October 25, 2023 2:42 am
Two people were found dead following a house fire in the 100 block of East Katherine Avenue in the city of Washington Tuesday morning. Fire Chief Chris Richer says multiple departments were called in around six o’clock, to assist in fighting the blaze, which he said was made more difficult, due to a case of hoarding that was discovered inside. Richer says when his crews arrived on scene – they could see flames coming out of the building. Once the fire was out, which took a little over half an hour, Richer says they discovered two bodies in a single room on the second floor. The Washington County Coroner’s office has identified one of the victims as 39 year old Kenneth Guy III. A cause and manner of death are pending. The identity of the second victim has not yet been released. A third person who lived in the home, an elderly woman, was not there at the time of the fire and has since been accounted for. The victims identities have not been made public at this time, pending notification of next of kin. The cause of the fire is under investigation. (Photo: WPXI)
October 25, 2023 2:22 am
An inquest into the police chase and fatal shooting of a Coraopolis man here in the City of Washington continues Thursday morning. Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco is to deliver his findings. In addition to determining a cause and manner of death, Warco will also determine if there is criminal liability resulting from the death and whether the use of lethal force was justified. 38 year old Eduardo Hoover Jr. was pronounced dead in the one-thousand block of Jefferson Avenue back in April following a police chase that began in Burgettstown. That chase was initiated by officers from Smith and Mt. Pleasant Township. Testimony was heard Tuesday concerning the events that unfolded that day. Today’s proceedings get underway at 10 a.m. in the public meeting room of the Crossroads Building along W. Beau Street. WJPA News will be there.
October 24, 2023 4:59 pm
ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump’s lead attorney in the 2020 Georgia election case against him is using another attorney’s guilty plea to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the racketeering charges brought against all 19 defendants. Trump attorney Steve Sadow says it’s the fourth time Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has dismissed the racketeering charge “in return for a plea to probation.” Attorney Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony over efforts to overturn Trump’s election loss in Georgia. The Florida resident is the fourth defendant in the case to enter into a plea deal with prosecutors. Prosecutors say Ellis helped other lawyers as they lied to Georgia lawmakers.
October 24, 2023 5:16 am
HONOLULU (AP) — Maui County’s mayor says all of West Maui except for burned-out sections of historic Lahaina will reopen to tourism on Nov. 1. Maui has had impassioned discussions about when to welcome travelers back to the disaster-stricken region. Some residents drafted a petition opposing the return of tourists, saying the community wasn’t ready. Mayor Richard Bissen says workers are ready to return to their jobs while acknowledging that’s not true for everyone. He says those who aren’t prepared to go back to work should talk to their employers and continue to seek the help and attention that they need. He says residents who have been staying in hotels after losing their homes won’t lose their lodging because of the reopening.
October 24, 2023 5:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Tom Emmer has abruptly abandoned his bid to become House speaker. That’s according to Republican sources familiar with the situation inside a closed-door meeting. Emmer of Minnesota withdrew hours after winning the internal party nomination once it became clear he would not have enough support from GOP colleagues for the gavel. He reversed course after Donald Trump objected to his nomination and hardliners in the House denied him the votes he would need. He fell far short of the support of almost all Republicans he would need during a floor vote ahead. It’s been three weeks since Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy as speaker. (Photo: AP)
October 24, 2023 5:13 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Authorities say at least seven people have been killed after a “superfog” of smoke from south Louisiana marsh fires and dense fog caused multiple massive car crashes involving 158 vehicles. Louisiana State Police said in a statement Monday that 25 people were injured and the number of fatalities may increase as first responders continue to clear the crash scenes and search for victims. The crashes turned Interstate 55 near New Orleans into an apocalyptic scene of mangled and scorched cars as people cried out for help. Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a call for blood donors and asked for prayers “for those hurt and killed.”
October 24, 2023 5:11 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An off-duty pilot riding in the cockpit of a Horizon Air passenger jet tried to shut down the engines in midflight. It happened Sunday on a flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco. The plane diverted to Portland, Oregon, where it was met by law enforcement officers. Alaska Airlines, which owns Horizon, said Monday that the crew reported “a credible security threat related to an authorized occupant in the flight deck jump seat” — one of its pilots, who was off duty. Authorities in Oregon identified the man as Joseph David Emerson. The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office says he is being held on 83 counts each of attempted murder and reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft.
October 24, 2023 5:09 am
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Health Ministry in Gaza says hundreds of people were killed in the past day as a result of Israeli airstrikes. Israel has been striking Gaza since Hamas militants attacked southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7. Israel said Tuesday it had launched 400 airstrikes over the past day, killing Hamas commanders, hitting militants as they were preparing to launch rockets into Israel and striking command centers and a Hamas tunnel shaft. The Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, said more than 700 people were killed in the past day, a claim that AP could not independently verify.
October 24, 2023 4:59 am
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — Local election offices have been understaffed for years. But the 2020 election became a tipping point, with all the pandemic-related challenges before the presidential election and the hostility and death threats afterward that were fueled by the false claims of a stolen election. A wave of retirements and resignations has followed across the country, creating a vacuum of institutional knowledge in an environment in which the slightest mistake can be twisted by conspiracy theorists into a nefarious plot to subvert the vote. One Pennsylvania county is now on its fifth election director in the last three years, but has vowed to regain stability — and rebuild trust with voters.
October 24, 2023 4:56 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A car crashed into the river near Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore Monday afternoon. According to Allegheny County 911, first responders were called to North Shore Drive at 4:57 p.m. A bystander at the scene said the car came from the river trail area and was driving fast into the water. The EMS chief told our news partners at Channel 11 the driver was a woman, and she called 911 as soon as the car hit the water. The driver got herself out of the car before EMS arrived on scene. Police say the woman admitted she was trying to hurt herself. She is now being evaluated at the hospital. No one else was in the vehicle.
