WJPA News

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.

Just when you thought it couldn’t happen again, the National Weather Service has confirmed that the storms that ripped through Southwestern Pennsylvania and nearby states on Monday spurred two tornadoes.  NWS teams say that through surveys and aerial imagery, they were able to confirm one tornado south of Vanderbilt in Fayette County. It was rated an EF-1 with a maximum wind gust of ninety mph.  Surveyors also confirmed another tornado east of Fairmont, West Virginia. That one was rated an EF-0 with maximum wind speeds of 80 mph.  Details on the paths and damage surveyed from both tornadoes will be revealed at a later time.

Two people were transported to UPMC Washington Hospital following a crash overnight along Interstate 79.  Washington County 911 says it happened near the Racetrack Road exit just before midnight. Two or three vehicles were involved.  There is no word on the identity or condition of those injured.

South Strabane Township has quite a few land development projects in progress and supervisors during their voting meeting made sure that all developers are adhering to their developer’s agreements. Supervisors unanimously approved revisions to the final land development plan with 79/70 Associates to build the Costco Warehouse Club and affiliated fueling stations. Minor modifications to the plan were made to move the building nine feet and help traffic flow around the fueling station. Construction could begin in August. In residential development, supervisors directed their solicitor to reach out to developers of the Bradford Run development to demand that unfinished land issues are addressed. If contact cannot be made, legal action has been approved by supervisors. Finally, in Burkett Manor, township engineers will be meeting with developers to address ongoing construction and instruct the developer to repair a large pothole that has formed at the entrance to the development. Supervisors want the issue fixed because the road is still under ownership of the developer and the pothole is large enough to cause damage to vehicles if drivers do not see it. In road matters, progress is slow on repairs to Locust Avenue. PennDot has received emergency funding to begin repairs, but no timeline has been established for the repair.

(AP) – Forty mayors from around the world have signed onto a new pact to try to shape how urban data centers are built and operated. It’s their vision for how urban data center development can be done in a sustainable way, and not at the expense of their cities’ natural resources, energy prices or climate targets. C40 Cities is an alliance of nearly a hundred cities seeking to impact climate change that launched the pact Tuesday during London Climate Action Week. Mayors of cities ranging from Phoenix, Arizona, to Melbourne, Australia, have led the effort.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a planned signing ceremony on Capitol Hill for a housing bill. It was supposed to happen before he met with Republican senators for a lunch. Instead, Trump is pressuring senators to focus on his proof-of-citizenship voting bill even though it doesn’t have the votes to pass. Senators have grown increasingly frustrated with his efforts to divert their agenda. The had said ahead of the meeting that they hoped to focus on unity, not disagreements.

TOKYO (AP) — The head of the U.N.’s nuclear agency has signaled that Iranian nuclear enrichment sites would be visited by his inspectors, a key component in the interim deal between the United States and Iran to reach an end to the war. International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Mariano Grossi made the comments at a news conference at the tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Wednesday. He said that “this is going to happen.” On Tuesday, Iran and the U.S. disputed whether or not bombed enrichment sites would be inspected. That’s key for the deal, which calls for Iran’s stockpile of uranium to be “downblended” from highly enriched levels.

FORT BRAGG, Calif. (AP) — A moderate earthquake has shaken a remote area of Northern California, but there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries. The epicenter of the quake on Wednesday, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6, was about 140 miles northeast of San Francisco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It was felt widely, including in the fishing city of Fort Bragg. The initial quake was centered inland about 50 miles east of Fort Bragg, and the U.S. Geological Survey said it was about 5 miles deep. A 2.5 magnitude quake struck near the epicenter a few minutes later.

A judge has barred the federal government from making arrests at immigration courts, a practice that took hold shortly after President Donald Trump took office last year. Tuesday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Casey Pitts of San Francisco says the government failed to justify its actions as required by law. It is the second setback for courthouse arrests since May when a judge in New York barred them at immigration courts in that city. A U.S. Homeland Security Department official criticized the latest decision as a show of judicial overreach.

(AP) – Camp Mystic has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The filing Wednesday comes nearly a year after catastrophic floods killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors over the July 4 holiday weekend at the all-girls Christian camp in Texas. Camp owner Richard Eastland also died in the flood. In paperwork filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Texas in Houston, the camp listed its debt as exceeding $10 million. The camp along the Guadalupe River said it had assets in the range of 100,001 to $500,000. Families of the victims filed a lawsuit in November saying the camp operators failed to take the necessary steps to protect the girls as life-threatening floodwaters approached.