WJPA News

The Washington County Coroners Office has identified the person killed in a crash Thursday afternoon along Interstate 70 in Buffalo Township.  23 year old Joshua Hopkins of Austin, Texas was pronounced dead at the scene.  A cause and manner of death are pending.  The coroner says he was the operator and sole occupant of a car traveling eastbound on the Interstate when he lost control, crossed the median and collided head-on with a tractor trailer in the westbound lanes near mile-marker 10.  He was wearing a seatbelt.  State Police are investigating.

Washington County Commissioners have tabled a vote on the miniature golf course proposed for Mingo Creek County Park. It’s the result of backlash from community members concerned that it would take away from the park’s natural aesthetic and interfere with the hiking and horse trails. Commissioners Chairman Nick Sherman said that the golf course would occupy only one quarter of an acre and would not disturb the natural aesthetic of the park. Sherman expressed concern about the lack of entertainment options for younger generations. Commissioner Larry Maggi, howver, emphasized the importance of preserving the park’s pristine natural resources and avoiding disruption to the property. Sherman also said the county may conduct a poll on its website so residents can voice their opinions on whether they support the project that carries a price tag of  $318,595 to build.  That price could jump by another $131,121 with an exhanced add-on to include  water features. In other action, Commissioners unanimously approved the creation of a new Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Advisory Council. The county aims to appoint council members by mid-summer.

Washington City Council worked through a day to day business agenda at their voting meeting on Thursday. Council approved the Washington County American Spirit Grant and will use the funds to replace the flagpole in front of City Hall. Council authorized a $270,000 grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Washington County as a match commitment toward the Pennsylvania Greenways, Trails and Recreation Programs grant for the rehabilitation of the tennis and pickleball courts project. They also approved the Washington Business District Authority’s plans for Makers Markets that will occur the third Thursday of the month from June through October. The location of the events will be at the corner of Main and Chestnut Streets. Council also recognized Robert Miklic and James Sadler with the Pride of Washington award. The two men came upon a woman in physical distress. They rendered aid to her until an ambulance arrived to transport her to the hospital. Miklic was there for the presentation and thanked council for the recognition. He declined to elaborate on the event.

A Washington County woman says she lost more than $40,000 in a long-running sweepstakes scam that police now believe may have evolved into a money laundering operation.  Seventy-eight-year-old Joyce Hennick says it started with a phone call telling her she had won five-point-five-million-dollars plus a Mercedes and an F-150, but in order to get the money and prizes, she  had to pay all the taxes and fees up front.   Police say the demands continued for more than two years, with dozens of phone calls every day.  scammers convinced Hennick to open multiple bank accounts and send money in various ways, and at one point, police say, cash even started arriving in her mailbox hidden inside magazines, leading them to believe it had also turned into a money laundering scheme as well.  Police say arrests in scams like these are rare, but they say Hennick kept detailed records so they’re hopeful that will be helpful.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense announced that the country’s air defenses are “actively engaging” with a missile and drone attack as the Iran war’s shaky ceasefire was again challenged. The ministry advised residents not to approach, photograph or touch “any debris or fragments that have fallen as a result of successful air interceptions” early Friday. Hours earlier, the U.S. military said it had intercepted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz Thursday night and “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces.” President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that the ceasefire was holding despite the violence.

ROME (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni to ease tensions over the war with Iran. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his criticism of Europe’s stance on the conflict have strained relations. Rubio’s trip began Thursday with a meeting with Pope Leo XIV. Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani aim to maintain Italy’s strategic partnership with the U.S. while resisting pressure over the Iran conflict. Italy opposes the war and has declined to allow U.S. bombers to land without parliamentary approval.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court has ruled against the new global tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. A split three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade in New York found the 10% global tariffs were illegal after small businesses sued. The court ruled 2-1 Thursday that Trump overstepped the tariff power that Congress had allowed the president under the law. The tariffs are “invalid″ and “unauthorized by law,” the majority wrote. At issue are temporary 10% worldwide tariffs the Trump administration imposed after the Supreme Court in February struck down even broader tariffs the president had imposed last year on almost every country on Earth.

MADRID (AP) — Spanish authorities are preparing to receive over 140 passengers and crew from a hantavirus-stricken cruise ship headed for the Canary Islands. Health officials plan careful evacuations when the ship arrives in Tenerife this weekend. At least three passengers have died, and several others are sick. The United States and the U.K. are arranging flights to repatriate their citizens. The World Health Organization says the risk to the wider public is low. Health authorities are tracking passengers who disembarked before the outbreak was detected. None of the remaining passengers or crew is currently symptomatic.

LONDON (AP) — Partial results from local elections in England show significant losses for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party and gains for Reform U.K. The votes are seen as an unofficial referendum on Starmer, whose popularity has plummeted since his election. Starmer saif Friday he takes responsibility for the “very tough” results but will not resign. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, won hundreds of local council seats in traditional Labour areas. The results reflect a fragmentation of British politics, with Labour losing votes to Reform UK and the Green Party. Many analysts doubt Starmer will lead Labour into the next national election.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee has enacted a new U.S. House map that carves up a majority-Black district in Memphis. The new voting districts signed into law Thursday by Republican Gov. Bill Lee gives the GOP a chance to win all nine of the state’s congressional seats in the November midterm elections. Tennessee is the first state to adopt new districts since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week that undermined a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. President Donald Trump has urged more Republican-led states to redraw their districts in light of the court ruling. Louisiana, Alabama and South Carolina also have taken steps toward redistricting.