WJPA News

A heat wave will blast the eastern United States this week. The National Weather Service says temperatures rising ahead of the July Fourth holiday will feel hotter because of the high humidity that’s arriving with it. The weather service says several days of high temperatures will settle in across the lower Great Lakes, the mid-Atlantic and the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys. That’s expected to last into next weekend across the Great Plains, Southeast and mid-Atlantic. Temperatures will reach well into the 90s and low 100 degrees F. Some cities could see their highest temperatures of the year so far as they host World Cup matches and celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary.

Uniontown, PA – PennDOT has announced scheduled restrictions and closure of a portion of (South Main Street between Route 18 (Park Avenue) and East/West Prospect Avenue in the City of Washington.  Monday, July 6 through Friday, July 10 – there will be daily single-lane restrictions in place from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Traffic will be controlled by flaggers.  Monday, July 13 through the end of September – Route 2001 will close to traffic beginning at 6:00 a.m.  The detour will be:  Route 2001 (South Main Street and South Main Street Extension)/Route 19 (Waynesburg Road)/Route 40/19 (East Maiden Street)/Route 18 (South Main Street).  During the restrictions, crews from Allison Park Contractors, Inc. will perform saw cutting and preparation work for the closure of Route 2001 (South Main Street). During the closure, crews will demolish the existing concrete box culvert under Route 2001 (South Main Street) and replace it with a new cast-in-place concrete box culvert. Additional work to be performed includes drainage repairs/replacement, new inlets, and new asphalt roadway pavement.  This $2.25 million investment will replace the existing box culvert underneath Route 18 with a new pre-cast box culvert. This work includes excavation of the existing concrete box culvert, installing a new pre-cast concrete box culvert, full-depth asphalt road replacement and concrete curb, gutter, and sidewalk replacement. This work is part of the Route 2001/Route 18 Over Catfish Creek Bridge Replacement Project.

Emergency crews conducted a water rescue in Fayette County on Sunday. According to the Everson Volunteer Fire Co., crews were called to the Yough River in Upper Tyrone Township for a kayak that had reportedly overturned, leaving three people in the water.  The three people were found on the riverbank, but the terrain made them inaccessible, officials say.  Morrell Volunteer Fire Co. crews kept an eye on the people and made contact with them over the phone.  New Haven Hose Co. launched a boat from the Dunbar Township side of the river and rescued the three people. All of them declined care from medics.

WASHINGTON, Pa. — A chain steakhouse restaurant has closed its doors here in Washington County.  A spokesperson for Bloomin’ Brands confirms that the Outback Steakhouse location on Washington Road in Washington closed on June 22, ahead of its lease expiring. Some of the restaurant’s employees will be able to transfer to a nearby restaurant and will receive a transition bonus.  The restaurant has served the Washington Community for 20 years.  The only remaining Outback Steakhouse location in Western Pennsylvania is in Coraopolis. The McCandless location closed in 2024, as part of Bloomin’ Brands’ decision to shutter underperforming locations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook can remain in her job for now, a rebuke to President Donald Trump’s bid to wrest control of the nation’s central bank. At the same time, the justices on Monday dramatically expanded presidential power, upholding the Republican president’s firings of the heads of other independent federal agencies. The court rejected a Trump administration plea to immediately remove Cook from the Fed based on allegations she committed mortgage fraud, which she denies. Cook was nominated to the Fed’s Board of Governors by then-President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — President Donald Trump says on social media that Iran had requested a meeting with U.S. counterparts, though Iranian officials said no such meeting was scheduled. The U.S. president has tried to preserve an increasingly fragile interim deal as hostilities have mounted in recent days in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for energy supplies. Monday marked the first time both sides appeared to pause after four days of trading attacks. Iran’s president says $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets would be released by Qatar, remarks apparently aimed at selling the Iranian public on the interim deal. So far, U.S. officials say no frozen Iranian assets have been released.

PARIS (AP) — A record-breaking heat wave has overwhelmed mortuaries in Paris, leaving funeral directors struggling to find space for bodies. Zouhaeir Hertelli, a mortuary owner, says he receives hundreds of calls daily but has no room left. France is counting the human cost of the heat wave, which began in mid-June. Public Health France reports a surge in deaths, particularly among older people. Last week, deaths exceeded 1,200 on Wednesday and rose to over 1,400 on Thursday and Friday. The agency expects these numbers to rise as more death certificates are processed.