June 7, 2024 4:50 am
CANONSBURG, Pa. — (WPXI) – A senior at Canon-McMillan who was badly hurt in a house fire in February was able to walk the stage at graduation. Dominic Mansmann is being released from the West Penn Hospital burn unit Friday after a 102-day stay. Dominic overcame incredible obstacles and walked last Friday night at his high school graduation. In February, Dom was rushed to the hospital with burns covering 70% of his body, after a terrible house fire. The fire miraculously missed his face and feet. “He was on the ventilator for weeks, it was surgery after surgery,” said his mother, Joni Mansmann, who has been by his side since February. “Honestly, at the beginning of this, I didn’t think we’d have him, let alone have him walk at graduation. I’m very, very proud of him.” The Canon Mac hockey player couldn’t walk or stand, but through excruciating pain, he gave himself a goal. “I’m going to get out of the bed every day and walk these halls so I can walk on the turf and show these people thank you,” he said. Dominic’s entire care team showed up for his graduation, including his doctor who shot a video of him walking.
June 7, 2024 4:44 am
Washington City Council worked through a day to day business agenda on Thursday night. The agenda was highlighted by two measures that will save tax money and free up spending. The first measure approved was the authorization to pay off the city’s $1 million Tax Anticipation Note. According to Director of Finance Ken Wescott, revenues arrived earlier this year so that enabled the city to pay off its note about three months earlier than normal. Council then agreed to refinance the City’s Bond Issue and extend the payment by one year. Instead of the remaining $1 million dollars being paid off in September of 2026, the bond will now be retired in September of 2027. According to Westcott, the action will free up approximately $500,000 of available cash to city coffers annually over the next three years. The city will also be saving money on electricity. Council approved a $125,500 LED Lighting Conversion Project to install LED lighting to all city lampposts. Westcott said the money will be provided by a State LSA grant and no city funds will be expended.
June 7, 2024 2:54 am
Washington County Commissioners are moving forward with a plan to purchase the City of Washington’s parking garage. Commissioners unanimously approved a measure on Thursday to authorize the County Solicitor to issue a Letter of Interest to purchase the garage located on North Franklin Street. According to Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman, the garage was appraised by Owen Appraisal Service for approximately $4 million. The county is currently weighing its options on what to do with the Courthouse Square building. Sherman says engineering studies have been performed and it is now up to the board to determine the best way to deal with the building, fix it or demolish it for a new public safety building. Regardless of which decision is made, county employees would need a place to park their vehicles and the purchase of the parking garage is the most logical course of action. Sherman says that the garage that is majority owned by the city and minority owned by the Washington School District has been losing money for years. It would be a win for all parties if the county would purchase the garage. Funds would be coming from the American Rescue Plan Act funds. Sherman also said that it may be possible to take over an existing bond on the building if that is feasible. No exact timeline has been established but Sherman did say that decisions need to be made soon on the course of action to be taken on Courthouse Square.
June 7, 2024 2:51 am
A Washington man accused of shooting and injuring a man last month will avoid attempted homicide and several other charges. Justice Walden, 29 was accused of shooting in the direction of Charles Paith and striking him as he was standing outside of his Burton Avenue home back in May. During the preliminary hearing on Thursday, victims in the case did not appear for the hearing. The only testimony taken was from the police officer investigating the incident. A search warrant executed on the apartment of Walden found four spent shell casings. Charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault and three reckless endangerment charges were dismissed. Prohibited possession of a firearm and one reckless endangerment charge were held for court. Walden will be arraigned on July 18th.
June 6, 2024 1:46 pm
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Boeing’s space capsule has arrived at the International Space Station after encountering thruster trouble. Docking was delayed to fix four thrusters on the Starliner capsule that went down Thursday as the two NASA test pilots closed in on the space station. Starliner will spend at least eight days at the space station before aiming for a touchdown in the western U.S. After the space shuttles retired, NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX to ferry astronauts to and from the space station. SpaceX’s taxi service began in 2020.
June 6, 2024 1:45 pm
(AP) – SpaceX’s mega Starship rocket has completed its first full test flight, returning to Earth without exploding after blasting off from Texas. The previous three test flights ended with the rocket and spacecraft blowing up. This time, both managed to splash down in a controlled fashion. The 400-foot rocket was empty as it soared above the Gulf of Mexico and headed east Thursday. The booster dropped successfully into the gulf. An hour later, live views showed parts of the spacecraft breaking away during the intense heat of reentry, but it remained intact.
June 6, 2024 1:43 pm
(WPXI) – A man is dead after being shot multiple times by a Brentwood Police Officer after a brief car chase, according to Allegheny County Police. Police say they were trying to stop a suspected car thief. According to Allegheny County Police, their officers first spotted a car reported stolen from Carnegie around 5 p.m. Wednesday and tried to stop the driver in South Park. The driver initially stopped, then allegedly sped off. County officers did not follow, but Brentwood Police spotted the car on Route 51 a few minutes later. A chase ensued and then the suspect’s car stopped along Check Way, near Dauphin Street, due to a flat tire. He allegedly got out and began running. “The officer had a physical fight with the suspect. During this fight, he found that the suspect was armed with a handgun. The physical fight continued, and during this confrontation, the officer fired multiple rounds, striking the suspect,” County Police Superintendent Chris Kearns said. Investigators say he was rushed to the hospital where he died. He was later identified as Craig W. McGrath, 37.
June 6, 2024 5:22 am
LIVONIA, Mich. (AP) — A toddler has been killed and his mother was injured when a tornado struck suburban Detroit without warning. Officials in Livonia, Michigan, say the tornado tore through several neighborhoods on Wednesday afternoon and developed so quickly that there was no advance notice from the National Weather Service or others that would have normally led to the activation of warning sirens. The storm uprooted a tree that fell on one family’s house, landing on a bed where a woman and her 2-year-old were sleeping. To the east in Maryland, five people were injured when a tornado collapsed structures and trapped people inside.
June 6, 2024 5:21 am
A ghost from recent election cycles — controversies over certification of results — is beginning to re-emerge as the nation heads closer to the fall presidential contest. Conspiracy theorists on local canvassing boards already have delayed certifications in two major presidential swing states during this year’s primaries. Some election officials and Democrats are concerned that Republicans will deploy the strategy broadly in the fall if the presidential race is very narrowly decided. Even if those efforts ultimately fail, election officials worry they’ll become a vehicle for promoting bogus election claims. Nonpartisan groups say lawsuits and recounts are the proper way to contest ballot counts, not attempting to hold up certification.
June 6, 2024 5:20 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden said in an interview with ABC that has ruled out a pardon for his son. And the first lady left France where where she was attending D-Day anniversary events with the president to head back to Wilmington. She’s expected to attend trial Friday. In court, the widow of Hunter Biden’s brother testified about their relationship, her drug use and that she took the gun at the center of the case and threw it in the trash at a nearby market. Federal prosecutors have argued that Hunter Biden was in the throes of a heavy addiction when he bought the gun. He’s pleaded not guilty.
