June 17, 2025 2:51 am
Following torrential rains Saturday evening, officials in both North Franklin and South Strabane Townships have declared a state of emergency. Bob Sabot, Supervisor Chairman, and Emergency Management Coordinator for North Franklin made the declaration Monday afternoon after touring the township and consulting with the township road foreman Todd Lanch, Township staff have been fielding various complaints from residents who were seriously affected by the flooding Saturday night. North Franklin Volunteer Fire Company and road department employees were out from 9:00 p.m. until well after midnight helping clear roads and assisting on pumping out basements and various other flood-related problems. The township has since hired a third party to do street sweeping and the road crew is hoping to catch up on most of the road work by Wednesday afternoon. The state of emergency will be in effect and will need to be ratified before the whole Board of Supervisors at their next meeting scheduled for Wednesday June 25th at 5:00 p.m. Meanwhile, South Strabane Township has taken similar action. Authorizing township officials to act as necessary to respond to the damage that resulted. The declaration directs the local Emergency Management Coordinator to lead activities of the response and take all appropriate action needed to alleviate the effects of this disaster. Crews continue work along Oak Spring road where flooding left a huge sink hole at the entrance to the Oak Spring Plaza. A nearby Eat’n Park has been closed but one lane is open to allow vehicles in and out of the plaza. The parking lot of the South Strabane Fire Department station just down the road was also damaged. The declaration allows residents to seek reimbursement for some of the damages through the state emergency management fund or even from the federal government.
June 17, 2025 2:23 am
Flash floods are still causing problems for motorists around the county. In South Strabane Township, Berry road, from Manifold Road to Old Mill Boulevard will be closed till further notice due to a collapsing pipe. In addition, Willow/Eberle Road in Mt. Pleasant Township between Lynn Portal and Martin Road is closed due to downed trees and wires, and in Independence and Hopewell Townships, Route 331 is down to a single lane because of a landslide.
June 16, 2025 5:55 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the months leading up to the “Friends” star’s overdose death has agreed to plead guilty, authorities said Monday. Dr. Salvador Plasencia has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of distribution of ketamine, federal prosecutors said in a statement. They said the plea carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, and Plascencia is expected to enter the plea in the coming weeks. Plascencia had been scheduled to start trial in August. Perry died on Oct. 28, 2023 at age 54.
June 16, 2025 5:16 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump family company says it’s launching a mobile phone company, the latest in a string of ventures that have been announced while Donald Trump is in the White House. Eric Trump, one of President Trump’s sons, said Monday that the new company would build its own phones and maintain a call center in the U.S. The new business follows several real estate deals for towers and resorts in the Middle East, including a golf development in Qatar announced in April, and a $1.5 billion partnership to build golf courses, hotels and real estate projects in Vietnam.
June 16, 2025 5:15 am
KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) — President Donald Trump is abruptly leaving the Group of Seven summit, departing a day early Monday as the conflict between Israel and Iran intensifies and the U.S. leader has declared that Tehran should be evacuated “immediately.” World leaders had gathered Monday in Canada with the specific goal of helping to defuse a series of global pressure points, only to be disrupted by a showdown over Iran’s nuclear program that could escalate in dangerous and uncontrollable ways. Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran four days ago. At the summit, Trump warned that Tehran needs to curb its nuclear program before it’s “too late.”
June 16, 2025 5:11 am
KANANASKIS, Alberta (AP) — World leaders at the Group of Seven summit in Canada scrambled Monday to find a way to contain the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. President Donald Trump repeated his belief that Tehran already had a chance for negotiations and needed to return to the bargaining table before it was “too late.” The U.S. president said that Iranian leaders would “like to talk” but they had “60 days” to reach an agreement to curb their development of nuclear weapons, but they failed to do so before an Israeli aerial assault began four years ago. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants a joint statement from Europe that would stress Iran cannot be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material.
June 16, 2025 5:10 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors say the man accused of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another went to the homes of two other lawmakers to carry out more carnage on the night of the shootings. But one of the other lawmakers was not home and the suspect left the other house after police arrived. That’s according to acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson. The suspect, Vance Boelter surrendered to police Sunday. He is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday. Federal prosecutors have charged Boelter with murder and stalking. He also says faces state murder charges.
June 16, 2025 5:09 am
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Iran has launched a new wave of missile attacks on Israel, triggering air raid sirens across the country as emergency services reported at least five killed and dozens more wounded in the fourth day of conflict between the regional foes. Iran announced it had launched some 100 missiles and vowed further retaliation for Israel’s surprise attack on its nuclear program and military leadership, which has killed at least 224 in the country since it began last Friday. In announcing the latest salvo after a weekend of escalating tit-for-tat attacks, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard vowed that further rounds of strikes would be “more forceful, severe, precise and destructive than previous ones.”
June 16, 2025 5:06 am
A Langloth woman is dead and her son injured after a home invasion in Washington County early Monday morning. State police said that several men dressed in all black clothing and wearing masks entered the home around 1:15 a.m. on Eleanor Street in Smith Township. During an argument, state police said one of the suspects shot 37-year-old Renee Gill, and her son. Gill was pronounced dead at the scene. Her son was taken to a nearby hospital. The suspects fled the scene before troopers arrived. State police said the suspects most likely knew the victim, but troopers, along with the Washington County District Attorney’s Office, continue to investigate.
June 16, 2025 4:56 am
SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. — Access to some South Strabane businesses is currently limited because of a massive sinkhole. The South Strabane Fire Department says the large sinkhole formed because of flood waters on Saturday. The sinkhole is blocking access to Oak Spring Plaza. The Eat’n Park in that plaza is also temporarily closed, as gas and water is shut off in the area. An official on scene said it could take a week for the sinkhole to be fixed. Fire Chief Jordan Cramer says the same water pressure that caused the sinkhole caused what’s happening in their parking lot. ponding was created after a pipe underneath the lot was crushed. Now, fire trucks, which are up to 30 to 60 thousand pounds, can no longer travel on top of the pavement safely. “We had a few inches of water that came through,” said Chief Jordan Cramer with South Strabane Township Fire and Emergency Services. “It was the first time that had ever happened in probably 30 years. I didn’t even know that that was possible because of the way that this building sits.” Chief Cramer said his crews were out saving flood victims from cars and houses until 4 o’clock in the morning. “Just a lot of things that were going on at the same time within one municipality, where those are some difficult instances to respond to on a regular day, let alone also simultaneously,” said Chief Cramer. Now their crews are working to make sure they can respond to emergencies, as even more rain is expected to move through the area this week. The station experienced extensive damage. Chief Cramer said his next step is to try and receive additional funding from the state.
(Photo: South Strabane Fire Department)
