Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Local News

2 Injured In I-79 Crash

Two people were transported to UPMC Washington Hospital following a crash overnight along Interstate 79.  Washington County 911 says it happened near the Racetrack Road exit just before midnight. Two or three vehicles were involved.  There is no word on the identity or condition of those injured.

North Strabane Moves Forward With Development Plan

The North Strabane Township Board of Supervisors took care of multiple items on their agenda. First, the supervisors approved the conditional use application for the proposed Hidden Acres development that would be built along Christy Road. The development includes 159 Single Family detached dwellings. Supervisor Harold Close says that safety is a concern of the township and that the developer is responsible for making sure that the roadway remains safe. Additionally, supervisors intended to consider a $1 million bid submitted by Morganza Development, LLC for the surplus residual property in Eighty-Four. However, the offer was withdrawn. According to Township Manager Andrew Walz, there are currently no plans for the property, but it is something the board will discuss in the future. Finally, the board accepted Andrew Walz’s resignation as Township Manager effective July 31, 2026. Patrick Karnash will serve as Township Manager effective August 1, 2026-December 31, 2027. The board thanked Walz for his work over the years.

South Strabane Keeping An Eye On Developments

South Strabane Township has quite a few land development projects in progress and supervisors during their voting meeting made sure that all developers are adhering to their developer’s agreements. Supervisors unanimously approved revisions to the final land development plan with 79/70 Associates to build the Costco Warehouse Club and affiliated fueling stations. Minor modifications to the plan were made to move the building nine feet and help traffic flow around the fueling station. Construction could begin in August. In residential development, supervisors directed their solicitor to reach out to developers of the Bradford Run development to demand that unfinished land issues are addressed. If contact cannot be made, legal action has been approved by supervisors. Finally, in Burkett Manor, township engineers will be meeting with developers to address ongoing construction and instruct the developer to repair a large pothole that has formed at the entrance to the development. Supervisors want the issue fixed because the road is still under ownership of the developer and the pothole is large enough to cause damage to vehicles if drivers do not see it. In road matters, progress is slow on repairs to Locust Avenue. PennDot has received emergency funding to begin repairs, but no timeline has been established for the repair.

World News

Trump Visits Mack Truck Facility In Pa.

MACUNGIE, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump visited a Mack Trucks facility in Pennsylvania, for a speech meant to focusing on the economy. Instead, he spent most of the time talking about himself — reliving highlights from his 2024 presidential campaign. Tuesday’s visit marked Trump’s first major public event outside Washington since signing an interim agreement to end the Iran war. Trump toured the facility and addressed a cheering crowd. He touched on various topics, including the economy, the U.S.-Mexico border, and prescription drugs. Trump urged support for Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie in the upcoming elections. His visit highlighted Pennsylvania’s importance as a swing state, with rising prices potentially impacting voter opinions.

UN Nuclear Boss Says Inspectors Will Visit Iran

TOKYO (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s nuclear agency has signaled that Iranian nuclear enrichment sites would be visited by his inspectors, a key component in the interim deal between the United States and Iran to reach an end to the war. International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Mariano Grossi made the comments at a news conference at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Wednesday. He said that “this is going to happen.” On Tuesday, Iran and the U.S. disputed whether or not bombed enrichment sites would be inspected. That’s key for the deal, which calls for Iran’s stockpile of uranium to be “downblended” from highly enriched levels.

Senate Approves War Powers Resolution

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. Trump called the vote “poorly timed and meaningless.”

Judge Bars Immigration Arrests At Courthouses

A judge has barred the federal government from making arrests at immigration courts, a practice that took hold shortly after President Donald Trump took office last year. Tuesday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Casey Pitts of San Francisco says the government failed to justify its actions as required by law. It is the second setback for courthouse arrests since May when a judge in New York barred them at immigration courts in that city. A U.S. Homeland Security Department official criticized the latest decision as a show of judicial overreach.

Chinese Supercomputer Displaces US Machines

A supercomputer in China now outranks its U.S. counterparts as the world’s most powerful, marking the first time since 2017 that a Chinese computer has topped a list sometimes viewed as a measure of a nation’s technological prowess. The previously unlisted LineShine computer in Shenzhen, China, displaced the top-ranked U.S. computer, El Capitan in California, in the latest version of the Top500 ranking announced Tuesday. The group of scientists who run the TOP500 project declared that the LineShine computer at China’s National Supercomputing Center achieved 2.198 exaflops, meaning it can perform more than 2 quintillion calculations per second.