WJPA News

West Finley Township has never had zoning in its entire existence. It does now. Supervisors unanimously adopted a zoning ordinance to have better control over how developing industries may work in their township. The idea came about in the summer of 2025 when a Florida real estate development company knocked on the doors of supervisors to see what it would take to build a data center and an associated gas fired power plant along Nuthatch Lane. According to township supervisor chairperson Melinda Duncan, developers backed off when they heard that coal mining was on its way through the area that was under consideration. Regardless that data center request prompted residents to be concerned and got supervisors to develop zoning in the township. The ordinance has four zones. The largest, that covers the vast majority of the township, is the residential/agricultural zone. Five areas, mostly around state game lands, have been designated as a recreational district. Three areas have been designated village/commercial. One zone, in the northwest area of the township is zoned industrial. According to Duncan, that area was chosen because of already existing businesses that would be similar in nature to data centers. Henriette O’Brien was a driver for the ordinance. She and several others reached out to County Commissioners last summer when the first overtures about data centers were made. She is pleased because such entities will be limited on where to build and that would control noise, emissions and traffic that would disrupt the rural nature of the township. According to Duncan, no data center applications are in front of any township board.

PennDOT has announced that Interstate 70 eastbound in Westmoreland County will remain closed until noon and then a single-lane restriction will be implemented until a barrier is replaced.  It’s the result of a fiery, wrong-way,  multi-vehicle crash around 1 a.m. between the New Stanton and Madison exits in Hempfield Township.  According to reports,  two people were transported to area hospitals.   The crash initially closed the westbound lanes, as well, because of debris on the highway.  State Police are investigating.

The Washington County Magisterial District Office of Judge Eric Porter in Charleroi has temporarily moved to 250 Chamber Plaza in the borough.  The move resulted after a water line break damaged Porter’s Fallowfield Avenue office last week.  The building was then condemned. The office will remain at this temporary location  until further notice. Court operations resumed Monday and hours of operation will be 8:30 a.m. until noon and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Two incidents on Saturday morning in Washington are being investigated as possibly connected. The first incident is an armed robbery reported just before seven in the 100 block of Hayes Avenue. The victim told police he was approached by several younger Black males who had guns and were wearing masks. Those males reportedly forced the victim into a vehicle and took him to a bank, where he was forced to withdraw money. The suspects then took the victim to another location and demanded more money through an application-based money transfer. The second incident started as a suspicious vehicle investigation when someone reported a vehicle in his driveway off North Franklin Street that didn’t belong to him and had damage to the steering column. That person also reported seeing three juveniles, two in another vehicle and another on foot. The juvenile on foot was wearing a ski mask and reportedly repeatedly apologized for parking in the driveway, then got into the vehicle and left with the other two juveniles following. Police say the vehicle involved, a Kia Sportage – was later determined to be stolen out of Canonsburg. Investigators say “there is reasonable belief” that these two incidents are connected, but that hasn’t been confirmed yet. A third incident involved reported gunfire in the six-hundred block of Allison Avenue that damaged a vehicle, and is not believed to be related. Anyone with information, surveillance footage, or video related to any of these incidents is encouraged to contact the City of Washington Police Department by emailing tips@washingtonpa.us or calling 724-223-4108.

A Boil water advisory that was issued for some 95,000 Pennsylvania American Water customers in Washington and Allegheny Counties on Saturday has been lifted.  Water company officials say water samples tested from the affected area confirm that the water meets all federal and state regulatory standards for drinking water.  If you are a landlord and water service is in your name, the company is asking  you to inform your tenants that the advisory has been lifted.  According to company officials, a power surge early Saturday morning caused a depletion of storage at a tank near the Aldrich Water Treatment Plant in Elrama.  The company says a loss of positive pressure within the distribution system signals the existence of conditions that could allow contamination to enter the distribution system. While under this advisory, all water should be brought to a rolling boil for at least a minute, then cooled, before using.  Impacted customers were instructed to use boiled or bottled water for drinking, making ice, washing dishes, brushing teeth and food preparation.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The FBI says it is not aware of ongoing communication between Savannah Guthrie’s family and suspected kidnappers. The FBI said in a statement Monday that it has not identified any suspects or persons of interest in the mysterious disappearance of 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie. Savannah Guthrie said the family was “at an hour of desperation” in a video released Monday. She said her family in Arizona continues to believe her mother is out there and hearing everyone’s prayers. By Monday evening, a purported ransom deadline apparently set by her mom’s abductors appeared to have passed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic leaders say a proposal from the White House is “incomplete and insufficient” as they are demanding new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and threatening a shutdown of the Homeland Security Department. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement late Monday that a White House counterproposal to the list of demands they transmitted over the weekend “included neither details nor legislative text” and does not address “the concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.” The White House proposal was not released publicly.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House lawmakers have tried to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, but the former girlfriend and confidant of Jeffrey Epstein invoked her Fifth Amendment rights to avoid answering questions that would be incriminating. An attorney for Maxwell also told lawmakers that if President Donald Trump ended her prison sentence, she would be willing to testify that neither Trump nor former President Bill Clinton were culpable for wrongdoing in their relationships with Epstein. The House Oversight Committee had wanted Maxwell to answer questions during a video call to the federal prison camp in Texas where she’s serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking

LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — The Winter Olympics have become a platform for political debate in the U.S. American athletes face questions about President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Freestyle skier Hunter Hess expressed mixed emotions about representing the U.S., prompting criticism from Trump and others. On Monday, fellow athletes like Chloe Kim and Eileen Gu defended Hess, emphasizing unity. The Olympics often intersect with political issues, and recent events in the U.S. have heightened tensions. Athletes like Mikaela Shiffrin and Amber Glenn have spoken out, while others prefer to focus on their sports, avoiding political distractions.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration has significantly reduced the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s activities over the past year. Consumer advocates and Democrats now estimate this has cost Americans $19 billion in lost financial relief. The administration argues the bureau had become too large. Since the administration took control in February, few new investigations have been opened, and several enforcement actions have been dropped. The White House’s attempt to cut staff was blocked by courts, but Congress has already halved the bureau’s budget. Critics say the bureau is now on “life support,” with key consumer protections abandoned.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The world’s biggest social media companies face several landmark trials this year that seek to hold them responsible for harms to children who use their platforms. Opening statements for a trial in Los Angeles County Superior Court began on Monday. Instagram parent company Meta and Google’s YouTube will face claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. TikTok and Snap, which were originally named in the lawsuit, settled for undisclosed sums. The companies will argue their case before a jury, and the outcome could have profound effects on their businesses and how they will handle children using their platforms.