July 30, 2024 4:51 am
Washington City Council will be greeted with a brief agenda on Thursday night. That does not mean the meeting will be without significant affect. On the agenda is a motion to reap the first benefit from last month’s approval of a bond refinance that extends payments by one year and frees up several hundred thousand dollars annually. The first positive outcome could be the elimination of the distressed pension tax. According to Finance Director Ken Westcott, keeping the tax could have increased pension contributions by some $300,000 this year. Also up for approval is the awarding of contracts for work needed at the 7th Ward Park and the contract for the 2024 road paving program. Council will meet Thursday night at 6:00 PM.
July 30, 2024 1:48 am
(WPXI) – A man is facing charges after leading troopers on a chase in Washington County on Monday. A Pennsylvania State Police spokesperson says troopers tried serving a federal arrest warrant on Avery Turner Jr. as he was leaving a gas station in North Strabane Township. When the troopers identified themselves, they say he ran to his car that was in the gas station parking lot and drove away, intentionally ramming an unmarked police vehicle with a Trooper inside. The spokesperson says that during the chase, Turner hit two vehicles and a telephone pole at the intersection of North Main Street and Walnut Avenue within Washington. He then got out of the car and ran because a road was closed for construction. Turner was eventually taken into custody without incident. He is facing fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, among other charges.
July 30, 2024 1:36 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania will lead a House task force charged with investigating the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump. Kelly was appointed leader of the effort on Monday. Kelly was present at the Trump rally and his congressional district includes the city of Butler, where the attack occurred. The 13 lawmakers appointed to the task force by House leaders have backgrounds in law enforcement, legal affairs and the military. The lawmakers are expected to issue a final report on the attack before Dec. 13 and will have the authority to issue subpoenas as they conduct their investigation. (Photo: AP)
July 29, 2024 7:37 am
FALLOWFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. —(WPXI) – A vacant home in Fallowfield Township went up in flames late Sunday night. Bentleyville Fire-Rescue on Facebook said crews were called to the fire just before 10 p.m. Charleroi Fire Department on Facebook said the house was along 4th Street Ext. Crews worked on the blaze for around two hours, both organizations said. The fire is under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police fire marshal, the fire department said. (PHOTO; Bentleyville Fire-Rescue)
July 29, 2024 5:28 am
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — Barely a week ago, a sense of inevitability loomed over the presidential election. But now, just 99 days before Election Day, a fundamentally new race is taking shape with new candidates, a new issue focus and a new outlook for both parties. Vice President Kamala Harris is smashing fundraising records, taking over social media and generating levels of excitement not seen since former President Barack Obama’s historic candidacy. On the other side, Republicans are fearful and frustrated as they struggle to accept the new reality that Donald Trump’s victory is no sure thing. The incredible speed with which the election was transformed over the last week is a stark reminder that, in the Trump era, little is certain and the conventional wisdom is often wrong.
July 29, 2024 5:27 am
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Middle East is bracing for a potential flare-up in violence a day after Israeli authorities said a rocket from Lebanon struck a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and killed 12 children and teens. Saturday’s strike raised fears of a broader regional war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which has denied a role in the attack. Israel is weighing its response. Iran warned Israel that a strong reaction will lead to “unprecedented consequences.” The White House National Security Council says it is working on a diplomatic solution to “end all attacks once and for all” in the border area between Israel and Lebanon.
July 29, 2024 5:26 am
TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the United States has ‘serious concerns’ about the announced result of Venezuela’s hotly contested presidential election that authorities say was won by incumbent Nicolas Maduro. Speaking in Tokyo on Monday shortly after the announcement was made, Blinken said the U.S. was concerned that the result reflected neither the will nor the votes of the Venezuelan people. He called for election officials to publish the full results transparently and immediately and said the U.S. and the international community would respond accordingly.
July 29, 2024 5:24 am
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition and President Nicolas Maduro’s government are locked in a high-stakes standoff as each side claims victory in Sunday’s presidential vote, which millions in the long-suffering nation saw as their best shot to end 25 years of single-party rule. Several foreign governments, including the U.S., held off recognizing the results as election officials delayed releasing detailed vote tallies after proclaiming Maduro the winner with 51% of the vote, to 44% for retired diplomat Edmundo González. Meanwhile, on the streets of Caracas, a mix of anger, tears and loud pot banging greeted the announcement of results by the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council.
July 29, 2024 5:19 am
Numerous fire crews were called to the scene of a house fire in Nottingham Township early Monday morning. Washington County 9-1-1 says the fire was reported just before 2 a.m at the home in the 200-block of Hamtom Road. Our news partners at WPXI report that seven people were inside the home, including five children, and one person suffered burns and was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. The home was fully engulfed in flames when fire fighters arrived and was destroyed. There is no word on the cause of the fire.
July 29, 2024 5:06 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A West Virginia woman is facing charges after police say a gun was found in her backpack at a Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoint. The Allegheny County Police Department says TSA officers spotted a revolver inside a backpack around 10:44 a.m. on Sunday and alerted police. Police determined the passenger’s identity as Amber Brooks, 33, and said she didn’t possess a valid concealed carry permit, so she’s charged with a misdemeanor for carrying a firearm without a license. Passengers who bring guns into airport security checkpoints can also face fines of up to $10,000 from TSA.
