November 18, 2022 9:35 am
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – A dangerous lake-effect snowstorm paralyzed parts of western and northern New York, with more than a foot of snow already on the ground in places and a driving ban keeping people off the roads in the Buffalo area. The worst snowfall was expected in Buffalo, where the National Weather Service said up to 4 feet might fall in some spots through Sunday. Other areas could get a foot or less. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Thursday for parts of western New York, including communities along the eastern ends of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz issued a driving ban beginning Thursday night. Parts of Pennsylvania also were seeing accumulations of lake-effect snow.
November 18, 2022 8:54 am
The man who was shot and killed in the Lowes plaza in Rostraver Township Nov. 5 has been identified. Boyke Budiarchman, 49, of the Philadelphia area, was identified by the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. Coroner Tim Carson declined to reveal the cause or manner of death because the murder still is under police investigation. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting and has been held at the Westmoreland County Prison. The shooting is believed to be an isolated, targeted attack on the victim, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli said in a statement.
November 18, 2022 7:33 am
A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle Friday morning in downtown Washington. It happened around 6:45 a.m. along South Main Street at E. Maiden St. Washington County 9-1-1 says the woman was transported to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital of Pittsburgh by ambulance because medical helicopters could not fly because of the weather. Washington City Police Chief Dan Rush tells WJPA News the woman was conscious and alert and was struck as she crossed Main Street at E. Maiden. There is no word on her condition or the severity of her injuries. The driver of the vehicle involved remained at the scene and is cooperating with police. Chief Rush says they do have video of the accident and that will used as part of their investigation which is on-going.
November 18, 2022 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal prosecutors are expected to make their final pitch to jurors in the high-stakes seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and four associates charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Closing arguments by prosecutors will begin in Washington federal court on Friday after the final pieces of evidence were presented in the trial alleging Rhodes and his band of antigovernment extremists plotted for weeks to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power from Republican Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden. Closing arguments are expected to be Monday for the defense, which has focused on prosecutors’ relative lack of evidence that the Oath Keepers had an explicit plan to attack the Capitol before Jan. 6.
November 18, 2022 4:16 am
Twitter is continuing to bleed engineers and other workers after its new owner Elon Musk gave them a choice: either pledge to “hardcore” work or resign with severance pay. Many workers signed off via internal messaging forums Thursday and on Twitter itself. It’s not clear how many of Twitter’s already-decimated staff took Musk up on his offer. But the newest round of departures means the platform is continuing to lose workers just at it’s gearing up for the World Cup. The tournament is one of the busiest events on Twitter, and can overwhelm its systems if things go haywire.
November 18, 2022 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration says Saudi Arabia’s crown prince should be shielded from lawsuits over his role in the killing of a U.S.-based journalist. The move Thursday marks a stunning turnaround for President Joe Biden, who as a candidate passionately denounced Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the killing. It comes in a motion filed by the U.S. in a federal lawsuit brought by the fiancee of the late journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and by the rights group he founded. In its filing, the Biden administration supports an argument from Prince Mohammed that his high office renders him immune from lawsuits in U.S. courts. Saudi officials killed Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
November 18, 2022 4:14 am
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) – President Vladimir Putin wasn’t present when his top military officials announced on television that Russia was withdrawing from the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. As the defense minister and chief commander in Ukraine discussed the retreat in a stiffly recited meeting on Nov. 9, Putin toured a neurological hospital in Moscow. Later that day, he gave a speech at another event but didn’t mention the pullout that was arguably Russia’s most humiliating loss in Ukraine. And he hasn’t talked about it since then. As Russia faces mounting setbacks in its war, Putin appears to have delegated delivering unpopular news to others, a tactic he also used during the coronavirus pandemic.
November 18, 2022 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – When Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that she won’t re-up as a House leader next year, even her adversaries acknowledged that hers was a remarkable era. Former Republican speaker Newt Gingrich says she was a “totally dominant” figure in Congress and “one of the strongest speakers in history.” Her Democratic allies agree. Pelosi was strikingly successful at holding together her fractious party. Polarizing and combative, she nevertheless forged compromises with Republicans on historic legislation. Pelosi prevailed for nearly 20 years as House Democratic leader, eight of them as speaker. She became the most powerful woman ever in U.S. politics.
November 18, 2022 2:49 am
A man accused of child rape and other felonies learned his fate on Thursday. Logan Hunt, 30 of South Strabane Township was convicted on all 9 charges against him. The jury took only 90 minutes to decide that the DNA evidence and witness testimony offered over the course of the two day trial could deliver nothing less than a unanimous decision. Assistant District Attorney Kevin Scheibel is pleased with the jury’s decision calling the evidence quite convincing. Defense Attorney Mark Adams stated that the DNA evidence was rock solid. The victim’s father stated that he is pleased that his child will never have to be in Hunt’s presence again. The judge ordered a pre-sentencing investigation that will include an assessment for Hunt as a violent sexual predator. Hunt is scheduled to be sentenced on February 10.
November 18, 2022 2:44 am
Washington County Commissioners met Thursday and the public comment segment of the meeting delivered much praise to the commissioners and the elections board for a well run election. Commissioner Chairwoman Diana Irey-Vaughn detailed how election machines were tested and how the public was able to view those tests. She also told of how five randomly selected precincts from Burgettstown, Cecil Township, Fallowfield Township, Coal Center and Peters Township were hand counted and delivered the exact same results as those tabulated by the machines. Additionally, commissioners approved a $16,000 contract with a medical provider to take care of an inmate who requires skilled nursing care. Vaughn explained during the meeting that commissioners were forced into this contract when the state declined to move him into a facility that the state would pay for. Efforts to find a skilled nursing facility locally met with no success due to the nature of his crimes.
