January 29, 2023 3:32 am
A Charleroi man has been sentenced following his conviction for possession of child pornography. Joey Leroy Barton, 52 has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison and 12 years of supervised release for pleading guilty to two counts of receipt of material depicting the exploitation of a minor. Evidence provided to the court indicated that on March 28, 2019 and April 11, 2019 Barton received or attempted to receive digital images depicting sexual exploitation of a minor in Minnesota. Barton contacted the minor on Facebook messenger through November 2019 sending him sexually explicit images of himself and adult pornography. He also began to arrange a meeting with the minor for sexual activity acknowledging the minor’s age and illegality of the act. The United States Attorney commended the Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, the Roseville, Minnesota Police Department and the North Strabane Township Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Barton.
January 29, 2023 3:15 am
The Local Share Account Review Committee has made their recommendations for Washington County Commissioners to consider for the latest round of monies received from local gaming money. According to committee chairman Jeff Kotula, $8 million has been divided between 45 projects. Kotula states more than $3.2 million has been dedicated to infrastructure projects such as water and sewage improvements and building and construction projects. Funding for items of interest to the City of Washington are a $700,000 revitalization project and a $50,000 grant to help with the revitalization of the 7th Ward Park. Canonsburg will receive more than $190,000 for façade improvements. Job training is also a category for funding. The Washington Health System will receive $80,00 for education and workforce development and the Trinity High School will receive $90,000 for a rehabilitation aide, an athletic training facility and veterinarian technician. Because of a scheduling quirk, Washington County will not know its total allotment of funding until after March 31. If any additional funding becomes available this year, those monies will be distributed in 2024. According to Kotula, all distributions for this year are complete and no other awards will be granted.
January 28, 2023 3:47 am
HOUSTON (AP) – After being held in detention in Texas for months during his legal fight to remain in the U.S., Afghan soldier Abdul Wasi Safi is now a free man as he works to secure asylum in America. Wasi Safi fled Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. forces in August 2021, fearing reprisals from the Taliban. He was arrested in September near Eagle Pass, Texas, after crossing the Mexico border. He was freed earlier this week. On Friday, he told reporters in Houston that he looks forward to one day being able to live the American dream
January 28, 2023 3:46 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in Iowa have charged a second teenager with murder in the shooting deaths of two students at a Des Moines educational program. Nineteen-year-old Bravon Michael Tukes faces two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of criminal gang participation. The charges filed Friday match those brought earlier in the week against 18-year-old Preston Walls, who is accused of fatally shooting the two students at the Starts Right Here program Monday and wounding its founder. Police say evidence shows Tukes communicated with Walls before and immediately after the shooting and drove the vehicle in which Walls allegedly fled. There is no attorney listed in court records yet who could speak on Tukes’ behalf.
January 28, 2023 3:42 am
DANA POINT, Calif. (AP) – Ronna McDaniel has become the longest serving leader of the Republican National Committee since the Civil War. But now, she must confront a modern-day civil war within the GOP. Republicans gathered this week at a luxury Southern California hotel are deeply frustrated about the party’s struggles in three consecutive national elections, yet there is no consensus among the fighting factions on how to move forward. On one side: a growing number of elected officials eager to move beyond former President Donald Trump. On the other: the vocal “Make America Great Again” wing, which has no cohesive agenda but is quick to attack the status quo.
January 28, 2023 3:40 am
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – Former President Donald Trump is set to kick off his 2024 White House bid with visits to a pair of early voting states. The appearances Saturday will mark Trump’s first campaign events since launching his bid more than two months ago. Trump will be the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire GOP’s annual meeting before traveling to Columbia, South Carolina, where he is set to unveil his leadership team at the Statehouse. Trump and his allies hope the events will offer a show of force behind the former president after a sluggish start to his campaign that left many questioning his commitment to running again.
January 28, 2023 3:38 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Authorities in Memphis have released video showing Black motorist Tyre Nichols being beaten by five police officers who held him down and repeatedly struck him with fists, batons and boots. The footage released Friday also shows the Black officers pummeling the 29-year-old and leaving him propped against a squad car as they fist-bump and celebrate their actions. The officers have been charged with murder in the assault that the Nichols family legal team likened to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King. The chilling images of another Black man dying at the hands of police provoked tough questions about the nation’s policing culture.
January 28, 2023 3:15 am
The man who allegedly robbed the Citizens Bank branch inside the Giant Eagle supermarket in Strabane Square and killed a man trying to stop him will stand trial. After nearly ten years, 39-year-old Keith Wilk of Pittsburgh, will face homicide, robbery and aggravated assault charges for his alleged killing of 46 year old Vincent Kelly. During Wilk’s preliminary hearing witness testimony traced Wilk’s actions from the time he approached a bank teller wearing all black and using an umbrella and mask to hide his identity while robbing the bank, to his fleeing the scene and his shooting Kelly as Kelly tried to stop him from getting away. Wilk sat quietly in the courtroom as witnesses told their accounts of the story. The most important testimony came from his former girlfriend Tina Vennebush. Vennebush testified that Wilk confessed to the robbery and killing in a phone call he made to her. She initially did not believe him but internet research she performed made her believe that he did commit the crimes. Police testimony presented DNA evidence found on the umbrella that eventually linked Wilk to the crimes that were committed in June of 2013. The judge held all charges for court. Wilk will be formally arraigned on February 23. He is being held in the Washington County Jail without bond.
January 27, 2023 4:18 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian authorities say Russia has fired more missiles and self-exploding drones at nearly a dozen Ukrainian provinces, causing the first war-related death in Kyiv this year and killing at least 11 people overall. The attacks came a day after Germany and the United States announced they would send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine. The spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Emergency Service announced the casualty toll. The mayor of Kyiv said earlier that one person was killed in the capital, the city’s first attack-related death of the year. Authorities say three other people died in a strike on an energy facility in Zaporizhzhia province. The attacks adhered to Russia’s recent pattern of launching widespread infrastructure strikes about every two weeks.
January 27, 2023 4:17 am
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong will ban CBD starting Wednesday, labeling it a “dangerous drug.” Cannabidiol, derived from the cannabis plant, was previously legal in Hong Kong, where bars and shops sold products containing it. But last year, Hong Kong authorities decided to prohibit its use. Customs authorities announced Friday that the ban would go into effect starting Feb. 1. CBD is one of many chemicals found in cannabis, a plant known more commonly as marijuana. Unlike its cousin THC, CBD doesn’t get users high. Supporters say CBD can treat a range of ailments. Others, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, say there’s not enough evidence to confirm its safety as a supplement.
