WJPA News

Gas prices continue their climb in Western Pennsylvania. According to AAA, gas prices are 22 cents higher this week at $4.17 per gallon. The national average for gas exceeded $4 per gallon this past week for the first time since August 2022. Today’s average is $4.11, 12 cents higher than last week and 80 cents higher than a month ago. Gas prices here in Washington County stand at $4.17 per gallon. The surging prices are being blamed on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has resulted from the War in Iran.

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Two people are charged with homicide after a 71-year-old man was found dead in Uniontown. The Fayette County District Attorney’s Office said Terry Newland, 58, and Alysha Riggans, 30, are accused of conspiring to kill Ralph Brown. Brown’s body was found along railroad tracks near West Kerr Street on Sunday. The DA’s office said Brown lived with Newland and Riggans. Newland and Riggans are facing multiple charges, including criminal homicide, abuse of a corpse and tampering with evidence.

Spotlight PA has found that Pennsylvania counties have billed the federal government over $21 million to detain immigrants in local jails. These agreements, some dating back decades, have gained attention due to recent mass deportation efforts. Counties like Clinton, Erie, Franklin, and Pike have charged significant fees for holding detainees. Local officials argue the revenue supports essential services, but the practice faces criticism. Some residents and advocacy groups oppose the collaboration with ICE, citing moral and community concerns. Despite the controversy, many counties rely on this income and are hesitant to end the agreements.

HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — The parents of a toddler have been charged with endangering the welfare of children after the child squeezed through a fence at a Pennsylvania theme park zoo and made contact with a wolf. The child suffered a minor injury Saturday at ZooAmerica at Hershey Park. Police say the parents were about 25 to 30 feet away and appeared to be paying attention to their cellphones. The child went through a wooden barrier and put a hand through a metal fence. A wolf grabbed onto the hand with its mouth. Bystanders intervened to help. The parents await a preliminary hearing. There were no attorneys listed for them.

BAGHDAD (AP) — American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped in Baghdad last week, has been released. That’s according to two Iraqi officials with direct knowledge of the situation. The officials say Kittleson was freed in the afternoon but did not share information about her current whereabouts beyond saying that prior to her release, she had been held in Baghdad. The powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement earlier in the day that it had decided to free the journalist. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In Wisconsin, Kittleson’s mother said her daughter was not yet free and declined to comment further.

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Airstrikes have hit two bridges and a train station in Iran, and Iranian officials urged young people to form human chains to protect power plants. That came as U.S. President Donald Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran does not meet his latest deadline for the Islamic Republic to agree to a deal that includes reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Trump has extended previous deadlines but suggested the one set for 8 p.m. in Washington was final. The rhetoric on both sides reached a fever pitch.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Airstrikes across Iran killed nearly three dozen people while Iran fired on Israel and Saudi Arabia, prompting the temporary closure of a major bridge. The latest strikes Tuesday came as Iranian officials urged youths to form human chains around power plants to protect them, as the latest deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz drew closer. Trump has threatened to bomb all of Iran’s power plants and bridges if Iran does not meet his deadline to allow shipping traffic to fully resume through the strategic waterway. Israel’s military warned Iranians in Farsi to avoid taking trains throughout the day, likely telegraphing intended strikes on the rail network.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Federal Reserve official said Monday that an interest rate hike could be appropriate if inflation remains persistently above the central bank’s 2% target, the latest sign that some policymakers are moving away from a bias toward reducing borrowing costs. The comments by Beth Hammack, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, suggest a growing concern among at least some policymakers that inflation, which was elevated before the Iran war, may require rate hikes to tame further. Rate increases by the Fed would be a sharp shift from late last year, when the central bank cut its key rate three times.

HOUSTON (AP) — The Artemis II astronauts have completed their record-breaking trip around the moon. Monday’s lunar journey comes after Artemis II surpassed Apollo 13’s distance record. During the flyby, the three Americans and one Canadian were treated to never-before-seen views of the moon’s far side by eye and also a solar eclipse. The crew temporarily lost contact with Mission Control as they swung behind the moon without stopping. They’re now on a path back toward Earth with a splashdown return set for Friday. More activities are planned before then including a phone call with the International Space Station.