February 5, 2026 5:48 pm
Authorities say the fire at the Bentley Tower in Bentleyville Monday night was caused by someone smoking. The blaze broke out in the senior high rise in an apartment on the seventh floor and was contained to that one unit. Officials say a 68 year old female was flown to Mercy Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and burns, while another resident on that floor was also flown to Mercy for treatment of smoke inhalation.
February 5, 2026 5:37 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration is set to launch TrumpRx, a website to help patients buy prescription drugs directly from manufacturers at discounted rates. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Thursday’s expected unveiling in a social media post. The website is not a purchasing platform but directs users to drugmakers’ own sites. President Trump first mentioned TrumpRx in September, highlighting deals with pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices. The website’s release faced delays, but it now showcases efforts to reduce costs through agreements with major companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca. However, the actual savings for consumers remain unclear.
February 5, 2026 5:18 pm
It is that time of year where local communities find out if their local projects will receive grant funding from the Local Share Account that is funded by taxes levied on Pennsylvania gambling casinos. This year Washington County received $9.5 million in funding. According to Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman, that figure is down significantly from last year. Sherman says last year Washington County received more than $13 million in LSA funds making this year’s decisions “dicey”. One hundred thirty applications were made to the review committee and fifty four projects received funds. The largest of the awards granted was $1.95 million to the Washington County Department of Public Safety. That money will be spent on subscriber radio equipment that is needed for the new Emergency 9-1-1 Radio system presently under construction. More than 70% of funds went to public interest projects and public safety initiatives such as repair of aging sewer lines and South Strabane Township’s law enforcement traffic camera network. Commissioner Larry Maggi was pleased to see the committee award boy scouts, historical societies and parks along with job training programs monies for community development. Commissioner Electra Janis pointed to a collaborative CDL training program involving Trinity, Fort Cherry, Avella, McGuffey and Canon-McMillan school districts. She said this allows students to earn their certification creating job opportunities without college debt. The county will be contacting the awardees to outline the next steps in the funding process.
February 5, 2026 1:50 pm
The Washington County Salary Board experienced some disagreement over the creation of a CES Director and an Inter-agency Collaboration Manager positions. The Salary Board is made up of the three county commissioners, the controller and the elected official that is requesting the changes in their department payroll, whether they be new hires, elimination of positions or salary adjustments. Commissioner Larry Maggi and Controller Heather Sheatler voted against the creation of the positions. Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis voted in favor. Ordinarily, such a vote would defeat the measure. Commissioner Nick Sherman called on Director of Human Services Dr. John Tamiggi to provide the deciding third vote to approve the creation of the positions. Maggi argued against the procedure that he says goes against county code. A non-elected official is not entitled to vote to approve new hires. Sheatler said that her solicitor argued that Tamiggi is an “at will employee” and not entitled to such a vote. Both Maggi and Sheatler said that they do not know why the positions are being created. County Solicitor Gary Sweat said that code does allow the head of an agency to provide a vote in the absence of an elected official. Commissioner Nick Sherman, in a subsequent interview did disclose that the positions are being created in anticipation of the implementation of a county run drug and alcohol program that would fall under Tamiggi’s direction. According to Maggi and Sheatler, litigation against the creation of the positions could result, costing additional money to taxpayers above the $80,000 and $52,000 salary requests. Sherman said that none of that salary money will be spent until the county is approved to operate its own drug and alcohol program.
February 5, 2026 9:16 am
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.
February 5, 2026 5:02 am
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.
February 4, 2026 2:18 am
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.
February 4, 2026 2:44 am
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.
February 5, 2026 2:43 am
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.
February 4, 2026 2:28 am
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.
