WJPA News

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — What was once Pennsylvania’s biggest coal-fired power plant is being turned into a $10 billion natural gas-powered data center campus designed to capitalize on Big Tech’s fast-growing energy demands. The owners of the former Homer City Generating Station, about an hour east of Pittsburgh, said Wednesday that they’re installing seven gas-fired turbines to power data centers on site with up to 4.5 gigawatts of electricity. That’s enough to power about 3 million homes. It would be the nation’s largest gas-fired power plant and the nation’s third-largest power generation facility. Construction could begin this year and power could flow by 2027. The coal-fired plant shuttered in 2023.  (Photo:  AP)

Several animals including pigs and chickens died in an early morning fire in East Finley Townhip.  Washington County 911 says the fire broke out just after 2 a.m. at a barn in the 100-block of Dunham Road. Dispatchers say the building housed equipment and some animals.  No injuries were reported.  There is no word on the cause of the fire.

Washington County Commissioners will meet Thursday and take action on several issues that have been on the minds of residents. One item is the money spent on the recent Real Estate Expo held last month that included a $30,000 payment to TV personality Hilary Farr. Commissioners will set up a custodial account that will be audited quarterly by the controller’s office. Controller Heather Sheatler had requested information regarding the monies spent surrounding the event. During the meeting it was announced that the equipment that was purchased by the county for the previous emergency radio system has now been released to the county. According to Purchasing Director Randy Vankirk, the $4.8 million in equipment may now be used on the current system and any other unused items will be sold to other organizations in need of that equipment. Vankirk says that except for a possible 10% restocking fee, all monies will be recouped by the county.

A coroner’s inquest into the death of an Avella man has been put on hold. The inquest concerns the death of Mark Michael Miller, 45 who died after he crashed his vehicle during a police pursuit in Mt. Pleasant Township a year ago. The hearing was delayed for a half hour while the solicitor for the coroner and attorneys for Mt. Pleasant Township and its police officers were in front of Judge Gary Gilman, trying to have paperwork related to the accident released by Mt. Pleasant Township police. Officers and that paperwork had been subpoenaed several times prior to the hearing and police have yet to release the paperwork. The officers involved in the pursuit were present to testify. The continued non compliance to the subpoena for the paperwork caused the inquest to be postponed. A hearing concerning the subpoenaed paperwork will be held in front of Judge Gilman on Friday at 9:00 am.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation partnered with the Highway Safety Network and State Farm to announce on Tuesday that Bentworth High School is the winner of the 2025 “No Excuses” Distracted Driving Billboard Design Contest.  The State Farm sponsored contest was open to all high school students in Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Greene counties. Students from seven local schools submitted 13 designs for judging. The first-place winner is from Bentworth High School (Washington County) and will receive $1,000; Bentworth High School will also receive $1,000. The second-place winner is from Greater Latrobe Senior High School (Westmoreland County) and will receive $500; Greater Latrobe Senior High School will also receive $500. The third-place winner is from Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center (Westmoreland County) and will receive $250; Northern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center will also receive $250.  The winning design will be viewed by motorists on a billboard near Bentworth High School throughout the month of April. The second and third place winners will also be presented their prizes in April.  April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. According to PennDOT data, there were 11,225 crashes in Pennsylvania involving a distracted driver in 2023, resulting in 65 deaths.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is imposing a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and even higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States. It threatens to upend much of the architecture of the global economy and trigger broader trade wars. Trump is declaring a national economic emergency to launch the tariffs, which are expected to produce hundreds of billions in annual revenues. He has promised that factory jobs will return back to the United States as a result of the taxes, but his policies risk a sudden economic slowdown as consumers and businesses could face sharp price hikes on autos, clothes and other goods.  (Photo:  AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case. Judge Dale E. Ho on Wednesday granted the Justice Department’s extraordinary request to set aside criminal charges so the mayor could aid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. But the judge denied prosecutors the ability to potentially bring the criminal case back after the mayoral election. The order to dismiss the case “with prejudice” spares Adams from having to govern in a way that pleases Trump or potentially risk having the charges revived. The Justice Department’s push to end the case caused a rift between its leadership in Washington and prosecutors in New York. Adams had pleaded not guilty to bribery and other charges.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Democrats’ victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race is a big loss for Elon Musk. The billionaire supporter of President Donald Trump and his affiliated groups spent more than $21 million supporting the conservative in the race in hopes of breaking liberals’ 4-3 majority on the court. But the Democrats’ candidate, Judge Susan Crawford, won comfortably. She and Democrats made Musk’s spending the focus of their campaign. The election was the first test of Musk’s political impact since he skyrocketed in prominence by launching a controversial effort to slash the federal government in Trump’s administration.

A trio of elections have provided plenty of warning signs to Republicans and President Donald Trump. The conservative judge endorsed by Trump and backed by Elon Musk to the tune of $21 million lost by a significant margin in a state the president won in November. And while Florida Republicans held two of the most pro-Trump House districts in the country, both candidates also significantly underperformed Trump’s November margins. Tuesday’s elections were seen as an early measure of voter sentiment as Trump works with unprecedented speed to dramatically upend the federal government, clashing with the courts and seeking revenge as he tests the bounds of presidential power.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in California has ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore legal aid to unaccompanied migrant children in the United States. The Republican administration on March 21 terminated a federal contract that provides legal aid for children under 18. Plaintiffs are legal aid groups whose funding was cut. They want the government to make sure children do not face court proceedings without legal aid. Attorneys for the government say taxpayers are not obligated to pay for direct legal services.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Val Kilmer has died at age 65. The versatile actor played flying ace Iceman opposite Tom Cruise in “Top Gun,” Batman in “Batman Forever” and singer Jim Morrison in the biopic “The Doors.” Kilmer’s daughter says he died Tuesday in Los Angeles from pneumonia. He had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014. The Los Angeles-born Kilmer studied acting at the elite Juilliard School and had his big break in the 1985 spy spoof “Top Secret.” He was sometimes regarded as a difficult presence on film sets but said in his memoir that he always put the art first.