April 6, 2023 2:23 am
People around the globe are celebrating Holy Week – the most solemn time on the christian calendar. Father Ed Yuhas, Pastor of Saint James and Katherine Drexel Parish in Washington County, which covers Immaculate Conception and St. Hilary in Washington, Sacred Heart Church in Claysville and St. Katherine Drexel Church in Bentleyville says all churches will be observing this special time of year with various services and activities beginning on Holy Thursday and continuing through Easter Sunday. Father Yuhas says there will be many opportunities to attend a Mass or other special service, including Stations of the Cross and a seven church pilgrimage on Thursday. Father Yuhas says Christians around the world, not just Catholics, are celebrating this very special time of the year with prayer, reflection and hope.
April 5, 2023 1:51 pm
CHICAGO (AP) — A firefighter has died after being critically injured while battling a blaze in a high-rise building on Chicago’s North Side. Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said Wednesday that 55-year-old Lt. Jan Tchoryk “went down” on the stairs on the building’s 11th floor. The blaze was reported before 8 a.m. on the 27th floor of the condo and apartment building in the Gold Coast neighborhood. Officials say three other firefighters and two civilians were hurt. A medical examiner will determine Tchoryk’s cause of death. He is the second Chicago firefighter to die this week. Jermaine Pelt died on Tuesday and two other firefighters were injured while battling a house fire on the city’s South Side. (Photo: AP)
April 5, 2023 10:26 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a tornado that tore through southeastern Missouri has caused widespread destruction and killed and injured multiple people. Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri State Highway Patrol says the tornado moved through a rural area of Bollinger County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of St. Louis, between 3:30 and 4 a.m. Wednesday. He said it caused “multiple injuries and multiple deaths,” but he didn’t say how many or precisely where they occurred. He said a search and rescue operation is underway that involves multiple agencies. Crews are having to use chainsaws to cutback trees and brush to reach homes. The tornado was part of a powerful weather system moving through the Midwest and South.
April 5, 2023 9:22 am
A South Strabane Township man is facing charges following a domestic incident at his home. Police were called to the home in the 100-block of Morgan Drive early Monday morning. Police say 32 year old Gavin Melan kicked-in the front door and allegedly pointed a gun at his girlfriend. He is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats and simple assault. He’s last reported in the Washington County Jail on 25-thousand dollars bond. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 18.
April 5, 2023 9:18 am
A man was shot by state police Wednesday morning after a domestic situation at a Georges Township home. State police in Uniontown said Thomas Edward Conroy, 43, exited a residence at 233 Amend Road while holding several knives. He was ordered by troopers to drop them. State police say he did not comply and they discharged their firearms, according to a state police report. He was shot in the stomach and was flown to Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va. State police said he is in stable condition.
April 5, 2023 4:15 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge has won the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race, ensuring liberals will take over majority control of the court for the first time in 15 years with the fate of the state’s abortion ban pending. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated former Justice Dan Kelly, who previously worked for Republicans and had support from the state’s leading anti-abortion groups. The new court controlled 4-3 by liberals is expected to decide a pending lawsuit challenging the state’s 1849 law banning abortion. Protasiewicz made the issue a focus of her campaign and won the support of Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups ahead of her victory Tuesday.
April 5, 2023 4:14 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Former teacher and union organizer Brandon Johnson has been elected Chicago mayor. Tuesday’s win is a major victory for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing as the nation’s third-largest city grapples with high crime and financial challenges. Johnson is a Cook County commissioner who was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union. He defeated former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, who was backed by the police union. Johnson will succeed Lori Lightfoot, the first Black woman and first openly gay person to be the city’s mayor. Johnson’s victory capped a remarkable trajectory for a candidate who was little known when he entered the race. He climbed to the top of the field with organizing and financial help from the politically influential Chicago Teachers Union.
April 5, 2023 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is making $450 million available for solar farms and other clean energy projects at the site of current or former coal mines. The money is part of President Joe Biden’s efforts to combat climate change. Up to five projects nationwide will be funded through the 2021 infrastructure law, at least two set aside for solar farms. The White House said Tuesday it’ll allow developers of clean energy projects to take advantage of billions of dollars in new bonuses. The bonuses are being offered in addition to investment and production tax credits available through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.
April 5, 2023 2:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A spokesman says former Vice President Mike Pence won’t appeal a judge’s order compelling him to testify in the Justice Department’s investigation into efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The decision sets up a possible appearance by Pence in the coming weeks before a federal grand jury in Washington that’s scrutinizing attempts by the former president and supporters before the Capitol riot to undo Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Multiple Trump administration officials have testified in that investigation, as well in a separate inquiry examining Trump’s possession of classified documents, but Pence would be the highest-profile witness to answer questions before a grand jury. (Photo: AP)
April 4, 2023 4:22 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The fate of abortion access in battleground Wisconsin likely rests with Tuesday’s outcome of the heated race for state Supreme Court that became the most expensive contest of its kind in U.S. history. The future of Republican-drawn legislative maps, voting rights and years of other Republican policies also hang in the balance. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has been under conservative control for 15 years. It came within one vote of overturning President Joe Biden’s narrow win in 2020. Democratic-backed candidate Janet Protasiewicz faces Republican-backed Dan Kelly in the officially nonpartisan race that has broken down along partisan lines.
