February 28, 2024 5:15 am
Out-of-control Texas wildfires have shut down a nuclear weapons facility and prompted evacuation orders in small towns across the state’s rural Panhandle. The blazes were fueled by strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures. The Texas A&M Forest Service says the largest fire has already burned nearly 400 square miles. It remained 0% contained late Tuesday. Officials at the Pantex facility that disassembles nuclear weapons says non-essential personnel have been evacuated from the and crews were poised to fight any fires if they got too close. Hutchinson County residents north of the plant faced multiple blazes, as well as power and water outages as officials urged them to evacuate.
February 28, 2024 5:14 am
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s doctor says he “continues to be fit for duty” after conducting an annual physical that will be closely watched as the 81-year-old seeks reelection. “President Biden is a healthy, active, robust, 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor has concluded in a six-page memo on the president’s health, following a physical that took him to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for more than 2 1/2 hours. The memo added that Biden, “feels well and this year’s physical identifies no new concerns.” The oldest U.S. president’s annual physical was closely watched.
February 28, 2024 5:12 am
MOSCOW (AP) — The funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died earlier this month in a remote Arctic penal colony, will take place on Friday in Moscow, his spokesperson says. His funeral will be held at a church in Moscow’s southeast Maryino district on Friday afternoon, Kira Yarmysh said Tuesday. The burial is to be at a nearby cemetery. Navalny died in mid-February in one of Russia’s harshest penal facilities. Russian authorities said the cause of his death at age 47 is still unknown, and the results of any investigation are likely to be questioned abroad. Many Western leaders have already said they hold Russian President Vladimir Putin responsible for his death.
February 28, 2024 5:07 am
Canonsburg Borough Council held a public workshop to update new council members Diane Richie and Eric Miller on the details of a proposed sale of the Canonsburg Houston Joint Authority to Aqua. The basics of the sale are that Aqua would purchase the Authority for $145 million. Anticipated proceeds to Canonsburg would be in excess of $75 million. According to a presentation from PFM Financial Advisors, the proceeds of the sale could be put in a trust so the borough could benefit from the interest earned on that trust for borough operations. A sewage rate projection was shown that indicated that in 10 years, no matter who owns the sewage facility, rates would be equivalent. An item that is new to the equation is that Public Utility Commission legislation is being drawn up that would cap sales prices for purchases such as this. The danger for Canonsburg is that cap under discussion would possibly cut the sale price of the Authority in half. Only a handful of residents were on hand to participate in the meeting. The overall take away from the residents is that more information is needed and that more residents of Canonsburg need to take part in the discussion. Council President Richard Russo stated that council will discuss arranging for large scale meetings in a facility that would hold several hundred people.
February 28, 2024 5:05 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Fire destroyed a home in the City of Washington Tuesday afternoon. The house on East Maiden Street is broken into two apartments and two families are now displaced. According to our news partners at Channel-11, Neighbor Elijah Emerick first spotted the flames on his home security camera. He just happened to check the camera while he was at work. Before rushing home, he called 911 and alerted his fiancée, Dakota Martin. The heat of the flames even busted out a window of a house next door. Thankfully, public safety officials said no one was home when the fire started and no one was hurt. The Red Cross is helping both displaced families. (PHOTO; Facebook)
February 28, 2024 2:32 am
The Board of Trustees of Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) announced on Tuesday that Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, Ph.D., will become the College’s fourteenth president. Dr. MacLeod Walls currently serves as the president of William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. She will succeed Dr. John C. Knapp, who has announced that he will retire on June 30, 2024. “W&J has had a long history of strong leaders who have transformed the College,” stated Donna Haley Grier, chair of the Washington & Jefferson Board of Trustees. “After an extensive and inclusive search, the Board of Trustees unanimously and enthusiastically selected Dr. MacLeod Walls to lead W&J into the future.” Dr. MacLeod Walls will be joined on campus by her husband, the Rev. Dr. Craig MacLeod Walls, the founding director of the Center for Faith and Culture at William Jewell College. Her two college-aged children, Alec and John, will join their parents on campus during holiday breaks. The MacLeod Walls family will also bring their beloved golden retriever, Buckeye, to the W&J campus.
February 28, 2024 1:04 am
A Pittsburgh man was shot and killed in Charleroi Monday night. The Washington County Coroner has identified the man as 31-year-old Tev Jerod Mungo. Authorities say the shooting occurred just before eleven o’clock outside of a home in the 800 block of Lookout Avenue. The investigation is ongoing.
February 27, 2024 4:52 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Macy’s will close 150 unproductive namesake stores over the next three years, including 50 by year-end. The company made the announcement Tuesday after posting a fourth-quarter loss and declining sales. As part of the strategy, Macy’s aims to upgrade its remaining 350 stores, with plans to add more salespeople to fitting areas and shoe departments, while adding more visual displays like mannequins. At the same time the company signaled a pivot to luxury, which has fared better overall. The retailer plans to open 15 of its higher end Bloomingdale’s stores and 30 of its luxury Bluemercury cosmetics locations.
February 27, 2024 4:50 pm
DETROIT (AP) — Toyota is recalling about 381,000 Tacoma midsize pickup trucks in the U.S. because a part can separate from the rear axle, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall covers certain trucks from the 2022 and 2023 model years. Toyota said in a statement Tuesday that welding debris left on the ends of the axles can cause some nuts to loosen over time and eventually fall off. That can cause the part to separate, which can affect stability and brake performance. Toyota wouldn’t say if there have been any crashes or injuries. Dealers will inspect the rear axles and tighten retaining nuts at no cost to owners. Any damaged components will be repaired or replaced. Customers will be notified by mail in late April.
February 27, 2024 3:39 pm
Multiple fire crews were called out Tuesday afternoon around three o’clock for reports of a fire in a building in the six-hundred block of East Maiden Street in Washington. The road in that area was shut down while crews battled the blaze. West Penn Power was called to the scene. Smoke could be seen for blocks. There’s been no word on injuries or the cause of the blaze. Washington County 911 did say, however, that everyone made it out of the building and the fire was brought under control around five-thirty. (Photo: Facebook)
