June 8, 2022 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – An 11-year-old girl who survived the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas has told members of Congress how she covered herself in her dead classmate’s blood and played dead to avoid being shot. Miah Cerrillo, a fourth-grader at Robb Elementary School, told lawmakers in a pre-recorded video Wednesday that she watched a teacher get shot in the head before looking for a place to hide. Using the deceased teacher’s phone, she called 911 and pleaded for help. Her testimony to a House Oversight Committee was the second day of testimony from families of the victims and survivors of mass shootings in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde.
June 8, 2022 4:16 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Migration has taken center stage at an assembly of Western Hemisphere leaders in Los Angeles. Leaders are expected to agree on a call to action that supporters hope will guide countries as they host people fleeing violence and persecution and searching for more economic stability. The United States has been the most popular destination for asylum-seekers since 2017, but it is far from alone in facing more migrants at its borders. While leaders of Mexico and several Central American countries are skipping the Summit of the Americas, the migration accord has been in the works for nearly a year.
June 8, 2022 4:15 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russia is drawing closer to its goal of fully capturing Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland of coal mines and factories. The Kremlin claimed Tuesday to have taken control of 97% of one of the two provinces that make up the Donbas region. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow’s forces hold nearly all of Luhansk province. And it appears that Russia now occupies roughly half of Donetsk province. That’s according to Ukrainian officials and military analysts. After abandoning its attempt to storm Kyiv two months ago, Russia declared that taking the entire Donbas is its main objective.
June 8, 2022 4:13 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – A passenger train has derailed in eastern Iran, killing at least 17 people and injuring 50 others. That’s according to initial reports on Iranian state television. The report said four of the seven cars in the train derailed in the early morning darkness near the desert city of Tabas. Tabas is some 550 kilometers southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran. Rescue teams with ambulances and helicopters had arrived in the remote area where communication is poor. Over a dozen people suffered critical injuries, with some transferred to local hospitals. Three died en route, with another 10 dead at the scene. A cause remains under investigation, though initial reports suggested the train hit an excavator on the tracks.
June 8, 2022 4:09 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania Senate is advancing legislation that would prohibit transgender women from participating in women’s sports. The bill that passed Tuesday was sent to the state House, which had previously passed an identical bill. One Democrat crossed party lines to vote in favor of the Senate bill. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is threatening a veto if the proposal makes it out of the Legislature. The proposal would require public K-12 schools and colleges to designate sports as male, female or coed.
June 8, 2022 4:08 am
SOUTH UNION TWP, Pa. — (WPXI)- A Pennsylvania state representative representing Fayette and Somerset counties was involved in a car accident on June 4 where he was suspected of DUI. According to Pennsylvania State Police Uniontown, a 2011 Mini Cooper S rear-ended a 2021 Toyota Tacoma twice, causing moderate damage to the car. It had to be towed. The Mini Coopers’ operator, identified as Matthew Dowling, experienced a diabetic emergency while on the scene of the crash and was taken to Uniontown Hospital for treatment, according to police. Officials said charges related to suspicions of DUI are pending analysis of blood work results and related medical records. Dowling posted on his Facebook regarding the accident. In the post, Dowling said he was in a “horrific” car accident in October that brought about medical issues related to his diabetes. He said the injuries he received in the accident were “life changing” and while adjusting to these changes, he struggled to deal with the trauma, and that struggle “manifested itself in disappointing behavior that I have faced in the past with respect to alcohol, and that came to a head in an auto accident on June 4, 2022.” Dowling apologized to the people he represents and to his family in the statement, and said he has entered professional treatment to address any possible alcohol issues he has.
June 8, 2022 2:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A man carrying a gun, a knife and zip ties was arrested Wednesday near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house in Maryland after threatening to kill the justice. Nicholas John Roske of California was identified in a criminal complaint charging him with the attempted murder of a Supreme Court justice. Roske was dressed in black when he arrived by taxi just after 1 a.m. outside Kavanaugh’s home in a Washington suburb. Roske had a Glock 17 pistol, ammunition, a knife, pepper spray, duct tape and other items that he told police he would use to break into Kavanaugh’s house and kill him. That’s according to a criminal complaint and affidavit filed in federal court in Maryland.
June 8, 2022 2:49 am
Louis J. Panza, Jr., President of Penn Highlands Mon Valley, has announced plans to retire by the end of 2022. His retirement date, he says, is dependent upon the completion of a national search for a successor who will transition into the newly created role of Regional Market President – Southwestern Region. Panza joined Monongahela Valley Hospital in 1984 as Controller, and soon after accepted responsibilities as Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer. He assumed the role of President and CEO in 2004. In that position, he served on the Hospital’s Board of Trustees and on the Board of Directors of Mon-Vale Health Resources, Inc., the Hospital’s parent organization. As President and CEO, he oversaw the operation of Monongahela Valley Hospital; Mon-Vale Multiphasics, Inc., a supplier of durable medical equipment and operator of a full-service health and fitness center; Vale-U-Health, Inc., which offers healthcare insurance through a Preferred Provider Organization; Mon-Vale Non-Acute Care Services, Inc., which operates a personal care community and a skilled care facility. In 2021, when Monongahela Valley Hospital began its affiliation with Penn Highlands Healthcare, Mr. Panza remained with the hospital as its President. “The time is right,” said Panza. “I’ve given this much thoughtful consideration. I can retire with the knowledge that joining Penn Highlands Healthcare, we are positioned for the future. I have had the privilege to serve our patients and this community, as well as working with great people who I will dearly miss.”
June 8, 2022 2:40 am
A Washington County man is facing homicide charges in the death of his baby. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says that on May 24th Peters Township Police were called to a home at 148 Pleasantview Drive for reports of an infant who was not breathing. He says the little boy was lying on the floor and was unresponsive, with a bluish hue to his skin. He says the baby did gasp for air once before appearing to stop breathing again. Authorities say the child’s father, 36-year-old Jordan Clarke, told them that he fell on top of him. The baby was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh where he died the next day. In a report later given to police, a doctor said that the baby had subdural hematomas over both sides of his brain, multiple layers of retinal hemorrhages in both eyes and possible fractures to both tibias. Clarke has been charged with one count of criminal homicide, three counts of aggravated assault of various degrees and one count of endangering the welfare of children.
June 8, 2022 2:28 am
Washington County could be shuttering two Magisterial District Judge offices with one being as early as next year if a recent realignment proposal is confirmed. Following the census every decade, all counties in Pennsylvania are tasked with evaluating, reestablishing or eliminating district courts based on the caseload and work distribution at each office. Washington County, which falls under the 27th Judicial District, currently has 11 offices. The county says the caseload in the 27th District has dropped significantly since the last reestablishment 10 years ago and that no other 4th class county in the state has more than 9 total magisterial district offices. There has also not been a substantive rebalancing of judicial workload in the county in over 20 years. The proposal eliminates the vacant office in Peters Township once held by Jesse Pettit and the office in Bentleyville, currently ran by Curtis Thompson. The vacant Peters Township office would be eliminated next year if the proposal holds, and residents in the municipality would be sent to Louis McQuillan’s office (27-3-06 pictured) in Cecil Township for any filings or court events. Residents currently assigned to Thompson’s office would not have to worry about a move until the proposed elimination date of 2028. All proposal paperwork, along with frequently asked questions can be found on the Washington County Courts website. All written public comments are encouraged and must be sent to Deputy Court Administrator Kathy Tarr by June 21st. The comments will be attached to the proposal when it is sent along to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
