State Police are on the scene of a shooting in Brownsville. Troopers have confirmed a shooting incident occurred around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. One person was flown to an area hospital but we have no word on their identity or condition. State Police have been going through a home at Water and 18th Streets. State Police say they expect to release additional information later this morning.
South Strabane Township Supervisors followed through on their promise to dissolve the Parks and Recreation Department. The action, characterized as a budgetary concern passed 3-2. Supervisors are also going through monthly expenditures with a fine tooth comb. Supervisor Zack Morgan was concentrating on the smallest of items that add up. He made sure that an email account that costs ten dollars a month was cancelled. He made sure that accompanying cell phone and computer plans were also cancelled. Supervisors also added into a settlement agreement that township solicitor fees be charged back to a company for having to redraft that settlement agreement. The township will also be seeking requests for proposals to update their comprehensive plan. The current plan has been in place since 2017. Township Manager Peter Stefansky says that with all of the building that is going on, it is important that zoning ordinances are in place to keep up with all of the changes occurring in the township. Stefansky also reminds residents of the public hearing that supervisors are holding concerning data centers. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 31 at 6:30 pm. It will be at the Fire Department Hall on Oak Springs Road. He said that shuttle service will be provided from the parking lot where the Dollar Bank once was located. The township wants to conserve on site parking for those individuals that have needs to be parked close to the building.
North Franklin Township Supervisor tells WJPA news that the first phase of the construction work at the former Washington Crown Center Mall is pretty much finished and crews next week, are preparing to move into phase two. Sabot says the retail stores that are there will remain open, but starting Monday, there will be no more walking allowed. Sabot says they are hoping the work will be completed in May or June and then, he says, he’ll be making a big announcement regarding new retail outlets for the facility. In September 2025, PREP Funds, based in Cleveland, and Los Angeles-based Industrial Realty Group acquired the mall and renamed it Franklin Crossroads Park.
A Fayette County high school teacher is facing criminal charges, accused of having inappropriate contact with a minor. State Police said in a release that an investigation began Monday when troopers received a report about inappropriate contact between an adult and a minor. During the investigation, troopers identified the accused adult as Daniel Cervone of Monongahela served as a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) instructor at Laurel Highlands High School. Cervone was taken into custody on Tuesday and charged with institutional sexual assault, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with a minor. The complaint states the victim told police she had a sexual relationship with Cervone in 2020 and claimed she spent “copious amounts of time” in his office on a “regular weekly basis” and had sex inside the high school once. The complaint goes on to say that after Cervone was taken into custody, he “confessed to the allegations which were made against him,” including having sex with a student on school property. Cervone’s arrest comes days after a different Laurel Highlands School District teacher was charged with attempted sexual assault, unlawful contact with minors and corruption of minors. (Photo: Fayette County DA Office)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has received a 15-point plan from the United States for a possible ceasefire even as Washington is beginning to move paratroopers to the Mideast. They will back up a contingent of Marines heading there on Wednesday. Iran’s military scoffed at the diplomatic effort and launched more attacks on Israel and the Persian Gulf region, including an assault that sparked a fire at Kuwait International Airport. Iran, which says there are no talks with the U.S., says that Washington is in no position to negotiate. Exact details have not been released, but the U.S. ceasefire plan touches on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Travel disruptions have deepened as senators are racing to salvage a proposal to end the Homeland Security shutdown. Democrats have refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security unless it made changes to its immigration and deportation operations. But unpaid Transportation Security Administration workers are failing to show up for shifts and at least 458 have quit altogether. Asked about the emerging plan Tuesday, President Donald Trump says he’s not happy with any deal. The deal would impose some but not all of the restraints Democrats have demanded on immigration operations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says it’s time to end the standoff.
Democrat Emily Gregory won a Florida special election on Tuesday, flipping a state legislative district that is home to Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach estate that President Donald Trump counts as his residence. The president had endorsed Gregory’s rival, Jon Maples. In a social media post Monday, he urged voters to turn out, saying Maples was backed “by so many of my Palm Beach County friends.” Democrats celebrated the victory as the latest sign voters are turning against Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections in November. Tuesday was the latest in a series of lopsided or improbable victories in special elections across the country since Trump returned to the White House more than a year ago. The district was previously represented by Mike Caruso, a Republican who resigned to become Palm Beach County’s clerk. Caruso won by 19 percentage points in 2024.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for access to evidence they say they need to independently probe three shootings by federal officers, including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The lawsuit claims that the federal government reneged on its promise to cooperate with state investigations after the surge of federal law enforcement in Minneapolis, and are seeking a court order demanding that the Trump administration comply. The lawsuit said the federal government is not permitted to “withhold investigative evidence for the purpose of shielding law enforcement officers from scrutiny.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The jump in gas prices stemming from the war in Iran has had another impact that may also affect many Americans’ finances: Higher interest rates. Longer-term interest rates have risen quickly since the war began Feb. 28, pushing up the cost of mortgage loans, auto loans, and business borrowing. And with inflation measures likely to rise in the coming months, the prospect of interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve is fading. Wall Street investors instead see the odds rising of an actual rate hike instead.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico jury finds that social media conglomerate Meta is harmful to children’s mental health and in violation of state consumer protection law. The jury announced its verdict Tuesday as another jury deliberates a similar case in California against Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. State prosecutors said Meta prioritized profits over safety in violation of the state’s Unfair Practices Act and failed to adequately monitor the platforms for child sexual exploitation. Attorneys for Meta say company discloses risks and makes efforts to weed out harmful content and experiences, but that some bad material gets through its safety net. A Meta spokesperson says the company will appeal.
