January 14, 2025 4:49 am
The agenda for the Canonsburg Council Voting Meeting was passage of several routine matters. Of note, a new stop sign will be placed on Hutchison Avenue at Hawthorne Street facing southbound traffic on Hutchison Avenue. They approved an $86,300 spending measure to finish the municipal building’s alcove project. The uncovered parking area that runs from the front to the rear of the building has been leaking and ruining items stored in the police department storage and evidence rooms. Council also appointed three people to assorted board positions. Tim Solobay was appointed to a five year term on the CHJSA Board. Tony Trona was reappointed to a three year term on the Zoning Hearing Board and Leanna Coyle was reappointed to a three year term on the Parks and Recreation Board. Council will be holding a workshop on January 20 to discuss capital projects for 2025. Council Chairman Rich Russo also reminded residents of the Washington County Home Rehabilitation Program. Residents who qualify are eligible for up to $25,000 to make exterior improvements to their home. The loan is also forgivable over a ten year period. Information may be found on the borough website under the Building Department tab.
January 14, 2025 2:53 am
The Charleroi Area School District says a student, who attended class at the district’s high school on Monday, has been diagnosed with tuberculosis. District superintendent Ed Zelich, in a letter sent to families, says the student was diagnosed with the disease “a couple of weeks ago.” After learning that the student had returned to school without a doctor’s clearance, they were isolated from other people and then sent home. The area where the student was isolated has since been “thoroughly cleaned.” Zelich said after a conversation with the district’s principals, school nurses and the Pennsylvania Department of Health in Monessen, it was determined there is currently “no public health action” necessary for the district. The district will be “promptly” notified if that changes. Zelich said the district is “closely monitoring the situation” and plans to keep working with area health authorities to ensure student and staff safety.
January 14, 2025 5:00 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Southern California residents are facing dire new wildfire warnings and power shutoffs while they prepare to flee at a moment’s notice as fire-fueling winds blasted across the scarred landscape. The winds are predicted to reach near hurricane-force Tuesday in some areas. Much of Southern California was under an elevated fire risk Tuesday. Fire crews are on high alert from San Diego to far north of Los Angeles. A beefed-up firefighting force is in place to attack flareups or new blazes. A week after the first fires began, the flames have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.
January 14, 2025 5:01 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawsuit filed against Southern California Edison claims the utility’s equipment sparked the deadly Eaton Fire burning just outside Los Angeles. Monday’s lawsuit comes as Edison has acknowledged fire agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started a smaller LA-area fire that broke out the same day. Authorities still haven’t determined an official cause for any of the fires, which began last Tuesday amid hurricane-force winds and have killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area. A team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is taking the lead on the investigations and whether there is a connection between any of them.
January 14, 2025 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Pete Hegseth vows to bring “warrior culture’” to the military if confirmed as President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary pick. Hegseth is dismissing the sexual assault allegations against him as a “smear” campaign. The former combat veteran and TV news show host calls himself a “change agent’ as senators determine whether he is fit to lead the U.S. military. Chairman Roger Wicker says Hegseth will “shake up” the Pentagon. But the top Democrat Sen. Jack Reed says the allegations against Hegseth are “extremely alarming.” Tuesday’s hearing starts a week-long marathon as the Republican-led Senate rushes to have some of Trump’s Cabinet picks ready to be confirmed as soon as Inauguration Day, Jan. 20.
January 13, 2025 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith says in a new report that his team “stood up for the rule of law” as it investigated President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Smith says he stands fully behind his decision to bring criminal charges against the president-elect and says he believes Trump would have been convicted had he not won the 2024 election. The report, coming just days before Trump is to return to the White House on Jan. 20, focuses fresh attention on his frantic but failed effort to cling to power in 2020. The Justice Department sent the report to Congress early Tuesday after a judge refused to block its release.
January 14, 2025 3:09 pm
(AP) – U.S. food inspectors documented unsanitary conditions at several Boar’s Head deli meat plants, not just the Jarratt, Virginia, factory that was shut down last year. That’s according to newly released federal documents in response to an Associated Press records request. An outbreak of listeria food poisoning tied to the plant sickened more than 60 people and killed 10. The reports show problems at Boar’s Head plants in Indiana, Arkansas and another in Virginia. Inspectors documented meat and fat residue on equipment and walls, dripping condensation, mold, insects and other problems. U.S. Agriculture Department officials say they put stronger measures in place to control listeria. The company says the violations “do not meet our high standards.” (Photo: AP)
January 14, 2025 5:03 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 18 people overnight, including six women and four children, health officials said, as Israel and Hamas appeared to be narrowing in on a ceasefire deal to end the 15-month war and release dozens of hostages. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels meanwhile fired a missile at central Israel, setting off sirens and sending people fleeing to shelters without causing any casualties. Police said Tuesday several homes were damaged outside Jerusalem and released a photo of a missile casing that had crashed into a roof.
January 13, 2025 1:52 am
One person was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital Monday morning after an accident near the Longhorn Steakhouse on Route Nineteen in South Strabane Township. Fire Chief Jordan Cramer says they were called out around eight-thirty for reports of a vehicle over an embankment with entrapment. When firefighters arrived, Cramer says they found that a vehicle had gone through a fence in the Longhorn parking lot and had dropped about twenty-feet over a retaining wall and into a retention pond. Cramer says the vehicle landed on its roof and the driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was trapped. There’s been no information released on the nature of their injuries or the severity. (Photo courtesy of South Strabane Fire Department)
January 13, 2025 4:55 am
Another blast of arctic air is heading our way. Temperatures slowly dropped through Monday afternoon, bringing much colder air for the overnight hours. Tuesday and Wednesday highs will only make it to the upper teens with subzero wind chills expected and snow showers are possible again on Tuesday afternoon and night. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service has issued a Cold Weather Advisory for the ridges of Westmoreland, Indiana and Fayette counties along with eastern Preston and Garrett counties in Maryland from 1 a.m. Tuesday through 10 a.m. Wednesday, where wind chills could get as low as -11 degrees. Snow showers will also be around at times starting Tuesday afternoon from lake effect snow. On and off snow showers are possible through Thursday. The big headline is the cold stretch that will continue through midweek, Wednesday morning wind chills will be back below zero. Make sure to limit time outdoors, wear warm layers if you are heading out, and keep pets inside.
