WJPA News

Gas prices are 25 cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.260 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.  The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has gone up 13 cents over the past week and is now at $4.00 per gallon. Instability along the Strait of Hormuz is contributing to the increase at the pump and pushing crude oil prices over $80 per barrel. Earlier this year, the national average remained in the $4 range all of April and May and most of June. Last time the national average was $4 or above was on June 17 when it was $4.02. Today’s national average is five cents more than a month ago but 86 cents more than a year ago.  According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand remained flat last week at 8.84 million. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 212.1 million barrels to 210.5 million. Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.6 million barrels per day.

PITTSBURGH — Days after the old Commercial Street Bridge was imploded, the new bridge is being slid into place.  The Penn DOT crews started the lateral slide of the new I-376 Commercial Street Bridge around 10 a.m. Sunday.  In all, PennDOT says the fully constructed bridge will move 102 feet into its new place. It’s being moved with a skidding system that slowly aligns it with the Parkway East.  Each of the 42 skid shoes can operate independently, with integrated hydraulic jacks used to lift the load from its temporary supports and set it down on the permanent bearings.  PennDOT didn’t say when the slide could be completed

PERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Pennsylvania State Police are investigating reports that a nine-year-old boy was tattooed.  Authorities say the child, who is from Washington County, told troopers he was given a tattoo without his consent by his father on July 13th.  Police say it happened along Church Run Road in Perry Township, Greene County.  The father has not been named, and  there’s currently been no word on if he will be facing charges.

Former Republican U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy has died.  The 73-year-old former politician and psychologist served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district (which included Washington County) from 2003 until his resignation in 2017.  Murphy ran for the newly redrawn 18th Congressional District in 2002, which  had previously been the 20th, represented by four-term Democrat Frank Mascara. However, the legislature re-drew the district after the 2000 Census in such a way that a large portion of Mascara’s district ended up in the neighboring Johnstown-based 12th District, represented by an incumbent of 28-years – John Murtha.  In October of 2017, Murphy made news by allegedly urging his mistress to have an abortion, even though he advocated a strict public anti-abortion platform.  This was also followed by reports of abuse and harassment in his congressional office.  His resignation came almost immediately after these reports.  His seat was eventually won, during a special election, by Democrat Conor Lamb.  Murphy reportedly died of a heart attack.

The demolition of the old Washington County Courthouse Square is complete. The next step is to find a construction company to build the new Public Safety building. According to Commissioners Chairman Nick Sherman, construction companies must submit their formal bid by July 22, and the bids will be opened publicly. That opening was scheduled for July 9, but a local contractor questioned the bidding process, which put it on hold. Officials reviewed the process and Sherman says that everything is squared away. The bid will be awarded at a special meeting on July 30. Sherman explains that the Public Safety building, which will house all the inner operations of 911, is very important for the first responders who deserve all the assets they need.

Demolition of the parking garage at Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital is set to begin this morning . Officials call it the first step of a modernization project designed to improve safety, accessibility and convenience for patients, visitors and staff. In its place the hospital will build a new, level, paved parking lot featuring safety lighting and easy access to the campus. Hospital operations, patient care and emergency services will remain fully operational throughout the demolition and construction process.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States has conducted a new round of airstrikes targeting Iran after announcing the death of another American service member. Iran has responded Monday by launching an attack targeting Bahrain, the home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The latest attacks again show how, step by step, the U.S. and Iran have inched closer to all-out war as last month’s interim deal meant to permanently end the fighting has crumbled and shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled. Benchmark Brent crude rose Monday above $90 a barrel, further fueling a global energy crisis sparked by the conflict.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. gas prices have jumped to an average of $4 a gallon again as the U.S. and Iran launch more attacks. According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now back to $4. The average price a year ago was $3.14 a gallon. The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now. Prices vary between states due to factors ranging from nearby supply to differing tax rates. People around the world are also dealing with high gas prices as a result of the war.

Defaults on student loans have surged across the United States, reaching record levels as borrowers struggle to keep up with payments. The numbers have spiked since payments started coming due again following a lengthy pause intended to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, around 9.5 million people — 1 in 5 federal student loan borrowers — are in default, meaning they are more than nine months behind on their payments. While credit scores can suffer when borrowers are just a few months behind, entering default brings the possibility of more serious consequences, including garnished wages or Social Security payments. For now, the Trump administration has held off on such involuntary collections.

Taylor Farms has expanded a voluntary recall of its iceberg lettuce products sourced from central Mexico because of a potential link to the multistate cyclospora outbreak that has sickened people across the U.S. The California-based company said products with the potential to be contaminated with the diarrhea-causing parasite were shipped to 27 states including Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania and Illinois. Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. U.S. health officials earlier this week identified lettuce from a supplier in Mexico as a source of cyclospora contamination in food served at Taco Bell restaurants in five Midwestern states.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance have welcomed their fourth child. Their son Alec Neel Vance is the first child born to a sitting vice president in more than 150 years. The Vances announced the birth Sunday on social media. Alec joins older siblings Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel. The Republican vice president’s growing family is in keeping with his passionate advocacy for Americans to have more children. The vice president, who’s 41, has been accompanied on overseas trips by Usha Vance, 40, and their children, with the kids often pajama-clad as they board Air Force Two for the overnight flights.