October 12, 2026 5:22 am
An investigation is underway into a fire early Monday morning in Cross Creek Township. Washington County 911 tells WJPA News is broke out just after midnight along Browntown Road. Dispatchers say it is unclear if the home was occupied. At this time, there have been no reports of any injuries. It’s unclear what may have sparked the fire.
October 12, 2026 4:54 am
The man shot by police while serving a search warrant in the City of Washington has died. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner confirms that Darion Thompson, 26, died at the hospital Friday. State Police say their Computer Crime Unit was service a warrant along Oak Street around 6:30 a.m. for alleged possessing child pornography. Troopers say a woman who answered the door allowed them to enter. Once inside, police say Thompson took out a gun and troopers fired. He was transported to a Pittsburgh hospital were he reportedly was on life support. Washington Mayor Jo Jo Burgess says Thompson was his cousin. According to Burgess, the man was deaf and that police had been to the home before. Burgess is questioning why this encounter ended in gunfire. It is unclear if troopers knew Thompson was deaf. The mayor wants body camera video released tell out news partners at WPXI ,“If you come up in my house in the morning and I’m sleeping, I’m telling you right now, you’re gonna be met with something,” Burgess said. “… If that is the facts, and he did, and you’re giving him commands — he is deaf. He can’t hear them, so he can’t follow them. We need to know where the lack of communication and the breakdown was.”
October 12, 2026 5:03 am
ERIE, Pa. (AP) — A man whose toddler was among eight people killed in a mass shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, says the gunman was a grandfather who never seemed distressed or out of the ordinary. Julius Windham said Sunday that he believed the 45-year-old shooter’s affable demeanor was “a front.” Windham spoke to The Associated Press as he stood at a memorial to victims of Friday’s shooting, including his 1-year-old daughter Amarianna, her pregnant mother and the woman’s 5-year-old son and unborn baby. The gunman took his own life. Erie Police Chief Rick Lorah says he was related to seven of the victims.
October 12, 2026 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are considering firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle after a series of reports alleging she has engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. A senior U.S. official said Sunday that Trump and Rubio are “extremely pissed off” by Guilfoyle’s reported conduct and will likely decide on what action to take this week. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Rubio had been particularly angry, not least because he visited Athens just last week and Guilfoyle attended most, if not all, of his events and greeted him on his arrival with a bear hug as the allegations swirled.
October 12, 2026 5:11 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say Russia continues to strike Ukraine’s energy facilities despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of an “energy ceasefire.” On Monday, the Regional Prosecutor’s Office of Kharkiv reported an attack on an energy facility. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia is still hitting infrastructure in Kyiv and Kharkiv. The European Union’s top diplomat is skeptical of the ceasefire, noting there are no signs that Russia will respect it. Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack on Sunday in Kharkiv killed three people and injured nine others. Ukrainian air defense forces intercepted 89 Russian drones overnight into Monday.
October 12, 2026 5:13 am
A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to cancel any remaining television commercials paid for with millions of dollars in taxpayer money to promote his political message. The administration said the ad campaign was already coming to an end. The judge sided with a coalition that challenged the ads as an illegal misuse of funds. She told the administration to cancel any remaining ads, including any set to air Sunday night, in granting a temporary restraining order. Asked for comment, the White House referred to an Oct. 5 social media post from Trump in which he defended the taxpayer-funded ads as “rather standard” but, amid backlash, said he would pay for them from his political fundraising.
October 12, 2026 5:14 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV will undergo surgery to remove a nodule on his lung in the first major health event of his 17-month pontificate. The lesion was found at an early stage and is well-localized. Leo, who is 71 and physically active, made the announcement during his Sunday blessing. He thanked the crowd for their support and prayers. The Vatican said Sunday the surgery is scheduled in the coming days, with a recovery time of about a week. Leo has a major trip planned for November to South America, but it’s unclear if the surgery will affect his itinerary.
October 12, 2026 5:01 am
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Victor Martinez, who runs a Spanish-language radio station in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, talks about voters’ frustration with everyday realities like higher fuel prices and inflation ahead of next month’s closely contested midterm election. Martinez added an hour of politics talk to his morning radio show at the end of Donald Trump’s first term, and the segment took off with his audience. As Trump’s second term reaches its halfway point, Martinez said he’s sensing that voters are just as frustrated with the economy as they were two years ago. But this time, it’s Republicans who could face the consequences.
October 11, 2026 8:02 am
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Simon is just off the Pacific coast of Mexico and is expected to move inland as an extremely powerful storm. Simon has strengthened to 155 mph, just below the threshold for a Category 5 storm. It is about 60 miles west-southwest of Manzanilla. The hurricane could bring 10 to 20 inches of rain over parts of southwestern Mexico, with some areas receiving up to 30 inches. The center warns of life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Jalisco state has suspended classes and begun evacuations. Businesses in Puerto Vallarta are preparing for the storm, with many boarding up windows and taking precautions.
October 11, 2026 8:04 am
(AP) – Isaias has weakened after making landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast near Destin, Florida. The storm hit the coast as a Category 2 hurricane Friday evening, but quickly lost power and is now considered a post-tropical cyclone. Its powerful winds left hundreds of thousands of people in Alabama and the Florida Panhandle without power early Saturday. It was the first hurricane of the Atlantic season. Meanwhile, Simon strengthened into a powerful Category 4 hurricane as it barreled toward Mexico’s coast on Saturday.
