January 29, 2025 4:50 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — When disaster strikes, government emergency alert systems offer a simple promise: Residents will get information about nearby dangers and instructions to help them stay safe. As the deadly LA wildfires and other major disasters have shown, alerts rely on a complicated chain of communication between first responders, government administrators, third-party companies and the public. Sometimes, the chain breaks. In this month’s wind-driven wildfires in Southern California, evacuation alerts for some neighborhoods came long after homes were aflame. That included the part of Altadena where most of the deaths occurred. County officials have approved an outside review of its role in the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire alerts at the urging of residents.
January 28, 2025 5:39 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans that could total trillions of dollars. U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan blocked the action Tuesday afternoon, minutes before it was set to go into effect. The administrative stay pauses the freeze until Monday. The White House had planned to start the pause as they begin an across-the-board ideological review of federal spending. The plan sparked confusion and panic among organizations that rely on Washington for their financial lifeline. Administration officials have said federal assistance to individuals would not be affected, including Social Security, Medicare, food stamps, student loans and scholarships. (Photo: AP)
January 28, 2025 2:22 pm
South Strabane Police and fire crews were called out just after nine o’clock Tuesday morning for a head-on crash near the intersection of East Beau Street and Floral Hill Drive. Authorities say they found one individual trapped in their vehicle but were able to extricate them. Two people were taken from the scene to area hospitals. There’s been no word on how serious the injuries are or how the crash occurred. (Photo courtesy of South Strabane Fire Department)
January 28, 2025 10:17 am
(WPXI) – The cause of a fire in Donora this morning is under investigation. Firefighters battled a house fire in Donora Tuesday morning. Washington County dispatchers say that calls came in for a reported structure fire in the 1200 block of McKean Avenue around 5:30. A woman and her sister told our news partners at Channel 11 – that they were inside the home when the fire broke out. “I smelled something burning, opened up my bedroom door, our whole house is full of smoke, so I got my sister. We got out, and the whole back of my house was on fire,” said homeowner Bobbie Fygolah. Several trucks lined 13th Street as crews searched the top floor for hot spots. Street crews had to salt and monitor the roads to keep firefighters safe, as ice formed in several areas. There were no injuries but Donora’s fire chief believes the house is a total loss.
January 28, 2025 6:43 am
Washington County Commissioners are set to hold a forum this week to discuss the new public safety radio system approved back in September. Invitations were sent out to emergency responders and municipal leaders throughout the County. It will be held Wednesday evening from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m at the South Franklin VFD social hall. According to the invitation, representatives from Motorola will provide an overview of the new, nearly $25 million system.
January 27, 2025 7:51 am
The Trump administration has announced a sweeping freeze on all federal grants – those funds already approved by Congress. The administration says it is a temporary pause – but it could have major consequences. This directive may be the most far-reaching executive action this White House has taken yet. It could potentially halt hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending on everything from assistance to farmers to head start programs to disaster relief and public transportation. In a memo describing this that was obtained by ABC News – the White House budget office has ordered all federal agencies to cease any financial assistance if they believe the program might conflict with President Trump’s executive orders.
January 27, 2025 2:54 am
Washington County Commissioners and Prison Officials announced on Monday that they have coordinated with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release Jose Turcios Salmeron, a foreign-born national from El Salvador, on January 23rd. He was being held on charges including aggravated and simple assault. “Last year, the Washington County Correctional Facility released 2,178 incarcerated persons into the county…. of those, less than five were undocumented and sent to ICE. Last week, we booked five incarcerated individuals who face deportation once criminal due process has been completed.” “We want it crystal clear that Washington County is not a sanctuary county. I applaud the Trump Administration for their due diligence in helping clear criminal illegal aliens from our jail. The days of the catch and release policy are over, Commissioner Sherman stated.”
January 28, 2025 5:05 am
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — A week into Donald Trump’s second presidency and his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, federal officers are operating with a new sense of mission. A dozen officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement gathered before dawn Monday in a Maryland parking lot, then fanned out to the Washington suburbs to find their targets: someone wanted in El Salvador for homicide, a person convicted of armed robbery in Maryland, a migrant found guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material and another with drug and gun convictions. All were in the country illegally. The Associated Press accompanied the officers, who offered a glimpse of how their work has changed.
January 27, 2025 2:46 am
A Robinson Township man accused of sexually assaulting a 13 year old girl in October of 2022 pleaded guilty in court on Monday. Dakota Dillon, 32 pleaded guilty to a single charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person under 16. For that, he will receive 4-8 years in state prison followed by 3 years probation. He will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Dillon was accused of sexually assaulting a girl in his home and, in some instances, pressuring her to drink alcohol. With the plea deal, Dillon will not face charges of aggravated assault, child endangerment and corruption of minors. In a separate case, Dillon pleaded guilty to single counts of terroristic threats and simple assault. He received sentences of 6-23 months in jail for both of those charges and he will serve those sentences concurrently to his state sentence.
January 28, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders focused on the military. One directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to revise the Pentagon’s policy on transgender troops, likely setting in motion a future ban on their military service. Other orders would roll back diversity programs, create a space-based missile defense system and reinstate troops booted for refusing COVID-19 vaccines. The orders come just after Hegseth began his first day on the job Monday. A transgender ban had been widely expected, and lawyers for transgender troops have already pledged to fight it.
