September 11, 2026 4:23 pm
It has been 25 years since terrorists hijacked airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and a vacant field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. South Strabane Township police and fire departments held their annual 9/11 memorial on a bright, blue sky morning honoring the 2977 people that were killed that day. More than 100 people were on hand as a single bell tolled to open the ceremony. Pastor Gary Gibson, Chaplain of the Washington Health System reflected on the unity the nation felt immediately after the event and how our seemingly divided nation needs to return to that unity, knowing we are all children of God. Pastor Robert Grewe, South Strabane Fire and Washington County Sheriff’s Chaplain drew comparisons between the hymn “Amazing Grace” with the lyric ‘once blind, but now I see’ and the experience first responders must have felt when they heroically were blinded by smoke as they entered and exited the rubble of the World Trade Center trying to save anyone they could. Donna Gmitter was working as a Service Director for United Airlines that day. She recalled how difficult it was trying to answer questions for victim’s families when they had no answers themselves and, in fact, were looking for 17 aircraft that could not be traced. Departing South Strabane Township Fire Chief Jordan called for understanding among people and to make sure that first responders and victims and their families remain supported by the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund and advocacy for them is never diminished.
September 11, 2026 4:58 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. is commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that left nearly 3,000 people dead and the nation shaken. On Friday’s anniversary people will mark memorials by laying wreaths, flying flags, reading victim names and holding moments of silence and vigils. President Donald Trump plans to attend a ceremony at the Pentagon. Other administration officials are expected at the observance at the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania. In 2001 attackers took command of four commercial jets and rammed them into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attacks left a decades-long trail of aftermath, from personal grief to far-flung wars.
September 11, 2026 5:44 pm
Aliesha Walz, the president and CEO of the Washington County Community Foundation says they are still counting the donations, but as of Friday, the Day of Giving raised more than $1.68 million for the local nonprofit community. Walz says WCCF Gives 2026 brought donors, nonprofits, businesses, and neighbors together for another extraordinary day of giving across Washington County. Every contribution made through WCCF Gives helps participating charities continue the work they do right here at home. Whether you made a gift, shared a participating charity’s story, or helped spread the word about WCCF Gives, the WCCF says thank you for being part of it. And while Gives Day may be over, we’re not quite finished counting. Mailed gifts are still being received, and final prizes, including Power Boost awards, are being calculated. We’ll share the official WCCF Gives 2026 grant totals soon.
September 11, 2026 1:09 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials have declared the largest cyclospora food poisoning outbreak in the country’s history over. The FDA said Friday that all recalled iceberg lettuce linked to the outbreak is off the market. Cyclospora is a microscopic, spherical parasite that commonly causes watery diarrhea. Nearly 13,000 cases were reported. The outbreak affected 21 states, with Michigan hit hardest. The parasite spreads through human feces, but the exact contamination source remains unclear. The FDA has ended inspections at the Mexican facility.
September 11, 2026 9:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation accelerated last month as gas prices spiked in the wake of renewed fighting in the Middle East, underscoring the affordability challenges that are top of mind for many voters as midterm elections near. The Labor Department said Friday that the consumer price index rose 3.4% last month compared with a year ago, the same as in July. But on a monthly basis, inflation accelerated, as costs jumped 0.4% from July to August, up from an increase of just 0.1% the previous month. The figures show that inflation remains stubbornly elevated, more than five years after prices first soared as the economy emerged from the COVID pandemic.
September 10, 2026 1:40 am
Washington County held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new forty-one-million-dollar Public Safety building Thursday afternoon. The three-story facility will replace the Courthouse Square building on Beau Street. Commission Chair Nick Sherman says that this is a new beginning, and he believes taxpayers are willing to pay for public safety. Sherman explains that all three floors will be utilized for 9-1-1 operations, the sheriff’s office, and court relations. Commission Vice Chair Electra Janis explains that the old building was not structurally sound, and the best option was to knock it down and start over. Janis views the Public Safety building as an investment into the future. Commissioner Larry Maggi announced that he would not attend the ceremony due to concerns regarding the condition of the site and the cost of the project. Massaro Corporation is the lead prime general contractor for the project. President Steven Massaro says that the responsibility of using the right labor and developing a great building for the taxpayers is motivating. Massaro says there is still more demolition to be done, and then they can move into excavation and the foundation for the building. He expects the project to get started in about 30 days and be completed 18 months after that.
September 11, 2026 4:54 am
A North Strabane Township man accused of sexually assaulting six juveniles in his home as far back as 2012 has now scheduled three trials for those offenses. Leo McIntyre, 31 had negotiated a plea deal with the district attorney for a sentence of 10-30 years for all six cases in June of 2025. At his sentencing hearing in December, Judge Traci McDonald rejected the plea deal and sentenced McIntyre to 32-64 years in jail. McIntyre and his lawyers immediately withdrew his guilty plea and asked for a jury trial. During the 90 minute pre trial conference on Thursday, defense attorneys severed two of the cases from the other four and McIntyre will now face 3 separate trials. His first trial will be November 2 where he will face 2 counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, corruption of minors, child endangerment and indecent assault of a minor charges. McIntyre still has a plea deal covering all six cases for a jail sentence of 21-42 years in jail. Prosecutors said that in the first case alone, if he were convicted of all charges, he could be sentenced to 12½ to 42 years in jail, before the other trials even began. McIntyre’s second trial will commence December 9 and the final trial encompassing the 4 remaining cases has yet to be scheduled.
September 11, 2026 4:59 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Diesel prices in the U.S. has hit yet another record, soaring past $6 a gallon on average as Washington’s war with Iran disrupts the world’s flow of fuel. The national average of $6.05 is up from $5.85 last week and $3.70 from this time last year, according to motor club AAA. Higher diesel prices mean more expensive transportation for a long list of everyday goods. That’s because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks. And some businesses have already passed along steeper costs to consumers in the form of added fees.
September 10, 2026 5:00 am
DALLAS (AP) — President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance teamed up to close out the second and final night of the Republicans’ midterm convention in Dallas. They implored voters to stick together to save their party’s majorities in Congress in the November. Republicans are counting on Trump, and Vance, to rally voter enthusiasm. They’re also setting the stage for what comes next, in the post-Trump era. The party’s House and Senate majorities are at stake this fall. Republicans are working to shrug off voter concerns about the economy, the war in Iran and the direction of the country, and they are warning of what’s coming if Democrats seize power.
September 10, 2026 2:54 am
Harrisburg, PA – In support of the continued preservation and celebration of the Commonwealth’s rich history for the nation’s 250th anniversary and beyond, the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) today announced the award of nearly $4 million in Cultural and Historical Support Grants. This year’s funding will empower 182 eligible museums and official county historical societies across 60 Pennsylvania counties. “Museums and historical societies all across the Commonwealth share in telling the story of Pennsylvania, its diverse communities and regions, and the important role they have played in our nation’s story,” says Andrea Lowery, Executive Director of PHMC. “We are thrilled to be able to help support these vital institutions in their efforts to preserve and share Pennsylvania’s rich history.” Designed to fortify Pennsylvania’s foundational history and museum community, the grant program delivers essential, unrestricted operating support to qualifying institutions. To qualify for the 2026-2027 grant cycle, eligible museums must maintain an annual operating budget of over $100,000 (excluding capital and in-kind contributions) and employ at least one full-time professional or an approved equivalent. In Washington County, the money is going to several different organizations, including the Bradford House Historical Association – $8,500; Meadowcroft Museum of Rural Life – $47,000; the Duncan Glass Society for the Duncan Miller Glass Museum – $6,000; the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum Inc – $30,000 and the Washington County Historical Society – $9,500.
