WJPA News

NORTH FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A worker fell from the roof of the former Washington Crown Center Mall Monday afternoon. Washington County 911 dispatchers said emergency crews were called to the 1500 block of West Chestnut Street in North Franklin Township just before 4 p.m. Dispatchers said the call was for reports of a person who had fallen off the roof of the structure, which is currently being redeveloped. The worker was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh area hospital with unspecified injuries.

Spring has begun, and prices at the pump have continued to climb. Today’s national average ($3.95) is 24 cents higher than last week and $1.02 higher than last month. The impact from the Iran situation combined with seasonal increases are main contributors of the price increases.  According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased last week from 9.24 million b/d to 8.72 million.   Gasoline production decreased last week, averaging 9.4 million barrels per day.  At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate rose 11 cents to settle at $96.32 a barrel. The EIA reports that crude oil inventories increased by 6.2 million barrels from the previous week. At 449.3 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 1% below the five-year average for this time of year. The national average per kilowatt hour of electricity at a public EV charging station remained the same this past week at 41 cents.  (Photo:  AP)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were deployed to Pittsburgh International Airport on Monday.  Airport spokesperson Bob Kerlik said agents trained at the airport terminal on Monday morning and are expected to assist the Transportation Security Administration starting Tuesday.  Over the weekend, President Donald Trump said Federal immigration officers could start helping with airport security if a bill is not agreed on to fund the Department of Homeland Security.  Hundreds of thousands of homeland security workers, including from the TSA, U.S. Secret Service and Coast Guard, have worked without pay since Congress failed to renew DHS funding last month, the Associated Press reported.  “I look forward to moving ICE in on Monday, and have already told them to, ‘GET READY.’ NO MORE WAITING, NO MORE GAMES!” Trump wrote on social media.

Wheeling Attorney Paul Harris has been sentenced to ninety-seven months in federal prison for defrauding clients and money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.  “Citizens should trust lawyers to protect their rights and interests, not to have their money stolen,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. “Harris broke that trust, and the law, and now he will pay with time in prison.” Further, “this office will leave no stone un-turned in pursuing full restitution to make the victims whole,” said Harvey.  A federal jury found Paul J. Harris, 62, of Wheeling, guilty in November 2025 of 29 counts. Harris used client funds for personal expenses, such as the purchase of his home and paying off the loan for his law office, without the clients’ permission. Harris received and moved funds from his client trust account to his law firm operating account, at times using one client’s money to pay funds he had misappropriated from other clients. The total loss for the victims in this case is $701,623.86.  Harris will self-report to prison on May 6, 2026.  U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey handed down the sentence and ordered the forfeiture of the property of Harris Law Offices in Wheeling, as well as $701,623.86 in restitution to the victims.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators are discussing a proposal to end the Homeland Security budget stalemate by funding much of the department, but not ICE’s enforcement and removal operations that have been central to the standoff. The potential breakthrough comes after a group of Republican senators headed to the White House late Monday to meet with President Donald Trump. The scramble is on to end the partial government shutdown that is leading to long lines at U.S. airports as Transportation Security Administration workers are going without pay. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said talks have been productive. The deal would impose some restraints Democrats have demanded on immigration operations. Both parties expect to discuss the proposals Tuesday at their weekly caucus lunches.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian missiles and drones are targeting Israel and Gulf Arab states as Tehran keeps up its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, even as U.S. President Donald Trump said talks were ongoing with the Islamic Republic to end the war. A missile slammed into a street in central Tel Aviv on Tuesday but no one was seriously hurt. Iran denied talks with the U.S. were held. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will continue to strike Iran and Lebanon, even as the U.S. considers a ceasefire. The respite in oil prices was short lived, with the price of Brent crude, the international standard, back to $104 a barrel in morning trading.

NEW YORK (AP) — Investigators are continuing to delve into what caused the high speed crash between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The collision Sunday killed the pilots and injured several others. But stories of survival are also emerging, including that of a flight attendant, found injured but alive outside the aircraft. Passengers opened emergency exit doors, jumped off the wings and then turned around to catch the others. Officials say the fire truck was crossing the tarmac after being given permission to check on another plane reporting an odor onboard. The crash temporarily shut down LaGuardia during what was already a messy time at U.S. airports.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California civil jury has found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972. On Monday, jurors in Santa Monica awarded Donna Motsinger nearly $60 million after a nearly two-week trial. The amount included $40 million in punitive damages. Motsinger said in a lawsuit filed in 2023 that Cosby invited her to a show, gave her wine and pills. She says she later woke up at home partly undressed and concluded that Cosby had drugged and raped her. His lawyers called the claims speculation and say they plan to appeal. The verdict came nearly five years after Cosby was freed from prison in a criminal case.

TOKYO (AP) — Global benchmarks are mostly rebounding in a mood of cautious relief after President Donald Trump said the United States has talked with Iran about a possible end to their war. Benchmarks rose moderately in early Tuesday trading in France, Germany and Britain. In Asia, shares finished higher in Japan, Australia, South Korea and China. Oil prices rose, reversing course from their easing overnight on Wall Street. Global markets have been on a roller-coaster ride over worries about the war in Iran, which began in late February. Resource-poor Japan is severely affected by any interruption of energy shipping through the Strait of Hormuz that Iran has practically shut down.