WJPA News

The Washington County Board of Elections has filed a petition with the Court of Common Pleas seeking approval to make changes to several election districts in response to population shifts, challenges in recruiting poll workers, and increasing costs to the county.  “It is important to evaluate these changes as we see some polling locations struggling to handle voter traffic while others are barely used,” said Chair Nick Sherman. “The Mon Valley was once one of the most populated and active areas, but now there are too many polling locations that are difficult to staff. This allows
us to save county resources yet still provide people physical locations to vote in their neighborhoods.”  Following careful planning and evaluation, the county is proposing the consolidation of 24 voting precincts, reducing the total number of polling places from 180 to 156 ahead of the May 19 primary election.  “We are also seeing increasing difficulty finding actual polling locations that are accessible,” said Washington County Elections Director Melanie Ostrander. “Many churches that previously hosted polling places have closed, and other buildings in these communities are not ADA-compliant. In several cases, the precincts we are proposing to consolidate already share the same physical location, so combining them will improve efficiency by reducing the amount of equipment and the number of poll workers required.”  The proposed changes would affect the following municipalities: California Borough, Charleroi Borough,  Cross Creek Township, Donora Borough,  Fallowfield Township, Independence Township, Monongahela City,  Mount Pleasant Township, Peters Township, Robinson Township, Smith Township, Union Township, the City of Washington, and West Finley Township.  A judge will hear the arguments and decide on the proposed changes in a hearing set for next Thursday, March 26th in Courtroom 6 at 1:15pm. You can find the specifics on the proposed changes for each precinct at https://www.washingtoncopa.gov/elections or posted in the communities.

The Waffle House along Racetrack Road remains open after it was hit with four violations following an inspection by the State Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Program. According to the Department of Agriculture’s website, there were repeat violations for cigarette butts, paper and food found on the ground near the back door and trash on the ground near a trash bin. The inspection also found that the back door to the washing area had a gap that could allow insects, rodents or other animals to enter. According to the report, the person in charge at the time did not have adequate knowledge of food safety. A follow-up inspection was scheduled in ten days.

Gas prices are stable in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.733 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.  Spring Break season is here as the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped nearly 24 cents since last week to $3.71. The last time the national average was in the $3.70 range was October of 2023. Gasoline demand increases this time of year as the weather warms up and more drivers hit the road. Gas prices are also rising due to the conflict in Iran. The national average has gone up 73 cents since the conflict began on February 28^th.  Crude oil prices play a major role in what drivers pay at the pump, and prices have surpassed the $100/barrel mark multiple times in recent days. To help offset rising prices, the U.S. announced it will release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves over four months. The move is part of a broader effort by the International Energy Agency to release a total of 400 million barrels of oil, the largest emergency release in its history.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the National Counterterrorism Center has announced his resignation, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war in Iran. Joe Kent says Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the U.S. and it’s clear the U.S. started the war “due to pressure from Israel.” President Donald Trump has offered shifting reasons for the strikes and has pushed back on claims Israel forced the U.S. to act. Kent is a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists. Kent was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote. As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi has been subpoenaed to answer questions from Congress about the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and the agency’s handling of millions of files related to the disgraced financier. Bondi was ordered Tuesday to appear for a deposition on April 14 by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform after a vote earlier this month that was supported by five Republicans. The Justice Department’s failure to fend off the subpoena from the Republican-led committee underscores widespread discontent among President Donald Trump’s own base over Bondi’s management of the review and release of a trove of documents from the criminal investigation into Epstein.  (Photo:  AP)

ATLANTA (AP) — Hundreds of flights are canceled or delayed one day after powerful storms swept across the eastern half of the country and disrupted thousands of others. The flight-tracking site FlightAware says more than 550 flights scheduled to fly into, out of or within the U.S. have been called off as of early Tuesday, It says over 460 have been delayed. Travelers have been facing additional jams at airport security checkpoints as a partial government shutdown strains screener staffing. The disruptions come at an already challenging time for air travel, in part because the shutdown that began Feb. 14 has pressured staffing at some security checkpoints.

BANGKOK (AP) — The escalating Iran war is pushing parts of the world into energy triage. Governments are deciding where to cut demand or absorb higher costs, while prioritizing dwindling supplies. In places like Bangkok and Vietnam, people are being urged to work from home, take the stairs and keep air-conditioning above 24°C, while some businesses are preparing for disruptions. The conflict is disrupting critical oil and natural gas shipments from the Middle East, sending prices soaring and threatening global growth — with Asia facing the greatest risk from the shock. That prompted some governments to draw on their emergency reserves, a stopgap measure that can only go on for so long.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel says it has killed the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ all-volunteer Basij force, a key force used to suppress demonstrations in the Islamic Republic. The Israeli military said Tuesday a strike the day before had killed Gholamreza Soleimani. Iran did not immediately acknowledge Soleimani’s killing. “The Basij forces are part of the armed apparatus of the Iranian terror regime,” the Israeli military said in its statement. Also Tuesday, Dubai, a major transit hub for international travel, briefly shut its airspace as the military said it was “responding to incoming missile and drone threats” around the city, and a man was killed by the debris of a missile intercepted over Abu Dhabi.

President Donald Trump and his team are increasing the pressure on journalists to cover the war in the Middle East the way the administration wants. The president has complained on social media about stories he doesn’t like and berated a reporter on Air Force One over the weekend. The government’s top media regulator warned that broadcasters risk losing their licenses to operate if they don’t stay away from “fake news.” Both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have questioned the patriotism of some news outlets because of their reports. Antagonism between presidential administrations and the press isn’t unusual, but Trump’s team has shown a hostility toward the very idea of being questioned.