‘Extreme Hoarding Conditions’ Hamper Firefighting Efforts

July 24, 2024 2:36 am

Authorities are investigating the cause of a mobile home fire early Wednesday morning in Union Township. Washington County 911 said units were called to Hidden Valley Drive just before six o’clock. Firefighters say the two-alarm fire broke out in the South Park Mobile Estates and neighbors said the smoke was so thick that they couldn’t even tell for sure where it was coming from at first. Firefighters said flames were shooting out of the sides of the house and were also coming out underneath, compromising the floors. And that, they say, was just one of the issues they faced putting out the fire. Fire officials said there were extreme hoarding conditions and crews had a hard time getting in to make entry. They said they had to cut holes in the house from the outside to get inside. A woman inside the home was able to safely escape, but some cats were killed.

Charges Filed In Connection With Overdose Death

July 24, 2024 2:23 am

Police are searching for a Houston Borough man now charged in connection with a drug overdose death back in April.  Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh has announced that Chartiers Township Police have charged 20 year old Matthew Rozanc with felony counts of drug delivery resulting in death, delivery of a controlled substance and criminal use of a communications facility.  Rozanc is accused of arranging by cell phone to supply a fatal dose of fentanyl called “blue’ in the form of counterfeit prescription pills to Joshua Kinser at his home along Ridge Avenue in the Township.  Kinser was discovered dead inside his residence that same day.  An arrest warrant has been issued for Rozanc.  Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is asked to contact Chartiers Township Police at 724-745-8030.

Well-Known Business Owner Michael “Mickey” Flynn Dies

July 24, 2024 1:27 am

WJPA News has learned of the death of a longtime and well-known Washington County businessman. Word has been received that Michael “Mickey” Flynn, the longtime owner of the Union Grill Restaurant in downtown Washington has died after a lengthy illness. The “Grill” as it is known, quickly became a hub for local businessmen to gather and for families to enjoy a night out.  There has been no word on funeral arrangements.

Kamala Harris Launches Presidential Campaign

July 23, 2024 4:13 pm

(AP) – Kamala Harris launched her campaign for president Tuesday, framing her race with Republican nominee Donald Trump as a choice between freedom and chaos.  From an event hall in suburban Milwaukee, Harris told a cheering crowd, “This campaign is not just about us versus Donald Trump. This is about who we fight for.”  “We believe in the sacred freedom to vote,” she said. “We believe that every person in our nation should have the freedom to live safe from the terror of gun violence,” she added, “and we trust women to make decisions about their own bodies.”  Trump, by contrast, she painted as someone found guilty of fraud, liable for sexual abuse and who conjures “chaos, fear and hate.”  “Do we believe in the promise of America? And are we ready to fight for it?” she said.  (Photo:  AP)

U.S. Opens Investigation Into Delta Airlines

July 23, 2024 12:46 pm

(AP) – U.S. airline regulators have opened an investigation into Delta Air Lines, which is still struggling to restore operations on Tuesday, more than four full days after a faulty software update caused technological havoc worldwide and disrupted global air travel. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the Delta investigation on the X social media platform Tuesday morning “to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions.” As of Tuesday morning, Delta had an out-sized portion of canceled flights. Of the 654 total cancellations of flights within, into or out of the U.S. Delta had 440 of them.

President Biden To Address The Nation Wednesday

July 23, 2024 12:22 pm

REHOBOTH BEACH, Delaware (AP) — President Joe Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday on his decision to drop his 2024 Democratic reelection bid. Biden posted on X he’ll speak “on what lies ahead” and how he’ll “finish the job for the American people.” Biden will speak at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday. The president is scheduled to return to the White House on Tuesday after isolating at his Delaware home after being diagnosed last week with COVID-19. Biden has not been seen publicly since July 17, but he called into a campaign meeting Monday to express support for Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid to replace him a day after announcing he would leave the race.  (Photo:  AP)

Trump Expected To Turn Full Focus On Harris

July 23, 2024 5:16 am

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Donald Trump is holding his first public campaign rally since President Joe Biden dropped out of a 2024 matchup that both major parties had spent months preparing for, leaving the former president to direct his ire toward his likely new opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump is expected to turn his full focus on Harris as he stops Wednesday in North Carolina. The former president’s trip to the swing state shows he’s concerned about keeping it in his win column this November, even as his team reaches for wins in traditionally Democratic-leaning states like Minnesota, where Trump is set to visit Saturday. Trump has ramped up his criticism of the vice president, whom he’s characterized as “the same as Biden but much more radical.”

Harris; Election Is “Choice Between Freedom & Chaos”

July 23, 2024 5:14 am

WEST ALLIS, Wisconsin (AP) — A roaring crowd of battleground state voters greeted Vice President Kamala Harris in Wisconsin as she opened her Democratic political case against Republican former President Donald Trump. In her first rally since locking up the presidential nomination, she said Tuesday that in the November election against Trump, “it’s a choice between freedom and chaos.” In Washington, congressional Democratic leaders Charles Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries endorsed Vice President Harris, capping their party’s swift embrace of her 2024 candidacy. Two days after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid and as the Democratic Party coalesces around Harris, she traveled to Milwaukee on Tuesday. She has raised more than $100 million since Sunday afternoon.

Death Toll Rises After Mudslides In Ethiopia

July 23, 2024 5:03 am

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — At least 146 people were killed in mudslides in a remote part of Ethiopia that has been hit with heavy rainfall, according to local authorities. Young children and pregnant women were among the victims of the mudslides in the Kencho Shacha Gozdi district of southern Ethiopia, said Dagmawi Ayele, a local administrator. The death toll rose from 55 late Monday to 146 on Tuesday as search operations continued in the area, said Kassahun Abayneh of the Gofa Zone communications office. Gofa Zone is the administrative area in which the the mudslides happened. Landslides are common during Ethiopia’s rainy reason, which started in July and is expected to last until mid-September.

Secret Service Director Steps Down

July 23, 2024 4:57 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the Secret Service is stepping down from her job following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump that unleashed intensifying outcry about how the agency tasked with protecting current and former presidents could fail in its core mission. Kimberly Cheatle had served as Secret Service director since August 2022. Cheatle announced her departure in an email she sent to staff. Cheatle had been facing growing calls to resign and several investigations into how the shooter was able to get so close to the Republican presidential nominee at an outdoor campaign rally in Pennsylvania.