WJPA News

Washington County held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new forty-one-million-dollar Public Safety building Thursday afternoon. The three-story facility will replace the Courthouse Square building on Beau Street. Commission Chair Nick Sherman says that this is a new beginning, and he believes taxpayers are willing to pay for public safety. Sherman explains that all three floors will be utilized for 9-1-1 operations, the sheriff’s office, and court relations. Commission Vice Chair Electra Janis explains that the old building was not structurally sound, and the best option was to knock it down and start over. Janis views the Public Safety building as an investment into the future. Commissioner Larry Maggi announced that he would not attend the ceremony due to concerns regarding the condition of the site and the cost of the project.  Massaro Corporation is the lead prime general contractor for the project. President Steven Massaro says that the responsibility of using the right labor and developing a great building for the taxpayers is motivating. Massaro says there is still more demolition to be done, and then they can move into excavation and the foundation for the building. He expects the project to get started in about 30 days and be completed 18 months after that.

A North Strabane Township man accused of sexually assaulting six juveniles in his home as far back as 2012 has now scheduled three trials for those offenses. Leo McIntyre, 31 had negotiated a plea deal with the district attorney for a sentence of 10-30 years for all six cases in June of 2025. At his sentencing hearing in December, Judge Traci McDonald rejected the plea deal and sentenced McIntyre to 32-64 years in jail. McIntyre and his lawyers immediately withdrew his guilty plea and asked for a jury trial. During the 90 minute pre trial conference on Thursday, defense attorneys severed two of the cases from the other four and McIntyre will now face 3 separate trials. His first trial will be November 2 where he will face 2 counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors, child endangerment and indecent assault of a minor charges. McIntyre still has a plea deal covering all six cases for a jail sentence of 21-42 years in jail. Prosecutors said that in the first case alone, if he were convicted of all charges, he could be sentenced to 12½ to 42 years in jail, before the other trials even began. McIntyre’s second trial will commence December 9 and the final trial encompassing the 4 remaining cases has yet to be scheduled.

Harrisburg, PA – In support of the continued preservation and celebration of the Commonwealth’s rich history for the nation’s 250^th anniversary and beyond, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) today announced the award of nearly $4 million in Cultural and Historical Support Grants. This year’s funding will empower 182 eligible museums and official county historical societies across 60 Pennsylvania counties.  “Museums and historical societies all across the Commonwealth share in telling the story of Pennsylvania, its diverse communities and regions, and the important role they have played in our nation’s story,” says Andrea Lowery, Executive Director of PHMC. “We are thrilled to be able to help support these vital institutions in their efforts to preserve and share Pennsylvania’s rich history.”  Designed to fortify Pennsylvania’s foundational history and museum community, the grant program delivers essential, unrestricted operating support to qualifying institutions. To qualify for the 2026-2027 grant cycle, eligible museums must maintain an annual operating budget of over $100,000 (excluding capital and in-kind contributions) and employ at least one full-time professional or an approved equivalent.  In Washington County, the money is going to several different organizations, including the Bradford House Historical Association – $8,500;  Meadowcroft Museum of Rural Life – $47,000;  the Duncan Glass Society for the Duncan Miller Glass Museum – $6,000; the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum Inc – $30,000 and the Washington County Historical Society – $9,500.

Uniontown, PA – PennDOT has announced the closure of a portion of Route 3009 (Old Scales Road) and Route 3014 (Van Neal Drive) between Route 18 and Route 221 in South Franklin Township, Washington County, beginning Monday, September 14.  A posted detour will be in place until mid-December using Route 3014 (Van Neal Drive), Route 221, Route 3008 (Jolly School Road), and Route 18.  Department Force Bridge crew will demolish the existing structure, replace it with precast concrete box culvert. Work will also consist of widening the approaches, paving and guiderail. A $1.5 million infrastructure investment project.  All work depends on weather and operational conditions.

(Harrisburgh) – By a vote of 5-0, the State’s Public Utility Commission approved a motion directing PUC staff to develop proposed updates to Pennsylvania’s emergency electric load control regulations, including greater clarity regarding the order, criteria and circumstances under which customers may be curtailed during pre-emergency and emergency conditions.  The motion also directs the Commission to hold a technical conference this fall examining cost responsibility associated with large computational loads, including data centers.  The Commission’s action comes amid growing concern about the balance between rapidly increasing electricity demand and the resources available to serve that demand across the PJM Interconnection.  Pennsylvania’s existing regulations provide a basic framework for electric utilities to manage load during pre-emergency and emergency conditions. The Commission will now examine potential updates to provide greater and more consistent direction concerning the order, criteria and applicability of curtailment.

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that left nearly 3,000 people dead and the nation shaken. On Friday’s anniversary people will mark memorials by laying wreaths, flying flags, reading victim names and holding moments of silence and vigils. President Donald Trump plans to attend a ceremony at the Pentagon. Other administration officials are expected at the observance at the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. In 2001 attackers took command of four commercial jets and rammed them into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attacks left a decades-long trail of aftermath, from personal grief to far-flung wars.

NEW YORK (AP) — Diesel prices in the U.S. has hit yet another record, soaring past $6 a gallon on average as Washington’s war with Iran disrupts the world’s flow of fuel. The national average of $6.05 is up from $5.85 last week and $3.70 from this time last year, according to motor club AAA. Higher diesel prices mean more expensive transportation for a long list of everyday goods. That’s because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks. And some businesses have already passed along steeper costs to consumers in the form of added fees.

DALLAS (AP) — President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance teamed up to close out the second and final night of the Republicans’ midterm convention in Dallas. They implored voters to stick together to save their party’s majorities in Congress in the November. Republicans are counting on Trump, and Vance, to rally voter enthusiasm. They’re also setting the stage for what comes next, in the post-Trump era. The party’s House and Senate majorities are at stake this fall. Republicans are working to shrug off voter concerns about the economy, the war in Iran and the direction of the country, and they are warning of what’s coming if Democrats seize power.

The United States has succeeded in loosening Iran’s grip over the Strait of Hormuz while virtually shutting down Iran’s own exports. But the conflict is far from over and remains costly for both sides. The economic pressure on Iran has yet to spark an uprising. And its leaders may choose military escalation instead of backing down. The price of Brent crude surged above $100 on Wednesday. The U.S. military deployment to maintain a blockade and help ships through the strait is costly. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are meanwhile stepping up attacks on Saudi Arabia. That injects even more uncertainty into global oil markets.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have taken the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha, bringing them closer to controlling key shipping routes. That’s according to two officials. Meanwhile, an Israeli strike in northern Gaza has killed at least four people, including two children. The bodies were taken Thursday to Shifa Hospital, where officials identified those killed as a husband and wife along with their two daughters, aged 8 and 12. A neighbor said the family was sleeping when the strike hit their home. The Israeli military in a statement said the strike in Beit Lahiya killed a militant who had taken part in attacks against its forces. It did not give details.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Friday’s inflation report is shaping up to be among the most consequential in years. Oil and gas prices have spiked again on the back of renewed combat in the Middle East. The Federal Reserve is considering whether to lift its short-term interest rate next week, with some officials saying Friday’s report could swing them either way. And longer-term interest rates jumped Thursday, pushing mortgage borrowing costs higher, partly on fears of more persistent inflation. The Trump administration is seeking to counter voter concerns about high prices and rising borrowing costs as the midterm elections approach.

The Trump administration is proposing a dramatic overhaul around the once-a-decade U.S. Census head count that could leave out millions of immigrants based on status and key racial and ethnic data, jeopardizing the allocation of resources and the country’s voting map. The Census Bureau announced Wednesday potential changes would exclude immigrants who are in the country without legal permission and anyone without permanent status and make the survey more “color blind.” Numbers from the questionnaire are typically used to determine congressional districts and Electoral College votes. Racial and ethnic data has been used to look at issues in communities of color such as discrimination, wealth gaps and crime rates.