June 8, 2022 2:40 am
A Washington County man is facing homicide charges in the death of his baby. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says that on May 24th Peters Township Police were called to a home at 148 Pleasantview Drive for reports of an infant who was not breathing. He says the little boy was lying on the floor and was unresponsive, with a bluish hue to his skin. He says the baby did gasp for air once before appearing to stop breathing again. Authorities say the child’s father, 36-year-old Jordan Clarke, told them that he fell on top of him. The baby was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh where he died the next day. In a report later given to police, a doctor said that the baby had subdural hematomas over both sides of his brain, multiple layers of retinal hemorrhages in both eyes and possible fractures to both tibias. Clarke has been charged with one count of criminal homicide, three counts of aggravated assault of various degrees and one count of endangering the welfare of children.
June 8, 2022 2:28 am
Washington County could be shuttering two Magisterial District Judge offices with one being as early as next year if a recent realignment proposal is confirmed. Following the census every decade, all counties in Pennsylvania are tasked with evaluating, reestablishing or eliminating district courts based on the caseload and work distribution at each office. Washington County, which falls under the 27th Judicial District, currently has 11 offices. The county says the caseload in the 27th District has dropped significantly since the last reestablishment 10 years ago and that no other 4th class county in the state has more than 9 total magisterial district offices. There has also not been a substantive rebalancing of judicial workload in the county in over 20 years. The proposal eliminates the vacant office in Peters Township once held by Jesse Pettit and the office in Bentleyville, currently ran by Curtis Thompson. The vacant Peters Township office would be eliminated next year if the proposal holds, and residents in the municipality would be sent to Louis McQuillan’s office (27-3-06 pictured) in Cecil Township for any filings or court events. Residents currently assigned to Thompson’s office would not have to worry about a move until the proposed elimination date of 2028. All proposal paperwork, along with frequently asked questions can be found on the Washington County Courts website. All written public comments are encouraged and must be sent to Deputy Court Administrator Kathy Tarr by June 21st. The comments will be attached to the proposal when it is sent along to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
June 7, 2022 5:21 pm
(AP) – A more traditional kind of COVID-19 vaccine has moved a step closer to the U.S. market. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted Tuesday to back shots made by Novavax for U.S. adults. If the FDA ultimately agrees, Novavax’s option could become the nation’s fourth COVID-19 vaccine. It’s a protein vaccine, made with a more conventional technology than the dominant Pfizer and Moderna shots, and the lesser-used Johnson & Johnson option. (Photo: AP)
June 7, 2022 5:19 pm
DETROIT (AP) – Federal investigators say Goodyear knew that some of its recreational vehicle tires could fail and cause severe crashes, yet it failed to recall them for as long as 20 years. Goodyear wouldn’t do a recall even though investigators found that their failure caused crashes that killed eight people and injured 69 others from 1998 through 2009. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made the allegations against Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear in a Feb. 22 letter sent to the tire maker seeking a recall of the 22.5-inch G159 tires. Goodyear refused a recall in a letter March 8, but later agreed to do one. The company maintains that the tires were fully tested and are not defective.
June 7, 2022 4:15 am
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) – Several thousand migrants have set out walking in the rain in southern Mexico, tired of waiting to normalize their status in a region with little work and still far from their ultimate goal of reaching the United States. Their advocates said they wanted to call attention to their plight, timing it with this week’s Summit of the America’s in Los Angeles. The group of an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 migrants is the largest to attempt to leave southern Mexico this year. Mexican authorities have eventually broken up the others through a mix of force and offers to more quickly resolve their cases.
June 7, 2022 4:12 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Authorities say a 2-year old boy fatally shot his father in an accident after finding a gun, and the boy’s mother is now facing criminal charges. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that Reggie Mabry was fatally shot late last month while he was playing a video game. Detectives say the gun was fired by his 2-year-old son in the home Mabry, his wife Marie Ayala, and their three young children shared in metro Orlando. Ayala was charged with manslaughter by culpable negligence, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and violation.
June 7, 2022 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The former top leader of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group and other members have been charged with seditious conspiracy for what federal prosecutors say was a coordinated attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the former Proud Boys chairman, and four others linked to the group are charged in the latest indictment against them. All five were previously charged with different conspiracy counts. They are scheduled to stand trial in August in Washington, D.C.’s federal court. An attorney for Tarrio says his client “is going to have his day in court.”
June 7, 2022 4:09 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Dozens of Ukrainian fighters killed at the Azovstal steelworks have been returned to Ukraine by the Russians who now occupy the fortress-like plant in the destroyed city of Mariupol. The dead taken from the ruins of the bombed-out mill have been transferred to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where DNA testing is underway to identify the remains. That’s according to both a military leader and a spokeswoman for the Azov Regiment. The fighters’ last-ditch stand became a symbol of resistance against Moscow’s invasion. It was unclear how many bodies might remain at the plant.
June 7, 2022 4:07 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Louisiana’s Democratic governor says he’ll call the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature into special session to draw up new congressional districts. Gov. John Bel Edwards made the announcement Monday evening after a federal judge in Louisiana blocked the use of a newly drawn map that includes only one mostly Black district. U.S. District Judge Shelley Dick in Baton Rouge on Monday issued an injunction blocking the use of the new plan. She also ordered lawmakers to adopt a new plan by June 20. State officials swiftly filed a notice of appeal.
June 7, 2022 4:07 am
PHOENIX (AP) – An Arizona judge has declined a request by the state Republican Party to block most mail ballots for the 2022 election, preserving the voting method used by the overwhelming majority of voters. Mohave County Superior Court Judge Lee Jantzen ruled Monday that nothing in the Arizona Constitution prohibits the Legislature from allowing citizens to vote by mail. The case is the latest piece of a multi-pronged effort by the Arizona Republican Party to roll back a system of no-excuse absentee voting that the GOP-controlled Legislature has built since 1991.
