WJPA News

The Washington County Coroner has identified skeletal remains that were found in a wooded area near Interstate 70 in May of 2025. In a public information release sent out Friday night, Coroner Tim Warco says that through advanced DNA testing, they were able to identify the person as Robertson Wuyoch, 30 of South Strabane Township and formerly of Micronesia. Warco says the cause of death was hanging but there was not enough information to determine the manner of death, but it was not considered to be suspicious. According to the report, Wuyoch was reported missing by family members on June 11, 2020 when he did not return to his North Main Street home after a trip to the store. His remains were discovered by a passerby in a wooded area off of Interstate 70 East in the City Of Washington on May 4, 2025. City of Washington Police, South Strabane Township Police and Pennsylvania State Police all assisted in the investigation.

BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. —(WPXI)- Five nurses were sexually assaulted by the same patient at a local rehabilitation facility, police say. According to investigators, the assaults happened over a span of five months at the Genesis Rehab and Care Center in Bridgeville. Police have charged Curtis Fordham with sexual assault, exposing himself, and harassment. The incidents allegedly happened between November of last year and this past March. It came to a head when one of the nursing assistants called 911 in the middle of the night after she said Fordham touched her body inappropriately multiple times. According to police, victims told investigators that Fordham would ask staff to “put lotion on him” or “scratch his back” — then sometimes touch them, expose himself to them or make sexual comments. Investigators say it’s unclear if there are additional victims. When police questioned Fordham, they say he said “didn’t touch anybody” and “doesn’t remember any of it.” An attempt to get a comment from Genesis has not been successful.

Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania is investing more than $10.2 million to purchase development rights for 2,645 acres on 31 farms in 20 counties, including Washington County, protecting them from future residential or commercial development and continuing the Administration’s support of one of Pennsylvania’s key industries.  In February, Governor Josh Shapiro announced an investment of nearly $7.1 million to preserve 25 new farms and 1,905 acres. In 2025, Pennsylvania preserved 167 farms and 14,147 prime acres of farmland across the state, investing more than $50.1 million. These joint investments by state and local governments ensure that Pennsylvania farmers will have the prime-quality land they need to continue supporting families, communities, and jobs.  Shapiro says this is possible through Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program, in which the state partners with local governments and nonprofits to purchase development rights to preserve farmland, ensuring a strong future for farming and food security. By selling development rights, farm owners ensure their farms remain in agricultural production and are never sold to developers.  In Washington County, the total investment – $300,251; state – $199,284; county – $100,967 –  will go to Brownsheepfarm, a 95-acre sheep and goat farm in South Franklin Township.

HOUSTON (AP) — The first astronauts to visit the moon in more than a half-century are home. Artemis II’s crew of four emerged from their lunar capsule after a splashdown in the Pacific on Friday evening and were flown by helicopter to the Navy’s recovery ship. The three Americans and one Canadian set a distance record for space travel during their lunar flyby, surpassing NASA’s Apollo 13. Artemis II’s astronauts didn’t land on the moon or even orbit it. Instead, they ducked behind the moon’s far side and captured views never before seen by the human eye, along with a total solar eclipse. A finicky toilet seems to have been their biggest problem in space.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance has arrived in Pakistan for high-level talks with Iranian representatives. The talks beginning Saturday will be the first such meeting since the war began more than a month ago. The meeting will test whether the sides can shore up a fragile ceasefire and pave the way for peace. The ceasefire brokered by Pakistan still faces hurdles as Israel and Hezbollah militants have been trading fire along the border of southern Lebanon. Iran also has set conditions before negotiations can begin.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Prominent supporters of California Rep. Eric Swalwell’s bid for governor are withdrawing their support in a stunning political reversal. It comes after the congressman denied allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman twice, including once when she worked for him. Swalwell said in a video posted to social media that the accusation is false. He did not end his campaign. The woman told her account to the San Francisco Chronicle. The AP hasn’t been able to independently verify her account or identity. The allegations surfaced weeks before mail ballots are scheduled go out in advance of a June 2 primary election.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s plans for a new triumphal arch in the capital, unveiled Friday, include a towering winged figure with a Lady Liberty-like torch and crown, flanked by two eagles and guarded by four lions — all gilded. The 12-page plan released by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts shows the arch will stand 250 feet tall from its base to the tip of the winged figure’s torch, with “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” inscribed in gold atop either side of the monument. Trump says it “will be the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World.”