July 22, 2026 4:56 am
Former Pennsylvania House representative Jesse White is reportedly facing federal child pornography charges. WTAE says court papers show that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received complaints through their CyberTipline last month. The report flagged what appeared to be produced or homemade files. According to the report, White was identified as the person behind the report. The FBI reportedly executed a search warrant at White’s home in Mechanicsburg, where computers and hard drives were seized. Court papers say one of the laptops contained files containing child pornography images depicting minors between the ages of 7 and 15. He allegedly told agents he used Telegram and the Tor Browser to access the content. White was a Democrat who represented the 46 Legislative District, which included parts of Washington, Allegheny and Beaver counties, from 2007 to 2015.
July 22, 2026 12:38 pm
The Parkway East could reopen sooner than expected. PennDOT’s Commercial Street Bridge Replacement project closed I-376 in both directions between the Squirrel Hill Tunnel and Edgewood Swissvale exit July 10. It was originally slated to reopen Aug. 3rd. On Wednesday, Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll said the project is running ahead of schedule, and the Parkway is now anticipated to reopen in “the middle of next week.” Carroll called the project an “immaculate construction,” saving drivers four years of traffic restrictions by condensing them into less than a month. “Knowing the Commercial Street Bridge is a main artery into the city, every single day that this closure has occurred counts, and it’s not lost on me that our work to reopen the Parkway is critically important, so important, in fact, that the crews have been working 24 hours a day each day that we’ve had the Parkway closed,” Carroll said. The $95 million project recently saw a new bridge deck slide 102 feet to replace the old deck, which was imploded.
July 22, 2026 2:17 am
The former director of the Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League is due to be sentenced in October in Washington County Court after pleading guilty to charges related to the theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars from the organization over the past few years. Fifty-seven-year-old William Spencer of Canton Township was charged with embezzling nearly a quarter-of-a-million dollars in league assets to personal accounts. spencer was director of the Washington/Greene Youth Football League — now known as the Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League (WPYFL) — from 2013 until he resigned in March 2025. During that time, Spencer diverted league funds to his accounts to fund credit cards, bolster a retirement account, and make various purchases at Amazon, restaurants, and other retailers. The Office of Attorney General’s Financial Crimes Section charged Spencer with felony and misdemeanor counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, and two misdemeanor counts of misapplication of entrusted property. In total, Spencer is accused of fraudulently writing 187 checks payable to himself from WPYFL’s accounts, totaling about $230,000, from January 4, 2020, through February 18, 2025. Additionally, Spencer made direct payments totaling over $3,000 from WPYFL’s accounts to accounts in his and/or his wife’s name, without the knowledge or consent of WPYFL.
July 22, 2026 4:44 am
North Strabane Township’s agenda setting meeting contained largely day to day decisions for next week’s voting meeting. In department reports, the Public Safety department reported on traffic calming measures. Director of Public Safety Mark Grimm commented on a joint effort that has been going on for more than two weeks. North Strabane Township, Peters Township and Pennsylvania State Police have been conducting speed enforcement along Waterdam Road. According to Grimm, the two townships gathered 196 warnings, 93 tickets and 3 arrests with excessive speed being the primary offense. One of those arrests involved a driver going 85 miles per hour. According to police, the road sees more than 7200 vehicles a day. It is a cut through from Rt. 19 to the outer reaches of North Strabane, Peters and Nottingham Townships, and it passes several housing developments along the way. Resident complaints and an excessive number of accidents prompted the department to apply for and receive a grant to cover the cost of the enforcement. Grimm said that speed enforcement will continue. He said that VASCAR speed lines have been painted on Waterdam Road for future enforcement. (Photo: North Strabane Township Police Department Facebook Page)
July 22, 2026 2:27 am
Charleroi, PA – GA Group Real Estate (“GA Group”) announced on Tuesday that the former Corelle Glass facility in Charleroi is now for sale. The waterfront property once served as an economic engine of Charleroi for over 130 years. Following its closure in 2025, several efforts were made by borough officials to work with the owners to keep it open or sell the property, but the plant closed, putting hundreds of people out of work. The Corelle Brand is known globally for making Pyrex and the parent company of Anchor Hocking, a previous competitor, acquired the Charleroi plant. and then announced plans to move all glassmaking operations from Charleroi to its plant in Lancaster, Ohio. Chris Draper, Senior Vice President at GA Group, says the offering represents a formal call for offers on a premier heavy industrial riverfront property which features extensive glassmaking infrastructure, including glass melting furnaces, and a substantial 110,000 sq. ft. warehouse equipped with cold-storage capabilities and 25-foot clear heights. Draper highlighted the facilities location, approximately thirty miles south of Pittsburgh with direct access to I-70, as an ideal logistics link to major eastern U.S. markets. Draper says the deadline for all formal purchase offers is August 13th, 2026. Charleroi Borough Manager Joe Manning says the borough is thrilled with the news that the plant is now for sale. He say it could offer a new beginning for Charleroi with the addition of new jobs.
July 22, 2026 2:30 am
PennDOT has announced a scheduled closure of Brush Run Road (PA-331) between Oak Ridge Road (Rt. 4061) and PA-231 in Hopewell Township, Washington County beginning Monday, July 27 at 7 am. A posted detour will be in place until late October utilizing Oak Ridge Road, Buffalo Creek Road and PA-231. PennDOT Force Crews will perform slide repair work, dependent on weather and operational conditions.
July 22, 2026 5:06 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military says it completed the 11th night of strikes on Iran as attacks across the Middle East overshadowed diplomatic efforts to salvage an interim ceasefire deal that has collapsed. U.S. Central Command said the targets of the strikes into Wednesday morning included aircraft hangars and drone storage sites. The barrage came after President Donald Trump telegraphed that strikes would be intensifying. Before the strikes, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict. But it was unclear what new arrangement might be reached to end the war, which has become a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the U.S. had no interest in talks.
July 22, 2026 5:00 am
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned Asian leaders that Iran’s demand to control the Strait of Hormuz threatens the global economy and freedom of navigation. He was speaking Wednesday at an ASEAN meeting in the Philippine capital, Manila, with Southeast Asian leaders concerned about the impact of the war in Iran on their economies. Despite the U.S. focus on the war, Rubio reassured ASEAN countries of continued support and emphasized the danger of allowing a nation to control an international waterway. Rubio also met with Quad partners, where they reaffirmed their commitment to maritime security initiatives that seek to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
July 22, 2026 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. war against Iran has cost $37.5 billion so far. Hegseth faced fiery questions and protests over the U.S. war against Iran at a Senate hearing Tuesday. Hegseth and other officials appeared as Republicans push a $95 billion budget package to fund the military, along with aid to farmers and voting law changes that are top White House priorities. Their appearance came after it was announced that three more American service members have died in the conflict, bringing the death toll to 17. The Pentagon also disclosed that more than 100 have been injured since early July.
July 22, 2026 5:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has moved to head-off a potential government shutdown before this fall’s critical midterm elections. Republicans on Tuesday muscled through a bill to fund the federal government through Dec. 4. The deadline for action is more than two months away. But House GOP leaders are not leaving to chance a possible shutdown souring the mood of voters shortly before they go to the polls. Republicans said work on annual spending bills would continue, but that funding the government temporarily would help lawmakers avoid a repeat of the past year, when the country experienced two government shutdowns of record length. Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the measure, saying Republicans took a go-it-alone approach.
