March 24, 2024 3:48 am
On Thursday, Washington County Commissioners unanimously approved a measure to fight blight in Washington County. The County of Washington, The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington and the Washington County Land Bank will all cooperate with every township and municipality in Washington County that wishes to have blighted properties remediated within their borders. Membership in the Land Bank is not required. The county is making available up to $12 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to operate the program. Municipalities can make application to the board created to administer the program. According to Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman, that application process will be simple. He says that it is a great program to have county funds help local municipalities take dilapidated properties and have them remediated so that they can be returned to local tax rolls as revenue producing properties. Sherman says all municipalities will be contacted in the next several days.
March 23, 2024 3:53 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick will be the only names on ballots for the office in Pennsylvania’s April primary after a ruling by the state’s highest court. Friday’s ruling completed the third of three successful court challenges to the paperwork of three relatively unknown candidates. That all-but guarantees uncontested victories for Casey and McCormick in their respective primary elections April 23. The November contest between Casey and McCormick will be critical to whether Democrats can maintain control of the Senate. Casey is running for a fourth term against McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO who narrowly lost the 2022 GOP primary to Dr. Mehmet Oz.
March 22, 2024 2:10 pm
LONDON (AP) — Kate, the Princess of Wales, says she has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. The video announcement Friday came after weeks of speculation spread on social media about her whereabouts and health since she was hospitalized in January for unspecified abdominal surgery. Kate, 42, hadn’t been seen publicly since Christmas until video surfaced this week of her with her husband, Prince William, heir to the throne, walking from a farm shop near their Windsor home. Kensington Palace had given little detail about Kate’s condition beyond saying it wasn’t cancer-related, the surgery was successful and recuperation would keep the princess away from public duties until April. (Photo: AP)
March 22, 2024 2:56 pm
(AP) – Russia’s Federal Security Service says 40 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded in an attack at a Moscow concert hall. The attack, which Russian authorities are investigating as terrorism, is the deadliest in Russia in recent years. The venue is still on fire and the death toll may rise. Several gunmen burst into the concert hall on the edge of Moscow and sprayed visitors with automatic gunfire, killing and wounding dozens and starting a massive blaze. Russian media reports that the venue’s roof is collapsing. The attack comes days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on the country in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide.
March 22, 2024 2:55 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson is at risk of being ousted. Hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia filed a motion to vacate on Friday during a House vote on a $1.2 trillion package to keep government open. Greene says it’s a “warning” to the Louisiana lawmaker. It’s the same political dynamic that removed the last Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy, months ago. McCarthy’s was the first such ouster of a speaker after far-right conservatives revolted over his compromise with Democrats to prevent a federal shutdown. The House is scheduled to leave town for a spring recess. It’s doubtful any vote on Johnson’s removal would be imminent. Johnson’s spokesman says he’s “focused on governing.”
March 23, 2024 1:23 am
NORTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A 19-year-old Washington County man is in the ICU after a driver made an illegal left turn, striking his motorcycle. The accident happened around 7:30 a.m. on March 13 as Jeffrey Chickis was on the way to work on Morganza Road. North Strabane Township police say a driver crossed the double yellow line and illegally turned left onto Curry Hill Road. Chickis has two broken arms, broken wrists, a broken nose, a pelvis broken in three places and brain bleeds. Trauma doctors say Jeffrey’s helmet saved his life. North Strabane police are investigating the crash and charges are pending. Investigators tell our news partners at WPXI that the driver’s left turn was illegal and that other drivers also illegally turned into the Sewer Plant property. Jeffrey’s family is hoping anyone who witnessed the accident last Wednesday morning, or who stopped to help, will come forward. Jeff said he appreciated the police officer who told him the helmet he bought his son for Christmas saved his life.
March 22, 2024 2:15 am
Washington County Commissioners put to rest an issue that has had county residents in an uproar by adopting a recommendation to grant LSA funding for a homeless women’s shelter. In February, the Local Share Account Committee recommended 50 projects to be funded with $8.7 million of a possible $9.2 million. Notably absent from the list was a Washington City Mission request for $500,000 for a homeless women’s shelter. The recommendation for $8.7 million in grant allocations and the carryover of $500,000 to next year was adopted by commissioners. Community outcry and accusations of political influence caused the commissioners to adopt a measure to have the LSA committee reconvene to consider the allocation of the remaining $500,000 to all projects denied funding. The LSA Committee met Wednesday and considered only the City Mission project and unanimously approved the measure to fund the City Mission’s request. Commissioners unanimously approved the recommendation and the City Mission will receive their women’s shelter funding. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman says that commissioners have met and will continue to meet with the LSA Committee to refine the process for grant allocations. He disagrees with Commissioner Larry Maggi who says that the recent events have given the selection process a “black eye.” Sherman did say that he was happy that the City Mission received their grant allocation.
March 22, 2024 4:56 am
JEANNETTE, Pa. — Jeannette Police Chief Derek Manley says investigators are treating Wednesday’s devastating fire as arson until they can safely rule it out. He said that is standard procedure for a fire of this magnitude. “The way we’re handling it is as an arson until we determine otherwise just because of the nature of what occurred, we don’t want to be lackadaisical and not cover our bases if it turns out to be one,” Manley said. “We won’t know that until we get the report from the fire marshal.” The fire Wednesday tore through one home along Guy Street, killing a dad and four of his kids. That fire also destroyed the house next door. The mother and two other children were able to escape the blaze.
March 23, 2024 1:51 am
Township Managers from five area municipalities gathered Friday for a panel discussion that was put on by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce. Chartiers Twp. hosted the event and their manager Jodi Noble led the panel discussion on a broad range of topics. South Franklin Twp. Manager Tyler Linck says they are welcoming a new housing development that will bring 62 new homes there. Mt. Pleasant Twp. Manager Darla Protch spoke on community cooperation and the prospect of police force regionalization between her township and three other townships. Cecil Twp. Manager Don Gennuso said that their township is now going through their book of ordinances to make sure that they represent the needs of their residents both residentially and commercially. Andy Walz from North Strabane Township and Paul Lauer from Peters Twp. both spoke of expanded recreation projects that are ongoing in their townships. Noble also had her input to the discussion. She suggested a formal summit of business leaders and municipalities to discuss what the changing economy demands and how municipalities may best address those changes.
March 22, 2024 5:18 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Some of Pennsylvania’s most populous counties are relocating polling places out of synagogues because next month’s primary election falls on the first day of Passover. The primary election is April 23. In Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, election officials relocated 16 polling places from synagogues and a Jewish community center. Polling locations were also shifted in the Philadelphia area where the city and its four “collar” counties together have about 200,000 Jewish households. Proposals to change this year’s primary date to avoid the Passover conflict and become more relevant to the presidential contest were debated last year but died in the Legislature.
