September 21, 2025 7:00 am
Washington County was well represented earlier this week when Commissioner Electra Janis accompanied the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission to Washington D.C. to discuss local funding. Janis said she was able to meet one on one with senators Dave McCormick and John Fetterman to convince them to guide federal funding to Washington County. Janis advocated for funding for large sewage projects to spur development in areas such as Cecil Township. She is fighting for storm water management and flood damage relief to help South Strabane and Canton Townships after they were affected by June floods. The South Strabane Township Fire Department main fire station is still trying to recover from that flood. She is also looking for funding for hangars at the county airport. Janis says that several large companies are looking to obtain hangar space. Janis said she was thankful for the opportunity to get in front of McCormick and Fetterman to let them know that people are moving here because Washington County is where people want to live.
September 21, 2025 7:00 am
(WPXI) – Police have charged a second person in connection with the death of a 17-year-old girl. Kaitlin Whoolery disappeared in 2023 after leaving a drug treatment facility. Investigators said she likely overdosed on drugs and died at the Heritage Inn in Uniontown. On Friday, they charged Vincent Cossell who police they say admitted to burying Whoolery in a shallow grave at a property in North Union Township. Charges include hindering apprehension, endangering the welfare of children, concealing the death of a child, tampering with physical evidence and abuse of a corpse. Earlier this week, police also charged Derrick Bradley. According to court documents, Cossell told police that he, Bradley and Whoolery rented a room at a Uniontown hotel, where they were later joined by an unidentified fourth person. Cossell said he and Bradley left the room for a bit, and when they returned, Whoolery was dead. Cossell said he performed CPR without success, records say.
September 21, 2025 7:51 am
(WPXI) EAST HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — An elderly man is dead after a fire in a Westmoreland County mobile home community. Emergency crews were called to the 100 block of Round Top Circle in East Huntingdon Township at 4:17 p.m. for reports of an explosion and fire at a trailer, according to a Westmoreland County 911 supervisor. A person was reported to be trapped under a collapsed roof, investigators say. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson confirms an elderly man in a wheelchair was killed in the incident. Officials have not yet identified the man.
September 20, 2025 9:59 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has launched a large-scale missile and drone attack across Ukraine, killing at least three people and wounding dozens more. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday the attacks targeted nine regions, including Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv. He stated that the strikes were aimed at infrastructure and civilian areas. In Dnipropetrovsk, 26 people were wounded, and buildings were damaged. Ukraine’s air force reported shooting down numerous drones and missiles. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry denied violating Estonia’s airspace after Estonia reported an incursion by Russian jets. Estonia has summoned a Russian diplomat and initiated NATO consultations.
September 20, 2025 10:47 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Luigi Mangione’s lawyers are urging a judge to bar federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They argued in court papers Saturday that authorities prejudiced his case by turning his arrest into a “Marvel movie” spectacle and by publicly declaring their desire to see him executed. Fresh from a legal victory that eliminated terrorism charges in Mangione’s state murder case, his lawyers are now fighting to have his federal case dismissed. They cited U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s declaration prior to his April indictment that capital punishment is warranted for a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.” Federal prosecutors have until Oct. 31 to respond. Mangione has pleaded not guilty.
September 20, 2025 7:41 am
Around 2 a.m. Saturday morning, two men were walking near the reservoir near 7th Street in Marianna in Washington County, when one of them fell into a trench. The other man called 9-1-1. According to Washington County dispatchers, several volunteer fire departments, including Marianna, Cokeburg and East Beth all responded, as well as an ambulance. The man was extracted from the ravine and flown to a hospital in Pittsburgh. His name and condition have not been released.
September 20, 2025 10:51 am
(AP)–Families of some of the victims of violent crime in Chicago say that although it’s been a largely intractable problem for the city for decades, they don’t think sending in National Guard troops is the answer. Delphine Cherry, whose daughter and son were shot and killed 20 years apart and who now sits on the board of an antiviolence nonprofit, says President Donald Trump’s promise to deploy troops to Chicago probably won’t help, and it may end up making the streets more dangerous. Trump has said he plans to send troops and a wave of agents to enforce his administration’s immigration policies in Chicago, which is a sanctuary city. Details of the planned operation are still largely unknown.
September 20, 2025 5:34 am
Washington County Controller Heather Sheatler has raised an alarm over what she says is the county’s Finance Department circumventing oversight, which has resulted in a 130-thousand-dollar loss of money to hackers. Sheatler says her office was alerted on September 19th that the county’s finance department had bypassed a legally required oversight of the controllers office when making vendor payments and has now caused significant financial harm, with thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds being fraudulently transferred after the finance department changed a vendor’s banking information and directed payments to a malicious third party. Sheatler says responsibility for this failure lies directly with the County Finance Department, which reports to County Administrator Daryl Price. Sheatler also claims that Commissioner Chair Nick Sherman was aware of the consequences of these actions, yet has continued to support and direct these improper procedures. Sheatler says her office is calling for immediate corrective action to ensure this type of breach does not happen again. Stronger safeguards and adherence to the established financial review process are critical to restoring public trust and protecting taxpayer resources. In response, Commissioner Chair Nick Sherman says the county had no responsibility for the hack, but he said he needed more time to determine whether there was an unlawful act on the part of the finance department. He says he believes everything was done according to protocol and called Sheatler’s accusations a way for a candidate running for office to make a little political hay.
September 20, 2025 4:49 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation that will require a new, $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visa applications. This move is among the changes to the program for highly skilled foreign workers, which has come under scrutiny by the administration. H-1B visas are intended to bring skilled foreigners for jobs that tech companies struggle to fill with U.S. citizens. Critics argue the program allows companies to pay lower wages and fill entry-level jobs. Historically, these visas have been distributed through a lottery system, with California having the highest number of H-1B workers.
September 20, 2025 4:46 am
Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James has died in a plane crash in North Carolina. Authorities reported that the crash Thursday afternoon involved a small plane with three people aboard. There were no survivors. James, known for hits like “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “When the Sun Goes Down,” was 57. The plane, a Cirrus SR22T, was registered to him, but it’s unclear if he was the pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. James, who left medical school for music, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.
