WJPA News

HARRISBURG – Rep. Bud Cook (R-Greene/Washington) announced on Tuesday that municipalities in the 50th Legislative District will receive more than $11.2 million in Marcellus Shale impact fees. In addition to the municipal funding, Greene County will receive close to $5.5 million and Washington County will receive more than $7.8 million from the impact fees.  “We have an abundant amount energy under out feet,” Cook said. “We’ve advocated for unleashing the energy potential of our region, and this impact fee money demonstrates how responsible natural gas development continues to benefit our communities.” Under Act 13 of 2012, impact fees are collected from the drilling companies with 60% returned to counties and municipalities affected by drilling. The rest of the money goes into a Marcellus Shale Legacy Fund, a portion of which is provided to counties. The remaining funds are used by the state for emergency response planning, training and other activities; water, storm water, and sewer system construction and repair; infrastructure maintenance and repair; as well as statewide environmental initiatives.

(AP) – Pennsylvania’s highest court has ruled that skill games are considered slot machines under state law. This means they must comply with crime and gambling statutes. However, law enforcement cannot act for 120 days, giving the legislature time to decide on regulation. An estimated 70,000 machines are in operation across the state. Republicans say addressing skill games is crucial for this year’s budget, while Democrats are reviewing the decision. Taxing these games could bring in over $1 billion annually. If the legislature fails to act, the devices could be seized by law enforcement.

BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. — Strong storms on Sunday spurred two tornadoes in Butler County, the National Weather Service says.  During a survey on Tuesday, NWS officials confirmed that one tornado was near the western portion of the north shore of Moraine State Park. It was rated as an EF1.  The other tornado, rated an EF0, was along Muddy Creek Drive near the intersection with Route 8.  With this update, the NWS has determined the storms caused three tornadoes in the region. On Monday, officials said there was a tornado in Beaver County, by State Line Road and Cannelton Road.  Within two weeks, nine tornadoes have damaged communities across Western Pennsylvania.

A twenty-year-old Chartiers-Houston graduate was  killed in a motorcycle accident Sunday night in North Strabane Township.  According to his family and the Waynesburg University Sports Information Office, Jesse Orbin Jr., suffered a severe brain injury when his motorcycle crashed in the area of 307 Linden Road.  He was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital where he later died.  Orbin was an outstanding wrestler at Chartiers-Houston High School and continued his education and athletic success at Waynesburg University.  A GoFundMe page has been set up to help his family with expenses.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s top diplomat said Tuesday that the tentative deal to end the war with the United States would require Israel to withdraw from Lebanon — a condition Israel has already rejected. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the deal. The contradictory interpretations threatened to sink the agreement and lead to the resumption of all-out war. The United States has not said whether Lebanon was part of the final agreement. It remains unclear what is in the agreement as it has yet to be released publicly in full.

NEW YORK (AP) — People around the world may be wondering how soon prices will drop for gasoline, groceries, flights and other items that got more expensive during the Iran war. The answer from experts after the U.S. and Iran announced a tentative deal to end the conflict is: not that soon. Economists and industry analysts say that even after oil starts flowing again from the Middle East, it could take a while for the war’s effects on consumer prices to recede. That’s because the fighting disrupted not only fuel supplies but also the supply chains for fertilizer, food and even footwear. Experts say that as long as business costs are elevated, customer prices are likely to be too.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France (AP) — Leaders at the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations face a packed agenda on Tuesday. The agenda includes ending the war in Ukraine and addressing the Middle East crisis. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be in attendance at the invitation of host France. The Ukraine talks come on the heels of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of an agreement to end the 3 1/2-month-old U.S. war against Iran. In recent weeks, the Iran conflict has overshadowed the war in Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched more than four years ago.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Limited tracking data shows that the B-52 involved in a deadly crash during a test flight at an Air Force base in California made a sharp right and then nearly completed a 180-degree turn before plunging to the ground at a rate of nearly a mile a minute. All eight people aboard were killed in Monday’s crash of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. It was taking part in a routine mission as part of an overall program to keep the long-running aircraft flying for decades to come. It’s not yet clear what caused the crash. The airfield remained closed Tuesday.

(AP) – Pizza Hut’s parent company is selling the 68-year-old chain for $2.7 billion. Yum Brands said on Tuesday that the private equity firm LongRange Capital will buy Pizza Hut’s business outside mainland China for about $1.5 billion. Yum China Holdings Inc. is purchasing the mainland China perations for approximately $1.2 billion. Pizza Hut has been struggling with growing competition from DoorDash, Uber Eats and other restaurant delivery companies that promote their access to cuisines besides pizza. In February, Yum Brands announced plans to close 250 U.S. Pizza Hut locations. Pizza Hut was founded by two brothers in 1958. They chose the name of their store in Wichita, Kansas, because the sign only had room for eight letters.