WJPA News

ICE agents were present in the City of Washington Thursday morning.  A WJPA reporter went to Shirls Avenue, where roofing work was being done and spoke to Jason Morris of Morris Contracting & Roofing. Morris explained that there was a van circling before his crew got to the job site. After work began, about 10 ICE agents started to approach. Morris said no one was detained.  As for whether the workers were here illegally, Morris would not comment.  One arrest – unconfirmed at this time – may have been made.  WJPA has received a video from a resident on Donnan Avenue in Washington, showing one man being arrested.  WJPA reached out to Washington Police for comment and they issued an email statement saying:  “The City of Washington Police Department’s knowledge of reported U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity within the city is limited to information the department has seen posted on social media. The department has no additional knowledge of such activity and has had no interactions with ICE regarding these reports.”

The man, police believe, that shot 20 year old Julian Lassic in an alley adjacent to the Sin City Disciples Clubhouse in the early morning hours on October 11, 2025 will face trial. Karl Sullivan, 37 of Fredericksburg, Virginia had homicide, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment charges along with weapons possession and receiving stolen property charges held for court after a 90 minute hearing. City of Washington Police testified how they found Sullivan slumped over a curb, bleeding on North Main Street on their way to the alley where a call of shots fired was issued. They testified how they found Lassic lying on his back bleeding from alleged gunshot wounds in the alley. They also testified about the evidence found at the scene that included two firearms. Prosecutors connected Sullivan with the shooting by finding DNA evidence on one of the guns. Sullivan was arrested and in jail in an unrelated incident in Virginia, when police served a search warrant for Sullivan’s DNA and later determined that both DNA samples matched. A bullet found in Julian Lassic was determined to be one fired by the gun that allegedly was in the possession of Sullivan that night. Sullivan’s defense attorney Fred Rabner argued that because there were no witnesses to the shooting and no video evidence of the incident, not enough evidence was available to hold Sullivan for trial for the homicide. Judge Kelly Stewart said that those evidence issues would be better handled by a jury during trial. Stewart held all charges against Sullivan for court. Sullivan will be formally arraigned on December 3.

A ribbon cutting was held at Franklin Crossroads Park Thursday morning to commemorate the opening of the retail phase. Franklin Crossroads Park is taking the place of the former Washington Crown Center Mall and offers a mixed-use business and commercial campus. PREP Funds and IRG are behind the redevelopment. The retailers now have exterior entrances and their own parking field. Chris Salata, a partner with PREP Funds, says this is a huge milestone, and there can now be a larger focus on the business park at the back of the property. Jeff Kotula, the president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agency, explains that there are a lot of different businesses, and they are ready just in time for the holiday season. Bob Sabot, the chairman of the board of supervisors in North Franklin Township, says this was a long time coming, but the township is back in business.  (Pictured:  PREP Funds Chris Salata)

ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump has canceled weekend rallies in Iowa and Kansas, opting instead to do telerallies with GOP candidates. His party said the telerallies could reach more voters in nearly two dozen states in the final days of a midterm election that could cost the GOP control of Congress. Earlier Thursday, the president traveled to South Carolina for the second time in a month, a sign of Republican anxiety about Darline Graham’s ability to fend off a robust challenge from Democrat Annie Andrews for a critical U.S. Senate seat. The Republican National Committee says Trump telerallies are planned for nearly 20 states, and more may be announced.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola denies that she knew anything about an effort to put another candidate on the Alaska ballot with the same name as the Republican incumbent. Peltola told voters in Juneau Thursday night that she “knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent.” Peltola is running against Sen. Dan Sullivan. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that subpoenas seeking grand jury testimony or documents, along with records preservation demands, were issued after The New York Times reported that Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan Jr. as part of an alleged effort to confuse voters.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s final election results show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc lost its majority in parliament. It won 53 seats in Tuesday’s voting, while the main opposition secured 48. Arab-led parties achieved a historic 19 seats. Parties must now negotiate to see if they can form a coalition with at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu remains in charge, but coalition talks are expected to be challenging. The president will assign someone to form a government next week. If no one can do so, a new election could be held early next year. Netanyahu’s party has made unsubstantiated claims about election interference by Arab-led parties.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Get ready to fall back. The Senate is unlikely to act on a House-passed bill that would make daylight saving time permanent, despite pressure from President Donald Trump and Americans who don’t like having to change their clocks twice a year. Daylight saving time ends early Sunday, requiring much of the U.S. to move clocks back one hour. Several senators are holding up legislation that would eliminate that longtime U.S. tradition. Supporters argue that ending the time change would provide more daylight during the times Americans are most active. Opponents say commuters in some states wouldn’t see the sun until after 9 a.m.

(AP) – Patrick Stewart, the classically trained stage actor who scaled the Shakespearean canon and added gravitas to a “Star Trek” franchise and the “X-Men” films, has died. He was 86. A spokesperson said Stewart died Wednesday in Los Angeles, following “a brief and poignant journey” with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy Body Dementia. Stewart was best known as Professor Charles Xavier from the “X-Men” and Captain Jean-Luc Picard from “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” but he spent more of his career onstage than in the X-Mansion or on the USS Enterprise.  (Photo:  AP)