April 6, 2023 4:14 am
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed a bill into law that makes it illegal for an adult to help a minor get an abortion without parental consent. The law is the first of its kind in the U.S. and creates a new crime of “abortion trafficking,” barring adults from obtaining abortion pills for a minor or “recruiting, harboring or transporting the pregnant minor” without the consent of the minor’s parent or guardian. Anyone convicted of breaking the law will face two to five years in prison and could also be sued by the minor’s parent or guardian. Opponents have promised to challenge the law in court.
April 6, 2023 4:10 am
A Washington man is in custody and facing charges in connection with a stabbing in the city Wednesday evening. Washington Police Chief Dan Rush says 38 year old Brad Sumter was taken into custody Thursday morning by Police in South Strabane Township after receiving a tip on his whereabouts. According to Rush, Sumter and the unidentified victim shared a home along with another individual in the 500-block of Allison Avenue. The victim told police that Sumter just stabbed him around 7:30 p.m. Rush says no reason was given. Sumter then fled the scene. The victim was taken by ambulance to a Pittsburgh hospital with non-life threatening injuries. At last report, Sumter was being arraigned.
April 6, 2023 2:55 am
A Zanesville, Ohio man who was arrested on child endangerment charges after he was identified from an Amber Alert had his preliminary hearing postponed. Thomas Pritchard, 46 was scheduled to face charges of felony child endangerment and misdemeanor reckless endangerment charges among others on Wednesday for the alleged kidnapping of two young children from Zanesville. The public defender was concerned about Pritchard’s mental health and his ability to stand trial. The Judge postponed the hearing until a competency evaluation can be performed. Pritchard was arrested last month after he and his vehicle were identified by a citizen through an Amber Alert. City of Washington Police were notified and assisted Pennsylvania State Police with the arrest. The children were returned safely to their family. Pritchard remains in the Washington County Jail without bond.
April 6, 2023 2:54 am
COUDERSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Fire officials say five people were taken to hospitals after an early morning fire at a northern Pennsylvania hotel that dates back to the 19th century. The blaze on the third floor of the Hotel Crittenden in downtown Coudersport was reported shortly after 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. Chief Bryan Phelps of the fire department said 100 to 125 firefighters were called to the scene. He said the blaze was under control and five people were transported to local hospitals for treatment of injuries. The Hotel Crittenden says on its Facebook page that the current hotel was built in 1891 and “the majority of the structure is still original.”
April 6, 2023 2:23 am
People around the globe are celebrating Holy Week – the most solemn time on the christian calendar. Father Ed Yuhas, Pastor of Saint James and Katherine Drexel Parish in Washington County, which covers Immaculate Conception and St. Hilary in Washington, Sacred Heart Church in Claysville and St. Katherine Drexel Church in Bentleyville says all churches will be observing this special time of year with various services and activities beginning on Holy Thursday and continuing through Easter Sunday. Father Yuhas says there will be many opportunities to attend a Mass or other special service, including Stations of the Cross and a seven church pilgrimage on Thursday. Father Yuhas says Christians around the world, not just Catholics, are celebrating this very special time of the year with prayer, reflection and hope.
April 5, 2023 1:51 pm
CHICAGO (AP) — A firefighter has died after being critically injured while battling a blaze in a high-rise building on Chicago’s North Side. Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said Wednesday that 55-year-old Lt. Jan Tchoryk “went down” on the stairs on the building’s 11th floor. The blaze was reported before 8 a.m. on the 27th floor of the condo and apartment building in the Gold Coast neighborhood. Officials say three other firefighters and two civilians were hurt. A medical examiner will determine Tchoryk’s cause of death. He is the second Chicago firefighter to die this week. Jermaine Pelt died on Tuesday and two other firefighters were injured while battling a house fire on the city’s South Side. (Photo: AP)
April 5, 2023 10:26 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a tornado that tore through southeastern Missouri has caused widespread destruction and killed and injured multiple people. Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol says the tornado moved through a rural area of Bollinger County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of St. Louis, between 3:30 and 4 a.m. Wednesday. He said it caused “multiple injuries and multiple deaths,” but he didn’t say how many or precisely where they occurred. He said a search and rescue operation is underway that involves multiple agencies. Crews are having to use chainsaws to cutback trees and brush to reach homes. The tornado was part of a powerful weather system moving through the Midwest and South.
April 5, 2023 9:22 am
A South Strabane Township man is facing charges following a domestic incident at his home. Police were called to the home in the 100-block of Morgan Drive early Monday morning. Police say 32 year old Gavin Melan kicked-in the front door and allegedly pointed a gun at his girlfriend. He is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and simple assault. He’s last reported in the Washington County Jail on 25-thousand dollars bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 18.
April 5, 2023 9:18 am
A man was shot by state police Wednesday morning after a domestic situation at a Georges Township home. State police in Uniontown said Thomas Edward Conroy, 43, exited a residence at 233 Amend Road while holding several knives. He was ordered by troopers to drop them. State police say he did not comply and they discharged their firearms, according to a state police report. He was shot in the stomach and was flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va. State police said he is in stable condition.
April 5, 2023 4:15 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge has won the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race, ensuring liberals will take over majority control of the court for the first time in 15 years with the fate of the state’s abortion ban pending. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Justice Dan Kelly, who previously worked for Republicans and had support from the state’s leading anti-abortion groups. The new court controlled 4-3 by liberals is expected to decide a pending lawsuit challenging the state’s 1849 law banning abortion. Protasiewicz made the issue a focus of her campaign and won the support of Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups ahead of her victory Tuesday.
