November 18, 2021 4:02 am
A Chicago man learned his fate on Wednesday afternoon as he was sentenced on felony possession with the intent to deliver charges. Charles Richards, 39 was arrested in April of 2019 following a months-long investigation by the Washington County Drug Task Force. A raid of the residences of Richards and Ronald Thomas of Washington found seven ounces of crack cocaine, a brick of stamp bags of heroin and several hundred dollars. Richards was sentenced to 6-12 years on the cocaine possession charge and 2-4 years on the heroin possession charge, all to be served in state prison. Those prison sentences will be served concurrently. Richards requested that he turn himself in after the Christmas holiday but Judge Valarie Costanzo denied that request. Richards was remanded to sheriff’s deputies and taken to county jail where he will be held until he is transported to state prison.
November 18, 2021 3:37 am
State Police are investigating a possible murder/suicide in Washington County. Authorities were called out Thursday afternoon to a home on Skylark Drive in Canton Township for reports of gunshots. Officials say two people, identified as 89-year-old Samuel Mayberry and 93-year-old Dolores Mayberry, were found dead inside the home from apparent gunshot wounds. Authorities say there was no sign of anyone outside the home being involved in the incident.
November 17, 2021 1:39 pm
BALTIMORE (AP) – U.S. Catholic bishops have overwhelmingly approved a document on Communion that stops short of calling for withholding the sacrament from politicians who support abortion rights, such as President Joe Biden. The measure does offer plenty of tacit justification for individual bishops to consider withholding Communion in such cases, however. The document is not a national policy but says bishops have a responsibility to address cases where Catholics act “at variance” with church teaching and unity. It was approved by a 222-8 vote at the fall assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore.
November 17, 2021 11:13 am
Local Republican State Representative, Bud Cook, who represents the 49th Legislative District, continues his battle with Washington County’s Local Share Account Committee. Cook has now asked Washington County Commissioners to “Immediately Remove” Jeff Kotula as chairman of that committee. Cook made his request in a letter, dated Tuesday, November 16th. In his letter, Cook claims Kotula’s abysmal performance as chairman over the past 13 years has shown a lack of action to ensure accountability, transparency and fairness. Specifically, Cook alleges that Kotula, who is President of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agency, awarded his non-profit organization ten “self-serving” state grant awards during his reign. Cook says that practice alone should not only eliminate him from the chairman’s position on the committee, but also from serving on the review committee at all. When contacted by WJPA News, Jeff Kotula responded by saying he encourages anyone who is interested, to look at the public information available on the LSA process and they will find that Washington County’s LSA process is second to none. Also responding to Cook’s accusations, Washington County Commission Chair, Diana Irey-Vaughan, who told WJPA that there is no proof behind Cook’s numerous claims and that commissioners are pleased with the process. She did, however, say that an Economic Development Advisory Board is in the process of investigating all available funding streams and admits that, they would consider changes, if recommended.
November 17, 2021 4:33 am
Former City of Washington Police Chief Paul Kosey has died. According to his obituary, he died Friday in Canonsburg Hospital from complications from COVID-19. He was 88 years old. Kosey was a 1951 graduate of Washington High School and joined the Washington Police Department in September of 1959. He eventually became Chief in 1976 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1981. Friends are to be received Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Warco-Falvo Funeral home. Burial will be private. (Photo: Warco-Falvo Funeral Home)
November 17, 2021 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The District of Columbia will lift its indoor mask requirement starting next week, as local COVID infection cases continue to trend downward. Starting Monday, Nov. 22, masks will no longer be required in many indoor spaces. A statement from the city Health Department announced that masks will still be required in certain settings, including schools, libraries, public transportation, ride-share vehicles and group-living facilities like nursing homes, dorms and jails. Private businesses will still be able to require customers to wear masks. The nation’s capital originally lifted its indoor mask requirement for fully vaccinated individuals in May, but reinstated it in late July as cases began to rise again.
November 17, 2021 4:20 am
NEW YORK (AP) – An influential U.S. advisory panel will discuss expanding eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to all adults Friday, a move that could make the shots available as early as this weekend. The panel advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in setting vaccination recommendations for U.S. doctors and the general public. Some cities and states already allow all adults to get boosters of Pfizer’s vaccine, but it is not yet official U.S. policy.
November 17, 2021 4:18 am
Hospitals in Michigan and Minnesota are reporting a wave of COVID-19 patients not seen in months. Beds are filling with unvaccinated people, and health care providers are warning that staff are being worn down by yet another surge. Michigan had slightly more than 3,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals this week for the first time since spring. Nearly all hospital beds were occupied in Minnesota. Meanwhile, some states are ignoring federal guidance and expanding boosters. Arkansas this week joined California, Colorado and New Mexico in offering them to anyone 18 or older. Michigan has the country’s highest seven-day COVID-19 case rate at 503 per 100,000 people.
November 17, 2021 4:17 am
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Jurors weighing charges against Kyle Rittenhouse have returned for a second day of deliberations in his murder trial. Jurors met for a full day Tuesday with no quick verdict after two weeks of testimony in which they were given starkly different portrayals of his actions the night he shot three men on the streets of Kenosha. On Wednesday, the jury asked to view video that had been presented earlier in the trial. Rittenhouse fatally shot two men and wounded a third during a night of racial justice protests in August 2020. Prosecutors say the Illinois man was a “wannabe soldier” who provoked the confrontation, while the defense says he acted in self-defense after being ambushed by a “crazy person.”
November 17, 2021 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona is facing censure in the House over a violent video he posted online. The House will vote Wednesday on a resolution that would censure Gosar for tweeting an animated video that depicted him striking Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York with a sword. Lawmakers teed up the censure resolution during a committee hearing Tuesday evening, with Republicans arguing that the matter should have been referred to the House Ethics Committee or handled by the GOP conference. Gosar says the video was “a symbolic portrayal of a fight over immigration policy.”
