Hits & Misses
Miss: In a “plucky” caper reminiscent of the comedy, “The Apple Dumpling Gang,” featuring Tim Conway and Don Knotts as two bumbling outlaws, four people were charged in a failed attempt to fire a drug-filled crossbow arrow into the Fayette County jail. The caper was foiled after the “sharpshooter” missed the target – a window covered with titanium mesh – and landed on the ground below. Jail staff discovered the arrow June 6 near the southeast wall of the building. Police cut open the arrow to find cocaine-stuffed rubber gloves inside the shaft. It would appear the accused archer and accomplices were foiled after investigators said they viewed multiple video calls with an inmate – all recorded by the jail – in which one of the four is seen cutting a rubber glove and stuffing it into an arrow shaft. Now, that’s comedy gold.
Hit: Ryerson Station State Park might not be quite as “dry” in the future as plans move forward to restore some of the wetlands. The proposed project was displayed at last week’s Dryerson Festival, launched 19 years ago by the Center for Coalfield Justice after the manmade Duke Lake was drained because of structural concerns about the dam at North Fork, damaged by longwall mining. Work will begin in fall 2026 on a stream restoration project along the bed of the former lake to return the upper branch of Wheeling Creek to a wetlands area. A map on display at the festival showed a planned kayak trail, along with multiple boat launches. Accompanying that will be a 3-acre pond near the pool – not officially named yet, but dubbed “Lil’ Duke.” Other improvements are in the works as well at the park – a “gem,” and a place where people can come together to enjoy nature, said Center for Coalfield Justice Executive Director Sarah Martik. “This is our right to have these outdoor spaces that are beautiful, that have clean air and pure water,” she said. “So we just want to celebrate that every year. And also this is a pretty rural part of Southwestern Pennsylvania, so we want to bring some fun family engagement to this area too.”
Hit: In a move that could prove to be a boon for the city, Washington & Jefferson College is partnering with the George Washington Hotel in downtown Washington to offer premium housing to the students. With the college welcoming its largest incoming freshman class in the school’s history, the hotel at 60 S. Main St. will dedicate two floors containing 44 rooms for select junior and senior students. “As we plan for continued growth at the college, this meaningful partnership between two long-standing pillars of the community will offer our students a place where they can truly live and thrive,” said Dr. Elizabeth MacLeod Walls, W&J president. Living at the hotel will offer students an opportunity to experience the city’s downtown revitalization and take advantage of the college’s Prez Perks program, which provides discounts at many Washington businesses. “This participation puts them right downtown,” Washington Mayor JoJo Burgess said. “This generates revenue downtown, but later on they stay here and get jobs and want to build a family here. That builds our residency here too. It’s always a positive to have things like that going on.”