WJPA News

In an uncommon move, Canonsburg Borough approved modifications to their contract with their Borough Manager Angela Senay. During the voting meeting, council met in executive session to make changes, none of them financially based. Council President Eric Chandler said that the modifications were minor and affected scheduling, allowing Senay the opportunity to do some work remotely. Senay took over the position in September after previous manager Billie Bilko died in July. In other city business, council is moving on with their plans to broadcast council meetings live. Former councilman John Severine is looking to broadcast the meetings on Facebook and YouTube. He says that he hopes that residents will be able to see the meetings and get rid of the idea that borough business is all done behind closed doors. Borough Manager Angela Senay says that broadcasting the meetings will be a great way for residents that cannot come to the meetings to keep up to date on borough affairs. Council also approved a measure removing Dogwood Alley as a road that has prohibited parking at all times.

Officials with Washington and Jefferson College sent out a “Welcome Back to Campus” email on Monday. The email contained an update on measures the school has taken with the Washington Police Department and the mayor’s office to ensure they are all working together to maximize safety on and around campus, in the wake of three incidents involving firearms on North Main Street over the past several months. As a result, the group has worked together to create a new system for the city to notify campus and public safety of any incidents and their proximity to campus in a more timely manner. The city has also committed to informing the school when arrests are made. The city is also working with business owners in that area to improve security and safety. The school, though, is still encouraging students and other to be cautious about being on or near North Main Street after dark, until a final arrest is made.

(WPXI) – Months after a school bus driver was killed in a multi-vehicle crash in Westmoreland County, a man is facing charges. Isaac Semple, 23, of Belington, W. Va., was charged Monday with homicide by vehicle, two counts of recklessly endangering another person and multiple traffic violations. A criminal complaint claims Semple ran a red light while driving a tractor-trailer on State Route 22 back in March, then hit two vehicles, killing Rene Davis, 60, and injuring a 17-year-old. No students were in the van Davis was driving at the time of the crash. An autopsy determined she died of blunt force trauma to the head neck and torso. The complaint states Semple said the sun was in his eyes before the crash and he had his head down as he reached up for his sunglasses. When he looked up, he claimed to see the traffic light, but not what color it was, and “before he knew it there were was 2 cars in front of him.” “This collision is the result of Isaac Stemple failing to stop at a steady red signal and entering the intersection while traffic was crossing,” the complaint stated. Semple is being held in the Westmoreland County Jail on a $100,000 unsecured bond.

A large crowd gathered at noon on Sunday in front of the Washington County Courthouse to protest the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good, who was shot and killed by an ICE officer last week  in Minneapolis.  Washington’s protest was one of  hundreds held across the county over the weekend following the shooting of Good by federal officers.  Speaking to the Associated Press, Good’s former husband, who declined to be identified for the safety of their children, said his former wife was not an activist and had never, to his knowledge, even attended a protest.  Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara says a protest Friday night turned violent when people threw ice, snow and rocks at officers. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey faults “agitators who are trying to rile up large crowds.” The demonstrations come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pushes forward in the Twin Cities with what it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation.

The Donora Fire Company now says a report of a ‘person in distress’ turned out to be unfounded over the weekend. First responders were on the Monongahela River on Saturday. In a social media post, the Rostraver Township Fire Department said it was assisting the Donora Fire Company with a search on the river. Rostraver reportedly provided water rescue resources to search the area and used a thermal imaging drone. Officials say they were “unable to locate a person in distress.”

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A contest that celebrates the much-maligned but enduring mullet hairstyle brought thousands of spectators to a stage inside the Pennsylvania Farm Show. The short-in-the-front, long-in-the-back coiffure, once the province of Canadian hockey players and hair metal bands, drew competitors young and old on Monday for the day’s “mane” attraction. A 10-year-old won the top prize with his mullet and a costume that paid homage to David Spade’s title character in “Joe Dirt.”

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul are suing the federal government to stop an enforcement surge by Immigration and Customs Enforcement following the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by an ICE officer. The state and cities filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday, along with a request for a temporary restraining order to halt the enforcement action or limit the operation. The Department of Homeland Security says it’s surging more than 2,000 immigration officers into Minnesota, and that it has made more than 2,000 arrests in the city since the push began last month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly has sued the Pentagon over attempts to punish him for his warnings about illegal orders. He’s claiming the Trump administration trampled on his constitutional rights to free speech. Kelly, a former Navy pilot who represents Arizona, is seeking to block his censure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week. Hegseth said he censured Kelly over his participation in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Sunday the Department of Justice has served the central bank with subpoenas and threatened it with a criminal indictment over his testimony this summer about the Fed’s building renovations. The move represents an unprecedented escalation in President Donald Trump’s battle with the Fed, an independent agency he has repeatedly attacked for not cutting its key interest rate as sharply as he prefers. The renewed fight will likely rattle financial markets Monday and could over time escalate borrowing costs for mortgages and other loans. The subpoenas relate to Powell’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June, the Fed chair said, regarding the Fed’s renovation of two office buildings.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump says Iran wants to negotiate with the U.S. after his threat to strike the country over its crackdown on protesters. Activists said Monday the death toll in the demonstrations has risen to at least 544. Iran has not yet responded to Trump’s comments. The foreign minister of Oman traveled to Iran this weekend, possibly to mediate. Trump and his team are considering responses, including cyberattacks and direct strikes. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran, insisted “the situation has come under total control” in fiery remarks that blamed Israel and the U.S. for the violence, without offering evidence.

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses at several major New York City hospitals have gone on strike. The strike began Monday morning after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield a breakthrough. The affected hospitals include NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore and Mount Sinai. The union says about 15,000 nurses are participating in the strike. Among the nurses’ demands are manageable workloads and more workplace security. Hospitals say the union’s demands are too costly.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ragtag revolutionary saga “One Battle After Another” and Chloe Zhao’s Shakespeare drama “Hamnet” took top honors at Sunday’s 83rd Golden Globes, where the up-for-sale Warner Bros. dominated the awards. While the Globes have a tradition of spreading the wealth around, Anderson became just the second filmmaker to ever sweep best film, best director and best screenplay. Only Oliver Stone, for “Born on the Fourth of July,” managed the same feat. Timothee Chalamet won his first Golden Globe for “Marty Supreme.” “Sinners” won for best score and cinematic and box-office achievement.