(Updated 1/25/26) Washington County Winter Storm Information

Tips for riding out the winter storm that’s predicted for Sunday Jan. 25 and Monday, Jan. 26, 2026

    

* Charge all cell phones, power banks, tablets, & other rechargeable items.

* Fill all vehicles with gas & make sure you have all necessary medications & food.

* Prevent frozen water pipes by opening cabinet doors under sinks; drip faucets on exterior walls. Know where your water shut-off valves are located.

* Avoid unnecessary travel. If you must travel, use caution on bridges and overpasses, keep a blanket, water, snacks, phone charger, and gloves in the car.

* Bring pets inside.

* All Washington County Senior Centers will be closed Monday, January 26, 2026, and will not be used as warming stations.

* Tune in to local television and radio stations for weather updates & closures.

* In an emergency, call 911

***

If you are without electricity or heat, please go to one of the following warming shelters: 

Amwell Township Fire Department

(As needed only)

638 Amity Ridge Road

Amity

724-350-1789

***

Avella Fire Department

(As needed only)

1560 Avella Road

Avella

412-735-8534

Bentleyville Volunteer Fire Department

900 Main Street

Bentleyville, PA 15314

(724) 344-6917

***

Cecil Township Fire Department

(As needed only)

186 Muse Bishop road Cecil Twp.

428 Georgetown Road Cecil Twp.

3351 Millers Run Road Cecil Twp. 

(724)-745-2227 Ext.106

 (412)-916-4247

***

Charleroi Volunteer Fire Department

328 Fallowfield Ave. 

Charleroi, PA

(724)-483-7311 

After 4pm call the 911 no emergency and have a TCO contact Captain-1 (724)-554-5647

***

Denbo Vesta Six VFD

415 Low Hill Road

Brownsville, PA

724-785-9460

***

Donora Borough Building

 (As needed only)

603 Meldon Avenue

Donora, PA 15033

724-825-3563

***

The Landmark Building

(capacity for 157 people)

 75 E. Maiden St. Suite 204

Washington, PA 15301

Saturday, 3:00 PM through Monday, 10:00 AM
Serenityfarmsinc.org
 (724) 228-1206

***

Marianna Borough Building 

1 Procasky Rd

Marianna PA 15345 

724 231-4780

8 a.m.- 5 p.m.

 ***

Midway Fire Department & Borough

(As needed only)

99 St. John Street

Midway, PA

724-796-3141 Fire Department 

724-796-8700 Borough Office

***

North Strabane Township Fire Department

 (As needed only)

1032 PA-519

Eighty Four, PA 15330

(724) 745-1010

***

RICHEYVILLE VFD

(As needed only)

14 Firehall Rd L

Richeyville, PA 15358

***

South Strabane Township Fire Department

 (As needed only)

172 Oak Springs Rd.

Washington, PA 15301

(724) 222-3885

*** 

Union Township 

24 hours / no pets

3904 Finleyville Elrama Rd

24 hours / No Pets

(724)-348-8550

(724)-986-2189

***

West Brownsville Fire and Municipal Complex

238 Middle Street

West Brownsville Pa 15417

Todd King Fire Chief (724)-984-0728 -24/7

(The warming shelter information was provided by the Washington County Public Safety Department)

 

Funeral for Unclaimed Veterans Provides Closure for Long Lost Brother

 

Photo by Marodi Media

“It is time to thank these men for their service and it’s reassuring to know they will rest in peace in this beautiful and tranquil National Cemetery.”

-          Larry Maggi, describing the December 2023 funeral service for three unclaimed veterans

The Thompson-Marodi Funeral Home hearse at the
 National Cemetery of the Alleghenies on December 27, 2023. Photo by Marodi Media

It was a cold December day when a silver hearse escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders of Pennsylvania pulled into the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies carrying the unclaimed urns of three local veterans.

The details of this memorable funeral from 2023 resurfaced Tuesday when my office received a call from Patrick Reynolds, a brother of one of the veterans.

“I’m calling about the funeral service you had for my brother Joseph E. Calhoun,” Reynolds said. “I just found out five months ago that he passed away.”

Reynolds of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, explained that he had lost touch with his half brother years ago and was shocked when he found a newspaper article that explained that he had died on December 14, 2021, at the age of 65. Calhoun, who served in the U.S. Marine Corp, was indigent and estranged, so when the county coroner couldn’t locate his family, his cremated remains were placed in the Washington Country crypt at Washington Cemetery.

Fortunately, Calhoun’s story didn’t end there and as a former Marine, a Washington County Commissioner, and a member of the American Legion, I was in the position to help when Miles Glotfelty called in August of 2023, asking for assistance in providing a military burial for Calhoun and two other veterans in the county crypt. The two other veterans were Aubrey Dallas Higginbotham, who died in 1995 and was a World War II veteran who served as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators in the U.S. Army Air Forces; and his brother Louis Higginbotham, who died in 2001 and was a U.S. Army World War II veteran.  For the next four months, Glotfelty and I worked with the coroner’s office, the local courts, and the cemetery to have the interments approved. Tim Marodi of the Thompson-Marodi Funeral Home, Inc. in Bentleyville, donated a hearse for transportation to the cemetery; obtained American flags for the ceremony; and purchased personalized urns for their remains.

An honorable salute for Aubrey Dallas Higginbotham, Joseph Francis Calhoun,
 and Louis E. Higginbotham. Photo by Marodi Media

Glotfelty, military retired from Lone Pine, explained that the process started in March of 2023, when Lou Snodgrass of Washington told him that Calhoun, his good friend, was entitled to a military burial in at the national cemetery.

On December 27, 2023, after a lot of paperwork and planning, a service was held at the national cemetery for these three men who served our country well. Although Reynolds wishes he could have attended his brother’s funeral, he was happy to learn that military details representing the U.S. Air Forces, U.S. Army, and the U.S. Marine Corps participated in the service which was attended by families, friends, and several other military organizations and included a 21-gun salute. Snodgrass, who is now 94 years old, was presented with Calhoun’s flag at the funeral, has now offered to give it to the family. The flag will eventually be given to Calhoun’s son.

A member of the U.S. Marine Corps presents the flag of Joseph Francis Calhoun
 to his good friend Lou Snodgrass. Photo by Marodi Media 

Reynolds, who is a retired Sgt. Major with the U.S. Army, is impressed with all the work that was done on behalf of his brother.

“I was talking to my sister, and we are really appreciate all the work that the Commissioner, Mr. Glotfelty, Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. Marodi did to make sure that my brothers remains were handled properly,” he said. “It’s overwhelming.”

Miles Glotfelty, myself & Tim Marodi after the funeral service at the national cemetery. Photo by Marodi Media

Glotfelty said on Wednesday that he is very happy with the way this story has turned out.

“It’s wonderful that we were able to make contact with Joe’s brother and get the flag back to his son,” he said.

To read more about this military funeral, click on this link to the Observer-Reporter’s story: https://www.observer-reporter.com/news/local-news/2023/dec/28/veterans-who-went-unclaimed-find-final-rest-at-national-cemetery-of-the-alleghenies/

Talking to a a fellow veteran after the funeral service. Photo by Marodi Media

The graves of Joseph Calhoun, Louise E. Higginbotham, and Aubrey Dallas Higginbotham photographed at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies on January 15, 2026.


Larry Maggi is a retired trooper with Pennsylvania State Police, a former Washington County Sheriff, and a member of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, serving over 209,000 constituents in Southwestern Pennsylvania.