January 25, 2023 4:08 am
Timing is everything. A winter storm that rolled through Washington County Wednesday morning brought a quick coating of snow before temperatures began to rise and turn the precipitation to just rain. The snow hit just in time for the morning commute and led to reports of numerous accidents. Washington County 9-1-1 tells WJPA News there were several crashes on Interstate 70, but only minor injuries were reported and no major issues resulted. There was also a single vehicle crash along Route-40 at Anderson Drive near the border of South Strabane and Amwell Townships. Dispatchers tell us a vehicle struck a utility pole but the injuries that resulted were not considered serious. Road crews were busy throughout the morning. Several schools changed their schedules. Trinity reported a two-hour delay Tuesday night, but then changed to a ‘Flexible Instruction Day’ once roadways became snow covered. Canon McMillan also went with a “FID” day.
January 25, 2023 4:04 am
Supervisors in North Strabane Township authorized a qualitative study to be performed on the police department in 2022. They received results of that study at their legislative meeting Tuesday night. The group that performed the seven month study consisted of Dr. James Lauria, current chief of police in Oakdale Borough and adjunct professor at Robert Morris and Duquesne Universities, Dr. Christopher Wydra and Dr. Michael Hummel both professors at PennWest California University. Township Manager Andrew Walz indicated the study was done on the police department as studies have been done in other departments in the past and even currently. The presentation was edited for time constraints and only reviewed department survey data and conclusions about the leadership of the police department. Tables showed poor results in the roles of chief of police and two of the four current sergeants and one lieutenant. Suggestions made by the study were to fire the police chief and reassign the two sergeants and the lieutenant deemed failures by the study. Conversely, the study showed that two of the sergeants on staff are regarded very highly and that the quality of the patrol officers and departmental training are regarded as strengths. Neither Walz or any supervisors commented since it was the first time that they had seen the study and they need time to study the results.
January 25, 2023 2:57 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana Home last week, according to his attorney. The documents had been “inadvertently boxed” and transported to Pence’s home at the end of the last administration,” Pence’s lawyer, Greg Jacob, told the National Archives in a letter last week. He said that “Pence was unaware of the existence of sensitive or classified documents at his personal residence” and that he “understands the high importance of protecting sensitive and classified information and stands ready and willing to cooperate fully with the National Archives and any appropriate inquiry. “
January 25, 2023 2:15 am
(WPXI) – A tractor-trailer overturned Tuesday morning, hitting two houses before coming to rest on a Fayette County road. The crash occurred around 9:18 a.m. in the 1200 block of Springfield Pike, Connellsville Township. The driver and a dog in the cab were not injured. No other injuries were reported, according to state police. The front porch of one of the homes was destroyed and the other home had minor damage. The load the truck was carrying ended up in a front yard. State police estimate Springfield Pike was closed for about three hours while crews worked to clear the area.
January 24, 2023 9:42 am
HELSINKI (AP) – Finland’s foreign minister has suggested that the country may consider joining NATO without neighboring Sweden if Turkey continues to block their joint bid to enter the military alliance. The minister later backpedaled, but his comments were the first time a leading government official in either Nordic country appeared to raise doubts about becoming NATO members together. That comes at a time that the alliance is seeking to present a united front in the face of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO needs the approval of all existing members, including Turkey. It has so far blocked the expansion, saying Sweden in particular needs to crack down on exiled Kurdish militants and their sympathizers.
January 24, 2023 9:40 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The sci-fi indie hit “Everything Everywhere All at Once” leads nominations to the 95th Academy Awards with 11 nominations. A year after a streaming service won Hollywood’s top honor for the first time, big-screen spectacles dominated Tuesday’s nominations to the 95th Academy Awards with the “Avatar” and “Top Gun” sequels getting best picture nods.. The nominees for best supporting actress are: Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”; Hong Chau, “The Whale”; Kerry Condon, Jamie Lee Curtis, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”; Stephanie Hsu, “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The Oscars will be presented March 12 in Los Angeles.
January 24, 2023 8:26 am
A Monessen man has been sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for traveling from his home to have sex with a child from Brigeport, West Virginia. Mark Sassak Jr, age 38, was sentenced Monday in federal court in Clarksburg, West Virginia. According to court documents, Sassak began talking with whom he believed to be a 15-year old female through a social media app. That conversation continued through text messages for several weeks. Sassak then asked for an in-person meeting to have sex. He then drove to a location in Bridgeport in October of 2020 where he was arrested. A search of his cell phone found multiple chats with suspected minors and child pornographic videos. He was found guilty following a three-day trial in December of 2021.
January 24, 2023 5:55 am
West Virginia University advised students and employees to seek shelter after a person was shot in Morgantown Monday night. An all-clear was issued by university police shortly after 12:30 a.m. The shooting victim suffered a non-life-threatening injury, according to a report. Police advised avoiding Grant Avenue as they responded to a shooting around 11:45 p.m. in the 500 block area. Police were looking for a white Mercedes with tinted windows, possibility with a tail light out, and a man wearing a red hoodie, blue jeans and tennis shoes, according to a report. Police continue to investigate.
January 24, 2023 4:26 am
JERUSALEM (AP) – An Israeli group raising funds for Jewish extremists convicted in some of the country’s most notorious hate crimes is collecting tax-exempt donations from Americans. That is according to an investigation by The Associated Press and Israeli investigative platform Shomrim. The findings give a sign that Israel’s radical right is gaining a new foothold in the United States. The amount of money raised through the U.S. nonprofit is not known. But the money trail runs from New Jersey to imprisoned Israeli radicals who include the assassin of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin as well as people convicted in deadly attacks on Palestinians.
January 24, 2023 4:25 am
ATLANTA (AP) – A judge is set to hear arguments on whether to release a report by a special grand jury tasked with investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies broke any laws as they sought to overturn his narrow 2020 election loss in Georgia. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney will hear arguments Tuesday from the district attorney’s office, news outlets and potentially other parties before making his decision. The report is expected to include recommendations for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on possible criminal prosecution, though it’s unclear just how specific those recommendations will be. It will be up to Willis to seek indictments.
