA News

Former Republican U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy has died.  The former politician and psychologist served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district (which included Washington County) from 2003 until his resignation in 2017.  Murphy ran for the newly redrawn 18th Congressional District in 2002, which  had previously been the 20th, represented by four-term Democrat Frank Mascara. However, the legislature re-drew the district after the 2000 Census in such a way that a large portion of Mascara’s district ended up in the neighboring Johnstown-based 12th District, represented by an incumbent of 28-years – John Murtha.  In October of 2017, Murphy made news by allegedly urging his mistress to have an abortion, even though he advocated a strict public anti-abortion platform.  This was also followed by reports of abuse and harassment in his congressional office.  His resignation came almost immediately after these reports.  His seat was eventually won, during a special election, by Democrat Conor Lamb.  There has been no word at this time, of his cause of death.

Civil rights leader and community pillar James ‘Cookie’ McDonald has died. The 90 year old McDonald was a local businessman and community activist promoting racial equality. McDonald served as President of the NAACP Washington Branch from 1966-1970. He was a member of the Washington School Board. He was involved in founding the organizations Community Action Southwest and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Legal Aid Society. McDonald is a Washington native and father of Judge Traci McDonald-Kemp. She said that she is heartbroken but fondly remembers him as “a leader, a mentor, an advocate, a teacher, a righteous, loyal and honorable man and friend. He was a hero to me and so many others.” Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Weather did not cooperate but a few Washington County citizens gathered on  Main Street in front of the Washington County Courthouse to hold a ‘Good Trouble Lives On’ rally.  The rally was hosted by the Washington-Greene Central Labor Council. The rally commemorated the memory of Congressman John Lewis and his fight to protect voting rights. Several people offered their reasons for battling the rain. Don Herschell says he has worries about the direction the country is heading. Audrey Holsclaw understands John Lewis’ rally cry and was there to cause her version of Good Trouble. Donna Patrina, chairperson of the Washington Greene Central Labor Council says her group is rallying against the SAVE Act and its restrictions on people’s right to vote. Finally, Byron Timmins Vice Chairman of the Washington County Democratic Committee says that bottom line, voting is most important thing you can do as a citizen, when you vote you make your opinion heard, so get out and vote. Congressman John Lewis was arrested more than 40 times while fighting to dismantle segregation and secure voting rights. ‘Good trouble’ was Lewis’ rallying cry used to urge people to peacefully challenge injustice and stand up for their rights.

Washington County was spared when powerful wind and rain storms blew through the area. According to Washington County 9-1-1 supervisors, there were no reports of storm damage or accidents related to any weather events in the area. According to West Penn Power’s outage map, approximately a dozen people were affected by power outages. However, the National Weather Service has reported that two tornadoes touched down in Pennsylvania on Saturday. One of those tornadoes was reported near Summerville in Jefferson County. The other tornado touched down just northeast of Latrobe along Stewarts Road in Westmoreland County. Both tornadoes appeared to be brief. The NWS drew their conclusions based on video evidence. NWS crews will be in Clarion and Jefferson counties on Sunday to assess damage. They expect to head to Westmoreland County on Monday.

Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital is announcing plans to demolish its parking garage. Demolition is set to begin on Monday, July 20. Officials call it the first step of a modernization project designed to improve safety, accessibility and convenience for patients, visitors and staff. In its place the hospital will build a new, level, paved parking lot featuring safety lighting and easy access to the campus. Hospital operations, patient care and emergency services will remain fully operational throughout the demolition and construction process.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military says it has carried out new airstrikes against Iran to “swiftly punish” the country’s Revolutionary Guard for an attack in Jordan that killed two American service members, left one more missing and four requiring hospitalization. U.S. Central Command said Sunday’s strikes were designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to restrict the traffic of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway accounted for roughly 20% of global oil supplies before the war. The new strikes came after the U.S. military announced the troop deaths following a drone and missile attack on a base in Jordan on Friday.

Russian officials report that Ukrainian drone attacks overnight and later on Saturday have killed nine people and wounded more than 80 others. Kyiv’s forces continue targeting energy infrastructure and military sites in Russia to undermine Moscow’s war efforts. Two warehouses of Russia’s major online retailer, Wildberries, were hit in the Tambov region and near Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed strikes on logistical facilities that he said supplied components for drone production. An oil facility was also targeted. A drone attack on the Belgorod region later on Saturday killed one and injured one more. Russia’s Defense Ministry claims to have intercepted 379 drones overnight.

Taylor Farms has expanded a voluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because of a potential link to the multistate cyclospora outbreak that has sickened people across the U.S. The California-based company said products with the potential to be contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasite were shipped to 27 states including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. U.S. health officials earlier this week identified lettuce from a supplier in Mexico as a source of cyclospora contamination in food served at Taco Bell restaurants in five Midwestern states.

Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been arrested by federal authorities in Miami. Brady McCarron, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service, told The Associated Press that the brothers were taken into custody on a sealed warrant. British prosecutors announced late Saturday they were seeking the extradition of the brothers on rape and sex trafficking charges. The offenses are alleged to have occurred between July 2010 and August 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement. The pending charges in the United Kingdom accused the brothers of abusing women in an area north of London, where they grew up. Their lawyers had said they denied the allegations.