WJPA News

Authorities are continuing to investigate a hit and run involving a North Franklin Township Firefighter.  Fire Chief Dave Bane tells WJPA News that they were returning to the station from answering another call when they stopped to help police with traffic control at the intersection of West Chestnut Street and Weirich Avenue around four o’clock Monday afternoon, where a tractor trailer was hung up.  Bane says despite signs alerting motorists to the situation, the driver of a white Kia ignored them and drove through the area.  Bane says the firefighter tried to get out of the way by jumping over a guardrail, but was still clipped by the vehicle.  He was taken to UPMC Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and later released.  Bane says they have identified the driver of the vehicle but no further information was available.

Peters Township Council continues to amend land ordinances and parcels. The latest change occurred where council took their Mixed Residential Overlay District and made significant changes. Approved unanimously was the housing density figure changing it from six houses per acre to 2.5 houses per acre. Apartments were prohibited and three styles of homes were defined as permitted uses. One of those home styles is for patio homes and a definition of patio homes is provided in the ordinance. Additional coverage and setback figures were also revised. Council Chairman Frank Kosir said the changes were made based on public outcry against cluster housing developments. Township Manager Paul Lauer stated that the amendments abide by the current comprehensive plan enacted in 2013. A review of the township’s new draft comprehensive plan will be on display at an open house on June 24 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the large group instruction room of the Peters Township High School.

Kennywood officials say they have permanently banned a man from the park after he trespassed in a restricted area.  Officials said the incident happened on Sunday.  Photos and videos shared to social media show the man was in the grass near the intersection of the Thunderbolt and the Phantom’s Revenge.  The Allegheny County Police Department was contacted for further investigation

Gas prices are seven cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.330 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.  Motorists are getting a break at the pump as the summer travel season heats up. For the first time since mid-March, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is down to $3.92. This marks nearly four straight weeks of declines. Crude oil prices continue to fall as the U.S. and Iran work on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Sliding gas prices come as millions of Americans prepare to travel for Independence Day in record numbers starting next weekend. Today’s national average is 63 cents less than a month ago but 71 cents more than a year ago.  According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand increased last week from 8.73 million barrels per day to 9.21 million. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 215.1 million barrels to 214.2 million. Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 10.1 million barrels per day.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate for the first time has approved a war powers resolution to block U.S. military action against Iran. Tuesday’s vote comes as lawmakers warily watch President Donald Trump’s efforts to resolve the conflict. It was the 10th time the Senate has tried to advance a war powers resolution. But a growing number of Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate have expressed their concerns over both the war and the deal Trump struck with Iran to end it. It comes as the Pentagon is seeking $80 billion from Congress mostly for the Iran war as it backfills munitions and stockpiles.

MACUNGIE, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump visited a battleground congressional district in the swing state of Pennsylvania to tour a Mack Trucks facility. The president is seeking to cast attention on the U.S. economy in his first major public event beyond Washington since he signed the Iran war agreement. Trump’s visit on Tuesday to the Allentown-area business comes just about a week after he approved the initial deal to halt hostilities with Iran and as his negotiators work out the finer details. It’s the president’s fifth second-term visit to Pennsylvania, a key state whose support in 2016 and 2024 helped him to win the White House.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has told lawmakers it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the war in Iran. The proposal would add to what is already a sizable defense spending boost being sought by President Donald Trump. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said senators would review the proposal when it was formally submitted. But Democrats and some Republicans have been highly critical of Trump’s military actions against Iran and skeptical of the deal the president made to end the war. The money, largely to replenish stockpiles, comes as Trump is seeking $1.5 trillion this year for the Defense Department, a 50% increase.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is traveling to Pakistan for talks with leaders mediating negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Tuesday’s visit comes as technical teams in Switzerland work on details of a deal following high-level talks Monday between Iran and the United States. Also Tuesday, Iran said there’s been no visit scheduled for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to see nuclear sites earlier bombed by the United States. The remarks by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei in Tehran, Iran’s capital, appear to cut against those made by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who said negotiations in Switzerland won an agreement for the IAEA to visit Iranian sites.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a revamped federal tool that state election officials have used in their efforts to identify illegally registered noncitizen voters is unlawful and cannot be used. U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan on Monday sided with advocacy groups that argued the recent upgrades to the program, called Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, aggregated Americans’ sensitive personal data in a way that could result in voters being wrongly purged from voter rolls. The tool has been around for decades and was recently upgraded. But some election officials have raised concerns about its accuracy and security.