July 30, 2025 2:30 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh has come under fire for the second time from the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation – a newly formed non-profit death penalty resource center in Philadelphia. They went before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last week, questioning the number of death penalty cases Walsh has worked on. In a filing supplement to their original petition, the agency now quotes Washington County Coroner Tim Warco as saying that Walsh lied to a county judge and coerced Warco to file a fraudulent death certificate for a deceased child. The agency quotes Warco as saying that Walsh told him, “You know that I need this to be a homicide, I need it to win an election.” All of these actions follow The Atlantic Center’s request on behalf of two clients, Jordan Clarke and Joshua George, who are charged separately in the deaths of their infant children. It alleges Walsh is seeking the death penalty against them despite scant evidence that the deaths were intentional or especially cruel. Walsh spoke with WJPA News, calling this a smear campaign. Warco offered “No comment.” (PHOTO: Washington County website)
July 29, 2025 2:45 am
More than two-thousand customers were left without power for a few hours Tuesday afternoon, for two different reasons. West Penn Power Spokesman Todd Meyers tells WJPA News that there were two different outages that disrupted power to Washington county customers. Meyers says one outage impacted about 1,100 customers in North Franklin Township and was caused by heat and additional loading due to running air conditioners. Meyers say that damaged a power line and they had to shift some customers to other power lines to restore power as repairs were made. He says the rest of the customers were impacted in downtown Washington and surrounding areas. Meyers says a similar incident occurred Monday morning. He says crews are doing work to upgrade lines and that is what led to that outage. Meyers says crews were replacing cross arms on the same line when a guy wire was inadvertently broken on one of the poles, causing an outage.
July 29, 2025 2:29 pm
A Western Pennsylvania college student has been accused of making threats of violence against his school on social media. Trevor Howard faces charges after allegedly posting a question on the popular college student social app YikYak back in February. Howard reportedly asked how many people he could kill if he opened fire on the Washington & Jefferson College campus. The local District Attorney has said that Howard declined a five-year probationary plea deal. If Howard is convicted on trial, he could face a sentence of up to seven years.
July 30, 2025 2:20 am
A dangerous heat wave is expected to continue to blanket the area, with temperatures reaching into the low to mid-90s. Heat-related illnesses can increase significantly in the extreme heat. Health officials say to make sure to be prepared and find ways to keep you and your family cool. Stay out of the sun, stay in air-conditioning, keep hydrated, and keep pets out of the heat. Due to the extreme heat, cooling centers were opened around the county and Washington County’s Public Safety Office has released locations. which will be be updated as changes occur. (Photo: AP) For the complete list, click on this link: Click Here.
July 30, 2025 2:16 am
A Belle Vernon woman has been sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to pay $116,758 in restitution for social security fraud and theft of government property, according to Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti. Teresa Sabolek, 68, was sentenced by United States District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan in federal court. Sabolek was convicted of falsely claiming that her husband did not live with her to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, which she was not eligible for. In May 2009, Sabolek applied for SSI benefits, claiming her husband did not reside with her in their Belle Vernon home. The investigation revealed though, that Sabolek’s husband had a driver’s license, mailing address, and registered vehicles all linked to the same address where Sabolek claimed to live alone. Agents visiting the home in December 2024 found that the husband indeed lived there and contributed to the mortgage and utilities.
July 30, 2025 3:02 pm
(WPXI) PITTSBURGH — Two lanes of traffic on Forbes Avenue will be closed intermittently over the next two weekends to accommodate the paving work, Pittsburgh Regional Transit announced. The paving will start at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, and continue until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2. Crews will focus on the right lane at three locations between Craft Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard. Although only the right lane will be directly worked on, the center lane will also be blocked due to construction equipment, leaving one lane open for traffic. Parking and stopping along Forbes Avenue will be prohibited during this time. On Saturday, August 9, paving will occur in the right lane from Schenley Drive to Schenley Drive Extension, with further details to be determined. Buses will maintain service along Forbes Avenue, except for the stop at Craft, which will be temporarily closed. Most side streets will remain accessible, and flaggers will assist with traffic flow. Pedestrian access to sidewalks and crosswalks will be maintained, and roadway barriers will remain until lane striping is completed, expected before Aug. 15.
July 30, 2025 1:37 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Sen. John Fetterman’s publisher has announced the release of his memoir, “Unfettered,” set for Nov. 11. Penguin Random House imprint Crown shared the news on Wednesday. The book covers Fetterman’s journey from being the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, to becoming a national figure. The book also delves into Fetterman’s political battles and his physical and mental health challenges, including a stroke in 2022. Fetterman is known for his unique style and imposing height. The Democratic senator collaborated with Buzz Bissinger of “Friday Night Lights” fame on the memoir, which promises an honest look at his life and career.
July 30, 2025 4:49 am
A tsunami has hit coastal areas of Russia’s Kuril Islands and Japan’s large northern island of Hokkaido after a powerful, 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Russia early Wednesday. Warnings are also in place for Alaska, Hawaii and other coasts south toward New Zealand. The Japan Meteorological Agency says a tsunami as high as 40 centimeters has been detected in 16 locations as the waves moved south along the Pacific coast. Officials urged caution, saying bigger waves could come later. Damage and evacuations were reported in the Russian regions nearest the quake’s epicenter on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
July 30, 2025 4:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Police say a gunman who killed four people in a Manhattan skyscraper before taking his own life claimed to have a brain disease linked to contact sports and was trying to target the National Football League’s headquarters in the building. New York City Mayor Eric Adams says investigators believe the gunman wanted to get up to the NFL’s offices on Monday but entered the wrong elevator. Police say Shane Tamura had a note in his wallet that suggested he had a grievance against the NFL and asked that his brain be studied. He played high school football in California but never played in the NFL.
July 29, 2025 4:53 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says Jeffrey Epstein “stole” young women who worked at Mar-a-Lago, including Virginia Giuffre, one of the disgraced financier’s most well-known accusers. Trump claims he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago after the incidents. The White House initially said Epstein was banned for acting like a “creep.” Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, is willing to answer more questions from Congress if granted immunity, but the House Oversight Committee said it would reject the request. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence in a Florida federal prison.
