WJPA News

Washington County Commissioners Chairman Nick Sherman admits that he has heard the rumor for nearly a year that Washington and Jefferson College was buying Jollick Manor and that residents there would be displaced.  While admitting that W&J is interested in the property, he says the housing facility is not for sale at this time.   Monday evening,  the Washington County Housing Authority held a special meeting to take care of several employment issues. The meeting was quickly redirected by more than 60 people from Jollick Manor who wanted the board to address rumors that Jollick Manor was going to be sold to Washington and Jefferson College. Before opening the floor to public comment, Authority Chairman Steve Toprani addressed the crowd and told them that there are no plans to decommission Jollick Manor. He said that the Authority, and to his knowledge, County Commissioners are not entertaining any plans to sell the property. Unconvinced, frustrated residents continued to loudly argue with the board about the rumor. Board member Clyde Wilhelm stated that he heard the rumor in 2025 and questioned whether it would be prudent to spend several hundred thousand dollars on Jollick Manor if it was to be sold. The board tabled the spending measure until assurances were granted that no such plans were in place. The board then went on to authorize the repairs. Tracy Levith felt that the answers were political speak. Board member Monique Taylor said that she would never have agreed to sell the property because her aunt lived there. The board did accomplish their stated agenda. They accepted the resignation of Stanley Shook as Deputy Executive Director. They approved Dennis Fisher as Interim Deputy Executive Director. Washington and Jefferson College has not yet responded.

Gas prices are 49 cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.654 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.  After ticking down for nearly two weeks, gas prices are going back up again with the national average seeing a 34-cent hike in one week. The national average is $1.29 higher than it was this time last year, as oil prices surge above $100/barrel with no indication of when the Strait of Hormuz will reopen. Gas prices are the highest they’ve been in four years, since late July 2022.  According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand increased last week from 9.05 million barrels per day to 9.10 million. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 228.4 million barrels to 222.3 million. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.8 million barrels per day.

 Two corrections officers and a former inmate are facing charges for alleged drug trafficking at SCI Fayette.  Attorney General Dave Sunday’s office announced Monday that following the recommendation of a grand jury, charges were filed against Beau Angelo, 37, and Charity Thompson, 40 — the officers — and Vadol Lewis, 33.  Each person is charged with felony counts of corrupt organizations, conspiracy, contraband and delivery of a controlled substance. Sunday says the charges are connected to trafficking that was discovered in late 2024.  “This case involves a betrayal of sworn oaths to protect the public, and conduct that threatens the public’s confidence in all officers with duties to keep their communities safe,” Attorney General Sunday said.  Sunday says, per the investigation and grand jury testimony, Angelo and Thompson brought K2 and Suboxone into the prison on their persons and distributed the drugs to inmates in exchange for payment.  Lewis, a former inmate at the prison, is accused of sending the drugs to the officers.  Angelo and Thompson, who are no longer employed as corrections officers, turned themselves in on Monday and were each given $50,000 unsecured bail.  Lewis is incarcerated on unrelated charges in Allegheny County, but is also expected to be arraigned on Monday.  The cases will be prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General’s Drug Strike Force Section.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military says it fired on Iranian forces and sank six small boats as it moved to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The United Arab Emirates, a key American ally, said it had come under attack from Iran on Monday, the first since a fragile ceasefire took hold in early April. The attacks appeared to be in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to reopen the strategic strait. The U.S. military said two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the strait on Monday. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned early Tuesday on X that both the U.S. and the UAE “should be wary of being dragged back into quagmire.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man spotted carrying a gun near the White House complex was shot by law enforcement officers after he opened fire on them near the Washington Monument. That’s according to Secret Service Deputy Director Matt Quinn, who said plainclothes agents spotted the man around 3:30 p.m. Monday in the area near the White House complex and saw the imprint of the weapon on him. The unidentified man attempted to flee when uniformed officers with the Secret Service approached him. Quinn said the man fired at the officers, who returned fire. The alleged gunman was transported to a local hospital, as was a minor who was shot but not seriously injured.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has restored broad access to the abortion pill mifepristone, blocking a ruling that had threatened to upend one of the main ways abortion is provided across the nation. The order issued Monday allows women seeking abortions to obtain the pill at pharmacies or through the mail, without an in-person visit to a doctor. Those rules had been in effect for several years until a federal appeals court imposed new restrictions last week. Most abortions are obtained with medication, normally mifepristone and a second drug, misoprostol. The availability of those drugs has made abortion accessible to women in states with bans. Louisiana sued, saying mifepristone’s availability undermined the ban there.

EDMOND, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma police have made no arrests and are seeking suspects in connection with a mass shooting at a weekend party beside a lake. Authorities say at least 23 people were injured in the shooting Sunday night at Arcadia Lake, just north of Oklahoma City. Hospitals in the Oklahoma City area said they treated at least 18 people afterward. But it’s unclear how many had been shot. Police said the violence erupted at an unsanctioned party jammed with young people at a public park near the lake. A witness says the shooting started after an argument broke out at the party.

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and CEO Sam Altman’s top lieutenant, disclosed in court Monday that his stake in the artificial intelligence company is worth nearly $30 billion. Brockman, who also said he did not invest in OpenAI, took the witness stand Monday in the landmark trial that centers on the 2015 birth of ChatGPT maker OpenAI as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.