August 26, 2023 4:21 am
Governor Josh Shapiro and the Department of Environmental Protection jointly announced that they have secured combustible gas detectors for the Rustic Ridge neighborhood in Plum Borough. This follows a house explosion that killed six and damaged multiple other homes. The detectors will be provided at no cost to the Rustic Ridge Homewners Association. Olympus Energy has provided 250 detectors to be distributed. The origin and cause of the explosion remains undetermined and is under investigation.
August 26, 2023 4:12 am
Power outages continue in Washington County after powerful thuderstorms roared throughout the area. Currently more than 1000 customers are still without power on Saturday morning. Amwell Township is most severely affected with more than 250 outages. According to the West Penn Power website power is expected to be restored by 6:00 pm on Sunday.
August 25, 2023 5:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican and independent support for gun restrictions is slipping a year after Congress passed the most comprehensive firearms safety legislation in decades with bipartisan support. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows the gap between Democrats and Republicans on the issue of guns is widening. Democrats consistently outpace Republicans and independents in their belief gun laws in the U.S. should be strengthened. The poll finds GOP support has dropped even further behind over the past year. Ninety-two percent of Democrats want stronger gun laws. Republican desire for more expansive legislation has dropped to 32% from 49% last summer. Independents’ support declined slightly to 61% from 72%.
August 25, 2023 5:18 am
HONOLULU (AP) — Maui County has sued Hawaiian Electric Company over the fires that devastated Lahaina, saying the utility negligently failed to shut off power despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions. Witness accounts and video indicated that sparks from power lines ignited fires as utility poles snapped in the winds, which were driven by a passing hurricane. The Aug. 8 fire killed at least 115 people and left an unknown number of others missing. A Hawaiian Electric statement says they’re “very disappointed that Maui County chose this litigious path while the investigation is still unfolding.”
August 25, 2023 5:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that an intentional explosion caused the plane crash presumed to have killed a Russian mercenary leader. Yevgeny Prigozhin was eulogized Thursday by Vladimir Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian president was the architect of the assassination. One of the U.S. and Western officials who described the initial assessment said it determined that Prigozhin was “very likely” targeted and that the explosion falls in line with Putin’s history of trying to silence his critics. The officials did not offer any details about what caused the explosion. Several of Prigozhin’s lieutenants were also presumed dead.
August 25, 2023 5:16 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has been booked at a jail in Atlanta, forced to pose for a mug shot as he surrendered on charges that he illegally schemed to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Unlike his bookings for three other batches of charges, this one yielded a historic first: the mug shot of a former American president, scowling at the camera. Trump and 18 others were indicted last week, accused of participating in a sprawling conspiracy to overturn his presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The Fulton County prosecution is the fourth criminal case against Trump since March, when he became the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted.
August 25, 2023 5:11 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Over 65 local officers will be off the job for about a week after Thursday’s hours-long standoff in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood that ended with a suspect’s death. Allegheny County Sheriff Kevin Kraus told our news partners at Channel 11 that William Hardison Sr. was pronounced dead at 5:08 p.m., nearly seven hours after the shootout started. On Thursday, a Pittsburgh Public Safety official told Channel 11 that about 40 Pittsburgh police officers are on paid leave as protocol. The officers had to turn in the weapons that were fired. They will have to see a psychologist and then give an interview to return to the job. About a dozen Allegheny County police officers are on leave and will return to duty at the discretion of the superintendent, officials told Channel 11. Sixteen Allegheny County Sheriff’s Deputies fired shots and are on paid leave. They must also undergo a psychiatric evaluation before returning to work.
August 25, 2023 5:07 am
STOWE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man was injured in a shooting in Stowe Township Thursday night. According to Allegheny County police, first responders were called to the 200 block of Oak Lane at 9:36 p.m. The victim was shot in the shoulder and taken to the hospital in a private vehicle. Allegheny County police are handling the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-833-ALL-TIPS.
August 25, 2023 5:00 am
Strong storms rolled through the region overnight leaving thousands without power. West Penn Power is reporting more than 6-thousand customers without service as of 10:30 a.m. The outages are scattered throughout the county. Washington County is certainly not alone. West Penn is reporting more than 9-thousand outages in Fayette County, more than 6-thousand in Allegheny County and more than 12-hundred in Westmoreland County. West Penn is not providing any estimated restoration times. There are numerous reports of trees down across the county with some blocking roadways. The Bethlehem Center School District closed for the day. District officials tell WJPA News they were forced to do so because of power outages and dangerous road conditions because of downed trees.
August 25, 2023 2:56 am
The Washington County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim of a fatal multi-vehicle accident Wednesday morning as 58-year-old Gary Reinhardt of Lancaster, New York. Authorities say Reinhardt was driving a car south when another car in the northbound lanes lost control, crossed the median and collided with the victim’s car, causing a train reaction. Authorities say Reinhardt was wearing a seat-belt. Two others were also injured in the accident, but there’s been no word on the nature of those injuries. The interstate was closed in both directions for several hours. (Photo: WPXI)
