Authorities say the fire at the Bentley Tower in Bentleyville Monday night was caused by someone smoking. The blaze broke out in the senior high rise in an apartment on the seventh floor and was contained to that one unit. Officials say a 68 year old female was flown to Mercy Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and burns, while another resident on that floor was also flown to Mercy for treatment of smoke inhalation.
It is that time of year where local communities find out if their local projects will receive grant funding from the Local Share Account that is funded by taxes levied on Pennsylvania gambling casinos. This year Washington County received $9.5 million in funding. According to Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman, that figure is down significantly from last year. Sherman says last year Washington County received more than $13 million in LSA funds making this year’s decisions “dicey”. One hundred thirty applications were made to the review committee and fifty four projects received funds. The largest of the awards granted was $1.95 million to the Washington County Department of Public Safety. That money will be spent on subscriber radio equipment that is needed for the new Emergency 9-1-1 Radio system presently under construction. More than 70% of funds went to public interest projects and public safety initiatives such as repair of aging sewer lines and South Strabane Township’s law enforcement traffic camera network. Commissioner Larry Maggi was pleased to see the committee award boy scouts, historical societies and parks along with job training programs monies for community development. Commissioner Electra Janis pointed to a collaborative CDL training program involving Trinity, Fort Cherry, Avella, McGuffey and Canon-McMillan school districts. She said this allows students to earn their certification creating job opportunities without college debt. The county will be contacting the awardees to outline the next steps in the funding process.
The Washington County Salary Board experienced some disagreement over the creation of a CES Director and an Inter-agency Collaboration Manager positions. The Salary Board is made up of the three county commissioners, the controller and the elected official that is requesting the changes in their department payroll, whether they be new hires, elimination of positions or salary adjustments. Commissioner Larry Maggi and Controller Heather Sheatler voted against the creation of the positions. Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis voted in favor. Ordinarily, such a vote would defeat the measure. Commissioner Nick Sherman called on Director of Human Services Dr. John Tamiggi to provide the deciding third vote to approve the creation of the positions. Maggi argued against the procedure that he says goes against county code. A non-elected official is not entitled to vote to approve new hires. Sheatler said that her solicitor argued that Tamiggi is an “at will employee” and not entitled to such a vote. Both Maggi and Sheatler said that they do not know why the positions are being created. County Solicitor Gary Sweat said that code does allow the head of an agency to provide a vote in the absence of an elected official. Commissioner Nick Sherman, in a subsequent interview did disclose that the positions are being created in anticipation of the implementation of a county run drug and alcohol program that would fall under Tamiggi’s direction. According to Maggi and Sheatler, litigation against the creation of the positions could result, costing additional money to taxpayers above the $80,000 and $52,000 salary requests. Sherman said that none of that salary money will be spent until the county is approved to operate its own drug and alcohol program.
A Canton Township woman pleaded guilty for her role in a bizarre case where police found a decomposing body in her home. Debbie Bebout, 64 pleaded guilty to felony theft by unlawful taking and abuse of a corpse charges. She was sentenced to 55 days to 23 months in jail for the theft charge. She will serve 24 months minus one day of parole for the abuse of corpse charge. Bebout and her husband James Bebout were arrested when police were called to their residence for a report of a dead body in January of 2025. Police found the body of Michael Bebout in a bedroom. Autopsy reports say the man probably died in August or September of 2024. Further investigation showed that Debbie Bebout continued to cash Michael Bebout’s social security checks. James Bebout has been arraigned on similar charges and awaits trial. Debbie Bebout met her minimum jail sentence and was released. In addition to her parole, she will make a $6,189 restitution payment to the Social Security Administration.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration is set to launch TrumpRx, a website to help patients buy prescription drugs directly from manufacturers at discounted rates. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday’s expected unveiling in a social media post. The website is not a purchasing platform but directs users to drugmakers’ own sites. President Trump first mentioned TrumpRx in September, highlighting deals with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices. The website’s release faced delays, but it now showcases efforts to reduce costs through agreements with major companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca. However, the actual savings for consumers remain unclear.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits jumped last week but remains in the same historically low range of the past few years. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending Jan. 31 rose by 22,000 to 231,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s significantly more than the 211,000 new applications that analysts had forecast. Applications for unemployment benefits are seen as representative of U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. The total number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the previous week ending Jan. 24 grew by 25,000 to 1.84 million.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A hearing with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent turned chaotic Wednesday as Democratic lawmakers clashed with him over fiscal policy and Trump family conflicts. The hearing of the House Financial Services Committee featured fiery exchanges and insults from Bessent. Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia snapped at Bessent for demeaning comments, while Massachusetts Rep. Stephen Lynch expressed frustration with his interruptions. California Rep. Maxine Waters asked if someone could “shut him up.” Experts say it was an unusual level of combativeness for a treasury secretary, whose role typically avoids political theater. Bessent is set to appear before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Investigators believe the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie is “still out there,” but they have not identified any suspects. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos also said Thursday that DNA tests showed blood found on Nancy Guthrie’s porch came back to her. He said: “Right now, we believe Nancy is still out there. We want her home.” Nanos spoke at a news conference five days after she was reported missing. Investigators say they are taking ransom notes sent to media outlets seriously. The FBI chief in Phoenix say the notes included a demand for money with a deadline.
(AP) – Minute Maid helped make orange juice a year-round morning staple in 1946, when it started shipping cans of frozen juice around the U.S. But 80 years later, the brand’s parent company is halting sales of frozen juice concentrates in the U.S. and Canada, saying it wants to focus on the fresh juices that customers now prefer. The Coca-Cola Company says Minute Maid’s frozen juices, including its lemonade and limeade, will be discontinued by April. For generations, Americans who wanted orange juice without the work of squeezing fresh fruit cracked open a can and slid a cylinder of frozen juice into a pitcher. The concentrated juice was mixed with water to make it ready for drinking.
Shares have retreated in Asia on heavy selling of technology stocks, while the price of bitcoin fell as much as 8%. South Korea’s Kospi dropped nearly 4%, while U.S. futures were mixed. Oil prices sank more than $1 a barrel. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 fell 0.5% for its fifth modest loss in the last six days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 1.5%. More than twice as many stocks rose within the S&P 500 than fell, but the index sank as Advanced Micro Devices and other influential tech stocks weakened. AMD dropped even though the chip company reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
