A man was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital after an oxygen tank exploded at a home in Canton Township. Washington County 911 dispatchers said emergency crews were called to the 100 block of Bench Avenue just before 7 p.m. Canton Township Volunteer Fire Company said an oxygen tank exploded at that location. Dispatchers said the man in his late 70s suffered burns. His identity and condition have not been released.
Washington City Council entertained a largely day to day business agenda on Thursday. Among the items approved were several for the Fire Department. Council approved the conditional hire of four fire fighters. They also approved the purchase of several items using grant monies. A Pennsylvania State Fire Grant will fund a Shipping Container to be used at the department’s fire training facility. It will also fund the purchase of rescue mannequins. With the help of a grant from the Washington County Community Foundation, the department will purchase a thermal imaging camera. Several properties were approved to be added to the demolition list. Those properties are 130 Woodland Avenue and 490 Glenn Street. The property at 17 South Street will be added to the demolition hearing list.
Demolition has resumed on the Courthouse Square building. Because of that demolition, the City of Washington will be closing West Beau Street in the construction zone for the next month, beginning April 6. After their meeting, Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman provided an update to the project. He says that according to ADAMO Demolition, the time-frame for construction of the new Public Safety building has not been altered due to the accident that saw a large backhoe fall into a hole in early March. Sherman says that ADAMO and OSHA are characterizing the incident as an accident. Sherman says there has been no change in how crews are attacking the demolition. Actual demolition of the building should occur in approximately three weeks. In other county business, commissioners approved a measure to join the WestCORE regional cooperative group. The group is comprised of several southwestern Pennsylvania counties. It will avail the Washington County Public Safety department to new technologies and products important to public safety and communications.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s (PennDOT’s) Engineering District 12, and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), invites the public to participate in a Virtual Plans Display to review and provide feedback on the 2026 Bridge Preservation Project in Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. The display is available at PennDOT’s website, and “Projects Near You” page. The projects involve construction activities that are vital to extending the life of the structures at eight separate locations across District 12. Safety improvements will also be made to bring guide-rail and drainage up to current standards. Construction activities vary at each location, but consist of concrete lining, repairs to the head-walls and wing-walls, asphalt overlays, and rock protection. Construction activities will include short-term single-lane closures or detours. Work at each site is expected to take two to three weeks. The purpose of this Virtual Plans Display is to provide information on the 2026 Bridge Preservation Project
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting that Walt Maddox has died. Maddox, who would become the leader of The Marcels, died Monday at the age of 88. Maddox was from the North Side neighborhood of Manchester. He started out as a street-corner singer in a group called The Blenders, who were managed by popular local deejay Barry Kaye. In the summer of 1961, The Marcels underwent a shakeup. As a group featuring both Black and white members, it faced hostility touring in the Deep South. When two white members departed, Maddox joined. By September, he was singing second tenor on the group’s second and final Top 40 hit, “Heartaches” (No. 7), a song associated with Guy Lombardo. The group made regular appearances at the annual Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll shows presented by Pittsburgh promoter Henry DeLuca. Over the past decade, Maddox managed the Marcels without performing.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A channel affiliated with Iranian state television has claimed that a U.S. fighter pilot ejected from their aircraft over southwestern Iran. It was not clear what may have happened to the plane, including whether Iran was claiming it was shot down or there was another issue. If the claim is confirmed, it could lead to yet another dramatic escalation in the war. It is nearing the end of its fifth week. The U.S. did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The anchor on the Iranian channel urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward for anyone who did.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ousted the Army’s top uniformed officer and two other generals as the U.S. wages a war against Iran. Top Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Thursday that Gen. Randy George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately.” George has held the post of Army chief of staff, which typically runs for four years, since August 2023. His is just the latest in a series of firings of top military officers. A Pentagon official says Hegseth also fired Army Gen. David Hodne and Army Maj. Gen. William Green. No reasons have been given for the departures, which come nearly five weeks into U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — There has been little sign Friday of the war in the Mideast winding down as Israel says it faced incoming fire from Iran, and Kuwait and Bahrain also reported being under attack. In Iran, eight people were killed while celebrating the close of Persian new year near a major bridge hit by a U.S. strike. Tehran continued to demonstrate its ability to strike its neighbors even as U.S. President Donald Trump claimed the threat from the country was nearly eliminated. Iran’s strikes on its neighbors along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world’s energy supplies far beyond the Middle East.
TOKYO (AP) — Oil prices are surging on worries of a prolonged Iran war while most Asian financial markets are rising moderately during cautious trading. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 11.4% to $111.54 a barrel. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 7.8% to $109.03 per barrel. Stocks rose in Japan and South Korea, while declining in Shanghai. Markets were closed for the Good Friday holiday in other Asian markets, as well as France, Germany and Britain and Wall Street. Crude oil prices have been driving sharp swings for stocks globally. Shipping traffic has been severely curtailed in the Strait of Hormuz.
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that could slap long-threatened pharmaceutical tariffs of up to 100% on some patented drugs from companies that don’t reach deals with his administration in the coming months. Companies that have signed a “most favored nation” pricing deal and are actively building facilities in the U.S. to onshore production of patented pharmaceuticals and their ingredients will have a 0% tariff. For those that don’t have a pricing deal but are building such projects in the U.S., a 20% tariff will apply but increase to 100% in four years. Companies still have months to negotiate before the 100% tariffs kick in. Also Thursday, Trump rolled out an update on his 50% tariffs on imported steel, aluminum and copper.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s new White House ballroom has gotten final approval from a key commission. This comes after a federal judge ordered a halt to construction unless Congress approves the project. The Trump-appointed chair of the National Capital Planning Commission said the agency moved ahead with Thursday’s vote because the judge’s ruling affects construction, not planning. The ballroom is estimated to cost $400 million and has faced opposition and legal challenges. The Republican president aims to complete the ballroom project before his term ends in 2029. The ballroom will include security upgrades and is funded by donations and public dollars for security enhancements.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Artemis II astronauts have fired their engines and are blazing toward the moon. The so-called translunar ignition came 25 hours after liftoff, putting the three Americans and one Canadian on course for a lunar fly-around early next week. Their Orion capsule has bolted out of orbit around Earth and chased after the moon nearly 250,000 miles away. It is the first engine firing for a moon crew since Apollo 17 set out on that era’s final moonshot in 1972. NASA had the Artemis II crew stick close to home for a day to test their capsule’s life-support systems before clearing them for lunar departure.
