WJPA News

Uniontown, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) District 12 is announcing the exit ramp of northbound Interstate 79 at Exit 19 (Ruff Creek/Jefferson) in Washington Township, Greene County is scheduled to close on Saturday, October 24 from 7:00 AM until 5:00 PM. All work depends on weather and operations.  The posted detour will direct northbound I-79 traffic to continue past Exit 19 (Ruff Creek/Jefferson) to Exit 23 (Marianna/Prosperity). From Exit 23 drivers will re-enter southbound I-79 and travel to southbound Exit 19 (Ruff Creek/Jefferson).  The ramp closure will allow crews from Lindy Paving to complete paving.  Monday, October 26, will serve as a weather make-up day, if needed.

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has announced that 1,317 measles cases have been confirmed across 43 counties in Pennsylvania so far in 2026, including Washington County.  The DOH 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 DOH’s ongoing response.  Statewide, health care providers have also seen a surge of interest from residents seeking MMR vaccinations. In a typical month, Pennsylvania health care providers administer approximately 25,000 doses of the MMR vaccine. In September, more than 56,000 doses were administered. So far in the first three weeks of October, more than 39,000 MMR vaccines have been administered.  (Photo:  AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says he has a high comfort level in the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers playing the league’s first game in France in light of the civil unrest that could include more protests this weekend in Paris and elsewhere around the country. Goodell at the end of the annual fall owners meeting said he had spoken with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and that officials are in touch with Parisian and French authorities. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told reporters in Versailles that the team’s plans have not been affected by the situation.

Big news for Houston-based Perryman Company.  Apple has announced a partnership in which they will supply specialty titanium for its products, including the company’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. The collaboration is part of Apple’s American Manufacturing Program and includes a commitment of up to $100 million over the next three years. Perryman Company will produce the titanium at its manufacturing campuses in the Pittsburgh region, including in Houston. The material will form a grade 5 titanium enclosure engineered to provide strength and durability for the foldable device.  Perryman Company is a family-owned business specializing in vertically integrated titanium operations. The company operates melting, forging, rolling and finishing facilities to supply titanium products for the aerospace, medical, industrial, defense and consumer technology markets.  Frank Perryman serves as the president and chief executive officer of Perryman Company. “The opportunity to support Apple with titanium produced right here in Pennsylvania is a tremendous honor for our company and our employees,” Perryman said. “This partnership reflects the strength of American manufacturing and highlights the critical role that titanium materials play in enabling innovative products. We are proud that Perryman’s expertise, built over decades of investment and innovation, will contribute to one of the most exciting new consumer products in the world.”

Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt today reminded registered Pennsylvania voters planning to vote by mail ballot in the Nov. 3 general election that they must apply for their ballot online or in person by 5 p.m. Oct. 27th.  “If you want to vote by mail, now is the time to apply so you will have enough time to receive, complete, and return your ballot to your county elections office by the deadline of 8 p.m. on Election Day,” Sec. Schmidt said. “You also have the option of applying for your mail ballot in person at your county elections office, completing it, and returning it all in one visit through Oct. 27. Voters are encouraged to check their county elections office’s hours before making the trip.”  The Department of State’s Elections Data page links to a downloadable Daily Mail Ballot Report, which provides point-in-time data showing each county elections office’s statistics.  County elections offices must receive completed mail ballots by 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. Mail ballots returned after that time, even if postmarked by 8 p.m. Nov. 3, will not count..  Polls will be open 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. on Election Day for registered voters who want to vote in person. If a voter is in line by 8 p.m., they can vote.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo’s doctors confirm that his lung cancer was localized, and no further treatment is needed. The Vatican released a statement Wednesday. Pope Leo returned to the Vatican on Saturday after having the lower lobe of his right lung removed. The surgery confirmed he had lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer. His personal physician, Dr. Luigi Carbone, and surgeon, Dr. Stefano Margaritora, said tests on the tissue removed during surgery confirmed the initial diagnosis and that the cancer had not spread. A subsequent oncology assessment confirmed no further treatment is necessary.  (Photo:  AP)

Russia has released a retired American teacher imprisoned on charges of fighting as a mercenary in Ukraine. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff announced the release Wednesday during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. Stephen Hubbard, from Michigan, was sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in prison. Prosecutors said he fought with the Ukrainian military after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. The U.S. government under the Biden administration designated Hubbard as wrongfully detained. The release comes as President Donald Trump advances policies that aid Putin, including waiving sanctions on Russia.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Vice President JD Vance speaks on the campaign trail about the high costs Americans are facing, he often says he understands that people are hurting. But in the way President Donald Trump talks about affordability concerns, the pain is often his. Depending on which Republican is speaking, Americans are getting a different perspective on how bad things are with the economy. Trump says “the golden age of America is upon us.” Vance walks a tightrope to show that he knows voters are feeling an economic pinch while still selling them on Trump’s agenda.

PARIS (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and leading Republicans are trying to leverage widespread riots in France ahead of midterm congressional elections by making unsubstantiated claims that the social unrest in Europe is caused by Muslim migrants. France has been rocked by violence during nationwide demonstrations over the high cost of living and in support of students’ grievances over underfunded schools. Trump says immigrants to France are to blame. French authorities do not make that connection. It is difficult to know the exact sociological makeup of the protesters. But accounts of the protests and images of the unrest seem to show they are representative of France’s diverse society.

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — Florida has carried out its 18th execution of the year under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ aggressive use of the death penalty in his final term. Seventy-seven-year-old William Reaves was pronounced dead Tuesday evening after a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1986 shooting death of Indian River County Deputy Richard Raczkoski. Reaves was Florida’s eighth prisoner over age 70 to be executed this year in the nation’s busiest death chamber. Last year, Florida set a state record with 19 executions for a single year. It’s set to tie that mark if another execution is carried out next month as scheduled.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian federal lawmaker Helen Haines had had both legs amputated after she was rammed repeatedly by a driver on Monday outside her electorate office, her husband says. The 65-year-old independent politician remains in a critical condition on Wednesday in a Melbourne hospital where she was flown by helicopter within hours of an apparent escalation in political violence that has shocked Australia. Phil Haines gave the family’s first public comments on her condition since she was hit by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV in her hometown of Wangaratta. He said her left leg was amputated on Monday and the other leg was amputated on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Humanity is losing more ground in its fight against climate change. If all the countries do what they promise to do in the fight to curb climate change, the world will still warm this century by another 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) from now, the United Nations now projects. That’s about two tenths of a degree Fahrenheit (0.1 C) warmer than last year’s projection. The UN says much of that change is due to the United States abandoning its climate efforts. Experts fault the U.S. for dramatically increased emissions when other nations were cutting.