October 13, 2026 4:50 am
ROME (AP) — The Vatican says Pope Leo XIV has lung cancer and had the lower lobe of his right lung removed. The surgery Tuesday confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma. The 71-year-old was in the operating room for about three hours, with the surgery lasting 90 minutes. The Vatican stated the surgery was successful with no complications. Leo returned to his room at Rome’s Gemelli hospital after the procedure. The American pontiff had revealed the discovery of a nodule during his Sunday prayer and announced plans for its removal. Oncologists say his prognosis is excellent since it was removed early.
October 13, 2026 6:16 pm
ENSENADA, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Simon and the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel have led to six deaths along Mexico’s Pacific coast. Authorities report that Simon, a Category 1 storm, is bringing heavy rain to Nayarit and Sinaloa, with alerts for rising rivers and flooding. Over the weekend, the storm hit Guerrero, killing one person. The worst damage occurred in Ensenada, Baja California, where Rachel’s remnants caused flooding that killed at least five people. Five others remain missing. Floodwaters have swept away vehicles and damaged homes. Authorities are conducting search and rescue operations, including using helicopters to rescue stranded individuals.
October 13, 2026 6:17 pm
(AP) – Cornell University is suspending parties and other social events at fraternity houses for the rest of the academic year. The announcement came Tuesday amid mounting outrage over its handling of allegations that a female student was sexually assaulted at a fraternity house in 2024. President Michael Kotlikoff announced the measures, saying they would allow time to review whether and how fraternity life can safely continue. The university also plans to work with New York State Police to allow independent criminal investigators to investigate sexual misconduct allegations and add a case manager to help those who report sexual misconduct navigate the university’s procedures.
October 13, 2026 6:14 pm
During a formal arraignment on Tuesday, a mother and son both pled not guilty to charges associated with the death of Karoline Heintz in August. Heintz was found stabbed to death in her car, near the California Public Library. Eighteen-year-old Royce Moser of North Strabane Township and his 56-year-old mother, Rachel Moser, of Beallsville are facing a laundry list of charges related to Heintz’s death. The Mosers are accused of bringing Heintz’s SUV with her body inside and dumping it near the library. Detectives were able to extract internet search evidence from Royce’s phone looking for information on how to remove fingerprints, how long Ring video is stored and information about the death penalty. A Pennsylvania State Police detective had testified at an earlier hearing that Rachel Moser received a call from Royce asking for help and how she helped him transport the body and gather belongings from his home to have Royce stay at her home after the incident. In her interview with Royce, he said that Karoline and he were talking in his father’s driveway. She said something that got him upset. He told her to wait, he went into the house, retrieved a knife and returned and stabbed her.
October 13, 2026 5:14 pm
PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Peters Township elementary school teacher is off the job after investigators say she was drunk at school and left her first-grade class unattended. Katharine Viviano is a first-grade teacher at Pleasant Valley Elementary School. According to investigators, last Thursday, Viviano left school property and drove to the Wine and Spirits store during the school day. Police say surveillance video shows that she purchased alcohol and left, then returned to the elementary school and backed into another car while parking. Investigators say Viviano was visibly intoxicated, and another teacher found her inside the internal classroom bathroom with her students unattended. The other teacher told investigators that Viviano was semi-conscious and would not exit nor verbally respond. Police say she admitted to drinking vodka earlier in the day, and that she had slurred speech, glassy, bloodshot eyes, and was unable to walk without assistance.
October 13, 2026 12:45 pm
(AP) – Grocery store chain Kroger says it will lay off 3,000 corporate employees over the next three years as it ramps up its use of artificial intelligence to streamline operations. In a memo to Kroger employees on Monday, CEO Greg Foran said the company needs to take advantage of recent advances in technology. Kroger last month outlined its AI strategy with the goal of improving the customer experience and making work easier for its employees. Cincinnati-based Kroger is the largest standalone U.S. supermarket chain with 409,000 employees and more than 2,700 stores operating under various brands, including Ralphs, King Soopers, Smith’s and Fred Meyer. (Photo: AP)
October 13, 2026 11:52 am
LATROBE, Pa. — The Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Westmoreland County has a new airline. Breeze Airways announced on Tuesday that it will now be flying out of the Latrobe airport. The airline will offer direct flights to Myrtle Beach, S.C., starting Feb. 9, and Orlando, Fla., starting May 26. “Latrobe has been a city we had been keeping an eye on, and we know the local community was in need of new travel options after losing all commercial service earlier this year,” said David Neeleman, Breeze Airways’ founder and CEO. “With Breeze’s high-value, low-cost model, and convenient new service to Myrtle Beach and Orlando coming in the first half of 2027, we know this will be a great fit for the community.” In September, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority announced that it had secured an $850,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Funding came from the agency’s Small Community Air Service Development program, which provides a financial incentive to help an airline establish service at the airport.
October 13, 2026 4:43 am
Prime Data Centers, LLC is proposing a data center at Starpointe Business Park in Hanover Township. It would include seven buildings and a separate power generation facility. During the last two hearings, there was testimony about Prime providing a trip to Chicago to see a data center campus in July. During Monday night’s hearing, Kate Nolan Bryden, the senior vice president of development, testified that all three Hanover Township supervisors, a member of the township’s planning commission, and owners of Starpointe Business Park attended the trip. Bryden stated that airplane tickets and lunch for the supervisors were paid for by Prime. An attorney representing concerned citizens says this was a violation of due process and that the supervisors showed bias. She asked that the board vote to deny the application during Monday’s hearing. Solicitor Dennis Makel said that was not going to happen, but he refused to comment on his decision. Resident Katie Weber agrees that the application should be thrown out, because there is nothing the supervisors can do to fix the violation. Another resident, Cody Cunningham, says this trip is a great reason to stop wasting everyone’s time and money. The hearing will continue October 28, November 10, and November 11 at 6:00 PM at the Hanover Township Fire Department Hall.
October 12, 2026 2:48 am
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — A 39-year-old woman died Saturday, Oct. 10, in Chambersburg, Pa., following a past diagnosis of measles. The death meets the criteria established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health for a measles-associated fatality, marking the first such death in Franklin County in many years. The case marks the sixth measles-related death recorded in Pennsylvania. The loss comes as the United States endures its highest annual number of measles cases and related complications since 1991. The woman had several underlying medical conditions, including a past diagnosis of measles for which she had received treatment, according to the coroner’s office. The Franklin County Coroner’s Office stated that no further identifying details about the woman would be made public.
October 12, 2026 2:53 am
The Washington High School Student Life Group is finding out early about politics as it exists today. The group teamed with the Washington County League of Women Voters and the Washington Branch of the NAACP, to put on a debate among candidates for state representative, state senator and the US House of Representatives, to gain more information about their views on subjects important to voters, especially young votes in Washington County. To their disappointment, their debate has turned into a “Meet the Candidates” gathering. WJPA Radio sat down with two leaders in the Student Life Group to discuss their experience so far. Eliza Boyd is the founder of the group. She says that multiple efforts were made; from emails, phone calls and even certified mail, to try and convince Republican party candidates to sit down and discuss their views. All of those efforts were ignored. She is upset. She feels that candidates are ignoring what young voters views. She says that it is a HUGE mistake for Republicans not to attend. Blaise Naraskivitch says that, he too, is disappointed in the Republican Party no show. He wants to know how Republicans expect young people to accurately assess community concerns when the candidates who are elected to address those concerns do not care to show up. Naraskivitch says that there is still time, show up to the event and present your views. Boyd says that if Republicans were to lose in Washington County, that is all their responsibility for not wanting to be involved with the community. The meet and greet is scheduled for Wednesday, October 14, at 6:30 pm at the Washington High School Gymnasium on Allison Avenue in the City of Washington.
