WJPA News

The Washington High School Student Life Group is finding out early about politics as it exists today. The group teamed with the Washington County League of Women Voters and the Washington Branch of the NAACP, to put on a debate among candidates for state representative, state senator and the US House of Representatives, to gain more information about their views on subjects important to voters, especially young votes in Washington County. To their disappointment, their debate has turned into a “Meet the Candidates” gathering. WJPA Radio sat down with two leaders in the Student Life Group to discuss their experience so far. Eliza Boyd is the founder of the group. She says that multiple efforts were made; from emails, phone calls and even certified mail, to try and convince Republican party candidates to sit down and discuss their views. All of those efforts were ignored. She is upset. She feels that candidates are ignoring what young voters views. She says that it is a HUGE mistake for Republicans not to attend. Blaise Naraskivitch says that, he too, is disappointed in the Republican Party no show. He wants to know how Republicans expect young people to accurately asses community concerns when the candidates that are elected to address those concerns do not care to show up. Naraskivitch says that there is still time, show up to the event and present your views. Boyd says that if Republicans were to lose in Washington County, that is all their responsibility for not wanting to be involved with the community. The meet and greet is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, at 6:30 pm at the Washington High School Gymnasium on Allison Avenue in the City of Washington.

One person was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital following a police chase and crash Monday morning.  Washington County 911 says it happened just after 5 a.m. at the intersection of E. Maiden and Waynesburg Road in Pancake.   According to dispatchers,  South Strabane Police were alerted to a stolen vehicle out of Rostraver Township in Westmoreland County.  Dispatchers say police located the vehicle and a chase resulted.  The vehicle crashed a short time later.  The driver of the vehicle was entrapped and had to be extricated.  They were transported by ambulance to Mercy Hospital.  There is no word on their identity or condition.

An investigation is underway into a fire early Monday morning in Cross Creek Township.  Washington County 911 tells WJPA News is broke out just after midnight along Browntown Road.  Dispatchers say it is unclear if the home was occupied.  At this time, there have been no reports of any injuries.  It’s unclear what may have sparked the fire.

The man shot by police while serving a search warrant in the City of Washington has died.  The Allegheny County Medical Examiner confirms that Darion Thompson, 26, died at the hospital Friday.  State Police say their Computer Crime Unit was service a warrant along Oak Street around 6:30 a.m. for alleged possessing child pornography.  Troopers say a woman who answered the door allowed them to enter.  Once inside, police say Thompson took out a gun and troopers fired.  He was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital were he reportedly was on life support.   Washington Mayor Jo Jo Burgess says Thompson was his cousin.  According to Burgess, the man was deaf and that police had been to the home before. Burgess is questioning why this encounter ended in gunfire.  It is unclear if troopers knew Thompson was deaf.  The mayor wants body camera video released tell out news partners at WPXI ,“If you come up in my house in the morning and I’m sleeping, I’m telling you right now, you’re gonna be met with something,” Burgess said. “… If that is the facts, and he did, and you’re giving him commands — he is deaf. He can’t hear them, so he can’t follow them. We need to know where the lack of communication and the breakdown was.”

ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A man whose toddler was among eight people killed in a mass shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, says the gunman was a grandfather who never seemed distressed or out of the ordinary. Julius Windham said Sunday that he believed the 45-year-old shooter’s affable demeanor was “a front.” Windham spoke to The Associated Press as he stood at a memorial to victims of Friday’s shooting, including his 1-year-old daughter Amarianna, her pregnant mother and the woman’s 5-year-old son and unborn baby. The gunman took his own life. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah says he was related to seven of the victims.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Victor Martinez, who runs a Spanish-language radio station in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, talks about voters’ frustration with everyday realities like higher fuel prices and inflation ahead of next month’s closely contested midterm election. Martinez added an hour of politics talk to his morning radio show at the end of Donald Trump’s first term, and the segment took off with his audience. As Trump’s second term reaches its halfway point, Martinez said he’s sensing that voters are just as frustrated with the economy as they were two years ago. But this time, it’s Republicans who could face the consequences.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal agents have searched Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home as part of a criminal investigation. That’s according to people familiar with the matter. The people say the search was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations agents. The people were not authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Details about the investigation are unclear. The Justice Department said in a statement Monday that HSI agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the department in the Washington, D.C., area but provided no other details. An email seeking comment has been sent to a representative for Omar.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. A senior U.S. official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and will likely decide on what action to take this week. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Rubio had been particularly angry, not least because he visited Athens just last week and Guilfoyle attended most, if not all, of his events and greeted him on his arrival with a bear hug as the allegations swirled.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say Russia continues to strike Ukraine’s energy facilities despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of an “energy ceasefire.” On Monday, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Kharkiv reported an attack on an energy facility. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is still hitting infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv. The European Union’s top diplomat is skeptical of the ceasefire, noting there are no signs that Russia will respect it. Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack on Sunday in Kharkiv killed three people and injured nine others. Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted 89 Russian drones overnight into Monday.

CAIRO (AP) — A passenger terminal at the international airport in Riyadh has been struck again, a day after a missile hit the complex and killed 12 people. Saudi authorities say Sunday’s strike killed one person, described as a Pakistani national, and injured 11 as King Khalid International Airport remained closed. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen claimed responsibility. President Donald Trump has said he is considering joining the fight against the rebels in the latest front in the Iran war. The Houthis have threatened more strikes across Saudi Arabia and warned airlines about using Saudi airspace. Officials have told The Associated Press that the Saudis are running low on missile interceptors.

A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to cancel any remaining television commercials paid for with millions of dollars in taxpayer money to promote his political message. The administration said the ad campaign was already coming to an end. The judge sided with a coalition that challenged the ads as an illegal misuse of funds. She told the administration to cancel any remaining ads, including any set to air Sunday night, in granting a temporary restraining order. Asked for comment, the White House referred to an Oct. 5 social media post from Trump in which he defended the taxpayer-funded ads as “rather standard” but, amid backlash, said he would pay for them from his political fundraising.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery to remove a nodule on his lung in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. The lesion was found at an early stage and is well-localized. Leo, who is 71 and physically active, made the announcement during his Sunday blessing. He thanked the crowd for their support and prayers. The Vatican said Sunday the surgery is scheduled in the coming days, with a recovery time of about a week. Leo has a major trip planned for November to South America, but it’s unclear if the surgery will affect his itinerary.