WJPA News

Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt is reminding eligible Pennsylvanians that the October 19th deadline to register to vote in the November  third midterm election is less than two weeks away.  “Registering to vote can be done online at vote.pa.gov, in person at your county elections office, or by paper application delivered to your county elections office,” Sec. Schmidt said. “It only takes a few minutes to ensure that you can make your voice heard in this election.”  Online voter registration applications can be submitted up to 11:59 pm October 19th. Mailed and in-person voter registration applications must be received at county elections offices by close of business October 19th.  Pennsylvanians are encouraged to use the Department’s online voter registration site, which is fast, secure, and convenient. Current registered voters can also use that site to update their name, address, or party affiliation.  In the November election, Pennsylvania voters will have the opportunity to cast a ballot for governor/lieutenant governor, their representative in Congress, even-numbered state Senate districts, and all state House districts. The Department’s candidate database lists candidates who are running for office.  (Photo:  AP)

Washington City Police say they have made an arrest in connection with an early morning accident on Saturday that severely damaged parts of Fairhill Manor Church on Montgomery Avenue, and sent two people to Pittsburgh hospitals by medical helicopter.  Authorities say it happened just after one o’clock, when a vehicle plowed into the church’s brick monument sign – essentially destroying it – and then coming to rest on the church’s steps.  Two occupants who were trapped inside had to be extricated by emergency responders.  They were flown to Pittsburgh area hospitals.  There’s been no word on their identities or the severity of their injuries.  Police say they then observed a man, identified as Avery Alexander Ray, fleeing the scene.  He was eventually apprehended and taken into custody following a struggle.  Two officers were injured, with one seeking medical treatment.  Ray was taken to UPMC Washington Hospital for evaluation and then to the county jail.  Police say he faces multiple charges.  They are asking anyone who may have seen the crash or have surveillance video to call them.  The investigation is continuing.

(Canonsburg, PA) – Visitors to Washington County spent a record $804.5 million in 2025, according to a recently released report from the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) and Visit PA. Visitor spending locally increased more than five percent year-over-year, outpacing both the regional and state averages.  Visitor spending has increased 35% over the last five years.  The DCED and Visit PA released their annual report on travel and tourism in the Commonwealth, the 2025 Economic Impact of Visitors to Pennsylvania, analyzing the impact of tourism across the state. The report confirms Washington County, PA, as the second-leading county in the Greater Pittsburgh region in overall visitor spending and shows continued growth in significant categories such as Total Business Sales, Employment, Personal Income and State/Local Taxes generated by the tourism industry.  “Reaching over $800 million in visitor spending is a significant milestone for Washington County’s tourism efforts and further demonstrates that this industry is an important piece of our local economy,” stated Jeff Kotula, President of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency. “It also illustrates that our strategy to promote our exciting county in partnership with our local hotels, event operators, attractions, and municipalities is attracting visitors, growing our economy, and creating jobs for our residents.”

PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll announced Tuesday that a second daily roundtrip Pennsylvanian train service will begin service on November 18th. This collaboration with Amtrak and Norfolk Southern means service on the 444-mile trip between Pittsburgh and New York via Harrisburg, Philadelphia and other stops will double. It’s all part of the Shapiro Administration’s and federal investment in rail expansion. Officials say the expansion of service will give more Pennsylvanians access to modern, safe and reliable passenger rail service. They say the service will also provide economic development, jobs and infrastructure investment to the Commonwealth.  According to officials, Pennsylvania has sixty-five operating railroads – the most of any state in the country – and ranks third in total track mileage with more than 5,500 miles. Riders of the Pennsylvanian can enjoy coach and business-class seating, onboard wi-fi, and café service featuring Pennsylvania-inspired menu items. Tickets for the second daily Pennsylvanian will be available this week on Amtrak’s website and mobile app.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The FBI says it thwarted an attack on the Mall of America by a teenager after agents supplied him with an assault rifle. Authorities announced Wednesday that the 18-year-old had been under investigation for nearly two years, trading messages with a confidential informant. A federal complaint says Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested Tuesday in a public park after he paid $600 to an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of ISIS for an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition. It accuses Mohamud of repeatedly telling the informant that he wanted to kill non-Muslims. It was not immediately known if he has a lawyer to speak for him.

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Cornell University trustees have announced that former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates will review how the university handles sexual misconduct complaints. Tuesday’s announcement comes after days of outrage over allegations of a 2024 gang rape at a fraternity house. The review will cover how the university investigates reports of sexual assault and sexual harassment, how the disciplinary process works and more. Cornell officials have been heavily criticized for their response to a complaint from a woman who told campus police in 2024 that she had been sexually assaulted by multiple Chi Phi fraternity brothers. New York’s attorney general is conducting a criminal investigation, and the governor called for an independent review.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Christa Pike, a death row inmate in Tennessee, is awake and speaking after surviving a failed execution attempt. Pike lived after executioners tried to administer two doses of pentobarbital on Sept. 30. Her attorneys are heading to court Wednesday to seek more information from the Tennessee Department of Correction. They want a court order to preserve evidence from the attempted execution. Chancery Court Judge I’Ashea Myles has scheduled a Wednesday morning status conference in Nashville in the case. Pike was sentenced to death for the 1995 beating and stabbing death of Colleen Slemmer.

JERUSALEM (AP) — As Israel gears up for national elections this month, the country remains focused on Oct. 7. The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks are at the forefront of a bitter campaign that will determine the fate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Nearly every poster, stump speech or debate on television seems to reference the attack. Netanyahu’s opponents want him to pay for the failures that led to the deadliest day in Israel’s 78-year history and plunged the country into a series of inconclusive wars. His defenders say Netanyahu was betrayed by the military establishment and has led Israel through a dramatic rebound from its darkest hour.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer for ABC has asked a federal judge to prevent the Trump administration from conducting an unusual, early review of its broadcast licenses, likening it to a looming execution by guillotine. The network argued on Tuesday that the early review was already chilling its editorial decisions weeks before the U.S. midterm elections. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan did not immediately rule on ABC’s request for a preliminary injunction. A government attorney argued that, as a procedural matter, the court doesn’t have jurisdiction over ABC’s case because it belongs in a different venue. A ruling was not expected until at least mid-October.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oscar winner Eva Marie Saint has died at the age of 102. Saint’s family announced that she died Tuesday at her home in Los Angeles. The pale, willowy blonde who won an Academy Award as supporting actress for her first movie, “On the Waterfront,” and appeared opposite Cary Grant, Bob Hope, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Warren Beatty and other stars of the 1950s and 1960s. Her credits included the Alfred Hitchcock thriller “North by Northwest,” but she was also known for the films she declined: “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit” with Gregory Peck, “Summer and Smoke” with Laurence Harvey and “The Rainmaker” with Burt Lancaster.  (Photo:  AP)