WJPA News

A series of severe thunderstorms moved through the Washington, Greene, Fayette, Westmoreland and Allegheny County areas Monday afternoon.  Washington County 911 tells WJPA there were no injuries reported, but there were numerous downed trees around the county that kept emergency crews busy.  The storms also spawned tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings.  No word on whether any tornadoes actually touched down.  West Penn Power, at the height of the storm system, reported on their website, only a handful of outages in Washington County.

Gas prices are seven cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.330 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report.  Motorists are getting a break at the pump as the summer travel season heats up. For the first time since mid-March, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is down to $3.92. This marks nearly four straight weeks of declines. Crude oil prices continue to fall as the U.S. and Iran work on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Sliding gas prices come as millions of Americans prepare to travel for Independence Day in record numbers starting next weekend. Today’s national average is 63 cents less than a month ago but 71 cents more than a year ago.  According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand increased last week from 8.73 million barrels per day to 9.21 million. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 215.1 million barrels to 214.2 million. Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 10.1 million barrels per day.

 (WPXI) – A man is accused of stabbing his father to death over the weekend in Jefferson Hills.  Alhaji Buhari, 69, was found stabbed multiple times in a home on Arnoni Drive on Saturday afternoon. He died on scene.  The Allegheny County Police Department immediately began investigating. Through witness interviews and evidence collected on scene, detectives identified Alhaji’s son, Kabir Buhari, 42, as the suspect.   Detectives learned Kabir fled after the stabbing and later tracked him to a hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. ACPD says he was taken into custody on Monday morning by the Montgomery County Police Department in conjunction with the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force.  Kabir is facing a homicide charge and will be held in Montgomery County pending extradition to Allegheny County.

WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — A man is facing a homicide charge, accused of shooting and killing his uncle, whom he claimed “came at him” with a wooden child’s oar.  The shooting happened before 11:45 a.m. Saturday on Low Street in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, according to a criminal complaint. The document says Joshua Lowry, 45, called police to tell them he shot his uncle.  The uncle, who Pennsylvania State Police identified as Bruce Kasiewicz, was found shot in the chest and deceased in Lowry’s bedroom with blue latex gloves on his hands and a small wooden oar on the floor near his body.  In an interview with police, the complaint states Lowry told police that he woke up to Kasiewicz knocking on his bedroom window to wake him up.  Lowry then let Kasiewicz into the home and went back into the bedroom to get dressed. That’s when he says Kasiewicz put on the gloves and grabbed the wooden child’s oar, then stood in his doorway.  Lowry claimed he thought Kasiewicz “was there to kill him,” so he grabbed his muzzleloader and fired once, hitting Kasiewicz in the chest.  The complaint states that when investigators looked through the home, they found no physical evidence of a physical altercation or attempted physical altercation before the shooting. Lowry also lacked any injuries consistent with an altercation.  Investigators also state in the complaint that the “physical evidence preliminarily examined did not support Lowry’s statements as to the chain of events that led to him shooting the victim.”  Lowry is being held at the Westmoreland County Jail and was denied bail. He is set to appear in court again on July 1.

UPMC Washington is celebrating its official launch of its therapy dog program with a birthday party for its newest employee, Savior the golden retriever therapy dog. This program was supported through local donors and is designed to promote a supportive care environment for workers and patients at the hospital. During the celebration, the introduction of the Washington Greene Health Foundation’s new name was announced.  Natalie Chaido , the development manager of Washington Greene Health Program said that the foundation looks to impact the community by funding different programs in the community that have a health and wellness mission that will complement some of the services that the hospital offers in Washington. The foundation was formerly known as Washington Health System Foundation before the affiliation with UPMC. The foundation is possibly looking to expand the therapy dog program by bringing another dog and a friend for Savior at the Greene County Hospital location. Studies have shown that therapy dogs visiting hospitals have been shown to reduce patient anxiety by
an average of 34%

OBBUERGEN, Switzerland (AP) — Senior negotiators from the U.S. and Iran wrapped up a lengthy round of initial talks on Monday aimed at solidifying a permanent end to the war between the countries. The initial mediation was rocky but also led to some agreements by the two sides. The talks hit turbulence after President Donald Trump made remarks that Iran called insulting, prompting a temporary pause, according to Iranian state media. Key sticking points include Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief and frozen assets. The interim agreement gives both sides 60 days to negotiate a broader settlement. A ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah also appeared to be holding ahead of further talks Monday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan has died at the age of 100. He died on Monday from complications of Parkinson’s Disease, said his wife of 29 years, NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell. In his 18½ years at the helm of the Fed, Greenspan presided over a sustained era of American growth and prosperity, yet one that ended with devastating consequences in 2008, two years after he had left the central bank. Greenspan was so respected during his many years as head of the world’s most influential central bank that by the time he stepped down in 2006, he was widely celebrated as the “Oracle’’ and “Maestro.’’

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces he is stepping down as Labour Party leader. Starmer says he will remain as caretaker prime minister until a new leader is chosen. He made the announcement Monday after facing pressure to hand over to a new leader who can revive the government’s fortunes. Starmer led Labour to a landslide victory in July 2024, but his popularity has since plummeted. His departure follows Andy Burnham’s victory in a special election last week. Burnham, a popular ex-mayor, planned to challenge Starmer for leadership. Starmer is the sixth prime minister in a decade to announce a premature departure.

NEW YORK (AP) — Clive Davis, who rose from a job as a record company lawyer to become one of the music industry’s most powerful figures, has died at the age of 94. Davis launched or resurrected the careers of countless superstars, including Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston, Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys. Unlike other record moguls whose influence waned as they got older, his might only seemed to grow over the decades in a career that spanned multiple genres and labels. Davis also signed up Billy Joel, Blood Sweat & Tears, Patti Smith, the Grateful Dead and “American Idol” winners Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.

NEW YORK (AP) — “Toy Story” still has a friend in moviegoers. The fifth installment in the Pixar series debuted with $160 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. That easily set a new franchise record and notches the biggest opening weekend of the year. Launching 31 years after the original “Toy Story” first landed in theaters, “Toy Story 5” far surpassed the previous series-best debut of $120 million for “Toy Story 4” in 2019. Internationally, it was just as successful, with $152 million in opening-weekend sales, for a worldwide haul of $312 million. Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” slipped to second place with $17 million in its second weekend.