May 15, 2024 5:04 am
BANSKA BYSTRICA, Slovakia (AP) — A hospital official says Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is in serious but stable condition. The populist leader was shot multiple times in an assassination attempt Wednesday that shook the small country and reverberated across the continent weeks before European elections. He is being treated Thursday at an intensive care unit. A suspect was in custody, and the interior minister said that an initial investigation found “a clear political motivation” behind the attack. The minister did not specify what the motivation was. Fico has long been a divisive figure in Slovakia and beyond. His return to power last year on a pro-Russian, anti-American message led to even greater worries among fellow European Union members that he would abandon his country’s pro-Western course.
May 15, 2024 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told key lawmakers it is sending a more than $1 billion in additional arms and ammunition to Israel. That’s according to three congressional aides who spoke of condition of anonymity to discuss an arms transfer that has not yet been made public. It’s not immediately known how soon the weapons would be delivered. It’s the first arms shipment to Israel to be revealed by the administration since it put another arms transfer — consisting of 3,500 bombs — on hold this month. President Joe Biden’s administration has said it paused that earlier transfer to keep Israel from using the bombs in its growing offensive in the crowded southern Gaza city of Rafah.
May 15, 2024 5:01 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A miniature poodle named Sage has won the top prize at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Sage bested six other finalists to claim the best in show award Tuesday night at the United States’ most illustrious canine event. A German shepherd named Mercedes placed second. Each stood, strode and sought to shine before the judge at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the home of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. In all, more than 2,500 dogs spanning about 200 breeds and varieties entered the show. They’re judged according to which one best matches the “standard,” or ideal, for its breed.
May 15, 2024 4:59 am
A Washington man is facing charges that include attempted homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after a shooting in the city Tuesday evening. Washington Police say 29 year old Justice Walden fired five-to-seven shots from a handgun at an elevated position at a home along Burton Avenue around 6:30 p.m. A 42 year old man was struck in the abdomen. Police say a woman and two juveniles were nearby when the shooting occurred but were not injured. Police were then called to Washington Hospital after the victim showed up at the emergency room. He was flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. There is no word on his condition. Police apprehended Walden a short time later inside a home along Maple Avenue. He is last reported in the Washington County Jail. Police say the investigation continues and additional charges could result. Meanwhile, City officers were called to a report of shots fired around 8 p.m at a home in the 800-block of Ewing Street. Police say charges are possible after, what they called “an accidental discharge”. No other details have been released.
May 15, 2024 4:54 am
The Washington County Bar Association hosted a panel discussion with members of the organization Keep Our Republic. That is a bipartisan organization of political leaders and former judiciary to help educate the community about how elections are administered in their counties and point out misinformation with regards to the election process. The group has offices located in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. On the panel was former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. His slant is from the legal side and as far as voter fraud is concerned,he says “show me the evidence.” As a former prosecutor, he says he has seen no evidence of widespread fraud. Former Judge on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Tim Lewis says the organization does not take a stand on legal rulings that occur in Pennsylvania. He said that recent rulings regarding material defects and efforts to cure those defects will eventually wind up in the U. S. Supreme Court. Rob Beecher, Deputy Policy Director from the PA Department of States described how since 2020, Pennsylvania has invested $90 million in programs and equipment to help administer elections. Also invited to attend the panel discussion were all three county commissioners. Absent from the panel were commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis. In a statement provided to WJPA by text, Sherman stated that some questions presented to them before the event centered on ballot curing. The county solicitor advised them not to attend due to possible litigation from the ACLU, concerning ballot curing. Sherman further stated that the county will follow state law and the decision from the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and not allow ballot curing. Also invited to attend but did not was Washington County Director of Elections Melanie Ostrander. According to commissioner Larry Maggi, a majority vote among the commissioners directed her not to attend the event.
May 15, 2024 2:59 am
A South Strabane Township man charged with attempted kidnapping waived his case to common pleas court on Tuesday. According to the criminal complaint, Jose Zaragoza, 48 and his ex-girlfriend agreed to discuss issues with an upcoming court proceeding when police were called to the Giant Eagle parking lot in Strabane Square on May 6. The report indicates Zaragoza approached her with a roll of duct tape and tried to forcibly remove her from her car saying “you’re coming with me.” The report says that he tried to choke her and covered her mouth with his hand as she tried to call for help. Zaragoza fled in his pick-up truck. When police arrived they found the woman with scratches and swelling on her arms and neck. Zaragoza faces felony charges of attempted kidnapping, strangulation and flight along with a misdemeanor simple assault charge. He will be arraigned June 20.
May 15, 2024 1:52 am
‘Tis the season for fun and fresh fruits and vegetables. The Main Street Farmers Market in Washington opens Thursday at the Main Street Pavilion on South Main Street, and will run from 3 to 6 p.m. every Thursday through Oct. 31st. Tracee Malik is the new president of the market this year and she says they are starting off the season with a full vendor lineup. She says every space is filled, as are the visiting vendors’ spaces. In addition to new vendors, Malik says all of last year’s vendors will be back and they have a full slate of entertainment lined up for adults and children. She says various musical acts will be featured throughout the season, plus special events such as First Responder Day, Future Farmers of America Day, Back to School celebration, Vet Appreciation Day, and a Halloween Party to wrap up the market.
May 14, 2024 2:57 pm
OCALA, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Highway Patrol says a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has overturned, killing eight people and injuring another 40 passengers. Authorities say the bus was transporting 53 farmworkers early Tuesday morning when it collided with a truck and swerved off a road in Marion County, north of Orlando. The bus crashed through a fence and ended up on its side in a field. The workers were being transported to Cannon Farms in Dunellon, which has been harvesting watermelons. Cannon Farms describes itself as a family owned commercial farming operation that has farmed its land for more than 100 years.
May 14, 2024 2:55 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Cohen is testifying again in Donald Trump’s hush money trial. But there’s been no witness-stand bombast or fireworks so far from Cohen, a man who was defined for years by his braggadocio as Trump’s problem-zapper. Instead, his testimony is about purposefully mislabeled checks, false receipts and blind loyalty. And it underscored the foundational argument of the case — that it’s not about the spectacle of what Trump was paying for, but rather his effort to illegally cover up those payments. A shocking moment did come, but it was courtesy of House Speaker Mike Johnson who appeared at the courthouse with Trump and declared the Manhattan criminal trial illegitimate. (Photo: AP)
May 14, 2024 8:44 am
Two people were flown to area hospitals following a two vehicle crash Tuesday morning in Somerset Township. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers say it happened just before 6 a.m. in the 1900 block of Route 136. The crash closed the roadway between Mosier Road and Brownlee Road for about two hours. There is no word on the identity or condition of those injured.
