August 2, 2025 1:54 am
Washington County Commissioners held an emergency voting meeting Friday to authorize the hiring of special counsel to defend the District Attorney. In a unanimous vote, commissioners approved attorney Shohin Vance of the law firm Saxton & Stump to represent Jason Walsh at a fee of $480 per hour. The action comes after the Philadelphia law firm, The Atlantic Center for Capital Representation filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court asking for a King’s Bench hearing to examine the practices of Walsh as they pertain to his use of the death penalty. That petition was filed last month. The Atlantic Center is representing Jordan Clarke, of Peters Township who is accused of a fatal assault of his 11 month old son in 2022. They are also representing Joshua George of Smith Township, who is accused of fatally assaulting his six month old son in 2021. Recently, Coroner Tim Warco stated that he filed a false autopsy in the Clarke case because he was coerced by Walsh to do so. During the meeting, two residents spoke against using taxpayer funds to defend Walsh, and also questioned why no means of defense was made for Warco. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman says that the county’s insurance policy will cover the costs of the case. He also said that Warco has not requested the assistance of the county for legal defense. Sherman explained that the quick nature of the action was necessary because briefs are due in front of the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
August 1, 2025 11:05 pm
(WPXI) COLLIER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Chartiers Valley School District has unveiled a major investment in campus safety, powered by artificial intelligence and advanced mapping technology, ahead of the upcoming school year. The district has installed 514 AI-enhanced security cameras designed to detect and alert administrators if someone enters restricted areas.\ In addition, staff ID badges now include access control, limiting which doors employees can use throughout the day so the district has a better idea of who is coming and going. Alerts are sent to administrators and security personnel anytime a door is opened allowing for immediate investigation. These changes come after a teen was charged with making threats to the district last year, prompting a comprehensive review of existing protocols. Security measures now also include officers at every school campus entrance and wearable emergency badges for staff that can connect directly to emergency services. The upgrades represent a more than a million-dollar investment, which district leaders said is well worth the cost. Castagna plans to present a full overview of the upgrades at the next school board meeting on August 12th.
August 1, 2025 9:58 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Jeannie Seely, the soulful country music singer known for hits like “Don’t Touch Me,” has died at 85. Her publicist says she died Friday from complications of an intestinal infection. Known as “Miss Country Soul,” Seely was a trailblazer for women in country music, celebrated for her spirited nonconformity and hits in the ‘60s and ’70s. She was hospitalized in May after multiple surgeries and a bout of pneumonia. Seely never stopped working in country music. Since 2018, she’s hosted the weekly “Sunday’s with Seely” on Willie Nelson’s SiriusXM channel. She appeared nearly 5,400 times at Grand Ole Opry, which will dedicate its Saturday show to her.
August 1, 2025 8:30 pm
(WPXI) SOUTH FAYETTE, Pa. — Lt. John Leininger with the South Fayette Police Department saw video from an 89-year-old man’s room at Celebration Villas of Lakemont Farm. He told Channel 11, the video showed two employees, LaMont Deonta Mitchell, 29, of Pittsburgh, and Joseph Dexter Love, 28, of Pittsburgh, assaulting the elderly man, which kicked on the camera’s sensor to start recording. According to the criminal complaint, the video shows the two employees antagonizing the man, and Joseph smacking the victim on the top of his head. Then, police say Lamont grabs the elderly man, throws him onto the ground, and drags him to the door. When the incident was reported to the home’s director, investigators say he called police. Channel 11 has also learned that the elderly man has dementia. When we went to ask the facility director about the incident, we were asked to leave the property. We also reached out to the parent company, and never received a response. The two men are charged with misdemeanors and no longer work at the nursing home.
August 1, 2025 7:56 pm
(AP) Authorities have launched a manhunt after a shooting at a Montana bar left four people dead. State investigators said the shooting happened Friday morning at The Owl Bar in Anaconda. Public records show that the suspect lived next door to the bar. His home was cleared by a SWAT team, but he was still at large and believed to be armed, prompting warnings from officials to avoid the area. Authorities have yet to release details about what led to the shooting. Anaconda is a town of about 9,000 people and is about 75 miles southeast of Missoula. “He knew everybody that was in that bar. I guarantee you that,” Owl Bar owner David Gwerder said. “He didn’t have any running dispute with any of them. I just think he snapped.”
August 1, 2025 5:22 pm
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Former Food Network star Paula Deen has abruptly closed the Savannah, Georgia, restaurant she started with her two sons nearly three decades ago. Deen said in a statement Friday on her website and on social media that she and sons Jamie and Bobby Deen had made a “heartfelt decision” to close The Lady & Sons, which they opened in downtown Savannah in 1996. She also shut down an attached takeout business called The Chicken Box. No reason was given. Deen said four restaurants she owns in Tennessee, South Carolina and Missouri will remain open. Deen’s flagship Savannah restaurant helped launch her to fame. Her Food Network show premiered in 2002 and ran for a decade.
August 1, 2025 5:20 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been moved from a federal prison in Florida to a prison camp in Texas as her criminal case generates renewed public attention. The federal Bureau of Prisons said Friday that Maxwell was taken to Bryan, Texas, but did not explain the circumstances. Her attorney confirmed the move but also declined to discuss the reasons for it. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of helping Epstein sexually abuse underage girls and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She had been held at a prison in Tallahassee, Florida, until her transfer to the camp in Texas. (Photo: AP)
August 1, 2025 5:17 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he has directed his team to fire the head of the agency that produces the monthly jobs figures, after a weak report showed hiring slowed and was much weaker in April and May than previously reported. Trump in a post on his social media platform alleged that the figures were manipulated for political reasons and said that Erika McEntarfer, the director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, should be fired.
August 1, 2025 2:07 pm
MIAMI (AP) — A Miami jury ordered Elon Musk’s car company on Friday to pay more than $200 million to victims of a deadly crash involving its Autopilot driver assist technology, opening the door to other costly lawsuits and striking a blow to Tesla’s reputation for safety. The federal jury held that Tesla bore significant responsibility because its technology failed and that not all the blame can be put on a reckless driver, even one who admitted he was distracted by his cell phone before hitting a young couple out gazing at the stars. The decision comes as Musk seeks to convince Americans his cars are safe enough to drive on their own as he plans to roll out a driverless taxi service in several cities in the coming months. The decision ends a four-year long case remarkable not just in its outcome but that it even made it to trial. Many similar cases against Tesla have been dismissed and, when that didn’t happen, settled by the company to avoid the spotlight of a trial.
August 1, 2025 2:04 pm
(WPXI) Four people allegedly involved in a drug and firearms trafficking ring in Westmoreland County have been arrested, resulting in the seizure of over 47,000 doses of heroin and fentanyl. Attorney General Dave Sunday made the announcement Friday. David Jefferies, 34, James Womack, 33, and Shelton Payne, 34, were charged with illegal possession of firearms and felony drug trafficking. “Fentanyl continues to fuel the opioid crisis in the Commonwealth and nationwide, and dealers use firearms to protect their lucrative trade,” Attorney General Sunday said. The investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at Jefferies’ home, where officers said they discovered a Glock 9mm handgun, approximately 382 grams of fentanyl and black tar heroin. The Office of Attorney General Agents were assisted by the Westmoreland County Drug Task Force and the Police Departments of North Huntingdon, Monessen, Rostraver, New Kensington and Irwin in this operation.
