August 6, 2026 5:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate committee has approved a motion to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress and refer him to the Justice Department for potential prosecution over his refusal to answer questions at a hearing last week focused on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the Republican committee chairman, has said the constitutional protection did not apply since Fauci last year received a pardon from President Joe Biden.
August 6, 2026 5:19 am
CANONSBURG, Pa. — Heavy rains led to flash flooding Wednesday evening in Canonsburg. Water along West Pike Street has since receded and the road is back open, but it was a much different story about 6:30 p.m. when heavy rainfall quickly made driving conditions a bit dangerous. People worked to clear the drains. Morganza Road in North Strabane Township was also flooded. A tow truck worked to recover a car stuck in the water. No weather-related injuries were reported.
August 6, 2026 5:06 am
Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco has released his annual report for 2025 and it shows a continued reduction in the number of fatal overdoses. According to the report, there were 47 such deaths last year and that is ten fewer than in 2024. That number is also down from a record high of 109 back in 2016. The report says 19 of those who overdosed were between the ages of 40 and 49. Fentanyl played a role in 48-percent of those deaths. The report shows there were 7 total homicide cases and 34 deaths by suicide, which is an increase of 3 compared to 2024. 29 of those were male and 3 were female. If you or someone you know is in crisis you can call, text or visit the 988 Lifeline.
August 6, 2026 4:45 am
During a public hearing Wednesday night, Hanover Township supervisors considered a conditional use permit for a data center in Starpointe Business Park. The hearing was standing room only, with many residents voicing concerns about traffic, air and noise pollution, water usage, decreasing property values, and impacts on wildlife. Resident Kerri Hageter says that she is proud of the community for showing up and letting their voices be heard. Before Prime Data Centers L-L-C began their presentation, a representative for Hanover residents informed the board that the developer’s application may not include everything that the township’s ordinance requires. There was an executive session followed by an announcement that the hearing will be continued. The continuation is set for Monday, August 31 at 6:00 PM at the Hanover Volunteer Fire Department Hall. Resident Katie Weber believes that this will give supervisors an opportunity to gather more information before making a decision. Resident Kobe Sarracino feels that the supervisors should be more educated about data centers, so continuing the hearing at a later date was necessary.
August 6, 2026 2:39 am
Funeral arrangements have been announced for long-time local sports broadcaster, Bill DiFabio. DiFabio’s voice was a familiar one to area residents, having broadcast his sports reports here on WJPA Radio and other local outlets, in addition to writing a column for the Observer Reporter Newspaper for many years. DiFabio also had his own sports network, with broadcasts that went out, at one time, to more than sixty-station outlets. He also served as the Public Address Announcer for the Washington Wild Things since their inception. Visitation will be held from five p.m. until eight p.m. on Tuesday, August 11th, at the Beinhauer Family Funeral Home at 2828 Washington Road in McMurray, Pennsylvania. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday morning at ten, at Immaculate Conception Church at 119 West Chestnut Street in Washington. Burial will be in Washington Cemetery.
August 6, 2026 5:25 am
CAIRO (AP) — Iran and Oman have moved closer to an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz. This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal to reopen the critical waterway could be announced soon. The strait’s closure has driven up global fuel prices. Regional officials tell the AP that Iranian and Omani negotiators have finalized a draft deal to reopen the strait, pending approval from Iran’s supreme leader. Meanwhile, new tensions have emerged in Lebanon as the Israeli military issued the first evacuation warning in weeks for some residents in the south.
August 6, 2026 5:23 am
BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli military said two of its soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon in the first Israeli deaths since the implementation of a shaky truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in June. The Israeli army launched strikes Wednesday in southern Lebanon in response to what it described as Hezbollah’s violation of the ceasefire. The latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets across the border two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their attacks on Iran. A truce between Israel and Hezbollah has largely held since June 20, but Israeli forces have continued to occupy swaths of southern Lebanon and to carry out airstrikes and shelling.
August 6, 2026 5:29 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s not clear why a plane was allowed to take off as President Donald Trump’s helicopter was approaching Reagan National Airport in an apparent violation of safety procedures put in place after last year’s midair collision between an airliner and an Army helicopter near that busy Washington D.C. airport. Both the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident that happened Tuesday as Marine One left the White House for Andrews Air Force Base with the president aboard. A commercial jet took off at the same time. The FAA decided after 67 people died on Jan. 29, 2025 that all takeoffs and landings at Reagan would be halted anytime a helicopter passes by the airport.
August 6, 2026 5:24 am
NEW GLARUS, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin is the latest state where the battle over the direction of the Democratic Party will play out. The state’s primary for governor to be decided on Tuesday features a democratic socialist against a candidate endorsed by Gov. Tony Evers. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is trying to ride the Evers endorsement to a win in a year when voters upset with mainstream Democrats have propelled outsiders to victory. Francesca Hong is tapping into that anger in her candidacy to move Wisconsin to the left. It’s been a chaotic primary with Crowley rejoining the race last month after another top candidate dropped out.
August 5, 2026 5:17 pm
According to multiple news outlets in West Virginia, an orthopedic doctor with WVU’s School of Medicine is facing charges after multiple victims say that he knowingly gave them herpes. The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office says it received a report claiming that 35-year-old John Jacob Pisquiy of Morgantown “is a carrier of Genital Herpes and intentionally and knowingly exposed and infected several victims through intimate relations.” Authorities say that their investigation revealed that multiple victims had the same complaint. Medical records show that Pisquiy tested positive for the disease multiple times across various health systems, once in April 2025 and again in March 2026. However, witnesses said he “intentionally concealed this information” and “consistently denied having the disease when confronted.” Pisquiy has been charged with one count of communication of disease and one count of domestic battery. He was arraigned in Monongalia County last week and pleaded not guilty. He is free on four-thousand-dollars bond
