WJPA News

Air quality could become a huge issue to close out the week.  Smoke from dozens of wildfires in northern Minnesota and Southern Canada will start to move into our area throughout the rest of the week.  At first, the smoke will be aloft, putting a hazy glow on the sun. There is a good possibility that lower-level or near surface level smokes makes it into western Pennsylvania Thursday and Friday, creating more of an orange haze, slightly lower visibility and poor air quality.  These weather conditions could lead to reduced visibility and temporary air quality concerns.  According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration smoke model predictions, this area could be in the “unhealthy” air quality category, which is 151 to 200, meaning “members of the general public may experience health effects.  (Photo:  AP)

Residents of Washington and Allegheny Counties filled the council chambers room of Canonsburg to view early considerations of a feasibility study being conducted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to control repeated flooding along Chartiers Creek. The Open House is one of six being held to gather feedback concerning flooding along the 48 mile long creek that is a tributary to the Ohio River. The 277 square mile watershed area has more than 250,000 residents living in the watershed. The study is looking at the main stem of the creek and its tributaries. It is also examining existing remedies that have already been put in place by the state and federal government to make sure those are still functioning properly. Some of the remedies that will be considered are the change of the flow of water, adaptations to the water flow such as the broadcast of advanced flood warnings from emergency service agencies, non structural elevations and retention ponds. The study, which will include a 35% design completion plan is expected to be ready in early 2028. The USACOE is holding four more open houses, two at the Carnegie Borough Building on Wednesday and two at the McKees Rocks Borough Building on Thursday. More information about the project may be found here.

An agenda item during the Washington County Commissioners’ Agenda meeting drew some pushback because of the confusion that it caused. A proposal to extend the contract to build a miniature golf course at Mingo Creek Park is to be considered. Commissioner Larry Maggi thought the idea was over when the initial proposal for the mini golf course was pulled last spring when public outcry railed against the idea. The current measure is looking to extend the bid period by 30 days to better evaluate the bid. Commissioner Nick Sherman said that there may have been confusion on what was being proposed. It is not a full scale golf course, it is a venue that takes up “about a quarter of an acre.” Commissioner Larry Maggi is against the proposal siding with the earlier outcry that says a commercial venture like that would ruin the pristine nature of the park. Maggi is hoping to convince his colleagues to have the bid extension pulled from the agenda for Thursday’s voting meeting. Separately, commissioners will look to approve a request for proposal to build an ADA Accessible dog park at Mingo Creek Park.

Authorities are investigating the death of an elderly man in Cecil Township Tuesday morning.  Washington County Coroner Tim Warco says 86-year-old Robert Coen was crossing the street around nine-thirty when he was struck by a vehicle traveling southeast near the 180 block of Cecil Henderson Road.  No further information was made available.

Uniontown, PA -PennDOT says nightly ramp closures on Interstate 79 at Exit 14 (Masontown/Waynesburg) in Franklin Township, Greene County have been postponed, as have ramp closures that were scheduled to occur nightly from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. beginning Wednesday, July 15th, and continuing through Saturday, July 25th. Revised days and times will be announced at a future date.  No reason was given for the delay.  Current I-79 single-lane restrictions between Exit 14 (Masontown/Waynesburg) and Exit 23 (Marianna/Prosperity) that began on June 18th, will continue until late August.  The work is part of the I-79 Waynesburg to Marianna Project, which will make improvements to approximately 11 miles of I-79, extending through Franklin and Washington townships in Greene County and Amwell Township in Washington County a $45.9 million infrastructure investment.

President Donald Trump says Immigration and Customs Enforcement should continue traffic stops after two deadly shootings within a week, seeming to contradict a new policy to halt them. In Florida on Tuesday, a third man in roughly a week died during an encounter with immigration officers. Authorities say the 28-year-old was killed after he was hit by a tractor-trailer while running from immigration and other federal officers.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military has reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. This comes as Washington tries to stop Iran’s attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Days of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East by Iran and the U.S. attacks threaten to push the region back to all-out war. One Iranian government official said more than 30 people have been killed over “recent days.” That likely included seven troops killed in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province. Meanwhile, the Iranian Health Ministry said over 260 people had been wounded just in Wednesday’s strikes alone.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is headlining a defense summit at the U.S. Army War College. He plans on Wednesday to highlight major announced investments by top firms in battlefield technology. The summit, organized by Republican Sen. David McCormick, also features defense and intelligence officials, as well as top business leaders in the field of technology. Trump has been a frequent visitor to Pennsylvania, a critical swing state. The summit comes as U.S. military contractors face challenges replenishing stockpiles of key missiles. Stocks have dwindled due to strikes on Iran, raising concerns about future conflicts. Trump is seeking a historic $1.5 trillion defense budget proposal for 2027, but it has stalled in Congress.

WASHINGTON (AP) — There will be no turning back the clock if the House has its way. The House passed a bill Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent. Proponents argue the bill would provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active. Daylight saving time is that period between spring and fall when clocks in most of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time. States could opt out if their respective legislatures do so before the bill’s enactment. The Senate would also have to pass the bill before it could become law, but it’s unclear if it will do so.

Authorities say a man running from an encounter with immigration and other federal agents in Florida was struck and killed by a tractor trailer. The 28-year-old was among four occupants of a vehicle that stopped in the parking lot of a gas station and convenience store in St. Augustine before 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Police say during the encounter with agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Homeland Security Investigations, the four fled on foot. Police say one darted across a busy road into the path of the semi. It marks the third death in a week involving encounters with ICE agents.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will deliver a primetime address this week that he says will include a focus on elections. The topic suggests he could revisit long-debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden as he’s escalated calls for Republicans to pass tighter federal voting rules before November’s midterm elections. The speech comes as Trump confronts a collapsing deal to end the war with Iran and faces numerous other domestic issues, including recent shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Asked for a preview on Tuesday, Trump said that “without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country.”

A group of 26 Meta employees has sued the company, claiming it used artificial intelligence systems that disproportionately targeted those on medical or family leave for layoffs. Meta laid off 8.000 employees, or about 10% of its workforce, in May. The lawsuit filed late Monday in federal court in Oakland, California, claims the company used internal AI systems, keystroke and activity-monitoring data, AI token-usage dashboards and other methods to determine who would be laid off. The lawsuit says that people on protected medical or family leave were disproportionately selected for layoffs.