July 21, 2022 4:11 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Washington County coroner’s office announced Wednesday that 106 people died from overdose-related deaths in 2021, making it the county’s second highest year on record. The latest statistics from the coroner’s office show that, when it comes to overdose-related deaths last year, fentanyl was found in 82% of them. According to a news release from the Washington County coroner, “illicit substances are rarely “pure,” and while someone might think they’re buying heroin, the report shows that heroin, on its own, did not appear even once. Fentanyl appeared on its own 14 times. The latest stats show that overdoses deaths were mainly people between the ages of 30 to 59 and the majority of overdose deaths were men. However, 2016 was the county’s record year for overdoses, coming in at 109 fatalities.
July 21, 2022 3:59 am
Nyieka Speer, 29 of Canton Township was found guilty of three felonies in Washington County Court on Wednesday. Speer was convicted in a unanimous verdict on drug delivery resulting in death, criminal use of a communications device and possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance. She was convicted for selling a fatal dose of heroin laced with fentanyl that took the life of 25 year old Sara Nicole Jones of Somerset Township in April of 2019. After only an hour of expert testimony, jurors deliberated 5 hours before delivering the verdict. Assistant District Attorney Rachel Wheeler was pleased with the verdict calling it a long road for the family. Defense Attorney Mark Adams was surprised by the verdict. He stated that there are some issues with discovery evidence and he will be filing an appeal. Speer will be sentenced on October 13.
July 20, 2022 5:22 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Former President Donald Trump, all his children and an array of relatives and friends have paid respects to Ivana Trump at her funeral Mass. It was held Wednesday in New York City. The 1980s style icon and businesswoman died last week at her Manhattan home, at age 73. She helped her husband build an empire that put him on the road toward the presidency. Heading to her funeral, he wrote on his social media platform that it was a very sad day, but a celebration of what he called a wonderful and beautiful life. Ivana and Donald Trump were married from 1977 to 1992. Their divorce was ugly, but in recent years, they were friendly. (Photo: AP)
July 20, 2022 1:51 pm
ELIZABETH, Pa. (AP) – A former police chief in Pennsylvania who was sentenced to probation in state court after admitting to stealing thousands of small bags of heroin and fentanyl from his department’s evidence room has been indicted on federal charges. Timothy Butler Jr., 45, of Finleyville, was indicted by a grand jury on one charge of theft of government property, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Pennsylvania announced Wednesday. Butler, who was the police chief for the Elizabeth Borough Police Department, is accused of drugs recovered through two federal investigations. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted. (Photo: WPXI)
July 20, 2022 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has overwhelmingly approved a bill to protect same-sex and interracial marriages. Tuesday’s vote stands as a direct confrontation with the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority in overturning Roe v. Wade abortion access signaled that other rights may be in jeopardy. While the Respect for Marriage Act easily passed the House, it is likely to stall in the Senate, where most Republicans could stop it with a filibuster. But it’s part of a political strategy setting up an election-year roll call that forced all lawmakers to go on the record with their views. Dozens of Republicans joined Democrats in Tuesday’s House passage.
July 20, 2022 4:10 am
LONDON (AP) – Britain’s record-breaking heat wave has disrupted travel for a third day and firefighters remain on alert even as cloudy skies and showers have brought relief from the scorching temperatures of recent days. Forecasters predict London will reach a high of 26 Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, down from the record 40.2C (104.4F) set Tuesday at Heathrow Airport. Still, the main train line from London to Edinburgh will remain closed until noon as crews work to repair power lines and signaling equipment damaged by a heat-related fire on Tuesday, according to the London North Eastern Railway.
July 20, 2022 4:08 am
SOMERSET, Mass. (AP) – President Joe Biden has announced modest new steps to combat climate change and promised more robust action to come, saying, “This is an emergency and I will look at it that way.” The president stopped short Wednesday of issuing a formal declaration of a climate emergency. Democrats and environmental groups have been seeking such a declaration after an influential Democratic senator quashed hopes for sweeping legislation to address global warming. Biden he hinted such a step could be coming. During a speech at a former coal-powered plan in Massachusetts, Biden said he would use his executive powers to turn concern about a climate emergency into “formal, official government actions.”
July 20, 2022 4:07 am
NARVA, Estonia (AP) – Nearly 2 million Ukrainians refugees have been sent to Russia. Their journey starts not with a gun to the head, but with a poisoned choice: Die in Ukraine or live in Russia. Those who choose to live in Russia are then taken through a series of what are known as filtration points, where treatment ranges from interrogation and strip searches to being yanked aside and never seen again. Ukraine portrays these journeys as forced transfers to enemy ground, which is considered a war crime. Russia calls them humanitarian evacuations. An Associated Press investigation found that many refugees are indeed forced to embark on a surreal journey into Russia, subjected along the way to human rights abuses. It also found an underground network of Russians trying to help Ukrainians escape.
July 20, 2022 4:06 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Federal authorities are offering a $5,000 reward for information about the man who allegedly shot Lady Gaga’s dog walker last year in Hollywood and stole two of the pop star’s French bulldogs. Nineteen-year-old James Howard Jackson was mistakenly released from custody in April and remains missing. Detectives do not believe the thieves initially knew the dogs belonged to the pop star. The motive was supposedly the value of the French bulldogs – which can run into the thousands of dollars. U.S. Marshals, in a statement Monday, say Jackson should be considered armed and dangerous. The reward is for information that leads to his arrest. Representatives for Lady Gaga did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
July 20, 2022 4:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Casinos and other operators in Pennsylvania set a new annual record for gambling revenue, state regulators said Tuesday, rising above $5 billion for the first time amid surging betting on online casino games and a post-pandemic return to the casinos’ slot machines and table games. Operators in one of the nation’s largest commercial casino states won more than $5 billion from gamblers in the 12 months through June 30, according to the figures from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board That was about 30% higher than the $3.9 billion recorded in the previous fiscal year, and slightly above the previous calendar year high of $4.7 billion reported in January. The rebound continues after pandemic-related shutdowns sapped casino revenue in 2020. Revenue in casinos from slot machines grew to $2.4 billion and from table games to above $1 billion. Online gambling, in just its fourth year, grew again to pass $1.2 billion. Sports betting, in just its fifth year, added $325 million in revenue.
