WJPA News

Both West Penn Power and Duquesne Light officials say their crews have been out in communities in Washington and Allegheny counties that were hit hard by Friday’s wind storm that brought gusty winds to area for several hours.  In Washington County, West Penn is reporting that there are still more than twenty-eight-hundred customers without power.  The outages are widely scattered, but large clusters of those outages are in Amwell, Buffalo, Mt. Pleasant, Smith and Jefferson Townships.  According to the First Energy Website, the estimated restoration time has now been pushed ahead to Monday around eleven-thirty p.m.  Duquesne Light Company shared an update saying their crews had restored power to more than 65,000 customers.  More than 500 extra crews have been called in to help DLC. That included crews from Maine, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. They are also working with Pittsburgh’s Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security to bring in crews from Canada.  Power outages peaked at 163,000, DLC said.  WJPA Radio  has received no reports of any major injuries, but motorists are urged to use caution when driving, due to tree branches and possible downed power lines.

An investigation is underway into the death of a sixteen-year-old boy Friday night in the areas of Highland Drive and Hill Street in California.  Authorities say the teen was driving a dirt bike around eight-thirty when he reportedly slammed into a tree.  He was taken to Mon Valley Hospital and then later transferred to a Pittsburgh hospital where he died.  In a letter posted on the California Borough School District Facebook page, by the superintendent, the school will be offering a wide variety of support services all day on Monday, including licensed professionals, counselors and the district’s Therapy Dog Support team.

A person was shot inside a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus on Saturday.  PRT officials say the shooting happened just before 5 p.m. in a P1 bus near the Homewood Station along the East Busway.  The victim was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.  Police are searching for two juveniles believed to be involved in the shooting, officials say. Both of the juveniles got off the bus and fled the scene.  No other injuries were reported.

(WPXI) –  Thousands of spectators gathered for the annual Pittsburgh St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday morning.  The parade routinely attracts several hundred thousand people to Downtown, and is recognized as one of the largest of its kind in the U.S.  Local residents wore green as they watched a variety of bands, organizations and other entities participate in the procession.  Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor participated in the parade in his latest role as the city’s leader. O’Connor has a long history with the event, having marched in it for many years and previously serving as a member of the City Council.  “It’s special. I think, walking in this parade for so many years, then being on council and now as the mayor, it’s a fun day and family and everyone’s enjoying it,” O’Connor said.  The city mobilized a full complement of police, EMS, fire and emergency management personnel to ensure that parade attendees were safe.

CAIRO (AP) — Gulf Arab states are reporting new missile and drone attacks after Tehran threatened to widen its campaign and called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates. The war, which started on Feb. 28 with the U.S. and Israel attacking Iran, is now in its third week. Iran said the U.S. had attacked Kharg Island, crucial to Iran’s oil sector, from the UAE, which denied the accusation. U.S. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. destroyed military sites on Kharg Island and warned that its oil infrastructure could be next. Trump has said he hopes other countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz “open and safe.”

(AP) – Black rain fell in Iran’s capital after airstrikes on oil facilities sent up dark clouds of toxic smoke. Health officials warned of serious risks to anyone who breathes or comes into contact with it. Soot, toxic chemicals and acidic gases combined with water droplets in the atmosphere, then fell back to Earth when it rained. Experts say microscopic soot particles can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing breathing and heart problems that can lead to premature death. Some toxic substances can increase cancer risk.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s official news agency Xinhua reports that representatives from Beijing and Washington have begun their economic and trade talks in Paris. Sunday’s meetings, led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, are expected to pave the way for U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in about two weeks. The White House has said that Trump will travel to China from March 31 to April 2, though Beijing has not officially confirmed it. Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said it would be a “big year” for China-U.S. relations.

NEW YORK (AP) — More than 30 states will resume their antitrust trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster on Monday after negotiations this week failed to result in many states joining a tentative settlement reached by the Justice Department. Federal Judge Arun Subramanian said at a hearing in Manhattan on Friday that the states had dropped their request to restart the trial in coming weeks with a different jury. Lawyers told the judge that Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota were joining the Justice Department in settling.