April 16, 2025 4:59 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk’s federal cost-cutting team is touting its latest finding: Hundreds of millions of dollars in allegedly fraudulent unemployment claims. But the fraud the Department of Government Efficiency is claiming to have uncovered seems to mimic work that federal investigators already reported years ago. And when they looked into the fraud, they found far more than what DOGE is now trumpeting. DOGE says its review found abuse including filings made by people with birthdates indicating they were just children, over the age of 115 or not even born yet. The Department of Labor’s own inspector general found major problems in pandemic unemployment benefits.
April 16, 2025 4:57 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wink Martindale, the genial host of such hit game shows as “Gambit” and “Tic-Tac-Dough,” has died. He was 91. Martindale began his career in radio and was did one of the first recorded television interviews with a young Elvis Presley before scoring hits as a game show host. “Gambit” started in 1976 but within a few short years was overtaken by “Wheel of Fortune” and other shows, but he bounced back in 1978 with “Tic-Tac-Dough,” which aired until 1985. Publicist Brian Mayes says Martindale died Tuesday at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage after battling lymphoma for a year.
April 16, 2025 4:47 am
Plans were announced in North Strabane Township to apply for Pennsylvania Small Water and Sewerage Grants to help fund stormwater improvement projects on McGregor Drive and Curry Avenue. The proposed project on McGregor Drive is expected to cost approximately $47,902, while the Curry Avenue project is estimated at $250,596.Vince Seyko Project Manager of Gibson-Thomas Engineering for North Strabane Township states that part of Curry Avenue is sinking and is a safety issue. The higher cost of the Curry project compared to McGregor is due to the sinking road needing to be repaved with asphalt. Since the projects will be funded by the state, Seyko says that residents will not face a tax increase. The timeline of the project has not been determined. In addition to stormwater work, the township is preparing to move forward with repairs to the Vandale Bridge. The board discussed authorizing the preparation and advertisement of bids for the bridge project, signaling the next step in securing a contractor to handle the repairs. Also on the agenda was a request from the Canonsburg-Houston-Strabane Veterans Council on a proposed donation to support the council’s annual Memorial Day Program.
April 16, 2025 2:56 am
Washington City Police and State Police are investigating an accident involving a pedestrian Monday evening in the city. Police Chief Steve Devenney tells WJPA News that a juvenile, who was believed to be operating a motorized scooter, was struck a vehicle along W. Chestnut Street at Washington Street near the Post Office. Devenney says the unidentified juvenile was then flown by medical helicopter to UPMC Childrens’ Hospital with life-threatening injuries. There has been no update on their condition. Devenney says the driver of the vehicle remained and the scene and has been fully cooperative. A State Police accident reconstruction team was brought in. Devenney says there were multiple witnesses to the accident but police are asking anyone who may have additional information to contact the police department.
April 16, 2025 2:47 am
The Washington County Republican Party kicked off the primary election season by hosting a Meet the Candidates Forum. Nearly 60 people listened to the unopposed row office candidates, Sheriff Tony Andronas and Recorder of Deeds Carrie Perrell join the four candidates vying for the position of County Controller for a panel discussion. Current Acting Controller Heather Sheatler, Pat Phillips, Tony DeLost and Brenda Davis are all seeking nomination for the controller seat in the May 20 primary election. The four answered prepared questions regarding their desire for the office, their qualifications for the office and what accomplishments they would like to have if they became controller. Office transparency, integrity, efficiency, and a removal of politics from the office were all goals of each candidate. Audience questions ranged from how long have you been a republican, to have you ever taken campaign contributions from a democrat? In a more serious note, people did want to know how all candidates would keep political influence out of their offices. Each candidate emphasized the importance of voters to get out and vote on Election Day.
April 15, 2025 5:02 am
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge says she will order sworn testimony by Trump administration officials to determine if they complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He was mistakenly deported to a notorious El Salvador prison last month. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to return him. But the administration has so far refused. It claims he’s in the MS-13 gang. Abrego Garcia’s attorneys deny the allegations and say he was never charged with a crime. The president of El Salvador also said he would not return Abrego Garcia, likening it to smuggling “a terrorist into the United States.”
April 15, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he might temporarily exempt the auto industry from tariffs he previously imposed on the sector, to give carmakers time to adjust their supply chains. Trump told reporters gathered in the Oval Office on Monday automakers “need a little bit of time” to relocate production to the U.S. The Republican president’s statement hints at yet another round of reversals on tariffs. Trump’s onslaught of import taxes has panicked financial markets and raised deep concerns from Wall Street economists about a possible recession. The chief economist for the Northern Trust global financial firm warns damage to consumer, business and market confidence may be irreversible.
April 15, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s top advisers and El Salvador president Nayib Bukele say that they have no basis for the small Central American nation to return a Maryland man who was wrongly deported there last month. Trump administration officials are emphasizing that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to a notorious gang prison in El Salvador, was a citizen of that country and that U.S. has no say in his future. And Bukele, who has been a vital partner for the Trump administration in its deportation efforts, said “of course” he won’t release him back to U.S. soil. The Supreme Court has called for the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia to the U.S.
April 15, 2025 4:58 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday in Harvey Weinstein’s retrial in New York. The last time a New York jury sat in judgment of Weinstein, the ex-movie studio boss was convicted of rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison. But New York’s highest court overturned that conviction. The ruling has given Weinstein a second chance to fight the charges, and do so in a different atmosphere than his first trial, which was held in the middle of a global reckoning over sexual misconduct. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and denies that he raped or sexually assaulted anyone. The judge has set aside at least four days for jury selection. Opening statements are expected next week.
April 15, 2025 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Joe Biden is returning to the national stage to help elevate concerns that President Donald Trump’s agenda is threatening the health of Social Security. The 82-year-old Democrat has largely avoided speaking publicly since leaving the White House in January. That’s even as Trump frequently blames Biden for many of the nation’s problems. On Tuesday, Biden is expected to fight back in a speech to the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago. The former president has made a handful of public appearances since leaving office, but this marks his highest-profile speech and focuses on a core issue for the Democratic Party.
