July 17, 2025 2:50 am
A contracted IT worker who operates out of Peters Township High School is in the Washington County Jail on child porn charges. Authorities say 46 YEAR Jason Ayres was taken into custody on the high school’s campus Wednesday morning by the Attorney General’s Office Child Predator Unit. Police said they found disturbing downloaded videos, including those of children between 4 and 6 years old. According to the criminal complaint, Ayres admitted to police that he had been viewing child porn on and off for a couple of years, including AI-generated child porn, which is also illegal in Pennsylvania. Ayres is charged with child sexual abuse material and criminal use of communication facility. His bail has been set at $250,000.
July 18, 2025 2:25 pm
Two Weirton residents, 29 year old Ashley Shelton and 34 year old Joshua Lockerbie, were arrested on Wednesday in connection with the drowning of Reese Hanshaw in the Ohio River last month. Hanshaw was a 13 year old girl from Burgettstown. On June 30, police said the pair brought six children, as young as 4 and as old as 13, to swim in the river near the Veterans Memorial Bridge. According to Weirton Police, Officer Adam Mortimer responded quickly and entered the river to bring Reese ashore. Life-saving efforts were immediately performed by first responders transporting Reese to Weirton Medical Center, where she later died. Family members said that Reese was pulled away by the current while trying to help her younger cousin out of the water. Authorities said there were no flotation devices, and both Lockerbie and Shelton knew that none of the children were strong swimmers. They’ve been charged with child neglect causing death and gross neglect of a child creating a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. They’re being held in a West Virginia jail on $150,000 bail.
July 17, 2025 2:17 am
An investigation is underway into the death of a Monongahela man who barricaded himself inside his home Wednesday night following a report made to Washington County 911 around seven-thirty. Authorities say at this time, they believe the death of 36-year-old Zachry Hamilton is a suspected suicide. SWAT crews from Washington and Beaver counties were called to the home along with the Charleroi Regional Police, Carroll Township Police and Tri-Community and Southeast Regional EMS. SWAT used a drone and observed him unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound. An autopsy is pending.
July 18, 2025 10:13 pm
(WPXI) Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority is installing a solar farm at Swisshelm Park. The portion of land is a brown field and is being remediated. Freedman said the 15 acres of land will be dedicated to the solar panels, which will generate enough energy for about 175 homes. However, some neighbors like Andrew Thompson worry about losing the land. “I do know people use that land for dog walking, for biking, so I’m not in love with taking away people’s use of the space,” said Thompson. However, Freedman argues this project will give land back to the public. The URA says the land not in use for the solar panels will be donated to the city as an extension of Frick Park. Right now, that land is not open to the public. Freedman says the hope is to have the solar project complete by 2027.
July 18, 2025 3:29 pm
(WPXI) PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Regional Transit is reminding drivers that enforcement on the new red bus lanes in Downtown Pittsburgh will begin on Sunday. PRT said that Port Authority Police have been issuing warnings since the lanes were installed last month. According to Pennsylvania law, drivers using bus-only lanes may be issued a citation of $25 with associated fees that will bring the total cost to nearly $200. All private vehicles are prohibited from entering, stopping or parking in the bus lanes, even if it’s briefly. “These dedicated bus lanes are reserved exclusively for buses and emergency vehicles and are clearly marked to ensure the smooth and efficient flow of public transit. Drivers should pay close attention to street signage and lane markings to avoid violations,” PRT said in a release.
July 17, 2025 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The controversy over President Donald Trump’s handling of records from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation entered a new dimension Thursday as his administration struggles to make good on its promises to release details on the sex trafficking case involving a one-time friend of the now-president. Trump threatened a lawsuit after The Wall Street Journal on Thursday described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper says bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter. Trump in recent days has berated supporters vying for more records from the Epstein probe, after years of courting political support from those who have stoked claims of a coverup in the case.
July 17, 2025 5:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump had a recent medical checkup after he noticed “mild swelling” in his lower legs. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that tests by the White House medical unit showed that Trump has chronic venous insufficiency. It’s a relatively common condition in older adults that occurs when little valves inside the veins that normally help move blood against gravity gradually lose the ability to work properly. Leavitt also addressed bruising on Trump’s hand, saying it’s “consistent” with irritation from his “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.” Leavitt’s announcement was notable given the president has routinely kept basic facts about his health shrouded in secrecy.
July 18, 2025 5:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will gain access to personally identifiable information for all of the nation’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees. That’s according to an agreement obtained by The Associated Press. ICE officials plan to track immigrants who may not be living legally in the United States. The agreement was signed Monday between officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security. Direct access will be given to the addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates as well as the ethnicity and race of all Medicaid enrollees.
July 17, 2025 5:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is granting two years of regulatory relief to coal-fired power plants, chemical manufacturers and other industries as he seeks to reverse Biden-era regulations he considers overly burdensome. Trump issued a series of proclamations late Thursday exempting a range of polluting industries that he calls vital to national security. The proclamations cover coal-fired power plants, taconite iron ore processing facilities used to make steel, and chemical manufacturers that help produce semiconductors and medical device sterilizers. The proclamations allow the facilities to comply with Environmental Protection Agency standards that were in place before rules imposed in recent years by the Biden administration, the White House says.
July 18, 2025 5:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid. Democrats argued that the Republican administration’s animus toward foreign aid programs would hurt America’s standing in the world and create a vacuum for China to fill. The White House argued that the cuts best served the taxpayer and would incentivize other nations to do more to address humanitarian crises. The cancellation of $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Pubic Broadcast represents the full amount it is due to receive during the next two budget years. Some lawmakers voiced concern about what the cuts could mean for local public stations in their state.
