January 27, 2025 7:51 am
The Trump administration has announced a sweeping freeze on all federal grants – those funds already approved by Congress. The administration says it is a temporary pause – but it could have major consequences. This directive may be the most far-reaching executive action this White House has taken yet. It could potentially halt hundreds of billions of dollars in federal spending on everything from assistance to farmers to head start programs to disaster relief and public transportation. In a memo describing this that was obtained by ABC News – the White House budget office has ordered all federal agencies to cease any financial assistance if they believe the program might conflict with President Trump’s executive orders.
January 27, 2025 2:54 am
Washington County Commissioners and Prison Officials announced on Monday that they have coordinated with Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release Jose Turcios Salmeron, a foreign-born national from El Salvador, on January 23rd. He was being held on charges including aggravated and simple assault. “Last year, the Washington County Correctional Facility released 2,178 incarcerated persons into the county…. of those, less than five were undocumented and sent to ICE. Last week, we booked five incarcerated individuals who face deportation once criminal due process has been completed.” “We want it crystal clear that Washington County is not a sanctuary county. I applaud the Trump Administration for their due diligence in helping clear criminal illegal aliens from our jail. The days of the catch and release policy are over, Commissioner Sherman stated.”
January 28, 2025 5:05 am
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — A week into Donald Trump’s second presidency and his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, federal officers are operating with a new sense of mission. A dozen officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement gathered before dawn Monday in a Maryland parking lot, then fanned out to the Washington suburbs to find their targets: someone wanted in El Salvador for homicide, a person convicted of armed robbery in Maryland, a migrant found guilty of possessing child sexual abuse material and another with drug and gun convictions. All were in the country illegally. The Associated Press accompanied the officers, who offered a glimpse of how their work has changed.
January 27, 2025 2:46 am
A Robinson Township man accused of sexually assaulting a 13 year old girl in October of 2022 pleaded guilty in court on Monday. Dakota Dillon, 32 pleaded guilty to a single charge of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person under 16. For that, he will receive 4-8 years in state prison followed by 3 years probation. He will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Dillon was accused of sexually assaulting a girl in his home and, in some instances, pressuring her to drink alcohol. With the plea deal, Dillon will not face charges of aggravated assault, child endangerment and corruption of minors. In a separate case, Dillon pleaded guilty to single counts of terroristic threats and simple assault. He received sentences of 6-23 months in jail for both of those charges and he will serve those sentences concurrently to his state sentence.
January 28, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders focused on the military. One directs Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to revise the Pentagon’s policy on transgender troops, likely setting in motion a future ban on their military service. Other orders would roll back diversity programs, create a space-based missile defense system and reinstate troops booted for refusing COVID-19 vaccines. The orders come just after Hegseth began his first day on the job Monday. A transgender ban had been widely expected, and lawyers for transgender troops have already pledged to fight it.
January 28, 2025 5:03 am
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Chrystia Freeland, the former finance minister who is running to replace Justin Trudeau as Canada’s prime minister, says her country needs to release a “retaliation list” of goods the country would target if U.S. President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on Canadian goods. A list of products worth $200 billion Canadian dollars would send a message to U.S. exporters about the harm tariffs would cause them, Freeland said Monday in a statement. “Our counterpunch must be dollar-for-dollar — and it must be precisely and painfully targeted: Florida orange growers, Wisconsin dairy farmers, Michigan dishwasher manufacturers, and much more.”
January 28, 2025 4:54 am
North Strabane Township officials offered a preview of their new Public Safety Building located on Route 19. Public Safety Director Mark Grimm and Township Manager Andrew Walz directed the tour of the building that will house police, fire and emergency medical services crews. Grimm said the building was needed because the previous building was outdated due to bigger fire apparatuses and a much larger fire and police crew. Walz called the building a “Game Changer” in the sense that its location will allow emergency crews to reach any part of the township quickly. Grimm detailed many of the upgrades that both fire and police will see. The police department will have 5 holding cells, interview rooms and a dedicated investigation area. Fire crews will be afforded some of the best cancer prevention strategies available. Diesel fuel fumes will be properly exhausted and personnel will be able to fully decontaminate their gear and themselves from any cancer causing agents encountered during a fire. Grimm took a moment to express his gratitude to the Peters Township Fire Department for their mutual aid efforts during the construction. He thanked them for their close relationship over the years. The building has been under construction for approximately two years. It is anticipated to be in use in mid to late March.
January 28, 2025 5:07 am
A frenzy over an artificial intelligence chatbot made by Chinese tech startup DeepSeek was upending stock markets Monday and fueling debates over the economic and geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China in developing AI technology. DeepSeek’s AI assistant became the No. 1 downloaded free app on Apple’s iPhone store Monday, propelled by curiosity about the ChatGPT competitor. Part of what’s worrying some U.S. tech industry observers is the idea that the Chinese startup has caught up with the American companies at the forefront of generative AI at a fraction of the cost. But hype and misconceptions about DeepSeek’s technological advancements also sowed confusion.
January 28, 2025 5:06 am
WADI GAZA, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have streamed into heavily destroyed northern Gaza in their first chance to return since the early weeks of the 15-month war with Hamas. Meanwhile, Israel says eight of the hostages to be freed in the weeks ahead are dead. A fragile ceasefire has entered a second week. The return of Palestinians is a dramatic reversal of the mass exodus that many had feared Israel would make permanent. Palestinians who have been sheltering in squalid tent camps and former schools are eager to return to their homes, even if they are likely destroyed.
January 27, 2025 4:53 am
CHARLEROI, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Washington County man is facing charges after Pennsylvania State Police determined he had sex with a child. State Police Belle Vernon says troopers were sent to a Fallowfield Township home on Saturday evening for a welfare check on a child. Through investigation, the PSP report states troopers determined Miguel Pedrosa, 62, of Charleroi, was “engaging in sexual intercourse with a minor child.” Pedrosa was arrested and taken to the Washington County Prison. Online court records show he faces multiple charges, including rape of a child, statutory sexual assault of a child older than 11, aggravated indecent assault without consent and corruption of minors.
