WJPA News

The Canonsburg Educational and Cultural Institute (CECI) has been working all year to renovate and revive the former Canonsburg Middle School. The hard work paid off Friday morning as Canonsburg celebrated the grand opening of the Canon Theatre. Paul Scarmazzi, the vice president of CECI, believes the theatre will bring vitality to Canonsburg throughout the year. Tony Colaizzo, the president of CECI, says they expect to have 150 performances a year, which will include Broadway shows, stand-up comedy, and movie screenings. Blair Trunzo, the managing director of the Canon Theatre, is excited to have people from Canonsburg and the surrounding communities coming together to enjoy performing arts. Upcoming performances include a special showing of Ghostbusters, an inaugural concert headlined by The Clarks, and a ’60s Gold concert. More information can be found here.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump says the U.S. will obtain diesel from Russia, relaxing years of US pressure on Moscow to combat prices ahead of midterms. Trump said on social media on Friday that he struck the deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call. Trump announced that Russia will immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of diesel, followed by 500,000 tons more in November and 1 million tons “immediately thereafter.” Russia will deliver another 3 million tons “within a short period of time” after that, he wrote. The announcement comes after Trump signed a sweeping sanctions law against Russia last month to clamp down on Russia’s energy economy.

GULF BREEZE, Fla. (AP) — Isaias has strengthened into a powerful Category 3 hurricane as it surges toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. The National Hurricane Center says Isaias’ maximum sustained winds have increased to 120 mph. That classifies it as a major hurricane. The first hurricane of the Atlantic season is expected to make landfall near the Alabama-Florida state line Friday night. It threatens to bring strong winds, heavy rains and potentially life-threatening storm surges to the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi. Heavy rain and flooding are possible into the weekend as far north as Tennessee and North Carolina.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution would be “public.” Hegseth, speaking to the conservative TV outlet Real America’s Voice News on Wednesday, said, “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public.” Officials in the Pentagon clarified Thursday that the execution will be livestreamed and that more details would follow. The Army has said the execution of Hasan will take place at Fort Hood on Dec. 3. Hasan was convicted of killing 13 people and injuring 32 others in a shooting at the military base in 2009.

HEBRON, Ky. (AP) — Vice President JD Vance has expressed doubts about the Pentagon’s plan to livestream the Fort Hood shooter’s execution. The Republican vice president said Friday “I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen,” when asked about the plans that the Pentagon confirmed on Thursday. If it happens, Vance says he would not watch. But Vance then tried to set aside the controversy over the plans for a public execution and said Nidal Malik Hasan’s crimes should not be forgotten.

HONG KONG (AP) — China and the European Union have reached a broad initial agreement to ease trade tensions. The EU trade commissioner announced Friday that the deal includes lower tariffs for some European goods and measures to stabilize rare earth supply chains. The agreement could cut up to 50% of Chinese electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle imports to the EU. The talks, which concluded Friday, aimed to address growing trade imbalances. Both sides plan to meet again in January by video and in person in March. The EU has been limiting imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles and other products, while China has launched investigations into EU imports.

BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi aviation authorities say three Saudi citizens including a pilot were killed and several other people wounded in two attacks Thursday that were claimed by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The attacks targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and a Saudia Airlines aircraft. It marked the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia since the kingdom and allied forces in Yemen launched a major offensive against the Iran-backed Houthis last weekend. The Houthis said they targeted the airport with a ballistic missile. The Saudi statements said activities at the airport in Riyadh have returned to normal, but some airlines have suspended flights there.

CORONADO, Calif. (AP) — The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has returned home to San Diego Bay after a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea supporting the Iran war. The carrier’s extended deployment drew the nation’s attention following reports of crew stress and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages, including food and hygiene products. The Navy initially downplayed any problems, and President Donald Trump commented that the Lincoln’s lengthy deployment was “not nearly long enough.” The carrier left San Diego in November, arrived in the Middle East in January to support Iran operations, and spent 265 days at sea, a record for uninterrupted time at sea.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Lawyers for Christa Pike say the Tennessee woman has begun walking and eating again at a hospital, a week after surviving the state’s attempt to execute her with lethal drugs. The 50-year-old inmate survived two doses of pentobarbital on Sept. 30. She was convicted of the 1995 beating and stabbing death of a classmate. For the first few days after the failed execution, she was unconscious and on a ventilator at a hospital. Her lawyers said Thursday that she took some limited first steps at midweek and was being helped as she walked. They also said she was eating again and regaining some mobility in her arms.