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.
January 7, 2025 5:05 am
McDonald’s is ending some of its diversity practices, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions. McDonald’s is the latest company to shift its tactics in the wake of the 2023 ruling and a conservative backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Walmart, John Deere, and other corporations have also rolled back their DEI initiatives. McDonald’s said Monday it will retire specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels and end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training. The company’s diversity team will be renamed the Global Inclusion Team. The Chicago burger giant says it remains committed to inclusion and believes a diverse workforce is a competitive advantage.
January 7, 2025 5:03 am
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he won’t rule out the use of military force to seize control of the Panama Canal and Greenland as he declared U.S. control of both to be vital to American national security. Speaking to reporters less than two weeks before he takes office on Jan. 20 and as a delegation of aides and advisers that includes his son Donald Trump Jr. is in Greenland, Trump left open the use of the American military to secure both territories. Trump has floated having Canada join the United States. The Republican said Tuesday he would not use military force to do that, saying, he would rely on “economic force.”
January 7, 2025 5:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump was thwarted Monday in his bid to indefinitely postpone this week’s sentencing in his hush money case while he appeals a ruling that upheld the verdict. Judge Juan M. Merchan ordered Friday’s sentencing to proceed as scheduled, rejecting arguments from Trump’s lawyers who said it should be halted while they ask a state appeals court to reverse his decision to let the conviction stand. The Republican was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
January 7, 2025 5:00 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says its latest weapons test was a new hypersonic intermediate-range missile designed to strike targets in the Pacific as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to further expand his collection of nuclear-capable weapons to counter rivals. The report Tuesday came a day after South Korea’s military detected the launch. North Korea demonstrated multiple weapons systems last year that can target its neighbors and the United States, including solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles, and there are concerns that its military capabilities could advance further through technology transfers from Russia, as the two countries align over the war in Ukraine. Kim reiterated that his nuclear push was aimed at countering threats posed by hostile forces but didn’t directly mention the U.S.
