December 16, 2022 4:23 pm
Virginia “Jeanne” F. Allender, of Washington, the founder and director of the Washington Christian Outreach, died on Thursday, December 15, 2022. She was 87. Jeanne, who was a devout Christian, said that more than four decades ago, her life changed after she was given a bag of used clothing and was asked to distribute it to someone in need. Donations of clothes and household goods quickly poured in, filling her home and a church basement. Her ministry grew into the Washington Christian Outreach, a non-denominational, all-volunteer organization that today serves thousands of community members in Washington and the surrounding area. Many of those she served affectionately knew her as Momma Jeanne. Arrangements are under the direction of William G. Neal Funeral Homes, Ltd., 925 Allison Avenue, Washington. Calling hours will be announced by the funeral home.
December 16, 2022 4:29 am
BATANG KALI, Malaysia (AP) – A landslide at a hillside tourist campground in Malaysia has left 16 people dead and authorities say 17 people are feared buried at the site on an organic farm outside of Kuala Lumpur. District police chief Suffian Abdullah said 94 Malaysians were sleeping at the campsite in Batang Kali in central Selangor state, around 31 miles north of Kuala Lumpur, when the incident occurred early Friday. Suffian said the people had entered the area, a popular recreational site, on Wednesday. Suffian said a five-year-old boy was among the dead. Seven people have been hospitalized and another 53 rescued. Survivors reportedly said they heard a loud thundering noise before the soil came crashing down.
December 16, 2022 4:26 am
FARMERVILLE, La. (AP) – Five Louisiana law enforcement officers have been charged with state crimes for their roles in the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene. The charges range from negligent homicide to malfeasance. They were handed down by a grand jury on Thursday. Police had initially blamed the Black motorist’s death on a car crash at the end of a high-speed chase in rural northeast Louisiana. But The Associated Press obtained and published long-suppressed body-camera video that showed white officers beating, stunning and dragging Greene as he pleaded for mercy and wailed, “I’m scared!” These are the first charges to emerge from Greene’s death. They follow years-long investigations that have expanded to examine whether police brass concealed evidence of troopers beating other Black motorists.
December 16, 2022 4:25 am
Twitter has suspended the accounts of journalists who cover the social media platform and its new owner Elon Musk. Those who saw their accounts suspended include journalists working for The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and other publications. The company hasn’t explained why it took down the accounts and made their profiles and past tweets disappear. The sudden suspension of news reporters followed Musk’s decision Wednesday to permanently ban an account that automatically tracked the flights of his private jet using publicly available data.
December 16, 2022 4:23 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian authorities have reported explosions in at least three cities, saying Russia has launched a major missile attack on energy facilities and infrastructure. Local authorities on social media Friday reported explosions in the capital, Kyiv, southern Kryvyi Rih and northeastern Kharkiv as authorities sounded air raid alarms across the country warning of a new devastating barrage of the Russian strikes that have occurred intermittently since mid-October. The strikes targeting energy infrastructure have been part of a new Russian strategy to try to freeze Ukrainians into submission after several key battlefield losses by Russian forces in recent months.
December 16, 2022 2:35 am
Washington County Commissioners ended the year by adopting the budget for 2023 on Thursday afternoon. The budget is a $163.6 million spending plan according to Finance Director Josh Hatfield. It includes $50 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds that will be dedicated to broadband expansion, public safety radios and courthouse expansion. Commissioner Chairwoman Diana Irey-Vaughn said she was pleased to be able to deliver the 13th consecutive budget with no tax increase. It was announced that a special meeting of the Board of Commissioners will be held on December 20 at 6PM.
December 16, 2022 2:18 am
The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that a sixteen-year-old has been charged with killing another teenager in Monessen last month. Authorities say Terry Newton is being charged as an adult with criminal homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor in the death of 16-year-old Amari Altomor (pictured). The shooting occurred on November 29th on South 14th Street just after eight o’clock. Police say emergency responders arrived on the scene and found a teenager who had been shot in the chest. Altomor was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment but later died. (Photo: Facebook)
December 15, 2022 3:58 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Ryan Seacrest will usher in 2023 on “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” from Times Square, with iconic bands from the 1980s and 1990s as well as a member of BTS and a TikTok sensation. Duran Duran, fresh off an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, will play from a catalogue that includes hits like “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “The Reflex” and “Rio.” R&B and pop group New Edition will celebrate their 40th anniversary by performing a medley of chart-toppers and solo hits like “Rub You The Right Way,” “My Prerogative,” “Poison,” “If It Isn’t Love,” and “Cool It Now.” J-hope, South Korean songwriter and member of BTS, will play a medley of his “(equals) (Equal Sign),” “Chicken Noodle Soup” and the band’s “Butter.” And Tik-Tok star Jax will sing pop hits “Victoria’s Secret” and “90s Kids.” Singer and rapper Farruko will perform from Puerto Rico. Actress and producer Liza Koshy will return as co-host alongside Seacrest, actor-singer Roselyn Sanchez will co-host from Puerto Rico and Billy Porter will be back in New Orleans for the Central Time Zone countdown.
December 15, 2022 2:57 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House committee investigating the Capitol riot will hold its final meeting Monday, wrapping up its year-and-a-half-long inquiry by asking the Justice Department to investigate potential crimes. The committee is expected to release its final report on Wednesday. The chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, has said the committee will make criminal referrals to the Justice Department recommending prosecution, but he hasn’t disclosed who the targets would be or whether former President Donald Trump would be among them. The committee has focused squarely on Trump and efforts by the-then president in the weeks before the attack to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
December 15, 2022 9:25 am
A Canton Township man is being held in the Washington County Jail on $25,000 bond following an incident late Sunday night. State Police say 49 year old Richard Bedillion faces charges that include; terroristic threats, simple assault, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. Police say his girlfriend called 9-1-1 claiming he was armed with an A-R 15 and threatening to kill her son. Police say when they arrived at the home in the 600 block of Baird Avenue around 11 p.m they heard gunshots and found Bedillion pointing the weapon in the air. He was taken into custody without incident.
