Fire At Sarris Candies
The State Police Fire Marshall is investigating the cause of Friday morning's fire at Sarris Candies, on Adams Avenue in Canonsburg. The fire broke out before 7 a.m. in a packaging area on the second floor, above the ice cream parlor. Firefighters encountered flames and heavy smoke when they got to the scene. Canonsburg Fire Chief Tom Lawrence says they were able to quickly contain the fire and prevent significant structural damage to the building. The fire in a candy store presented some unusual circumstances. Lawrence sayd there was a lot of melted chocolate that made the floor slippery and even coated some firefighters, which required a response from a Haz-Mat unit to clean them up. There was smoke and water throughout the building, including inside the ice cream parlor and candy shop. Nobody was injured. Company president Bill Sarris says the situation could have been a lot worse. Sarris says the retail stores will be closed for at least a couple of days. Members of the Sarris family say they are extremely grateful for their employees, customers, and friends, many of whom have called to express support and offer prayers.. (photos: Top - WPXI-TV, Others - Tony DePalma)

Death Penalty Sought For Homicide
Frank Jones--charged with the murder of an 80-year-old woman at her East Finley Township home--is facing the possibility of being executed. The District Attorney's office has announced it will seek the death penalty against the Claysville man accused in the stabbing death of Opal Bedillian. Jones was in court Thursday for his formal arraignment on homicide and theft charges.

Traffic Alert
A traffic alert if you drive Route 40 east of Washington. Two new stop signs have gone up, both east and westbound, on Route 40 in the area of the I-79 southbound off ramp. It means traffic that usually does not have to stop is now required to do so. Workers are replacing the bridge that carries Route 40 over the interstate.

Body In Lake Homicide
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Police are investigating as a homicide the death of a man whose body was found in Cheat Lake. Media outlets report that the Monongalia County Sheriff's Department identified the victim as 23-year-old Quinten Bolden of Morgantown. Bolden had been missing since late November. Police recovered his body from the lake Tuesday night after a
West Virginia University professor and his class reported seeing something in the water.

Local Share Recommendations
Seven-and-a-half million dollars will be awarded to various municipalities and groups in the annual round of local share funding. The money comes from gambling revenue at the Meadows Racetrack and Casino. The group in charge of holding hearings and making recommendations announced Wednesday that the largest amounts, around $1 million dollars apiece, will go to the Starpointe and Alta Vista Business Park. Another $1 million has been recommended for the Midland sewer project. Several organizations are slated to receive $250,000, including the Main Street Farmers' Market for the Community Pavillion, the Montour Trail, Western Area Career and Technology Center, and the Greater Washington County Food Bank. The county commissioners praised the work of the panel and indicated to WJPA NEWS that they will approve the projects and forward the recommendations on to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for final approval. To view all of the funding recommendations, click here.

Snowstorm Socks Denver
DENVER (AP) - A powerful winter storm moving across Colorado today has dumped more than a foot of snow in some areas. The storm has prompted a blizzard warning for the northeast, forced flight cancellations and school closures, and calls from highway officials to slow down on icy roadways.
National Weather Service meteorologist Bob Kleyla says the snow began falling Thursday night and by early this morning, six inches had fallen on downtown Denver, more in suburban areas and up to 15 inches in the foothills west of the city.

Bloody Clashes Rage In Egypt
CAIRO (AP) - Health officials in Egypt say more than 1,500 people have been injured and three killed in a second day of street violence over a deadly soccer riot. Protesters blame police for failing to prevent a melee that left 74 people dead Wednesday after a match in the Mediterranean city of Port Said. Demonstrators in Cairo and several other cities have turned their anger on Egypt's ruling military, calling for it to surrender power and accusing it of mishandling the country's transition to democracy. In the capital, riot police fired tear gas and birdshot as protesters wearing helmets and gas masks hurled stones outside the Interior Ministry. Many protesters have suggested the authorities either instigated the Port Said violence or intentionally allowed it to happen. They say it was retaliation for the key role soccer fans known as Ultras had in clashes with security forces during the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak.

Wall Street: Nasdaq At Highest Close Since 2000
NEW YORK (AP) - The Dow Jones industrial average has closed at its highest level since before the 2008 financial crisis. The Dow jumped 157 points Friday to close at 12,862. That's the highest since May 2008. The Nasdaq composite index closed at its highest level since December 2000. Before the market opened, the Labor Department said companies hired 243,000 employees in January. That's the strongest job growth in nine months. The increase in hiring pushed the unemployment rate down to 8.3 percent. The S&P 500 index added 19 points, or 1.5 percent, to 1,345. More than four stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume was 4.6 billion shares.

Graysville Pedestrian Fatally Struck
State Police say a pedestrian was fatally struck just before 7 a.m. Friday on Main Street in Graysville. According to police, William Marshall, 42, of Graysville, was hit when he stepped onto the road from behind his parked van. He was struck by a car driven by Nathan Wilson, 24, of Bentleyville.
Police say the driver's speed was not a factor, and after the collision Wilson did all he could to help the victim. Marshall, who rolled onto the hood of the car and into the windshield, was pronounced dead at the scene. No charges were filed, and State Police say their investigation continues.

Justices Explain Redistricting Decision
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is releasing its opinions in the closely watched case about the state's legislative redistricting plan. The 87-page majority opinion, among the four opinions issued Friday, says state House and Senate districts have to take into account "contiguity, compactness and the integrity of political subdivisions," along with having similar population sizes. The majority opinion by Chief Justice Ronald Castille, a Republican, was joined by the three Democrats on the seven-member court. The other Republican justices, Thomas Saylor and J. Michael Eakin filed concurring and dissenting opinions, while Republican Justice Joan Orie Melvin has written a dissent.

911th Airlift Wing To Close
PITTSBURGH (AP) - The U.S. Air Force plans to close the 911th Airlift Wing in Pittsburgh. The Air Force says in a statement Friday that it plans to retire
or transfer all seven C-130H2 aircraft from the base over the next two years.
The Pittsburgh Air National Guard Base will remain open, but four KC-135 aircraft from that base will also be retired. Master Sgt. Mark Winklosky, a spokesman for the 911th Wing, says no information has been released yet about personnel changes at the base. The changes are part of a long-term plan to reduce military budgets.

DeWeese Jury Resumes Deliberations
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The jury in the corruption trial of state Rep. Bill DeWeese is deliberating for a second day. The seven-woman, five-man panel reconvened Friday morning after failing to reach a verdict Thursday. DeWeese is the first sitting lawmaker to face trial as part of a five-year-old investigation by the state attorney general's office in 2007 that has resulted in the arrests of 25 people connected to the House Republican and Democratic caucuses. The 61-year-old DeWeese spent two decades in House leadership, including a stint as House speaker. Prosecutors say the Greene County Democrat illegally used taxpayer-paid employees to do political campaign work on state time. DeWeese testified that he never ordered or bullied staff members into doing campaign work. He's charged with theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest.

Unemployment Falls To 8.3%
WASHINGTON (AP) - The unemployment rate is now at its lowest level in three years, 8.3 percent. The latest decline -- the fifth one in five months -- comes after employers added 243,000 jobs in January, far more than economists expected. It's the most impressive surge for the job market since early last year. There was increased hiring across the economy, and up and down the pay scale. The high-salary professional services industry added 70,000 jobs, the most in 10 months. Manufacturing saw an increase of 50,000 jobs, the most in a year. Even the struggling construction industry added 21,000 jobs, its second month of strong gains. The January jobs report also reveals that the economy added 200,000 more jobs in 2011 than first thought. But even with the gains, the job market faces a long way back to full health. The nation has about 5.6 million fewer jobs than it did when the recession began in late 2007.

Komen Group Still Funding Planned Parenthood
NEW YORK (AP) - After three days of controversy, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast-cancer charity says it is reversing its decision to cut breast-screening grants to Planned Parenthood."We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women's lives," a Komen statement said. As first reported by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Komen had adopted criteria excluding Planned Parenthood from grants because it was under government investigation, notably a probe launched in Congress at the urging of anti-abortion groups. Komen said Friday it would change the criteria so it wouldn't
apply to such investigations."We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants," the statement said.

Jury Commissioner Jobs At Stake
The Washington County Commissioners voted 3-0 Thursday to eliminate the offices of Jury Commissioner at the end of their current terms in 2013. Those offices are held by Republican Richard Zimmerman and Democrat Judy Fisher. County leaders were given the authority to eliminate the position of jury commissioner in a state law passed last year. Maggi says the move will save county taxpayers nearly $100,000, roughly the amount the jury commissioners are paid in salary and benefits. Maggi says their duties will be assumed by the Court Administrator's office. A group of plaintiffs, including Zimmerman, has filed suit to stop the implementation of the law. The position was created in the 1800's to prevent jury tampering.

Hackers Tap FBI Conference Call
LONDON (AP) - The FBI says that hackers have intercepted a sensitive conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard cybercrime investigators.
The loose-knit hacking collective known as Anonymous released a roughly 15-minute-long recording of what appears to be a conference call devoted to tracking and prosecuting members of the group. The FBI said in a statement Friday that the information "was intended for law enforcement officers only and was illegally obtained." The bureau said it was hunting those responsible. British police say the intercepted call poses no immediate risk
to operations.

Santorum's Daughter Released
FALLON, Nev. (AP) - Rick Santorum says his 3-year-old daughter, Bella, is home from the hospital after a bout with pneumonia. Santorum told reporters that his daughter left the hospital on Thursday and is back at her Virginia home. Santorum took a break from campaigning last weekend to rush home to be with his ailing daughter. Bella Santorum has genetic disorder Trisomy 18, which her father often describes to audiences as "incompatible with life." Any health issues can prove fatal for the youngster. Santorum canceled his schedule last Sunday, just before Florida had its primary on Tuesday. Santorum decided to pull out of the state to stay home and then focus on upcoming contests in Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado and Nevada.

Peeper Gets Jail Time For Tanning Salon Videos
GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania man who secretly taped 54 women and girls undressing in a tanning salon while he hid in the ceiling has been ordered to spend at least seven years in prison. Twenty-nine-year-old Jesse Macklin was sentenced Friday, a little more than two months after he pleaded guilty to more than 200 counts including burglary, invasion of privacy and trespassing. Macklin was charged in March over the tapings at Sunkissed Tanning and Spa in East Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County. Investigators say Macklin recorded his victims through a hole in the tanning salon's drop ceiling after getting inside through a vacant property next door. Police say they first heard of the tapings when a girl reported that a video of her undressing was circulated around her high school.