California Man To Stand Trial For Apartment Building Fire

April 11, 2024 2:34 am

A California man will face trial for his alleged role in starting a fire in a California apartment building. Christopher Grasty, 38 had 26 felony arson charges, 26 misdemeanor reckless endangerment charges and four other felonies held for court. He is alleged to have started a fire in his apartment at the California Manor apartment building on March 1. The fire, in the building owned by the Washington County Housing Authority displaced 29 people at the time of the blaze. Grasty jumped from the window of his apartment and investigators determined that the fire began in his apartment. According to police Grasty admitted to starting the fire in his unit. All charges were held for court. Grasty is currently being held in the Washington County Jail unable to post an $800,000 bond. His formal arraignment will be on May 23.

Washington Man To Stand Trial In Nottingham Killing

April 11, 2024 2:08 am

A Washington man faced his preliminary hearing Thursday for his alleged role in the killing of a Nottingham Township man and had all charges held for court without a hearing. William Slider, 34 is accused of killing 69 year old Richard Morse in his Mingo Park Estates home.  According to the criminal complaint, state police were alerted by a concerned neighbor that found Morse deceased in his home on the afternoon of March 8. The coroner was called and pronounced Morse dead shortly after midnight on March 9. Pennsylvania State Police determined that Slider struck Morse in the head with a blunt object, killing him, between 6:00 AM and 11:30 AM on March 6. Slider is facing felony criminal homicide, aggravated assault and robbery charges along with several other misdemeanor and summary charges. He remains in the Washington County Jail without bond.

EPA Sets Limits On “Forever Chemicals” In Drinking Water

April 10, 2024 5:39 pm

(AP) – The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced its first-ever limits for several common types of PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals,” in drinking water. Two types, PFOA and PFOS, will be limited to 4 parts per trillion, the lowest level that tests can reliably detect. The agency says it will reduce exposure for 100 million people and prevent thousands of illnesses, including cancer. Utilities groups, however, say the EPA is underestimating the rule’s cost and overestimating its benefits. They argue water rates will go up and struggling utilities will only struggle more. The Biden administration has made protecting drinking water a priority.

Several People Shot At Holiday Event In Philadelphia

April 10, 2024 4:46 pm

Police say at least three people were shot and injured Wednesday at an Eid al-Fitr event in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel says the shooting occurred around 2:30 p.m., when police at the scene heard about 30 gun shots. He says two groups of people started firing at each other, and people began fleeing the scene. Bethel says officers have taken into custody five people, and four weapons were recovered at the scene. One suspect, a 15-year-old boy who police say had a gun, was shot by police and sustained wounds to his shoulder and leg. A man also was shot in the stomach, and another juvenile had a wound to his hand. It was not immediately clear what caused the shooting.  (Photo:  AP)

Ford Issues Recall

April 10, 2024 4:28 pm

DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling nearly 43,000 small SUVs because gasoline can leak from the fuel injectors onto hot engine surfaces, increasing the risk of fires. But the recall does not fix the fuel leaks. It covers certain Bronco Sport SUVs from the 2022 and 2023 model years, as well as Escape SUVs from 2022, all with 1.5-liter engines. Ford says fuel injectors can crack, and gasoline or vapor can accumulate near ignition sources. Dealers will install a tube to let gas flow away from hot surfaces to the ground. They’ll also update software to detect a fuel pressure drop. If that happens, the software will disable the high pressure fuel pump, reduce engine power and cut temperatures in the engine compartment. Owners were to be notified starting April 1.

Internet Service Providers Must Be More Transparent

April 10, 2024 1:52 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — Internet service providers will be required to be more transparent about the cost and performance of their internet service packages, thanks to new FCC rules that take effect this week. The new required pricing labels are modeled on nutritional labels and are meant to help consumers comparison shop and avoid junk fees. They will be mandated at every point of sale, both in persona, and online, the FCC said, beginning April 10.

Washington Police Investigate Shots Fired Calls

April 10, 2024 10:54 am

WASHINGTON, Pa. – The City of Washington police are investigating a shots fired call in two areas from early Wednesday morning. Police said a shots fired call came in just after 3 a.m. for the areas of Beech Street and Hallam Avenue and Duncan Avenue and Hallam Avenue. Washington police are asking anyone with information on the incident to call the department at 724-223-4226.

Inflation Up Again In March

April 10, 2024 8:47 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer price increases remained high last month, boosted by gas, rents, and car insurance, the government said in a report that will likely give pause to the Federal Reserve as it weighs when and by how much to cut interest rates this year. Prices outside the volatile food and energy categories rose 0.4% from February to March. Measured from a year earlier, these core prices were up 3.8%. The Fed closely tracks core prices because they tend to provide a good read of where inflation is headed. The March figures, the third straight month of inflation readings well above the Fed’s 2% target, threaten to torpedo the prospect of multiple interest rate cuts this year.

Israel Threatens To Strike Iran Directly

April 10, 2024 5:06 am

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s Foreign Minister has threatened that its country’s forces would strike Iran directly if the Islamic Republic launched an attack from its territory against Israel. Wednesday’s remarks come after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reiterated a promise to retaliate against Israel over the attack on its consulate in Damascus earlier this month. Tehran holds Israel responsible for the strike that leveled the building, killing 12 people. Israel has not acknowledged its involvement. The strike killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members, four Syrians and a Hezbollah militia member. Khamenei spoke at a prayer ceremony celebrating the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, saying the airstrike was “wrongdoing” and akin to an attack on Iranian territory.

Six Former Mississippi Police Officers Sentenced

April 10, 2024 5:04 am

BRANDON, Miss. (AP) — Already sentenced to many years in federal prison, six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers have been sentenced in state court for their roles in torturing two Black men. The state sentences handed down Wednesday didn’t add time to the federal prison terms the defendants had already received. But the victims’ supporters hailed the yearslong sentences, saying they took on unique importance in Mississippi, where local residents saw echoes of the state’s history of racist atrocities by people in authority. All six defendants admitted to subjecting the victims to numerous acts of torture last year after a neighbor complained that the men were staying in a home with a white woman.  (Photo:  ABC)