WJPA News

The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed the state’s fifth measles-related death this year.  An unvaccinated Lancaster County resident who tested positive for measles has died, according to the department. The person’s age was not released to protect their privacy.  Earlier this month, an 18-year-old Mifflin County resident died from the disease, days after a 40-year-old woman from Jefferson County.  Two infants from Lancaster County died in August, marking the first measles-related deaths in the U.S. this year, and the first in Pennsylvania in 35 years.  The latest death comes as the total number of measles cases in the state this year reaches 943 across 39 counties.  Of those 943 cases, state health officials note that only four, or less than 1%, are among vaccinated people.  (Photo:  AP)

MIAMI (AP) — A Florida judge has postponed a plea hearing for former NFL star wide receiver Antonio Brown. Brown arrived in a Miami courtroom Wednesday and his lawyer says they were ready to accept a plea deal that would let Brown avoid prison time on a reduced charge in an attempted murder case. But the judge said she was in the middle of another trial and not ready to go forward and postponed the hearing until Oct. 28. Brown was accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer in May 2025 and firing two shots at a man he had been in a fistfight with earlier.

Talk of data centers in Hanover Township will continue tonight and throughout October. During Tuesday night’s hearing, a witness for Prime Data Centers, LLC spoke about the geology of Starpointe Business Park and the readiness of the site for a data center and power generation facility. Although the hearings have been ongoing for months, Prime says there are still four witnesses who will testify. Solicitor Dennis Makel says they are trying to move the hearings along, but there needs to be due process. Residents who have party status are concerned that they have not been able to cross-examine every witness. Daniel Bentrem says that the hearings are being wrapped up too fast, which limits each person’s time to speak. Another resident, Katie Weber, says she only cares that the process is thorough, and that health and safety concerns are considered. The hearing will continue tonight and October 7, 22, and 29 at 6:00 PM at the Hanover Township Fire Department Hall.

Harrisburg, PA – Following an annual adjustment to account for food costs and inflation, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS) has announced increases to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s (SNAP) income limits and maximum benefit amounts starting October 1st.  These changes will benefit all SNAP recipients and no one will experience a decrease in benefits because of these updates.   The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) made the changes as part of an annual re-evaluation of SNAP’s income eligibility standards, the maximum benefit amount, and the minimum benefit amount. This adjustment is a routine, annual process.  “SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program. I strongly encourage anyone who may need food assistance to apply for SNAP,” said PA DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. “SNAP helps more than 1.7 million Pennsylvanians afford food for themselves and their families, and PA DHS will always help Pennsylvanians facing food insecurity keep food on their tables.”  The average increase for most SNAP recipients will be $18.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is accepting construction and maintenance services feedback through an online survey. The public can take the survey through October 20 by visiting 2026 PennDOT Construction/Maintenance Customer Satisfaction Survey. Under the Shapiro Administration, more than 21,800 miles have been improved statewide, and work has advanced on nearly 2,000 state and local bridges. PennDOT has been hard at work on Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges throughout the year, improving more than 2,600 road miles and advancing work on 373 state and local bridges from January through August of this year. Governor Shapiro also recently announced additional, accelerated work – 79 “Rapid Deployment Projects” that are the first round of a $775 million investment from the Motor License Fund over 18 months. “The PennDOT team is committed to serving every county, every community, every time, and this annual survey helps the department see successes and opportunities,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said. “The survey also helps us find areas where we can educate the public while learning about how the public receives road information.” The 17-question survey asks participants how they receive PennDOT roadway information and how often PennDOT meets or exceeds expectations in construction and maintenance activities. Respondents are also asked about experiences reporting concerns to the department, and whether or how they use the state’s 511PA traveler information services. Those interested can take the survey at www.pa.gov/DOTprojects.

Carnegie Mellon University announced Wednesday that hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin is donating $3 billion, with the bulk of the money to be used to start a new campus in Miami that will focus on societal challenges. The Pittsburgh-based private research university said the contribution is the largest ever to any education institution in the U.S. In addition to spending $2 billion for a new 35-acre campus in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood, some of the rest of the money will go to the Pittsburgh campus’ computer science program.

QUANTICO, Va. (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has confirmed that the U.S. military will cut 20% of its generals and admirals. He made the announcement in a speech Wednesday to junior officers and enlisted leaders at the Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia. The Pentagon chief also announced the creation of a new four-star command to oversee the rollout of autonomous and robotic capabilities in what he called “the fastest peacetime shift in modern military history.” He also again led with how he has drastically retooled the U.S. military by targeting what he calls “woke” culture.

BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. military has completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission against the Islamic State group. The last troops left an air base in northern Iraq under a deal between Baghdad and Washington. President Donald Trump hailed the withdrawal as a victory for the U.S. and Iraq. The move marks a shift from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort. However, concerns remain about the resurgence of the Islamic State group and attacks by Iran-linked groups. The future of Iraqi militias also remains uncertain as the government seeks to disarm them.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Passengers on a plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv say they wrestled with a pilot who stabbed the other pilot as the plane dove sharply before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, It was not clear what had motivated the attack. Aviation experts are marveling that the plane didn’t crash. The passengers arrived in Israel on another FlyDubai flight on Wednesday evening. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu greeted one of the responders, who still wore a bloodied shirt. Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia arrested a pilot, who has not been identified. Shaken passengers described believing they were going to die.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a solid 2.2% pace from April through June as consumer spending and business investment came in strong. Growth in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of a goods and services — decelerated slightly a 2.5% pace from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The second-quarter growth number was an improvement on the department’s previous estimate of 1.5%. Consumer spending — which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic activity — increased at a healthy 3.8% annual pace, up from 0.7% in the January-March period.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will let President Donald Trump’s administration resume deporting people to countries other than their own for now, while the justices consider whether the policy is legal. The high court said Tuesday it will hear arguments in the case. The order lifts for now an appeals court decision that found migrants must have a chance to object. Federal attorneys said the lower court’s decision forced the cancellation of a deportation flight carrying about 70 people. Under a series of often-secret agreements, Trump’s Republican administration has deported some 25,000 people to more than two dozen countries. The case comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by the Trump administration.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former special counsel Jack Smith has forcefully defended his prosecutions of President Donald Trump and his investigative tactics. He pushed back against repeated Republican efforts to paint him and his team as partisan political operators during a Senate hearing Tuesday that featured a senator’s bungled attempt to accuse him of lying about a basketball game. The hearing came as Republicans have pushed for Smith to be prosecuted and offered a forum for them to assail him for what they contend were politicized prosecutions that unfolded at the height of the 2024 presidential race. Democrats rallied in defense of Smith, eliciting testimony on the legal and factual basis for the criminal cases against then-candidate Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers posted fewer job openings in August, but the American labor market remains resilient in the face of higher energy costs caused by the fighting with Iran. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that U.S. job openings slid to 7.08 million from a revised 7.34 million in July. Openings came in below the 7.2 million that forecasters had expected. The department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) also showed that layoffs fell and the number of people quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects — was little changed in August.

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney accused the U.S. owner of steelmaker Stelco of betraying Canadian workers after it announced layoffs it attributed in part to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs — tariffs Cleveland-Cliffs’ chief executive has publicly championed. Carney also threatened legal action against Cleveland-Cliffs, saying the Ohio-based company has binding employment obligations stemming from its C$3.4 billion ($2.4 billion) takeover of Stelco in 2024. Stelco says up to 500 workers could be affected as it indefinitely idles cold-rolled and coated operations at its Hamilton, Ontario, plant and shifts production to its Lake Erie facility in Nanticoke.