June 15, 2025 10:03 pm
(WPXI0 – Flash flooding caused by torrential rains killed four people in northern West Virginia and rescue crews were searching for another four other people who were missing Sunday as authorities assessed damage to roads, bridges, natural gas lines and other infrastructure. Officials said 2.5 to 4 inches (6 to 10 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio County within about a half hour on Saturday night. “We almost immediately started getting 911 calls for rescue of people being trapped,” Lou Vargo, Ohio County’s emergency management director, said at a news conference on Sunday. Vargo added: “It happened so quickly and so fast. … I’ve been doing this for 35 years. I’ve seen major floods here in the city and the county. I’ve never seen anything like this.” Authorities said vehicles were swept into in swollen creeks, some people sought safety in trees and a mobile home caught fire. Jim Blazier, the fire chief in Wheeling in the state’s northern panhandle, said crews performed rescue operations into Sunday’s early morning hours. He said first responders regrouped Sunday morning and were focused on an area from the Ohio state line across the Ohio River to Wheeling Creek. “We’re searching the banks, we’re searching submerged vehicles, any debris we find along the trail and so forth,” Blazier said. “We’re using drones, search dogs and swift water personnel, and we have teams organized that are searching sectors that we’re trying to recover anybody that’s missing.” There were about 4,000 power outages in the county. Restoration efforts were hampered by natural gas leaks that have to be fixed first, officials said. Gov. Patrick Morrisey confirmed that four people died and four more were missing during a news conference later Sunday. He has since declared a state of emergency in Ohio County, while local emergency responders are asking people not to come into the flooded areas to view the devastation, particularly in hard hit Tridelphia.
June 15, 2025 7:55 am
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) — Authorities are searching for a man suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers. Authorities have identified him as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, of Green Isle. Melissa Hortman, a former Minnesota House Speaker, and her husband were fatally shot early Saturday in their Brooklyn Park home. A second state lawmaker, Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife were shot multiple times in nearby Champlin. They remain hospitalized. Gov. Tim Walz has called it “a politically motivated assassination” and ordered flags flown at half-staff. The FBI has issued a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Boelter’s arrest and conviction.
June 15, 2025 7:53 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The grand military parade that President Donald Trump wanted for eight years has barreled down Constitution Avenue in Washington with tanks, troops and a 21-gun salute. The celebration played out against the counterpoint of protesters around the country who decried the U.S. leader as a dictator and would-be king. The Republican president, on his 79th birthday, sat under a special viewing stand constructed south of the White House to watch the display of American military might. It was a procession he tried to put in his first term after wanting to top one he saw in France in 2017, but the plans never came together until it was added to an event recognizing the Army’s 250th anniversary.
June 15, 2025 7:50 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Demonstrators came out in cities across the U.S. to protest President Donald Trump. Organizers of Saturday’s “No Kings” demonstrations said millions marched in hundreds of events. Huge, boisterous crowds marched in Philadelphia, New York, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Atlanta’s 5,000-capacity rally quickly reached its limit in front of the state Capitol. In Minnesota, organizers canceled demonstrations as police tracked a suspect in the shootings of two legislators and their spouses there. Trump was in Washington for a military parade marking the Army’s 250th anniversary. Governors across the U.S. urged calm and vowed no tolerance for violence, while some mobilized the National Guard.
June 15, 2025 7:47 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country. Planned talks on Iran’s nuclear program, which could provide an off-ramp, were called off. The region braced for a protracted conflict after Israel’s surprise bombardment of Iran’s nuclear and military sites on Friday killed several top generals and nuclear scientists, and neither side showed any sign of backing down. Israel reportedly targeted a gas installation, raising the prospect of a broader assault on Iran’s heavily-sanctioned energy industry that could affect global markets.
June 15, 2025 7:18 am
PennDot is announcing the closure of Sugar Run Road for bridge repair. The closure will begin on Monday June 16 to rehabilitate the bridge that carries Sugar Run Road over Peters Creek. The closure will be between Venetia Road in Peters Township and Mingo Church Road in Nottingham Township. The posted detour for the construction is Sugar Run Road to Venetia Road, To Rt. 88 to Mingo Road and back on to Sugar Run Road. General maintenance and a full depth deck replacement is planned. The work is anticipated to last through late August.
June 15, 2025 7:17 am
Details are few, but a man walked into Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital with gunshot wounds on Saturday night. According to Washington County 9-1-1, the hospital was put on lock down as a normal procedure. The Donora Police Department was alerted to the incident. Upon arrival they found a car in the parking lot riddled with bullet holes. No other information is available at this time.
June 15, 2025 2:51 am
Washington County 911 reportedly went into storm mode Saturday evening when a slow-moving thunderstorm, with heavy downpours stalled over the area. Flooded homes, basements and roads were reported all around the area, including Jefferson Avenue near Washington Financial Bank in Tylerdale, in the city. South Strabane Township Firefighters posted a warning on their Facebook page, saying they were experiencing life-threatening flooding and told residents to stay in their homes and go to the highest level possible. South Strabane Fire Chief Jordan Cramer also confirmed that the flooding created a very large sinkhole on Oak Spring Road. Cramer says it measures fifteen-feet across and ten feet deep – with an active gas leak. Oak Spring Road was shut down just before eleven o’clock Saturday night so Columbia Gas crews can work on containing the leak. Eat’n Park was evacuated while emergency responders cleared the area. Many roads may remain unpassable. If you are traveling over the next twenty-four hours, use caution. (Photo: Cameron Stadium on Park Avenue in Washington)
June 15, 2025 1:25 am
The steps of the Washington County Courthouse was the site for a “No Kings’ rally. Nearly 200 rally participants gathered on Saturday afternoon to protest actions by the Trump Administration that they describe as imperialistic, dictatorial and authoritarian. Several organizations were present, Donna Patrina represented the Washington And Greene Counties Central Labor Council. Her organization was there to call for health protections and labor benefits taken away by the current administration. Rally goers had different reasons for participating. A woman who wanted to be known only as Judy was there because she loves her country. Wendy McGrath wanted to make sure her grandchildren knew that she did not sit idly by while her country was under siege from the Trump administration. Kevin Massimino is ashamed of the direction the country is headed and wants Trump impeached. There were a few Trump supporters that stayed across the street to observe. Joe Roach could not understand the reason for the rally, saying that Trump is doing everything he said that he was going to do. Rally organizers put forth a plan of action to better organize a plan to halt the Trump administration from carrying out any other actions they deem unacceptable.
June 14, 2025 4:34 pm
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of law officers fanned out across a Minneapolis suburb Saturday in pursuit of a man who authorities say posed as a police officer and fatally shot a Democratic state lawmaker in her home in what Gov. Tim Walz called “a politically motivated assassination.” Authorities said the same suspect also shot and wounded a second lawmaker and was believed to be trying to flee the area. Democratic former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in their Brooklyn Park home. Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were injured at their Champlin address, about nine miles (about 15 kilometers) away. Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said at an afternoon news conference that authorities were looking for 57-year-old Vance Boelter and he has not yet been caught. He did not give details on a possible motive. Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, state records show, though it wasn’t clear if or how well they knew each other. The early morning attacks targeting lawmakers in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis prompted warnings to other elected officials around the state and the cancellation of planned “No Kings” demonstrations against President Donald Trump. Authorities say the suspect had “No Kings” flyers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the victims as well as other lawmakers and officials, though they could not say if he had any other specific targets. (Photo: AP)
