August 2, 2024 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia have completed a 24-person prisoner swap, the largest in post-Soviet history, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free. Three freed Americans arrived at an Air Force Base outside Washington late at night to an emotional welcome from their families, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Thursday’s exchange follows a December 2022 trade that brought WNBA star Brittney Griner back to the U.S. in exchange for notorious arms trafficker Viktor Bout. Russia meanwhile secured the freedom of its own nationals convicted of serious crimes in the West.
August 2, 2024 2:35 am
The Board of Directors of the Washington County Agricultural Fair held their annual Media Day to let the public know what is new coming to the event this year. The fair runs from August 10 – 17 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM daily. Board President Todd Richards says that the opening concert will be replaced by a rodeo this year. He said public opinion has consistently indicated that fairgoers would like to see the rodeo. This year there will be two Buckey Rodeo events scheduled for Sunday August 11 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. There will still be concerts throughout the fair. Groups include A. C. and the Resistors, Good Karma, Scott Blasey from the Clarks, Ruff Creek and Joey Adams. Several renovations have gone on over the past year. Wayne Hunnell, Secretary of the Board says that Hall Three was completely gutted and renovated. The Historic Horse Barn and the 4-H Horse barn also saw extensive work. Volunteers always play an important part in fairground renovations. Aiden McMurray, a local Boy Scout, Eagle Scout replaced the fencing along the race track for his Eagle Scout project. Parking is also important. Scott Becker, Executive Director and CEO of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum says that they will be transporting fair-goers from three different parking lots. The first is at the Eaton Facility on Main Street. The second is from the Welcome and Education Center at 1 Electric Way and finally from their West Campus parking lot at 1 Museum Road.
August 2, 2024 2:42 am
Washington County Register of Wills, James Roman, says that on Monday, August 5th, the Register of Wills office will be moved to the 4th floor of the Crossroads buildings in downtown Washington. The new address for the Register of Wills office will be 95 West Beau Street, Suite 425, Washington, PA 15301. Roman says the office will continue to be open from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. He says they will continue working in the Courthouse Square building through Friday, August 2 at 4:30 p.m.
August 2, 2024 2:23 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh announced on Thursday that a North Strabane Township man, found guilty last month of murdering his wife, will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Jason Walsh says Scott Edmonds, a physical therapist who was charged and convicted of killing his 49-year-old wife, Louise Weis-Edmonds in March of 2014, was sentenced by Washington County Judge John DiSalle, to life without the possibility of parole on the first-degree murder conviction, plus one to two years in a state prison on the second charge. A jury deliberated just over an hour, before finding Edmonds guilty of first-degree murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. Edmonds trial lasted for five days.
August 2, 2024 5:03 am
Few Americans have high confidence in the Secret Service’s ability to keep presidential candidates safe after last month’s attempt on Donald Trump’s life. That’s according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Only around three in 10 Americans are extremely or very confident that the Secret Service can keep the presidential candidates safe from violence before the election. The law enforcement agency tasked with protecting presidents for more than a century is under intense scrutiny after a gunman got within 150 yards of Trump and fired several bullets from an AR-style rifle.
August 2, 2024 5:07 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — U.S. arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico during July have plummeted to a new low for Joe Biden’s presidency, raising prospects a temporary ban on asylum may be lifted soon. The Border Patrol is expected to arrest migrants 57,000 times during the month, down 30% from June and the lowest tally since September 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic slowed movement across borders. Two Customs and Border Protection officials provided numbers to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the numbers hadn’t been publicly disclosed. San Diego was the busiest corridor for illegal crossings in July.
August 1, 2024 5:06 am
HOUSTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has eulogized U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee as a “force of nature.” Harris described Jackson Lee as a mentor who “always expected in all of us that we would rise to a point of excellence, knowing that life was too short and there’s too much to be done.” Jackson Lee died July 19 at age 74 after being treated for pancreatic cancer. She was one of most prominent Black women in Congress. Among the other speakers at the service Thursday in Houston were former President Bill Clinton and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader.
August 2, 2024 4:59 am
BANGKOK (AP) — World shares have tumbled, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 index slumping 5.8% as investors panicked over signs of weakness in the U.S. economy. European shares opened lower and U.S. futures declined. The selloffs followed the release of weak data that raised worries the Federal Reserve may have missed its window to lower interest rates before undercutting economic growth. Adding to the gloom, Intel’s shares sank nearly 19% in aftermarket trading early Friday. Shares in Japan have been pummeled after the Bank of Japan raised its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday. That pushed the value of the Japanese yen higher against the U.S. dollar, potentially hurting overseas earnings of major manufacturers and deflating a boom in tourism.
August 1, 2024 3:46 pm
(WPXI) – A 10-year-old boy is dead and a 13-year-old is in custody after a stabbing in Westmoreland County. The stabbing happened Thursday morning in the 400 block of Donegal Lake Road in Stahlstown. Police said the victim was sleeping over at the suspect’s house. Someone later called 911 around 6 a.m. because they saw the child and thought they were dead. State police said they are planning to charge the 13-year-old as an adult.
August 1, 2024 1:33 pm
United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan says a Belle Vernon man has pleaded guilty in federal court, to charges of bank robbery and attempted bank robbery. According to information presented to the Court, on July 9, 2021, surveillance footage from a Monessen bank recorded a male wearing a baseball cap, a mask, and white sneakers walk into the bank and slide a note to the teller demanding $15,000 and threatening to “shoot” if the police were called. In response, the teller provided the male $3,731, and the male fled before law enforcement’s arrival. Forensic evidence identified 29-year-old Dylan Adams as the individual who committed the bank robbery, with investigators also finding a photograph of Adams on his social media account that showed the same white sneakers worn during the bank robbery. Following the July 9th bank robbery, authorities released still images of the surveillance footage and on n July 23, 2021, an employee of a credit union in Charleroi contacted police saying that he recognized the man from those still images as someone who had entered the credit union and then left after observing that all of the tellers were occupied with other customers. An employee of the credit union quickly locked the door behind the man, who attempted to re-enter the bank through that and another door, but was told that the bank was closed. Law enforcement again identified Adams as the individual who attempted to commit this bank robbery. Sentencing has been set for December 19th. The maximum penalty at each count is up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
