February 15, 2023 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says the three unidentified aerial objects shot down in the past week were likely benign, drawing a distinction between them and a massive Chinese balloon that earlier traversed the U.S. with a suspected goal of surveillance. Officials also disclosed that a missile fired at one of the three objects, over Lake Huron on Sunday, missed its intended target and landed in the water before a second one successfully hit. The China balloon is believed by American intelligence to have initially been on a track toward the U.S. territory of Guam, according to a U.S. official.
February 15, 2023 4:18 am
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Police say the 43-year-old gunman who killed three students and wounded five others at Michigan State University had no apparent connection to the campus. Investigators are searching for a motive for shootings that terrified the community for hours. Anthony McRae fired inside an academic building and the student union just before 8:30 p.m. Monday. An hourslong lockdown at the campus in East Lansing ended when he killed himself miles away while being confronted by police. The shooting happened the day before the fifth anniversary of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting that killed 17 and is the latest in what has become a deadly new year in the U.S.
February 15, 2023 4:13 am
Washington County Magisterial District Judge Phil Melograne has announced plans to seek a full term on the bench. The 62 year old Peters Township resident made the announcement Tuesday. Melograne was appointed to the bench to fill the vacancy that opened after Judge Jesse Pettit was elected to Common Pleas court. The district includes; Courtney, Crookham, Elrama, Finleyville, Gastonville, Hackett, McMurray, Mingo Creek State Park, Nottingham, Peters, Union and Venetia. In his announcement, Melograne pointed to his life experience including success as a prosecutor, defense attaorney and common pleas court judge. He said “Nobody in this county has the experience I have”. He went on to say “I know when to be tough when I need to, compassionate when the moment call for it, and always dedicated to serving the people of my district when they come seeking justice.”
February 15, 2023 4:06 am
North Franklin Township Supervisors reached an agreement with their road crew on a five year labor agreement that will run from 2024-2028. Part of that agreement has the crew beginning their new health benefits plan beginning in May. Supervisor Josh Polan headed up the negotiations for the township and called them very effective and productive. Road crew representatives agreed. The new contract will call for raises in each of the five years of the contract that brings the road crew in line with surrounding crews’ pay scale. They are also able to keep the health benefits that they like. Polan also addressed recent issues with a home located on Ramsey Road. Residents had been complaining about excessive traffic and questionable behavior coming from the home. Letters from the township and stepped up police presence seems to have significantly calmed the traffic down. Finally, supervisors enacted a new fireworks ordinance that largely mimics the one used by the state. Supervisor Bob Sabot indicated that some larger firework displays may need to have a permit. The ordinance also dictates the distance from buildings that fireworks may be shot and specific times that fireworks may be used.
February 15, 2023 4:02 am
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — Residents of the Ohio village upended by a freight train derailment packed a school gym to seek answers about whether they are safe from toxic chemicals that spilled or were burned off. Hundreds of worried people gathered Wednesday in East Palestine to hear officials say again that testing so far shows the air there is safe, and that air and water monitoring will continue. Residents still worry about the huge plumes of smoke they saw and persisting odors, and they wonder if there are lingering health risks. The administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is slated to visit the village Thursday.
February 15, 2023 4:02 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania underwent surgery for prostate cancer on Tuesday, with his office calling the surgery successful and saying that Casey expects to return to a “normal schedule” after he recovers. Casey’s office says Tuesday that the doctor has said the procedure went well and that Casey shouldn’t require further treatment. Casey, 62, said last month that he had been diagnosed in December and that he had an “excellent prognosis.” Serving his third term, Casey is the longest-serving Democratic U.S. senator in Pennsylvania history. Casey is a key ally of labor unions and President Joe Biden.
February 15, 2023 4:00 am
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio village upended by a train derailment and the intentional burning of some hazardous chemicals on board has invited residents to a town hall meeting Wednesday evening to discuss lingering questions. And there are still plenty — about the huge plumes of smoke, persisting odors, reports of sick animals and contaminated water, the cleanup. Even as school resumes and trains roll by again, things aren’t the same in East Palestine. Officials are assuring people the air is safe and it’s OK to return, with some precautions. Rail operator Norfolk Southern says it’s offering financial help the community of some 4,700 people while continuing remediation work.
February 15, 2023 2:47 am
Emergency responders were busy Wednesday afternoon around three o’clock. Washington County 911 tells WJPA that a three vehicle accident on Murtland Avenue in front of Kentucky Fried Chicken closed the roadway in both directions for a short period of time. Dispatchers say one person was taken to Washington Hospital and then later flown to a Pittsburgh area hospital for treatment. There was no word on the nature or extent of the injuries. Around that same time, dispatchers say emergency responders were called out to Burnside Road in Cecil Township after a vehicle ran into a pole and brought wires down across the vehicle trapping the driver inside. Dispatchers say crews were able to extricate the individual and there were no injuries. And finally, fire crews were called out to 26 Chambers Hill Road in Amwell Township for a working fire in a large detached garage. There was no word on injuries or the cause of the fire.
February 15, 2023 2:47 am
(ABC) – Raquel Welch, actress and pinup starlet, has died. According to a rep, “The legendary bombshell actress of film, television and stage, passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness.” Born Jo Raquel Tejada in Chicago in 1940, Welch was a beauty pageant winner in her youth, before stepping in front of the camera to briefly work as a weather person at a San Diego TV station. Her big break came in the form of three words of dialogue – but particularly a fur bikini – in the 1966 campy film One Million Years B.C. Welch also appeared that year in the science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. (Photo: ABC)
February 14, 2023 3:51 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Police say four juveniles were shot outside a Pittsburgh high school, but no life-threatening injuries have been reported. Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said Tuesday afternoon that the shooting occurred outside Westinghouse Academy 6-12 in the Homewood neighborhood. Police didn’t immediately release information about the victims, such as their ages or whether they were students. There was no immediate word on the circumstances of the shooting or any arrests. A nearby area was designated to allow parents to pick up their children.
