July 9, 2024 12:40 pm
The Washington County Coroner says a 29-year-old male died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound Tuesday morning. State Police were called to Park Avenue just after ten o’clock after a caller to 911 reported that a man was in a garage threatening suicide, and then hearing a gunshot. Police shut down a section of Park Avenue between Franklin Farms Road and West Maiden Street for several hours while they dealt with the situation. The road was re-opened early in the afternoon later after they deemed it to be safe. State Police told WJPA News that there was never an immediate threat to the area, because it was a contained situation. (Photo: WPXI)
July 9, 2024 5:00 am
MIAMI (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is reveling in the mounting turmoil surrounding President Joe Biden’s campaign. He returned to the campaign trail Tuesday after days spent lying low and letting Democratic infighting play out in public. Trump held a rally at his golf course in Doral, Florida. He repeatedly teased his upcoming announcement of a vice presidential pick with one of the top contenders, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, in the crowd. And he suggested without evidence that first lady Jill Biden and the president’s son Hunter were controlling the White House. Biden’s campaign fired back by saying the president didn’t have time for Trump’s “weird antics.”
July 9, 2024 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds that a solid majority of Americans oppose a federal abortion ban and that a rising number appear to support access to abortions for any reason. The findings from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey highlight a politically perilous situation for candidates who oppose abortion rights as the November election draws closer. Around six in ten Americans think a person should be able to obtain a legal abortion in their state for any reason, underscoring that views toward abortion may be getting more permissive in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago.
July 9, 2024 4:55 am
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Alec Baldwin’s trial in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer is about to begin. Jury selection starts Tuesday in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the actor’s trial on a charge of involuntary manslaughter that could get him 18 months in prison. The judge and attorneys in the case say they expect the 12 jurors will be seated in one day and opening statements can begin on Wednesday. Jurors will be tasked with deciding whether Baldwin committed a felony when a gun he was pointing at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal for the film “Rust” went off and killed her in 2021.
July 9, 2024 4:53 am
DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — Hundreds of Europeans touring the American West and adventurers from around the U.S. are still being drawn to Death Valley National Park, even though the desolate region known as one of the Earth’s hottest places is being punished by a dangerous heat wave blamed for a motorcyclist’s death over the weekend. Much of the country is sweltering in heat wave that has seen dozens of locations in the West and Pacific Northwest tie or break previous heat records. Record daily high temperatures in Oregon are suspected in four deaths reported in the Portland area.
July 9, 2024 4:51 am
PITTSBURGH — TSA officers stopped two grenades from getting on a plane at Pittsburgh International Airport. A TSA spokesperson said the two inert grenades were removed from a checked bag on Tuesday morning. The traveler told officials that his friend said he could take them on a plane, but the TSA spokesperson says grenades — live or inert — cannot fly.
July 9, 2024 4:50 am
Temperatures will quickly jump into the low 90s again Tuesday, but the increase in humidity will combine to make it feel even hotter, with the heat index expected to push into the mid to upper 90s. Plan some breaks if working outside and check on neighbors and pets throughout the day. The remnants of Hurricane Beryl will move in late Tuesday and Wednesday bringing a quick surge of tropical moisture which will make it feel uncomfortable. We’ll see numerous showers and storms from Beryl late Tuesday night and Wednesday. Widespread severe weather and flooding is not expected at this time.
July 9, 2024 4:47 am
Washington City Council heard a presentation from their financial consultant on a measure to free up funds in the city by reworking a current bond. Councilman Ken Westcott is the Finance Director for the city and his department has negotiated a “debt smoothing action” that will give the city approximately $450,000 in fund flexibility. The current city pension bond will be reduced to $1.738 million dollars in September and is scheduled to be fully retired in 2026. This action will extend the payment term by one year and free up those funds for other purposes. Westcott says that he expects current pension obligations to rise about $200,000 per year at least. This flexibility will allow the city to meet those obligations without raising taxes. Westcott called the measure a creative way to achieve the financial goals of the city keeping the best interest of the taxpayers in mind. The measure will be voted on in August. In other anticipated city business, council will authorize funding measures for work and lighting on the tennis and pickleball courts.
July 9, 2024 2:53 am
State Police say a tractor-trailer traveling east on Interstate 70 near the Bentleyville Exit Tuesday afternoon created a traffic nightmare for motorists. The truck lost some of its load of coils, creating a miles-long back-up of traffic. There’s been no word on whether there were any injuries or how the coils came loose, but crews were called in to clear the scene. Traffic was able to get around the area, but very slowly.
July 9, 2024 2:37 am
Attorneys for Washington County election officials and the ACLU were in court Tuesday for the first of several hearings regarding mail-in ballot curing. Vic Walczak is the attorney for the ACLU, he is representing seven county voters, the Center for Coalfield Justice and the Washington branch of the NAACP, who say their votes were not counted in the primary election due to minor errors on their mail-in ballots. Representing the county are special prosecutor David Berardinelli and RNC and PA GOP representative Kathleen Gallagher. With a tight deadline due to the November general election, Judge Neuman set a timeline for late July for the two sides to agree on a date to begin arguments with an aspirational goal of mid-August for a final decision.
