WJPA News

Governor Josh Shapiro and State Treasurer Stacy Garrity squared off in their only debate leading up to the November election.   The candidates met in Harrisburg with the Democrat Shapiro repeatedly linking the Republican Garrity to the policies of President Trump.  Garrity attacked the incumbent’s record .  There was also plenty of talk about data center development. Garrity has called for a pause in data center development to give communities time to develop regulations for such facilities.  Shapiro says he has put in place the strictest policy and guardrails in the nation to ensure communities are protected.  Garrity is trying to shift momentum in a race that has seen her trail in the polls and in fundraising.

Election Day is just over three weeks away and now is crunch time for Washington County Elections Director Melanie Ostrander. Ostrander says that preparations are well underway to make sure Election Day is as convenient as possible. She says that over 16,000 mail in ballots have already been sent out. Ostrander says to make sure that your ballot is enclosed in the secrecy envelope before placing it in the outside envelope. She says to make sure the outer envelope is signed on the back. Otherwise, your ballot will not be counted. Ostrander did say that if you have an email on file with the elections office, you will be notified by email if your ballot has a problem. If it lacks a signature on the outside, you will be notified immediately. If the ballot is not in the secrecy envelope, you will be notified on Election Day and you can vote by provisional ballot at your normal polling location. She said that a number of polling locations have changed as of the most recent primary election. Check VotePA.gov or the Washington County website to check your polling location. Important dates to remember, October 19 is the last day to register to vote or make changes to party affiliation.  October 27 by 5:00 pm is the last day to request a mail in ballot. Mail in ballots are due in the elections office by 8:00 pm on Election Day. Polls open on Election Day, November 3 at 7:00 am. Polls close at 8:00 pm.

There have been six conditional use hearings for a proposed data center at Starpointe Business Park in Hanover Township. Prime Data Centers, LLC is proposing the development, which would include seven buildings and a separate power generation facility. During Wednesday night’s hearing, witnesses for Prime spoke more about predicted noise pollution and Prime’s commitment to comply with the township’s ordinance. Even after hearing from multiple witnesses, there are still mixed opinions about data centers. Alex Paris is part-owner of Starpointe Business Park. He says there is a lot of misinformation regarding noise pollution and vibrations caused by data centers. Alison Spadaro works for the Center for Coalfield Justice, and she believes thorough research has been done. Resident Kerri Hageter agrees, saying she is proud of the work residents have done to be able to cross-examine witnesses. Another resident, Judy Wojanis, does not believe Prime is being completely honest about the harm data centers could cause. The hearing will continue on Monday at 6:00 PM at the Hanover Township Fire Department Hall, with another one scheduled for Wednesday, October 28.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) announced that 1,078 measles cases have been confirmed across 41 counties in Pennsylvania so far in 2026. Of the 74 cases added today, more than 40 represent individuals who were sick more than two weeks ago and are no longer contagious, but their cases were only recently reported and subsequently confirmed by DOH. Today’s update does not reflect a current surge in new infections.  The Department continues to lead Pennsylvania’s robust response to the ongoing measles outbreak and is making the most up-to-date information on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths available on our measles dashboard. 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.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The FBI says it thwarted an attack on the Mall of America by a teenager after agents supplied him with an assault rifle. Authorities announced Wednesday that the 18-year-old had been under investigation for nearly two years, trading messages with a confidential informant. A federal complaint says Sheikhdoon Abdullahi Mohamud was arrested Tuesday in a public park after he paid $600 to an undercover FBI employee posing as a member of the Islamic State group for an AK-47 and 200 rounds of ammunition. It accuses Mohamud of repeatedly telling the informant that he wanted to kill non-Muslims. He was represented at his initial court appearance Wednesday by a public defender. The lawyer and members of his family declined to comment.

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — A lawyer for the woman who says she was gang raped at a Cornell University fraternity says she was “misled” by authorities about the status of the criminal investigation in the weeks after she first went to police. Attorney Thomas Giuffra told The Associated Press campus police led the accuser to believe that the investigation was continuing, even after a local district attorney initially declined to prosecute. In reality, the lawyer says little more was done. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten has said he made the decision not to go forward with a criminal case within days of the woman giving her first substantial interviews to police. The men accused by the woman denied her allegations. They have not been charged with a crime.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Christa Pike is “angry and confused” after surviving an attempt to execute her in Tennessee. One of Pike’s attorneys, Randy Spivey, said Wednesday that she aware of what happened. Executioners tried twice to administer lethal doses of pentobarbital to Pike on Sept. 30. Witnesses were able to hear her breathing heavily before she was removed from the death chamber. On Wednesday, a judge said she would issue an order to the state to preserve anything that was in the execution chamber and all communication records. Pike was sentenced to death for the beating and stabbing death of Colleen Slemmer in 1995.

Isaias is surging toward the U.S. Gulf Coast as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season. Governors in Florida and Alabama declared a state of emergency for dozens of counties. Isaias is forecast to intensify rapidly and bring strong winds and a life-threatening storm surge to the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi. Landfall was forecast on the northern Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday. Heavy rain with the risk of flooding was possible into the weekend as far inland as the Tennessee Valley. The hurricane had 75 mph winds early Thursday. Some Gulf oil wells paused production, and some Florida school districts canceled classes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Federal Reserve officials expect that another interest rate increase will likely be needed this year to combat inflation, minutes released Wednesday from the central bank’s most recent meeting showed. The officials unanimously agreed that inflation was still elevated and had not made much progress toward their 2% target in recent months, the minutes said. The Fed increased its key interest rate at the Sept. 15-16 meeting by a quarter-point to about 3.9%, its first increase in three years. The rate increase comes as Americans are already struggling with high costs for groceries, gas and housing, and as affordability has taken on a leading role in the upcoming midterm elections, just seven weeks away.