October 1, 2024 2:20 am
The Canonsburg Senior Center was the site where the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging, The Aging Services of Washington County, SPHS Aging Services, and the Washington Area Senior Citizens announced the strategic plan that the groups partnered in developing for the thirteen Senior Centers across Washington County. The study focused on diversification of programming, growth and retention of center participants and adequate staffing for all centers. Some of the programming suggestions are trips to local establishments such as restaurants and speaker series. Facility upgrades as simple as new paint to accessible doorways are being considered. Staffing was addressed to make sure there are enough people on hand to deal with the hoped for growth in the use of the centers. The study points out that Washington County’s demographic profile indicates a significant portion, 21.2% of residents, are aged 65 and older. According to Mary Lynn Spivak, Director of Aging Services of Washington County, funding for these projects will be provided by grants, and solicitations in the communities that the centers are based. The strategic plan study was funded by a $160,000 grant from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation and was performed by the Hill Group.
October 1, 2024 2:08 am
A Washington County couple is scheduled to be formally arraigned on several felony counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and endangering the welfare of a child. The charges are a result of a search warrant executed by the Office of Attorney General Bureau of Narcotics on the couple’s home in Eighty Four this past July. Drew and Lauren Divelbliss remain behind bars for their alleged role in a large manufacturing operation that included 1,500 grams of DMT – a strong psychedelic similar to Psilocybin mushrooms – valued at $150,000; 300 grams of THC shatter – street value $45,000; hundreds of packages of marijuana edibles; and 10 pounds of marijuana. Police also found $300,000 cash in vacuumed sealed plastic. In addition to the drug charges they also face charges of endangering the welfare of children. Two juvenile girls lived with their parents on Hickory Nut Drive in Eighty Four. A formal arraignment is scheduled for October 24th at one pm.
October 1, 2024 1:37 am
The contract for 32 clerical and maintenance employees, belonging to Teamsters Local 585, expired at midnight, October 1st, and without a new contract, the workers walked off their jobs and onto the picket line. Harold Close, Principal Officer of Teamsters Local 585, the Housing Authority of Washington County chose to put those employees on strike. Close says negotiations have been ongoing and the only sticking point is over wages. He said that $36,567.20 separates the union and Authority from settling the contract negotiations. He says for simplicity’s sake, $1000 a month is all it would cost to keep the employees on the job for the next three years. The union has rejected unanimously the authority’s last best offer, saying that without an agreement, they were going to strike. Close is adamant in saying that workers are not choosing to walk out, it is the authority who will be putting the workers on strike because their salary demands were not met. . The Washington County Housing Authority, in an emailed statement, said that they are working to ensure services are continuing to be provided to residents and they have several contingencies in place should issues arise during the walkout. The authority says it has offered the union a contract that surpasses the previous several contracts in terms of wages. In addition, they say they have met with state mediators and will meet again to try and resolve the agreement. In the meantime, they say they look forward to continuing to bargain in good faith, despite the strike. The authority has assets in the range of $20 million and manages approximately 1100 apartments in Washington, Canonsburg, California and Fredericktown
September 30, 2024 12:58 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — John Ashton, the veteran character actor who memorably played the gruff but lovable police detective John Taggart in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films, has died. He was 76. Ashton died Thursday in Fort Collins, Colorado, his family announced in a statement released by Ashton’s manager, Alan Somers, on Sunday. No cause of death was immediately available. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, Ashton was a regular face across TV series and films, including “Midnight Run,” “Little Big League” and “Gone Baby Gone.” But in the “Beverly Hills Cop” films, Ashton played an essential part of an indelible trio. (Photo: AP)
September 30, 2024 12:19 pm
(WPXI) – Verizon users in several areas are reporting outages. According to Downdetector.com, there are outages being reported in Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Missouri and other areas. A Verizon spokesperson says the company is “aware of an issue impacting service for some customers and their engineers are engaged and are working quickly to solve the issue. The exact issue, however, was not released and it was not known if the outage was connected to Hurricane Helene. Downdetector said there were more than 104,000 reports of issues with Verizon service on Monday. Some of those reporting issues said that their phones were working in SOS mode only. A handful of areas without coverage were in the path of Hurricane Helene and crews are trying to restore service during the hurricane recovery.
September 30, 2024 6:54 am
(WPXI) – A man was killed in a car crash in North Fayette Township early Monday morning. The North Fayette Township VFD on Facebook said Noblestown Road was closed in both directions between Margarette Street and Locust Lane at around 2:15 a.m. The victim, identified as Joseph Earl Cooper Jr., 57, was pronounced dead at the scene. Dispatchers said another person was taken to the hospital from the scene. There is currently no word on their condition.
September 30, 2024 6:52 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Claudia Sheinbaum will take the oath of office as Mexico’s first female president in more than 200 years of independence, promising to protect an expanded social safety net and fight for the poor like her predecessor, but facing pressing problems. The 62-year-old scientist-turned-politician receives a country with a number of immediate challenges, foremost among them stubbornly high levels of violence, a sluggish economy and hurricane-battered Acapulco. Sheinbaum romped to victory in June with nearly 60% of the vote, propelled largely by the sustained popularity of her political mentor ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
September 30, 2024 5:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are pointing to newly released immigration enforcement data to bolster their argument that the Biden administration is letting migrants who have committed serious crimes go free in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released data to Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales in response to a request he made for information about people under ICE supervision either convicted of crimes or facing criminal charges. Gonzales posted the numbers online and they immediately became a flashpoint in the presidential campaign. But the numbers have been misconstrued, with the Department of Homeland Security clarifying that the numbers span decades and those not in its custody may be held by a state or local agency.
September 30, 2024 5:21 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has used her appearances in Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Sunday to poke at Republican Donald Trump over crowd sizes, his refusal to debate again and his privileged background. During a fancy fundraiser in Los Angeles, she told donors that as she campaigns around the country her “crowds are pretty big.” In Las Vegas, she talked about her middle class background and compared it to Trump’s “silver platter” pedigree that nonetheless produced six bankruptcies. Harris also moved into what Trump considers his terrain — immigration — with a Friday visit to the border town of Douglas, Arizona.
September 30, 2024 5:18 am
PERRY, Fla. (AP) — North Carolina officials are pledging to get more water and other supplies to storm-damaged areas by Monday after Hurricane Helene left a trail of destruction across the U.S. Southeast. Authorities have struggled to get supplies to isolated areas including the city of Asheville. Massive rains brought by Helene left many people stranded or homeless around the region. The death toll from the storm topped 90 people across several states. Forecasters say a new tropical depression in the eastern Atlantic Ocean could become a hurricane by mid-week.
