WJPA News

It’ll turn more humid later today as southwest winds start to pick up. A few showers may be around as early as midday, but the highest coverage of showers and storms won’t come until closer to this evening. Not everyone will see a storm, but a couple of those storms may be strong with damaging winds as the primary threat.  Friday will be rather cloudy but with many dry hours. Watch for more rain arriving Friday night into Saturday morning as another wave of low pressure crosses. There should be plenty of dry breaks Saturday afternoon, with dry and sunnier weather expected Sunday.  A heat wave is expected to take over next week, starting Tuesday when high temperatures will soar above 90 degrees. With added humidity, the heat index could approach triple digits at times, which will easily make this the hottest air so far this summer.

A Washington County woman faces animal cruelty charges after multiple dogs were found in deplorable conditions on a property along Five Points Road in Hanover Township.  Police say there was a kennel building on the property, and nineteen dogs were allegedly kept there in compromised air quality due to ammonia and a large amount of feces.  Police say fifteen Yorkshire terriers had very matted coats of hair, including one with an “almost turtle shell” made of caked feces on its body.  Of the nine terriers surrendered to the Washington Area Humane Society, seven reportedly had ear infections, and all were infected with an intestinal parasite.  Also, authorities say a dog that froze to death over the winter was still in the kennel, some six months after its death.  Court records show the kennel’s alleged owner, 42-year-old Kayla Marie Rigole, was charged with one count of aggravated cruelty to animals, nineteen counts of animal cruelty and thirty-six counts of animal neglect.  Rigole told police that she’d been unable to take care of the kennel due to personal health and maintenance issues, records say.

HARRISBURG – Legislation to give Pennsylvania municipalities the time and authority to rein in data center projects across the state continues its way through the General Assembly.  The state House of Representatives , on Wednesday, by an overwhelming bipartisan majority passed H.B. 2496 to empower local governments to place up to a six-month “pause” on the consideration of any data center application. Municipalities could adopt, amend or repeal sections of their related land-use ordinances during the pause.  “This pause window allows local governments the time they need to thoroughly research, draft and pass comprehensive land-use ordinances pertaining to data centers,” Rep. Paul Friel, D-Chester, a co-sponsor said. “The bill gives our local officials necessary breathing room to update these ordinances, evaluating demands like water and energy usage and other considerations related to protecting our communities from potential harms caused by data center development.”  Critically, the pause dates back to the moment the public was notified of the meeting agenda, and any application filed during the pause is subject to the new rules.

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is announcing several state-owned roads will close for the America250PA Commonwealth Concert in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County on Friday and Saturday, June 26 and 27.  The following restrictions will be implemented in advance of the Saturday concert at Point State Park according to the following schedule: The Liberty Avenue ramp to westbound I-376 (Fort Pitt Bridge) will close to traffic at approximately 6:30 PM Friday.  Eastbound I-376 ramp to Liberty Avenue (Exit 70A) will close to traffic at approximately 6:30 PM Friday.  There will be a lane restriction in the northbound direction of the I-279 (Parkway North) Portal Bridge, which spans a portion of Point State Park, beginning at approximately 7:00 AM Saturday.  10^th Street Bypass ramp to Commonwealth Place/Fort Duquesne Boulevard/East I-376/Monroeville will close to traffic at approximately 2:00 PM Saturday

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to end legal protections for migrants fleeing violence and natural disaster in Haiti and Syria, exposing hundreds of thousands more people to potential deportation. The decision Thursday blocks lower court orders and allows the Department of Homeland Security to swiftly end temporary protected status. That program protects a total of 1.3 million people from 17 countries. The administration had argued that Homeland Security can revoke protections without court interference. Immigration lawyers say the decision to end the program ignored the law and was tainted by racial animus.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A United Nations agency paused the evacuation of ships through the Strait of Hormuz after the British military said a vessel was hit by a projectile off the coast of Oman. The strike reported by the British military followed the passage of several tankers that used a route backed by the U.N. The head of the International Maritime Organization said the plan to move stranded ships out of the Persian Gulf through the strait will be on hold until the agency can confirm safety guarantees for the ships on the evacuation list and in the region. It was unclear who launched the projectile or the type of vessel that was targeted.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge rose to a new three-year high in May as gas prices peaked, a sign rising costs could pose political problems for President Trump as midterm elections near. The increase was largely driven by more expensive gas, as well as pricier semiconductors and other computer equipment that are in high demand for the AI buildout. Rising prices have caused the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve to keep their key rate unchanged this year, a reversal from January when they had penciled in two cuts. Some economists forecast the central bank could lift rates this year instead.

LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans searched for survivors beneath collapsed buildings and rescue teams raced to northern areas rocked by a pair of powerful earthquakes that officials say killed at least 188 people and trapped more than 200. The 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that hit Wednesday evening were among the strongest in Venezuela in more than a century, and could be felt throughout the region. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez said authorities were shifting rescue teams from other parts of the country to La Guaira, north of the capital, Caracas. The natural disaster is just the latest challenge for Rodríguez, who took office in January after the U.S. seized then-president Nicolas Maduro in a surprise military operation.

NEW YORK (AP) — David Clayton-Thomas, the lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears whose husky, high-strung tenor on “Spinning Wheel,” “And When I Die” and other hits helped make the so-called “brass rock” band among the most popular acts of the late 1960s, has died at age 84. He was a stocky, onetime street fighter and petty thief in Canada who briefly became a rock superstar, the front man of a nine-member group that sold millions of records and won two Grammys for its self-titled second album. Backed by horns, keyboards and percussion, his urgent shout was a signature voice of the era. A spokesman says Clayton-Thomas died Wednesday in Toronto.