January 8, 2025 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter will continue to lie in state after his remains arrived in Washington a day earlier as part of state funeral rites. The Georgia Democrat and 39th president died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. Carter served as president from 1977-81, winning office as an outsider in the wake of the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal but enduring a rocky four years of economic unrest and international crises that ended with his defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter will remain at the Capitol until Thursday morning, when he is transported to Washington National Cathedral for a state funeral. President Joe Biden, a longtime Carter ally, will deliver a eulogy. Carter will be buried in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.
January 8, 2025 4:58 am
NEW YORK (AP) — CNN is on trial for libel this week before a jury in Florida, and it comes at a particularly inopportune time for legacy media. The media is already the frequent target of criticism by President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters. Now it will face scrutiny over its operations — and a lawyer for the plaintiff suggested jurors should send a message. At issue is a Navy veteran who helped rescue Afghans at the time of the Taliban takeover in 2021, and how he was included in a story that CNN did about a “black market” of people who faced steep charges to be extracted from the country.
January 8, 2025 4:51 am
BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — Three people found dead in a western Pennsylvania home this week apparently died from carbon monoxide poisoning. But authorities say it’s not yet known what caused the issue. The Butler County Coroner’s Office reports two men and a woman were found dead shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday at the home in Butler, which is about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh. Two other people found there were being treated for undisclosed injuries and remained hospitalized Wednesday. The names of the five victims and further details about them have not been released. The source of the carbon monoxide remains under investigation.
January 8, 2025 2:45 am
Testimony began Tuesday in the jury trial of Brandon Allen, 33 of Washington. Allen faces homicide, attempted homicide and aggravated assault charges for the May 11, 2022 drive-by killing of Kristin Barfield at her home at 219 Ridge Avenue in the City of Washington. Allen is accused of being the driver of the car during the shooting and also firing a weapon as he drove by. Morning testimony centered on evidence collected at the crime scene. It also included testimony regarding police interviews with 18 year old Tyriq Moss. He was charged similarly as Allen and was a passenger in Allen’s car. Allen’s defense attorney was questioning police about the validity of the interviews because Moss seemed to be uncooperative in one interview and more cooperative in a second when he was represented by an attorney. The afternoon began with Tyriq Moss relinquishing his 5th amendment rights and agreeing to testify in the trial. It was revealed that Moss would have his criminal charges dropped in exchange for his testimony. Moss testified that it was Allen and Juan Worthey, another passenger in the car that fired the shots at Barfield. The balance of the testimony was from police about video footage of the suspects before and after the shooting at locations along Ridge Avenue. It also included testimony about Allen abandoning his car and the retrieval of a weapon discarded in a wooded area near McDonald, PA. Testimony will resume on Thursday.
January 8, 2025 2:45 am
Washington County has been put on notice of possible litigation surrounding the events of the assassination attempt of then presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show Grounds on July 13th. County Solicitor Gary Sweat made Commissioners aware of a letter he received from attorneys representing the two injured rally goers, James Copenhaver and David Dutch. According to Sweat, the lawsuit would be seeking compensation for injuries that both men suffered after they were accidentally shot by suspected assassin Thomas Crooks. A third victim, Corey Comperatore was killed in the incident and is not part of the suit. Sweat says that the reason that the county is involved is because the Washington County Regional SWAT Team was called on for backup during the event. Sweat says the SWAT Team does not fall under the county umbrella, they are their own separate entity. He said they may not be involved in the case because, from his discernment, the Secret Service was the organization that was responsible for the development of the protection plan. The SWAT Team had no input into the plan, they just provided backup. The lawsuit is in its early stages of development, in fact an official complaint has yet to be filed. (Photo: AP)
January 8, 2025 2:21 am
Washington County Commissioners have wasted no time in naming a replacement for the chairperson of the Local Share Account (LSA) Committee to replace current chair, Jeff Kotula. Kotula announced this week that he would be resigning from the position he has held since the committee’s inception in 2008. Kotula gave no reason for his action, but emailed the following statement to WJPA: “I have served as Chairman of the Washington County Local Share Account Review Committee since its inception 17 years ago and believe it is time for me to take a respite from the process. While I am proud of the work of the diverse group of dedicated individuals I have served with on the committee, I have also noticed the only person remaining from the original committee formed in 2008 is me…so it is time for some fresh eyes on the process and a new chairperson for this important committee. I have again worked with the team at the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington on this year’s process and everything is in place for a successful 2025 review which will ensure a seamless transition for the new chairperson and the committee. In my opinion, each member of the current committee would be qualified to lead the process, however, the selection of a chairperson is the county commissioners’ decision. I have valued the trust the county commissioners, committee, applicants, and public have placed in me over the past 17 years and look forward to the continued success of this impactful program for Washington County.” The board announced Wednesday that Mark Hrutkay of South Strabane Township would step into Kotula’s shoes as Chairman of the LSA Board. Hrutkay is a former Director of Human Resources at CONSOL Energy and a former chair of the Washington County Republican Party. The Local Share Account was established to support community and economic development through gaming revenues generated from gaming revenue at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows.
January 7, 2025 5:46 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A man convicted of injuring an officer with a homemade explosive at a 2023 campus protest over transgender rights at the University of Pittsburgh has been sentenced to five years in prison. Brian DiPippa’s wife, Krystal Martinez-DiPippa, will serve three years of probation for her role in the incident. The DiPippas were part of a group protesting an April 2023 panel sponsored by the Pitt College Republicans that featured speakers opposed to transgender rights. A campus police sergeant told the court that she suffered burns to her legs, hearing loss and back injuries that required surgery.
January 7, 2025 5:42 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jimmy Carter’s state funeral has moved to Washington after observances in his native Georgia. The 39th president’s remains left the Carter Presidential Center on Tuesday morning and flew to the Washington area aboard Special Air Mission 39. The Carter family and former president arrived at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with a motorcade following to the U.S. Navy Memorial. Carter’s flag-draped casket was transferred to a horse-drawn caisson for his final journey to the Capitol. Carter is the only U.S. Naval Academy graduate to become president. Members of Congress will honor Carter in the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday afternoon. The ceremonies carry some irony for the one-term president who campaigned as an outsider in 1976 and never mastered the city. (Photo: AP)
January 7, 2025 2:27 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The singer-songwriter and social activist best known as one-third of the folk-music group Peter, Paul and Mary, has died at age 86. Peter Yarrow died Tuesday at his home in New York. That’s according to publicist Ken Sunshine. Peter, Paul and Mary rose to overnight fame in 1962 when they blended their voices in stunning harmonies as they sang out against war and social injustice. Among their many hits were Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Pete Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer” and Yarrow’s own “Puff the Magic Dragon.” After a 1970 breakup they reunited eight years later, continuing their partnership until Mary Travers’ death in 2009. (Photo: AP)
January 7, 2025 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge in Florida has temporarily blocked the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s report on investigations into Donald Trump, who says it would be a “fake report” anyway. An appeals court is weighing a challenge to the disclosure of a much-anticipated document just days before the Republican president-elect reclaims office. Tuesday’s ruling from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon may represent a short-lived victory for Trump. But it’s the latest instance of the Trump-appointed jurist taking action in Trump’s favor. The halt came in response to an emergency request Monday by defense lawyers to block the release of a report they said would be one-sided and prejudicial. Smith’s team is expected to respond later Tuesday.
