WJPA News

According to a published report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday – the newspaper will cease publication on Sunday, May 3rd.  The report says that over the past 20 years, Block Communications Inc. has lost more than $350 million in cash operating the newspaper, but despite their efforts, they are facing “continued cash losses at a scale no longer sustainable.”  Recent court decisions would require the Post-Gazette to operate under a 2014 labor contract that imposes “outdated and inflexible operational practices,” making continued publication impossible.  In a statement, the Block family said it deeply regretted how the decision will affect Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. The Block family said it was “proud of the service the Post-Gazette has provided to Pittsburgh for nearly a century.”

PennDOT and State Police were called to a rock slide along Interstate 79 Wednesday morning.  Washington County 9-1-1 says it happened just before 7:30 a.m near mile-marker 44 between Houston and Canonsburg.   State Police Washington tell WJPA News that two vehicles were struck by, what they called, boulders.  Dispatchers say no injuries resulted.   PennDOT says crews removed rock debris and both lanes were reopened to traffic around 8:45 a.m.

Women in Washington County will no longer need to drive to Pittsburgh to receive top notch women’s medical care. UPMC Washington unveiled their latest expansion of services with UPMC Medicine. UPMC Magee-Womens In Washington will provide services to Washington County women. Services range from delivery services for babies to gynecological oncology care. Annmarie Miller is the vice president, UPMC Magee-Womens Health Service Line. She called the program the hospital’s mission of putting women first. Brook Ward, President of UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene said that this being part of the June 2024 merger furthers the vision of making UPMC Washington Hospital the sixth hub for the UPMC system. Joel Yuhas, executive vice president, UPMC and president, UPMC Health Services Division says they are proud to bring nationally recognized, advanced specialty care of UPMC Magee-Womens, UPMC Children’s, UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center close to home and in direct response to community health needs. UPMC pledged to invest $300 million over ten years in expanded services and upgrades to the Washington Health System, when the merger took place.

CHROME Federal Credit Union has announced the appointment of Broc Sleek as its new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective February 2, 2026, concluding a comprehensive national search and marking the beginning of an important new chapter for the organization. Sleek succeeds Robert Flanyak, who is slated to retire in April 2026 after ten years leading CHROME’s cooperative mission and delivering meaningful service to its members across southwestern Pennsylvania.  Board members say their decision reflects a commitment to advancing CHROME’s mission of creating financial well-being for all and continuing the organization’s evolution as a values-led, tech-forward credit union. Board Chair Robert Greek remarked, “Broc brings an exceptional blend of strategic insight, operational experience, and heart for our community. His leadership in fintech and lending, combined with his long-standing connection to CHROME, positions him to guide the credit union into its next era of purpose-driven banking. We are confident he is the right steward to carry our mission forward.”  Reflecting on his appointment, Sleek shared his deep appreciation for the opportunity to return to an organization that has shaped his professional journey. “I’m eager to lead a team that genuinely cares about our members and shows up every day to deliver the financial solutions and exceptional service they deserve.”

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot and killed a motorist acted recklessly and rejected federal officials claims that the officer had acted in self-defense. During a Wednesday news conference hours after the ICE officer shot the woman, whose name hasn’t been released, an angry Frey blasted the federal immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Of the federal officers, he said, “They’re sowing chaos on our streets and in this case quite literally killing people.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States says it has seized two sanctioned oil tankers linked to Venezuela in back-to-back actions in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean. U.S. forces boarded a Venezuela-linked sanctioned oil tanker in the North Atlantic on Wednesday after pursuing it for weeks. U.S. European Command announced the seizure of the merchant vessel Bella 1 for “violations of U.S. sanctions” in a social medial post. Then, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem revealed that U.S. forces also took control of the tanker Sophia in the Caribbean in a social media post. Noem says both ships were “either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it.”

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Donald Trump says Venezuela will be providing 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S., and he pledges to use proceeds from the sale of this oil “to benefit the people” of both countries. Earlier Tuesday, officials in Caracas announced that at least 24 Venezuelan security officers were killed in the dead-of-night U.S. military operation to capture Nicolás Maduro and transport him to the United States to face drug charges. And the country’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, pushed back on Trump, who earlier this week warned she’d face an outcome worse than Maduro’s if she does not “do what’s right.”

BOSTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice has revealed that the shooter who killed two Brown University students and an MIT professor planned the attack for years. Claudio Neves Valente was a former Brown student and Portuguese national. He was found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility Dec. 18. He left behind videos confessing to the murders but gave no motive. In the recordings Neves Valente admitted to planning the attack for at least six semesters. He expressed no remorse and called his actions “a little incompetent.” The shootings occurred Dec. 13 and 15.