WJPA News

NOTTINGHAM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A motorcyclist was killed Wednesday when he collided with a commercial van in Washington County.  Coroner Tim Warco says the crash happened just before 11 a.m. in Nottingham Township.  A motorcyclist was heading west in the 2300 block of State Route 136. Rounding a turn, he collided with a commercial van turning left across the westbound lane.  The rider was identified as Edward C. DeRosa, 56, of Finleyville.  Warco says DeRosa was not wearing a helmet.  Pennsylvania State Police and the coroner’s office continue to investigate.

UPPER ST. CLAIR TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Route 19 will close in both directions Sunday between Boyce Road and McLaughlin Run Road/McMurray Road, weather permitting.  The closure will run from 2 a.m. to 10 p.m. as crews install temporary work structures for the Country Club Drive Bridge replacement project, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.  The restrictions could be lifted earlier if work is completed ahead of schedule.  The work is part of a $2.5 million bridge replacement project in Allegheny County.   PennDOT plans additional temporary disruptions on Route 19 as work progresses. Demolition activities and temporary bracing construction will require a day-long closure on a Saturday and another day-long closure on a Sunday. Crews will also implement a full weekend closure and detour on Route 19 later in the project to remove the temporary bracing and falsework.

The Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency (WCTPA) has announced a third round of tourism grant investments for 2026 totaling $110,300.  These projects will support tourism and marketing initiatives throughout Washington County as well as assist local organizations, municipalities, and businesses in enhancing visitor experiences, promoting attractions and events, and investing in tourism infrastructure.  To date, the WCTPA has awarded $504,850 in tourism program grants in 2026.  This latest funding round includes eight projects representing a diverse range of tourism initiatives, including the rehabilitation of a historic covered bridge, improvements to an accessible walking trail, and marketing campaigns designed to attract visitors to Washington County events, attractions, and facilities.  According to Jeff Kotula, President of the WCTPA, these strategic investments in local tourism assets and attractions are essential in strengthening the county’s economy and quality of life.  The summary below includes all grants approved by the WCTPA Board of Directors:

Capital Grants

• Amwell Township: $35,000 for rehabilitation of the Hughes Covered Bridge
• Donegal Township: $30,000 for paving and accessibility improvements to the walking trail at historical park
• Pennsylvania Trolley Museum: $4,300 for hardware and software upgrades to Trolley Simulator Exhibit

Marketing Projects

• County Home Shows: $14,000 to promote the 2027 Washington County Home Show through television and radio advertising
• Donora Borough: $10,000 to promote the inaugural Mon Valley Fall Festival & Carnival at Palmer Park through multimedia advertising
• DoubleTree by Hilton: $4,000 to promote the American Contract Bridge League Regional Championship through multimedia advertising
• Meadowcroft Rockshelter & Historic Village: $8,000 to promote 2027 visitation via print and digital advertising
• Sarris Candies: $5,000 to promote factory tours during special events held at the Sarris Candies Production Facility

Canonsburg Council held their agenda setting meeting and spent the evening discussing multiple items for two hours. Council will be voting on a measure to establish a Municipal Public Safety Drone Program. Its efforts would be the operation of drones by police, fire and public works personnel to get a better understanding of issues in those departments. Eric Chandler, Council President says that borough owned and operated drones would have been extremely valuable when rainstorms caused significant flooding in the west end of town last month. Council also discussed the possibility of establishing an entertainment fee on tickets for live performances in the borough. Revenue raised by the fee would be used to offset resources spent on police and ambulance services protecting the venues. The third item discussed concerned bills circulating in Harrisburg centered on the legalization of Skill Games in Pennsylvania. A June Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling stated that Skill Games are illegal slot machines. The court gave the legislature until October 13 to enact legislation protecting the devices. If not, the devices could be seized by Pennsylvania State Police. Council discussed the issue and recognized that Amusement Device Taxes paid to the borough for those machines would no longer be in effect. Council recognizes that it could put a dent into finances if no resolution is determined. Council will be holding workshops on September 21 on funding for the Town Park Pool repairs.  On September 28 a Canonsburg Forward workshop will be held.

Renovations will soon be made to the Generations Room at the Cecil Township Municipal Building. The Generations Room serves as the Cecil/McDonald Senior Center. Frank Egizio, the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, says that there will be tiles replaced, new doors installed, and old seating taken out. Egizio says that lunch and activities for senior citizens will be held at the local fire department while the work is being completed. Renovations are expected to start the first week of October and wrap up by the first week of November. Approximately $71,000 from a state grant award made these renovations possible. In other business, the $153,000 roof replacement project at the Cecil Municipal Building has been completed. Egizio says Vertex Roofing Contractors replaced the shingles and covered the skylights in the meeting room.

Gas prices are three cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.306 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.  Labor Day weekend travelers faced the highest gas prices ever for this time of year as the national average rose six cents over the past week to $4.15. Continued volatility in the Strait of Hormuz has pushed crude oil prices over $90 per barrel. After a record-setting August, this past Labor Day weekend set a record at the pump. The national average has never been above $4 per gallon on Labor Day. The current Labor Day record is $3.82, set on September 3, 2012. Even though gasoline demand decreases this time of year, typically bringing down gas prices, this year is different due to the high cost of crude oil.  According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased last week from 9.04 million barrels per day to 8.92 million. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 206.8 million barrels to 205.7 million. Gasoline production stayed the same as last week, averaging 9.8 million barrels per day.

The Washington Symphony Orchestra and Washington Festival Chorale will host a 9/11 Remembrance Concert at Immaculate Conception Church in Washington on September 12 at 7:00 PM. The evening will be full of music and remembrance for the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001. The event is open to everyone and admission is free. Yugo Ikach, the director of the Washington Symphony Orchestra, says he hopes that attendees feel slightly changed for the better when they leave the concert. Ikach explains that music can teach, inspire, and provide hope for a better tomorrow. Ikach says that Immaculate Conception Church has a beautiful interior and amazing acoustics, which makes it a perfect space for this event. Lori Greene, the President of the Board of the Washington Festival Chorale and the Chorale manager, says that both groups support each other, and they are looking forward to a collaboration. Advance registration is encouraged but not required. Seats can be reserved at www.washsym.org.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) announced that 582 measles cases have been confirmed across 37 counties in Pennsylvania so far in 2026, as the Department continues its response to the ongoing measles outbreak and provides Pennsylvanians with updated information on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.  The DOH is providing statewide data to help Pennsylvanians and health care providers understand measles activity and community transmission across the Commonwealth.   While daily numbers fluctuate, tracking these trends provides Pennsylvanians and health care providers with visibility into community transmission across the Commonwealth and helps inform the Department’s ongoing response.  Key updates include seven new positive cases since September 4, in thirty-seven counties; five-hundred and eighty-two total cumulative cases, 102 hospitalizations and two deaths.  (Photo:  AP)

TORONTO (AP) — The White House says the United States is banning dairy products, most alcoholic beverages and some motorcycles from Canada, as their trade war escalates. The ban will take effect Sept. 29 and comes after Canada’s retaliatory tariffs took effect earlier Tuesday on $20 billion in U.S. imports. A senior administration official said U.S. President Donald Trump signed paperwork Tuesday outlining his justification for the ban. The documents were posted on the White House’s website.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says it has destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in response to the latest attacks on its warships. Tehran then hit back at American targets in Jordan. It’s the latest burst of back-and-forth strikes that have lurched the sides back toward open hostilities in a more than 6-month-old war. Following Tuesday’s American strikes, Iran launched missiles toward U.S. targets in Jordan, according to Iranian state-run media. Jordan’s military said its air defense systems intercepted 18 ballistic missiles launched toward its territory and two others fell in places where no one lives. It said it has no reports of casualties.

NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil has surpassed $100 a barrel for the first time in almost six weeks after attacks on oil facilities and ships in the Middle East threatened to debilitate an already weakened supply chain. The most heavily traded contract for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, climbed on Tuesday and early Wednesday, briefly topping $100. Markets reacted after the U.S. military reported striking five Iranian tankers in response to attempted missile attacks on a Navy warship and after attacks by an Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group ignited fires at oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.

CAIRO (AP) — Regional officials tell The Associated Press that Yemen’s Houthi rebels helped Iraqi militias launch drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities in July. The United States and Saudi Arabia responded to those attacks with rare joint airstrikes on the Iraqi militias. The Houthis and the Iraqi militias have stepped up coordination in recent years to support other Iranian allies in the wars that followed Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack out of Gaza. Iran can now use them to threaten Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states as it seeks to drive up the costs of the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is using memes to portray himself as powerful amid struggles with inflation and international issues. Over Labor Day weekend, Trump and the White House shared memes showing him as a superhero and other fantastical figures. These images contrast sharply with reality, where many Americans find life unaffordable and question the Iran war’s worth. Some memes are AI-generated, and the administration often defends them as humorous. However, political strategists warn that memes won’t win over voters focused on economic issues. Despite attempts to energize his base, Trump’s approval ratings remain low.

A jury foreperson says the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy trial said he had reasonable doubt but still wouldn’t acquit. The jury’s foreperson made the comments in a TV interview Tuesday. The interview with Boston’s NBC10 aired four days after a judge declared a mistrial when jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict on the question of whether Clancy was criminally responsible for killing her three young children in 2023. The names of the jurors have been temporarily sealed by the judge. The holdout juror has not yet come forward and given a public account of what happened inside the jury room.

Families’ interest in their kids’ education is falling in many high-income countries as school systems struggle with plunging test scores. That’s according to newly released results from a standardized test taken by 15-year-olds around the world. Over 760,000 teenagers in dozens of countries took the Programme for International Student Assessment last year. Results were released Tuesday. Average scores in math, reading and science are all at their lowest point ever among highly developed economies. That includes continued declines in reading and math scores in the United States. China, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea scored the highest marks on the test.

Apple is unveiling its latest generation of iPhones on Wednesday at an event headlined by new CEO John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook on Sept. 1. This year, analysts and Apple fans are expecting the company to unveil a foldable model. Many of Apple’s biggest rivals, such as Samsung, Motorola and Google, have already come out with foldable smartphones. The iPhone 18 likely will cost more due partly to a global memory chip shortage.