November 7, 2023 5:10 am
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio is the latest flashpoint in the nation’s ongoing battle over abortion access since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to the procedure last year. Voters on Tuesday are deciding whether to pass a constitutional amendment guaranteeing an individual right to abortion and other forms of reproductive healthcare, including fertility treatments. Ohio is the only state to consider a statewide abortion-rights question this year, so advocates on both sides of the issue are watching the outcome for signs of voter sentiment heading into 2024 — when abortion-rights supporters are planning to put measures on the ballot in several other states.
November 7, 2023 5:09 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A defiant Donald Trump has sparred with a New York judge and slammed the state attorney general suing him, using the witness stand at his civil fraud trial to defend his riches and lash out at a case that imperils his real estate empire. The former president testified Monday in a lawsuit accusing him of fraudulently inflating his net worth in financial statements to lenders and others. He suggested the judge hearing the case was biased against him and he called the state attorney general who brought the case a “political hack.” The testy exchanges underscored Trump’s unwillingness to adapt his famously freewheeling rhetorical style to a formal courtroom setting. He denies all wrongdoing.
November 7, 2023 5:08 am
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will have “overall security responsibility” in Gaza for an indefinite period after its war with Hamas. It’s the clearest indication yet that Israel plans to maintain control over the coastal enclave that is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians. In an interview with ABC News aired late Monday, Netanyahu expressed openness to “little pauses” in the fighting to facilitate the release of some of the more than 240 captives seized by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack into Israel, which triggered the war exactly one month ago. But there was no agreement on U.S. President Joe Biden’s call for a broader humanitarian pause.
November 7, 2023 4:59 am
Few details are available, but we do know that a 15 year old boy was flown to UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh after he was struck by a vehicle Monday evening. Washington County 9-1-1 says it happened just before 7:30 p.m at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and W. Chestnut Street in the City of Washington. According to dispatchers, the boy ran home after he was struck and his mother called 9-1-1. The boy was then flown by medical helicopter to the hospital. There is no word on the boy’s identity or condition. Washington Police Chief Dan Rush is asking anyone who may have information about this incident to contact the Police Department.
November 7, 2023 4:53 am
No injuries are reported after a house fire Monday evening in North Franklin Township. Washington County 9-1-1 says it broke out just after 7:30 p.m in the 100-block of Palm Street. According to dispatchers no one was home at the time and the fire has been ruled accidental.
November 7, 2023 4:48 am
Two items took up most of the time at Canonsburg Borough Council’s agenda meeting on Monday night. The first item was discussion over the preliminary budget. Initially the budget showed a nearly $300,000 deficit. Staff did a lot of belt tightening to bring that deficit to $90,000. Council wants to examine a few line items to see if they may be able to close that gap a little more. Right now, council is entertaining a possible tax hike of one tenth to two tenths of a mill increase. Those proposed increases would raise between $55,000 and $110,000 in an effort to balance the budget. Also discussed was the possible sale of the Canonsburg-Houston Joint Authority. Council’s discussion revealed that not everyone is comfortable with making the decision this month. The Authority agreed to the sale last week. Many on council felt pressured into making a decision. Council is leaning toward tabling the issue for November so that they may better analyze the data associated with the sale.
November 7, 2023 2:39 am
Washington High School was put on a “soft lock-down” Monday afternoon for a brief period of time after city police informed district officials that they were pursing someone several blocks away from the school. District Superintendent George Lammay told WJPA News that there was never a gun on school grounds and no students were involved. The soft lock-down, he said, was out of an abundance of caution and came near dismissal time. He says there were no injuries and students were dismissed at their regular time.
November 6, 2023 11:59 pm
Washington County Elections Director Melanie Ostrander is predicting a thirty-five-percent voter turn-out for today’s general election. Ostrander says they sent out more than fifteen-thousand absentee and mail-in ballots out and have so far, received back some more than twelve-thousand-eight-hundred. Ostrander says of those, more than nine-thousand-five-hundred were from Democratic voters and more than two-thousand-five-hundred were from Republican voters. Ostrander says the pre-canvass process began at 7 a.m. this morning and will be overseen, by law, by representatives of the parties on the ballot and the candidates on the ballot. She says a sheriff’s deputy will also be on hand to provide security. The polls close at eight p.m. Any voters who need a ride to the polls to vote in person may call the local NAACP office for assistance at 724-222-7820. WJPA will provide full election coverage after the polls close.
November 6, 2023 10:42 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump defended his wealth and business on Monday, tangling from the witness stand with the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial and denouncing as a “political witch hunt” a lawsuit accusing him of dramatically inflating his net worth. Trump’s long-awaited testimony about property valuations and financial statements was punctuated by personal jabs at a judge he said was biased against him and at the state attorney general, whom he derided as a “political hack.” He proudly boasted of his real estate business — “I’m worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements” — and disputed claims that he had deceived banks and insurers. “This is the opposite of fraud,” he declared. Referring to New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat whose office brought the case, he said, “The fraud is her.” The civil trial is one of numerous legal proceedings Trump is confronting, including federal and state charges accusing him of crimes including illegally hoarding classified documents and scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election. His legal and political strategies have now become completely intertwined as he hopscotches between campaign events and court hearings – a schedule that will only intensify once his criminal trials begin. (Photo: AP)
November 6, 2023 6:50 am
One person was taken into custody at the scene of a house fire in the City of Washington Sunday morning. Washington County 9-1-1 says the fire was called in just before 11 a.m in the 600-block of Beech Street. Heavy smoke was reported from the two-story home when firefighters arrived. Dispatchers say the fire was immediately considered suspicious and police took an unidentified person into custody and called for the State Police Fire Marshall to investigate. No other information is currently available.
