WJPA News

PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed the state budget into law . He officially signed the 2026-27 General Appropriations Act into law around 6:15 p.m. It’s the fifth year in a row that the state budget has been overdue. Lawmakers said the stalemate this time around boiled down to how the budget is paid and a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on skill machines complicating talks.  In his remarks, Gov. Shapiro repeatedly praised the divided legislature for finding compromise and consensus. “This is the fourth year in a row where – despite working with one of the only divided legislatures in the country, where we have some really profound differences – we stayed at the table and brought Democrats and Republicans together to get stuff done, again,” he said. “We managed to find compromise – without compromising our core values.” The new budget cuts taxes, invests in education and workforce development, offers a pension bump to retired school, state and emergency responders, funds projects to repair state roads, provides relief for farmers, supports crisis centers and requires data centers to report annual utility consumption to the state.  While the budget contained many compromises, Shapiro said he’s proud of avoiding any cuts to Medicaid and that all adequacy funding stayed.

Long awaited repairs to Locust Avenue in South Strabane Township have been delayed. According to PennDot, repairs to the road between Interstate 79 and Hudak Hill, that suffered a landslide in March were scheduled to begin Monday July 13. Those repairs are now scheduled to begin on Monday July 27. PennDot estimates the repair work to last until mid October.

Father Mattia Ferrari from the Vatican is traveling the country this summer, and he made a stop in Washington County. As Chaplain of the World Meeting of Popular Movements, Father Ferrari listens to people’s lived experiences and shares messages from Pope Leo XIV about justice and unity. On Saturday, during an event titled “An Economy That Kills,” faith, labor, and environmental leaders hosted a dialogue on the economy in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Sarah Martik, the Executive Director at Center for Coalfield Justice, says it is great that the church is trying to elevate stories of injustice while also bringing people together to take action. Leaders and audience members spoke about issues including food insecurity, having a low minimum wage in Pennsylvania, labor cuts, and environmental concerns. Donna Patrina, the President of the Washington/Greene County Central Labor Council says the community is blessed to have the Vatican hear the problems of Washington County. Father Ferrari explains that he was shocked to see the suffering of people throughout the United States, but he is moved by the solidarity of churches, organizations, and community members.

The Honorable Judge Damon J. Faldowski has died.  Faldowski  passed away on Friday, July 10th.  Damon attended Washington & Jefferson College, where he earned his degree in psychology and also discovered a passion for law.  He continued his legal education at South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas, earning his JD in 1976.  Upon returning to Washington,  Damon began his legal career as the Assistant District Attorney of Washington County before co-founding Phillips & Faldowski, P.C. with his brother-in-law.  His legal career reached its pinnacle when, after forty years of practicing law, he was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf and sworn in as Judge of the Washington County Court of Common Pleas.  He served on the bench until his retirement in 2019.  Friends will be received on Tuesday, July 14, from 1 – 4 and 6 – 9 p.m. in the Warco-Falvo Funeral Home on Wilson at East Katherine Avenue in Washington.  A Departing Prayers of Transfer Service will be held on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 in the funeral home at 8:45 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m. in the Immaculate Conception Church, St. James Parish, 119 W. Chestnut St., Washington.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has died after a brief illness. The South Carolina Republican was 71. Graham was known for advocating a strong U.S. foreign policy. He initially opposed Trump and ran against him for president in 2016, but later became a staunch supporter. Graham had just returned from Ukraine, where he’d meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham was known for advising Trump on matters such as Iran and Russia. Trump says Graham “sounded a little bit tired, but perfect,” when the senator called the president Saturday night after returning from his trip. The Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia’s preliminary findings are Graham died of aortic dissection.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Mitch McConnell has for the first time revealed what led to his hospitalization. McConnell, 84, in a statement Sunday said a fall was what landed him in the hospital four weeks ago. The statement comes after weeks of mounting speculation about the Kentucky Republican’s health. McConnell explained his long silence as being hesitant to “share the vulnerability that comes with growing older.” McConnell said he will not be returning to the Senate “quite yet” but continues to work with his staff on Senate business. McConnell had polio in his early childhood and has long acknowledged difficulty walking and climbing stairs.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States and Iran each are asserting they control the Strait of Hormuz after a weekend of attacks stretching across the wider Middle East. The attacks that continued into Monday morning further threatened any diplomacy to end the war. The attacks underlines that the waterway that once saw a fifth of the world’s traded crude oil and natural gas pass through it remains the key issue in negotiations. Iran and the U.S. are nearly at the midway point of the 60-day period of an interim deal that was supposed to set up talks for a permanent end to the war.

BANGKOK (AP) — Oil prices have jumped and Asian shares are mostly lower after the U.S. carried out airstrikes and Iran retaliated. The prices of Brent crude and U.S. benchmark crude gained more than 3% early Monday. South Korea’s Kospi sank 9%. On Friday, U.S. stocks rose as Wall Street showed its appetite is still big for winners of the artificial-intelligence boom. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3%. The Nasdaq composite climbed 0.3%. Shares of South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix soared 13% in their debut on Wall Street. Early Monday, Seoul-traded shares SK Hynix slumped 15.4%, while bigger rival Samsung Electronics lost 10.7%.

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Sam Neill has died at age 78. He was an elegant, versatile actor who moved from art films to blockbusters like “Jurassic Park” and “The Hunt for Red October.” He said he had a rare type of lymphoma in 2023. His family said he was cancer-free when he died Monday but the statement didn’t give a cause. The New Zealand actor was one of a host of actors and directors who achieved international fame after an explosion of Australian films that began in the late 1970s. In addition to “Jurassic Park” and two of its follow-ups, his films included the thriller at sea “Dead Calm,” the period romance “The Piano” and the sci-fi horror “Event Horizon.”