December 12, 2025 4:24 am
PROVO, Utah (AP) — The Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk has made his first in-person court appearance as his attorneys push to further limit media access in the high-profile criminal case. A Utah judge on Thursday heard arguments about the public’s right to know details in Tyler Robinson’s case. The defendant’s attorneys say the swarm of media attention could interfere with his right to a fair trial. Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus. They plan to seek the death penalty. Judge Tony Graf briefly halted livestreaming of Thursday’s proceedings by a media pool after Robinson’s shackles were seen in the video.
December 12, 2025 4:23 am
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A grand jury has declined for a second time in a week to re-indict New York Attorney General Letitia James. A grand jury rejection is an unusual circumstance in any case, and the repeated failures amount to a stunning rebuke of prosecutors’ bid to resurrect a criminal case President Donald Trump pressured them to bring. The failure to secure an indictment was confirmed by two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to publicly discuss the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity. James was initially charged with bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution in connection with a home purchase in 2020.
December 12, 2025 4:20 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — In a resounding rejection of a pressure campaign from the White House, Indiana Republican Senators voted down a new congressional map created to give the GOP an advantage in the upcoming 2026 election. Twenty-one Senators from the Republican supermajority and the chamber’s 10 Democrats voted against the map Thursday, which would have split the city of Indianapolis into four districts. While other Republican states have moved quickly to redistrict, Indiana lawmakers have been far more hesitant. The GOP senators who voted against the map are likely to face primary challengers backed by Republicans on the side of President Donald Trump, who wants to give his party an easier path to keeping the U.S. House.
December 12, 2025 4:18 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia has walked away after a scheduled appointment at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office after a federal judge ordered that officials could not detain him. Abrego Garcia appeared Friday for the appointment at a Maryland ICE office, some 14 hours after he was released from detention in Pennsylvania on a judge’s orders. His lawyers asked the judge to block authorities from detaining him again. The judge says officials cannot re-detain him until the court conducts a hearing on the motion for the temporary restraining order. Abrego Garcia became a flashpoint of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown earlier this year when he was wrongly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador.
December 12, 2025 4:16 am
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) — Washington state is under a state of emergency from a barrage of torrential rain that’s sent rivers flowing over their banks, caused mudslides to close highways and trapped people in floodwaters. The governor says flooding could reach historic levels. Officials say 78,000 people live in the floodplain north of Seattle that has been ordered to evacuate. The weather has already prompted rescues and road closures. Another storm system is expected to bring more rain starting Sunday.
December 12, 2025 4:12 am
Several local historical organizations were awarded grants recently. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission grants were awarded to the Bradford House Historical Association, the Donora Historical Society and the Washington County Historical Society. The Bradford House Historical Association received $7500, The Donora Historical Society received $5000 and the Washington County Historical Society received $9000. The funds will be dedicated to general operating costs and historical and archival records care.
December 12, 2025 1:44 am
The City of Washington Fire Department received a holiday boost from the Pennsylvania American Water Company. The PAWC stopped by City Hall to present firefighters a check for $2000. The money comes from the PAWC’s annual Firefighting Support Grant Program. Grants can be used to purchase personal protective gear, communications equipment, firefighting tools, water handling equipment, training and related activities and materials used to support community fire protection. City Councilman Joe DeThomas thanked the PAWC and said that the money would go a long way in helping with the purchase of a new cargo container that will be used for training at the fire department’s training facility. Brent Robinson from PAWC says that they appreciate the work that firefighters do in the community and this is a demonstration of gratitude to all of that hard work. This year Pennsylvania American Water awarded $131,500 in grants to 203 fire departments and rescue organizations in 32 counties statewide.
December 12, 2025 1:24 am
Washington County has come under scrutiny for the way it has been distributing opioid settlement funds. The Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust is the committee that oversees the state’s opioid settlement trust fund. In a meeting this month, the committee rejected eight applicants, put nine others under review and agreed to assign a liaison to monitor future grant awards. The county has the option to take back the money given to the non-compliant eight recipients, or allow them to keep the money, but that money would then come from county funds and not settlement funds. Last week, Democratic County Commissioner Larry Maggi had questioned the procedures used to award the grants and called for an actual committee to be formed, rather than just three employees making the decision. He also called for an audit. WJPA reached out for comment to Commission Chairman Nick Sherman, who responded with an emailed statement saying the county intends to discuss and appeal the non-compliant determinations and give those recipients an opportunity to demonstrate that their programs do fall under the Trust’s approved uses.
December 12, 2025 1:11 am
A Washington County jury deliberated about nine hours before returning a mixed verdict in the case against Jose Zaragoza of Washington. Zaragoza was accused of strangling and attempting to kidnap the mother of their child. The incident occurred in the parking lot of the Giant Eagle in South Strabane Township in May of 2024. The jury returned a not guilty verdict on two counts, but rendered a deadlocked verdict on the remaining two charges. Zaragoza was acquitted of the kidnapping and one strangulation charge. The jury dead-lock on a strangulation and assault charge. The commonwealth must now decide whether to re-try him on the two deadlocked verdicts. District Attorney Jason Walsh is considering his options for a retrial. Zaragoza remains in the Washington County Jail.
December 11, 2025 5:53 pm
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch from Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. The track of this storm has not yet been fully determined, but forecasters say our area could see anywhere from three to seven inches of snow, with locally higher amounts possible. WJPA will have all the information you need. Stay tuned to WJPA and wjpa.com. (Photo: AP)
