April 17, 2023 2:55 am
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A dump truck and a car were heavily damaged in an accident that sent two people to the hospital in Washington Township. According to Fayette County 911, the crash happened in the 200 block of Gilliespie Hollow Road at 10:43 a.m. Saturday. Our news partners at Channel 11 saw a car that appeared crushed and a dump truck with its hood detached. The dump truck also appeared to have collided with a brick wall and a telephone pole on the side of the road. Officials said two people were flown to local hospitals for their injuries. There’s no word on their conditions.
April 17, 2023 2:50 am
The state Supreme Court has approved the realignment of the Washington County magisterial districts, effective in January. The biggest changes will be in and around Washington where a number of municipalities will be served by new magistrate judges. North Franklin Township, which had been in the Washington courtroom of Judge Kelly Stewart, will be in the courtroom of Judge Mike Manfredi. Manfredi will also hear cases coming out of Chartiers Township as well. That township’s cases had been in the magisterial district of Judge James Saieva–Saieva will now also hear cases from North Strabane, which had been heard by Manfredi. Canton Township cases, which had been in Saieva’s district, will be heard by Judge John Bruner. A larger realignment will take place in 2028 or before, if Judge Curtis Thompson retires. The Supreme Court’s order eliminates that Bentleyville district by 2028 and reassigns the cases to Judges Eric Porter in Charleroi and Joshua Kanalis in Centerville. The court realignment happens every ten years, based on population and caseload data.
April 17, 2023 2:33 am
Following a ruling by Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court reversing an order by Washington County Court Judge Michael Lucas saying that an election petition challenge filed on behalf of current Republican Washington County Prothonotary Laura Hough was properly served to her republican challenger Kevin Hill, the matter was sent back to Lucas who issued his ruling Monday morning. Lucas ruled that Hough’s request to reject Hill’s nominating petition and have him removed from the May Primary ballot has been denied. Lucas ruled that Hill did not falsify information on his petition, nor did he attempt to mislead voters. The challenge that Hough filed against Hill involved him writing in his candidacy filing that he was “self-employed” despite a previous statement earlier this year that he was unemployed. Hill, of Mt. Pleasant Township, testified at a March 21st hearing challenging his candidacy, that he was self-employed on the date he filed his paperwork because he had recently started selling his sports memorabilia collection on an online auction site. Lucas though, dismissed Hough’s challenge because he determined that Hill was never personally served information notifying him of the date and time of the hearing, as required by Senior Judge Katherine Emery’s order. Hough issued a statement following the ruling: “Obviously, I am disappointed in the Court’s ruling. I am a firm believer that the Candidate Petition is the first tier of Election Integrity. As such, I pursued the avenue provided for by election law to have the Court review the petition in question. The candidate wrote that he is self-employed on his petition despite having stated under oath 3 weeks prior that he was unemployed. Transparency is essential for voters to be better informed about the election process.”
April 16, 2023 8:05 am
WAKAYAMA, Japan (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been evacuated unharmed after someone threw an explosive device at a campaign event in a western port city. Kishida was visiting Saikazaki port in Wakayama prefecture on Saturday to support his ruling party’s candidate in a local election. The explosion occurred just before he was to begin his speech. One police officer was slightly hurt and Kishida continued campaigning. Police wrestled a suspect to the ground as screaming bystanders scrambled to get away and smoke filled the air. The incident comes only nine months after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. The assassination shocked the nation and a subsequent investigation found holes in Abe’s security.
April 16, 2023 8:04 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris is urging Americans to take action during “a critical point in our nation’s history” as thousands of people protested new limits to abortion rights in demonstrations across the country. The nationwide rallies come after the U.S. Supreme Court intervened Friday to delay rule changes that would have limited the way the abortion drug mifepristone could be used and dispensed, to give itself more time to review the matter more thoroughly. Harris made a surprise stop at a rally in Los Angeles on Saturday where she called the latest upheaval over abortion rights a further incursion by conservatives into myriad “fundamental rights.”
April 16, 2023 8:03 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s military says it fired warning shots to repel a North Korean patrol vessel that temporarily crossed the countries’ disputed western sea boundary while chasing a Chinese fishing boat. The North Korean patrol boat crossed the so-called Northern Limit Line at around 11 a.m. Saturday while pursuing the Chinese boat in waters near South Korea’s Baekryeong island but immediately retreated after a South Korean naval vessel fired warning shots, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Sunday.
April 16, 2023 8:02 am
SAPPORO, Japan (AP) — Energy and environment ministers of the Group of Seven wealthy nations have vowed to work to hasten the shift toward cleaner, renewable energy, but set no timetable for phasing out coal-fired power plants. The G-7 officials issued a communique on Sunday laying out their commitments after two days of talks in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo. The 36-page document was prepared in advance of a G-7 summit to be held in Hiroshima in May. Japan won endorsements from fellow G-7 countries for its own national strategy emphasizing so-called clean coal, hydrogen and nuclear energy to help ensure its energy security.
April 16, 2023 8:01 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A top Ukrainian official says more than 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released in a major Easter exchange with Russia. Orthodox Ukrainians are marking the holiday for a second time since Moscow unleashed its brutal full-scale war last February. While celebrations were subdued due to security risks, with a curfew barring the faithful from customary all-night services, Ukrainian authorities and ordinary people shared messages of hope. Some worshippers in central Kyiv nevertheless admitted that the continuing restrictions were “very hard” on morale, while others stressed that they were praying for Ukrainian troops.
April 16, 2023 8:01 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A trial beginning Monday in Delaware will force Fox News executives and some of the network’s stars to answer for their role in spreading doubt about the 2020 presidential election. Jurors hearing the $1.6 billion lawsuit filed against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems must answer a specific question: Did Fox defame the voting machine company by airing bogus stories alleging the election was rigged against Donald Trump, even as many at the network privately doubted the false claims? The trial will also test press freedom and put a spotlight on the flow of misinformation that helped spark the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
April 16, 2023 7:58 am
BELLE VERNON, Pa. — It was a celebration of all things Pittsburgh at the first-ever “Yinzercon.” The event was held at the Amcel Center in Belle Vernon. It was the first of its kind for the year and the organizer is hoping to hold more. The event combines various different personalities who are all stationed in the Steel City. Radio hosts, current and former Pittsburgh athletes, actors, authors, cosplayers, influencers, artists and all sorts of other members who help make the local culture. Some of the food was provided by The Steel Plate, who made pierogies, ham BBQ, and other popular Pittsburgh treats and Ekernally Yours who brought popcorn and sweets. Visitors were able to buy Pittsburgh-styled work provided by people in attendance or could just swing by for an autograph. The next Yinzercon is expected to be held at a bigger location either later this year or next year.
