WJPA News

Charleroi Borough Manager Joe Manning announced on Wednesday that officials have condemned the offices of District Magistrate Eric Porter, after a water leak caused the building to become uninhabitable. Crews from the Charleroi Fire Department were initially dispatched for a reported water leak and observed collapsed ceilings and water in the basement of the structure and requested assistance from the Borough Code Enforcement Office as well as West Penn Power. Following inspection of the building, electric service was removed and officials took action to condemn the structure. Borough officials have reached out to Judge Porter and the Washington County Court Administrator’s office to assist in temporarily relocating Judge Porter and his staff.  Manning says they may use the borough building as a temporary judicial office.

Officers with the McDonald Police Department say Raymond Bertovich III was arrested Monday on a warrant for recklessly endangering another person and possession of instruments of crime. Police say they executed the warrant at Bertovich’s home in the 400 block of Fannie Street, where they found two .9 mm pistols, several hundred rounds of ammunition, drug paraphernalia indicating marijuana cultivation and use, unknown pills, documents, fake urine and “prohibited offensive weapons.” They say three other guns were reportedly seized, including an AR-type rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and an AK47 rifle. Police say charges for firearm and drug violations are pending. Authorities say the investigation is the result of Bertovich firing a rifle and shotgun from his back deck early on New Year’s Day, when the department received multiple calls about the incident, but a responding officer wasn’t able to make contact. Bertovich is being held in the Allegheny County Jail on ten-thousand-dollars bond.

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.

HARRISBURG, PA: The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has placed twenty-two individuals on its various Involuntary Exclusion Lists. Placement on those lists prohibits individuals from either gaming in a casino in Pennsylvania, via an online betting site regulated by the board, or at a Video Gaming Terminal (“VGT”) location.  The actions by the Board include placement of five adults on the list for leaving minors unattended at a casino property while they gambled.  Included in that list is a female patron who left two children, ages eight and nine, in a hotel room at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows for seven hours and forty-one minutes while she gambled at table games.  Four other women from various parts of the state were also added to the list for similar infractions.

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.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie has sent a public message to her mother’s kidnapper saying that her family is ready to talk but wants proof that she is alive. Guthrie said in a recorded video posted on social media Wednesday that her family has heard about a ransom letter in media reports. Nancy Guthrie was last seen Saturday around 9:45 p.m. when she was dropped off at home by family after having dinner with them. She was reported missing midday Sunday after she didn’t appear at a church. Authorities on Wednesday offered no detailed update on their search.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has allowed California to use a new voter-approved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year’s elections, rejecting a plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration. No justices dissented from the brief order. The justices had previously allowed Texas’ Republican-friendly map to be used in 2026, despite a lower-court ruling that it likely discriminates on the basis of race. The justices’ unsigned order Wednesday keeps in place districts that are designed to flip up to five seats now held by Republicans, part of a tit-for-tat nationwide redistricting battle spurred by President Donald Trump.

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.

The Washington Post has laid off one-third of its staff, eliminating its sports section, several foreign bureaus and its books coverage. The widespread purge announced Wednesday is a brutal blow to journalism and one of its most legendary brands. The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, called the move painful but necessary to put the outlet on stronger footing and weather changes in technology and user habits. He outlined the changes in a companywide online meeting. Staff members then began getting emails with one of two subject lines — telling them their role was or was not eliminated. Rumors of layoffs had circulated for weeks.

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.