WJPA News

A Fallowfield Township man, who is accused of exchanging graphic nude videos and photos with a juvenile will face trial. Aaron White, 30 is accused of corresponding with a 15 year old Peters Township male over the social apps Snapchat and Grindr. In White’s preliminary hearing, investigators say they found graphic messages exchanged between White and the juvenile while they were investigating the juvenile’s mobile phone in connection with the sextortion case investigation of Zachary Meyers in late 2025. Police said that White is not a subject in the sextortion case. Investigators detailed the pictures and videos between phone text messages and conversations held on Grindr and Snapchat. White’s attorney Gary Gerson confirmed that White believed that he was talking to an adult on Grindr because usage requirements state participants must be at least 18 years of age. He also confirmed that the juvenile made the first advances in the conversations. All charges against White were held for court. White faces charges of depicting a sex acts on film or video using a computer, child sexual abuse material, contact with a minor involving sexual abuse and others. He will be arraigned on December 29.

Pittsburgh-area native and music legend Donnie Iris has been laid to rest, but fans can still pay their respects.  A private service was held for Iris, born Dominic Ierace, who died last week at the age of 83, following a battle with bladder cancer.  Gabauer-Lutton Funeral Home announced that a memorial and register book will be available for friends and fans.  You can leave a message Thursday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the funeral home, located at 117 Blackhawk Road in Beaver Falls. Messages will be collected and given to Iris’ family.  Family members ask that, instead of offering flowers, people donate toward scholarship and cancer research funds planned in Iris’ honor.

GREENSBORO, PA – On Monday, community members and environmental advocates gathered at the Monongahela Township Supervisors Meeting to raise urgent questions about industry oversight regarding “Project Hummingbird,” a hyperscale data center and power plant proposed at the former Robena Mine in Greene County.  Their key concerns included a lack of accessibility & community input; broken promises on transparency; demand for a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) continues to be ignored.  Community members and advocates are calling for the supervisors to reschedule public meetings to accessible evening hours rather than early morning; implement protective zoning, establish clear zoning regulations – including air, water, light, noise, traffic and dust ordinances to safeguard surrounding residential neighborhoods; and execute the CBA.  Until a formal CBA is formed to address environmental impacts, site approvals should be halted.

Washington County Elections Director Melanie Ostrander says that her office is ready to take on Election Day. Ostrander says that because of the prediction of nice weather for Election Day, she anticipates that turnout will be in the range of 50%. She says that 19,461 mail in ballots have been sent, 16,334 have been returned. Ostrander reminds mail in voters that ballots must be returned to her office by 8:00 PM on Election Day. She stressed that postmarks do not count as the ballot being timely. Because of the current political climate, Ostrander says that if a voter feels like they are being intimidated, they are to report the harassment to the precinct’s judge of elections. They have been instructed on the proper steps to rectify that situation. Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.  (Photo:  AP)

The race for the state senate seat in the 46th district of Pennsylvania received a bit of national attention. United States Senator Dave McCormick stopped by in Washington County to conduct some last minute campaigning for incumbent Republican state Senator Camera Bartolotta. McCormick wants make sure current Republican policies remain in effect in Harrisburg. He wants everyone to come out and vote, but he is particularly interested in Republicans exercising their right to vote to avoid a Democratic take over in Harrisburg. Bartolotta is locked in a tight race for the 46th District senate seat with Independent candidate Jodi Borello. Borello entered the campaign by gaining enough signatures to appear on the ballot as a candidate after Democratic nominee Evan Snyder withdrew from the race in June.

BETHEL PARK, Pa. – Two schools within the Bethel Park School District were on lockdown following a Safe to Say tip about a possible weapon.  Independence Middle School was put on full lockdown as police investigated the anonymous tip, which claimed a student may have brought a weapon to school.  “We are working with authorities to identify the source of the tip and determine its credibility,” the district said in a statement.  Meanwhile, a soft lockdown at Bethel Park High School, which was implemented out of an abundance of caution due to the situation at the middle school, has been lifted.  In a soft lockdown, no one may enter or exit the building, but internal operations continue as normal.  District officials ask that everyone please stay away from both schools and do not call.  The middle school is now on a soft lockdown.

A man was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital following a fire Sunday in Centerville Borough.   It broke out just after 11 a.m. at a single-wide trailer along Fishpot Road.  According to reports,  the home had an attached garage that was engulfed in flames when emergency crews arrived.  The homeowner reportedly suffered burns.  There is no word on his identity or condition.  Several fire departments battled the blaze.  The State Police Fire Marshal is investigating but there are reports that the fire may have resulted from faulty electrical wiring.

SOUTH CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — The bomb squad responded to an item found at a Fayette County home on Sunday.  A Fayette County 911 supervisor tells our news partners at WPXI that first responders were initially called to the 1900 block of Fourth Street in South Connellsville at 1:20 p.m.  People at the home found what they believed to be a mortar, the supervisor confirms.  The bomb squad was requested “as a precaution.”  At this time, no other information is available.

PennDOT is advising motorists that a portion of Old Brick Road will be closed at the bridge over Interstate 70 on Monday, November 2 in Donegal Township. A posted detour will be in place through late November:

• Northbound Route 3023 (Old Brick Road): Take eastbound I-70 to the Claysville exit (Exit 6), then enter westbound I-70
• Southbound Route 3023 (Old Brick Road): Take westbound I-70 to the Dallas Pike (Exit 11), then enter eastbound I-70

Crews from Triton Construction, Inc. will conduct bridge preservation activities, including latex overlays, epoxy overlays, expansion dam replacement, concrete repairs to extend the life of eight structures. A $4.1 million infrastructure investment project in Washington and Greene counties.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As Republicans and Democrats were making their final pitch to voters on Election Day eve, President Donald Trump instead was speaking far away from most of the people his party is trying to persuade. Trump was making his closing argument at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, drawing attention to an expensive, problem-plagued repair job. Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance was doing more traditional campaign stops in New York and Ohio. In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed was trying to brush off concerns about a dramatic intraparty split over Israel that played out this weekend.

DETROIT (AP) — Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed’s former opponent in the U.S. Senate primary, Haley Stevens, has stunned party officials by endorsing Republican Mike Rogers. The development Sunday comes as Democratic tensions have boiled over days before the election that could determine the balance of power. Stevens endorsed Rogers after attending a Detroit church service with him. The remarkable show of support for President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate comes after she was uninvited to a joint event the same day with El-Sayed. Keeping Michigan in Democratic hands is vital to the party’s effort to win a majority. El-Sayed dismissed the endorsement, saying he’s focused on issues voters care about.

PETERSBURG, Alaska (AP) — In the sleepy Alaskan fishing community of Petersburg, nobody has seen Dan J. Sullivan for weeks. His rustic home stood dark a day after FBI agents paid a visit to friends who donated to his campaign to unseat the Republican senator with the same first and last name — Dan S. Sullivan. There was a sign in Dan J.’s front yard from the League of Women Voters: “Stand Up for Democracy: Vote 2026.” What may have begun as a ploy to boost Democrat Mary Peltola by confusing voters about her opponent has taken a serious turn as the Trump administration weighs criminal charges over a tactic known as “ballot stacking.”

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An investigator says parts of a business jet likely started to break off before the aircraft crashed in South Florida, killing nine people. National Transportation Safety Board member Tom Chapman said Monday that evidence found at the crash site indicates the aircraft started to break up in the air and that debris could be found far from the crash site. The plane took off from Austin, Texas, on Sunday headed for the Bahamas and crashed in Greenacres near West Palm Beach. Chapman says the weather will be a major focus of the investigation. Rain pounded the region Sunday and one of the pilots reported ice conditions at a high altitude.

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Lindsay Clancy returned to court in a bid to dismiss the charges that she murdered her three children. The hearing Monday is the second time the Massachusetts mother has been in court since her trial ended with a deadlocked jury. Clancy has never disputed killing her three young children in 2023, but her lawyer has argued she had postpartum psychosis and was unable to control her behavior. Prosecutors have acknowledged that the 36-year-old Clancy had mental health problems but said she acted deliberately and understood her actions were wrong. A judge declared a mistrial Sept. 4 after jurors were unable to agree on a verdict.  (Photo:  AP)

(AP) – A massive amount of water from unusually heavy rains is flowing through flood-weary parts of the Southwest. Flooding is forcing evacuations and keeping swift-water rescue teams. Meanwhile, election officials in at least one town have announced alternative voting plans for Election Day. One person died after falling into floodwaters in Flagstaff, Arizona, and police suspect a second death also is weather-related. The National Weather Service estimates as much as 4 inches of rain could fall across the Four Corners region through Mnday as the weather phenomenon known as El Niño disrupts weather patterns.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Officials tell The Associated Press that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing the Trump administration to carry out another wave of strikes on Iran. They say Netanyahu is urging strikes after the midterm elections in the United States, but that President Donald Trump has yet to commit to any. A renewed war would help Netanyahu form an emergency government after he and his allies lost their parliamentary majority in elections last week. Iran has said it is prepared for war or diplomacy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center has announced that Paul Anka, David Foster, Andy Garcia, David Mamet and Barbara Mandrell will be honored at this year’s Kennedy Center Honors. The event will take place away from the iconic venue for the first time due to President Donald Trump’s legal battle over renovations and naming rights. The nominees have had substantial careers in their fields. Mamet is a renowned playwright, while Mandrell is a Country Music Hall of Fame member. Anka, a longtime friend of Trump, has rewritten “My Way” with MAGA-themed lyrics. The ceremony will be held on December 7 at Washington’s Capital One Arena.