LOCAL NEWS

CONFLUENCE WOMAN HELD ON $100,000 BOND

Confluence, Pennsylvania resident Brittany Blenker is being held in Somerset County, after being accused of giving a 17-year-old boy methamphetamine and having sex with him and another man. Most of the alleged incidents occurred in a camper along Dull Hill Road in Lower Turkeyfoot Township. Three other people have also been charged in the case…

PORTION OF NORTH CENTRE STREET TO BE CLOSED TODAY

North Centre Street, between Union and Frederick Streets, will be closed until 4 p.m. this afternoon. Signs will be in place to detour passenger vehicles around the road closure. Pedestrian traffic will also be re-routed around the construction at the intersection with Baltimore Street. Additional information will be released in the event the closure needs…

BALTIMORE WOMAN ARRESTED ON PARK STREET

Baltimore resident Shawna Lee Hamlette was arrested following a traffic stop on Park Street on Wednesday. Ms. Hamlette had been wanted out of Washington County on a theft charge. Police also found a suspected Percocet pill on her, and the car she was driving was reportedly stolen from Baltimore. She was taken to the Allegany…

MAN HELD, PENDING BAIL REVIEW

Westernport resident James Richard Lease is being held, pending a bail review, after he was served two Circuit Court bench warrants for violation of a pre-trial release. His original charges included malicious destruction of property, valued at over $1,000 and second-degree assault.

PARTS OF MARYLAND UNDER DROUGHT WARNING

Portions of Maryland have been placed under a drought warning. The state Department of the Environment has declared western Montgomery County among those in the warning zone, along with Baltimore, Carroll, Cecil, Frederick, Harford, and Howard Counties. Watches remain in the three western counties—Allegany, Garrett, and Washington. A spokesman says the warning is based on…

STATES, INCLUDING MARYLAND, LAUNCHING CLIMATE PROGRAMS

During Climate Week, five states are joining California in launching their own Climate Action Corps. The states, Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and Utah, will join the first state-level program of its kind. Governor Gavin Newsom created California’s version in 2020, which involves programs that empower climate action through volunteer and fellowship opportunities. The Climate…

APPOINTMENTS BEING OFFERED AT WEST VIRGINIA D.M.V. LOCATIONS

The next time you need to visit a West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles office, you wait time might be a little shorter.  Now all 26 regional offices are accepting appointments, in hopes that will cut down on wait times from walk-ins.  Right after the COVID-19 pandemic only the larger offices accepted appointments, but now…

LEGISLATORS CONSIDER EXPANDING SMOKING BAN TO INCLUDE PA.CASINOS

A statement released by Rivers Casino Pittsburgh says the venue will comply with whatever the Commonwealth mandates when it comes to a suggested smoking ban at Pennsylvania casinos.  State legislators in Harrisburg yesterday heard testimony from members of a group called Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects who want smoking banned in casinos.  Pennsylvania’s Clean Indoor…

PITTSBURGH RANKS AMONG BEST CITIES FOR GAMERS

The folks at Privacy Journal.net are out with their rankings of the 100 best U.S. cities for gamers in 2023.  Writers at the site dedicated to online privacy looked at the country’s most-populated cities and considered factors including internet quality, gaming culture and the availability of video game stores in putting their list together.  Pittsburgh…

PA. GOVERNOR INVITES RESIDENTS TO TEXT HIM

Governor Josh Shapiro and his staff have launched a new resource to text directly with the people of Pennsylvania. The governor has unveiled the phone number for residents to use for first-hand updates and to hear about their most pressing issues. The two-way communication system is made possible through Community, a platform that connects elected…

TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS

SEPT. 22Kaylee TwiggAllie EirichIvan WyerMatthew Younkin SEPT. 23Alec TwiggJoshua Rosenberger

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