District Attorney Provides Drug Testing Machine

January 5, 2025 3:40 am

District Attorney Jason Walsh has announced that his office will be providing a state of the art drug testing machine to the Charleroi Regional Police Department. The District Attorney’s office obtained grant funding to supply the MX908 mass spectrometer. In what is described as a game changing tool to fight illegal drugs through real time chemical detection and identification, officers are able to quickly identify narcotics on the scene and act accordingly. Walsh will be supplying additional machines to other law enforcement agencies throughout the county in the coming month to ensure that all law enforcement agencies have access to the revolutionary drug testing machine.

State Police Release New Year’s Holiday Crash Report

January 4, 2025 3:39 am

The Pennsylvania State Police have released their New Year’s Holiday Crash Report. The time frame for the report is December 31, 2024 through January 2, 2025. State Police investigated 425 crashes. In those crashes there was one death and 68 injuries. Impaired driving was a factor in 31 of the crashes. During that period, 254 people were arrested for driving under the influence. Other citations were issued for 2727 cases of speeding, 383 for failure to wear a seat belt and 50 for not securing children in safety seats.

Judge Sets Trump’s Sentencing Date In Hush Money Case

January 3, 2025 4:26 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — In an extraordinary turn, a judge has set President-elect Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case for Jan. 10 — little over a week before he’s due to return to the White House — but indicated he wouldn’t be jailed. Judge Juan M. Merchan issued the ruling Friday. He signaled in a written decision that he’d sentence the former and future president to what’s known as a conditional discharge, in which a case is closed without jail time, a fine or probation. The development nevertheless leaves Trump on course to be the first president to take office convicted of felony crimes.

Johnson Re-Elected House Speaker In Dramatic Vote

January 3, 2025 3:09 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Mike Johnson has won re-election to House speakership on first-round voting. He pushed past GOP holdout and got a boost from President-elect Donald Trump. GOP holdouts convened in back of the House chamber during a tense roll call. It brought an ominous start to the new Congress. Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival as speaker but Trump’s ambitious agenda. Tax cuts and mass deportations are all at stake as Republicans sweep to power in Washington. Next steps are uncertain, but the chamber is expected to try again. A flop by Johnson could have thrown Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil without a House speaker.  (Photo:  AP)

Surgeon General Wants Warning Label On Alcohol

January 3, 2025 1:11 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, a risk that should be clearly labeled on drinks Americans consume, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy proposed on Friday. Murthy’s advisory comes as research and evidence mounts about the bad effects that alcohol has on human health. Americans should be better informed about the link between alcohol and cancer, in particular, Murthy argues. About 20,000 people die every year from those alcohol-related cancer cases, according to his advisory. Bottles of beer, wine and liquor already carry warning labels about the risk of birth defects when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol. But Murthy’s proposed label would go even further, raising awareness about the risk for cancer, too.  (Photo:  AP)

Surgeon General Warns Of Alcohol’s Cancer Risk

January 2, 2025 10:41 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, a risk that should be clearly labeled on drinks Americans consume, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy proposed on Friday. Murthy’s advisory comes as research and evidence mounts about the bad effects that alcohol has on human health. Americans should be better informed about the link between alcohol and cancer, in particular, Murthy argues. About 20,000 people die every year from those alcohol-related cancer cases, according to his advisory. Bottles of beer, wine and liquor already carry warning labels about the risk of birth defects when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol. But Murthy’s proposed label would go even further, raising awareness about the risk for cancer, too.

Biden Blocks Acquisition Of US Steel

January 4, 2025 12:58 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has blocked the nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. This affirms his earlier vow to block the acquisition. In a Friday statement, Biden said, “We need major U.S. companies representing the major share of US steelmaking capacity to keep leading the fight on behalf of America’s national interests.” His decision comes after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States didn’t reach consensus on the possible national security risks of the deal last month. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel blasted the decision, saying Biden cited no credible evidence of a national security problem and suggested they’ll sue.

Winter Weather Advisory In Effect

January 2, 2025 4:46 am

PITTSBURGH — Snow will slow the morning commute Friday morning, so allow some extra time before you head out. There could be some slick spots so watch steps and sidewalks and plan for delays on the roads. Several schools will operate on two-hour delays including Trinity, Peters Township, Canon McMillan and Chartiers Houston. Crews will battle light snow through mid-morning before the first part of the system moves out, however, lake effect snow could bring bands of additional accumulating snow through the afternoon and early evening. These bands could bring quick accumulations which could cover roads and reduce visibility. Tune to WJPA 95.3FM/1450AM for the very latest.

Canonsburg Man Talks About New Orleans Attack

January 3, 2025 5:07 am

The Canonsburg man who was among those injured in the New Years attack in New Orleans is recovering and talking after undergoing surgery for two broken legs. Jeremi Sensky spoke with ABC News from his hospital bed. “I couldn’t even explain it. It just sounded like something fell. And I turned around and started going forward, and then, something happened, and then the next thing I remember, I was laying on the ground, and my leg was all floppy like it was broken,” Sensky said. The suspect also fired off gunshots. Sensky described lying on the ground, just hoping he was out of the line of fire. He said he was screaming as loud as he could, but he wasn’t being acknowledged. Sensky said he later realized he was being passed by due to the number of people severely injured or dead. “I was paralyzed. I was in a car wreck. I mean, that was probably the worst part of my life. And I’ve been in a wheelchair ever since then, so, I hate to say it, but I feel lucky right now man, I’m alive. The people I was with are still alive,” Sensky said.

Speaker Mike Johnson Trying To Save His Job

January 2, 2025 7:44 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — The new Congress convenes Friday with one major task at hand and that is the election of the House speaker. But current Speaker Mike Johnson’s weak grip on the gavel threatens not only his own survival but President-elect Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda. Tax cuts and mass deportations are all at stake as Republicans sweep to power in Washington. With opposition from his own GOP colleagues, Johnson was holed up in the Capitol on the eve of the vote, working to sway the hardline holdouts. A flop by Johnson could throw Monday’s congressional certification of Trump’s 2024 election victory into turmoil without a House speaker. Even backing from Trump himself is no guarantee that Johnson will stay in power.