WJPA News

A multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 79, north, around the Marianna, Amity/Lone Pine exits, left at least two people injured, one in critical condition.  A 911 Supervisor says it happened around eight o’clock, Thursday night, when a tractor-trailer lost its load of metal beams or pipes, causing at least a four to five-car pile-up.  The supervisor says no medical helicopters were able to fly because of the weather.  As a result, one person was taken by ambulance, in critical condition, to a Pittsburgh hospital.  The second person was transported by ground to a local hospital.  The northbound lanes were closed for some six-hours because of the crash.

Work on the lower part of the concrete arch bridge, between Boyce Road and Upper St Clair High School, will be completed this weekend, with a 2 day closure (11/14 & 11/15) so crews can safely remove scaffolding and concrete forms.

During the final meeting of the Washington County Local Emergency Planning Committee for 2026, The Washington County Department of Public Safety spoke of their recognition by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for their efforts to address flooding concerns and coordinate local agencies to help those who sustained flood damage during floods on September 12 and 20. Dustyn Montgomery, Emergency Planning Officer for WCPDS organized efforts to combine the two events into one event to have the county qualify for SBA loan opportunities and PEMA DRAP grants. He guided the county in arranging several events for residents to apply for programs. His leadership has been described as a model for similar future Pennsylvania events. Residents may still apply for SBA loans until December 22, 2026 and for PEMA DRAP grants until January 26, 2027.  Deputy Director of the WCPDS Dan Harvey reviewed two hazmat incidents that occurred over the last month. The New Eagle Municipal Sewer Authority is working through an underground thermos-reaction. A parking lot is currently emitting temperature readings of 170-180 degrees. It is unknown what is causing the reaction but it is being monitored daily. The second incident is the accumulation of what has been determined as waste oil in a pond at Forest Lawn Gardens Cemetery in Peters Township. The DEP is working on determining where the oil is coming from. They seem to have it narrowed down to an automobile repair facility or a dealership repair facility on Rt. 19. The WCDPS is also updating their Hazard Mitigation Plan. (Photo: WCDPS Facebook Page)

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce held a breakfast briefing that featured Kate Nolan Bryden, the senior vice president of development for Prime Data Centers. The company is proposing a development at Starpointe Business Park in Hanover Township, which would consist of seven buildings and a power generation facility. During the briefing, Bryden discussed the economic development and job growth that a data center would bring to the township. Bryden explains that Prime will continue to be transparent with community members, and they are committed to following the guidelines in the township’s ordinance. Alex Paris is part-owner of Starpointe Business Park. He spoke briefly about the revenue that the development would create for the township, school, county, and state. Jeff Kotula, the president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, explains that it was important to bring the business community together to discuss the opportunities, challenges, and concerns that come with a data center.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police say a gunman has killed a man at a Washington, D.C., gym before fleeing and shooting four more people in a scene that has rattled a popular neighborhood near the White House. The Metropolitan Police Department’s interim chief says the suspect later shot himself inside an apartment where he’d been speaking by phone to police negotiators. Mayor Muriel Bowser says she’s “devastated” at the loss of life in a “senseless act of gun violence.” The shootings occurred Thursday morning in Logan Circle, just north of the White House. A witness at the gym says people in its cardio area had to step over the dead victim’s body to get out.

HONG KONG (AP) — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is resigning after his affair raises national security concerns. The company named Colette Kress as interim CEO on Thursday. She is the current executive vice president and chief financial officer. Huang faced growing calls to resign after his affair with an alleged Chinese spy. Late Wednesday, media reports said Huang had another extramarital affair with an Nvidia employee who reports to him. Shares of Nvidia, one of the largest companies in the world, plunged 10% in premarket trading Thursday.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s mayor says at least eight people have died after a three-story building in Brooklyn collapsed at the edge of a construction site. The announcement Thursday from Mayor Zohran Mamdani came as firefighters kept digging through the rubble to find others who may be trapped beneath the wreckage. The structure fell at the edge of a construction site on Wednesday afternoon. Rescuers worked overnight into Thursday, using dogs to sniff for survivors. The cause of the collapse is under investigation. The three-story building was a mixed-use structure with apartments above commercial space. Mamdani says at least 17 people have been injured, including three firefighters.

MOSCOW (AP) — Envoys for U.S. President Donald Trump have arrived in Moscow to discuss U.S.-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine. Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff attended negotiations in Abu Dhabi which ended Wednesday with an agreement on a prisoner exchange. But no significant progress was made on ending the nearly five-year conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the prisoner exchange but insisted Ukraine won’t cede territory for peace. Russia and Ukraine remain divided on key issues including post-conflict security and European involvement in talks. Kushner aims to include European countries in future discussions.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi has elected its first Black U.S. senator since post-Civil War Reconstruction and delivered Democrats a major upset in a rocky midterm election for the GOP. Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in the Deep South state that has been controlled mostly by white conservatives for generations. Colom noted Mississippi’s civil rights history in his Wednesday night victory speech but pledged to represent all Mississippians. The Associated Press called the contest Wednesday evening. Hyde-Smith posted a concession video on social media. National and Mississippi Democrats are celebrating the win as a seismic shift in the state and region. Colom capitalized on the state’s large Black population, discontent with the economy and Hyde-Smith’s mistakes.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska judge has ruled that a request by Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign for a list of absentee voters whose ballots have been rejected is “not reasonable.” Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews cited in part the tight timeline elections officials face as they continue processing and counting ballots. Attorneys for Peltola’s campaign had sued state elections officials, seeking a list of absentee voters whose ballots have been rejected and the reasons for the rejections. They said their intent was to ensure that all qualified voters have their ballots counted. But attorneys for the state said the information requested would violate voter privacy.

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation case against the BBC remains on track for now. A federal judge in Florida ruled Tuesday that Trump’s defamation claim could proceed, though the judge didn’t rule on its merits. The BBC had sought to dismiss the case. The judge dismissed part of the case related to Florida’s unfair business practices law. Trump’s lawsuit filed in December accuses the publicly funded British broadcaster of defamation over the documentary “Trump: A Second Chance.” The BBC has apologized for its editing but denies it defamed Trump. A different judge has ordered Trump to sit for a deposition by Dec. 11.

WASHINGTON (AP) — More evidence this week of hot inflation in the U.S. was unpleasant news for the Federal Reserve, not to mention consumers: Rising prices may be spreading beyond the one-time shocks from tariffs and high gas prices into the wider economy, meaning that mortgages, credit cards and other forms of borrowing are likely to become increasingly expensive. Tuesday’s consumer price index report showed broadly rising costs across a range of goods and services. There is increasing anxiety among Fed officials that higher oil prices stemming from the Iran war may last longer than previously thought.