November 15, 2025 3:48 am
A Mega Millions player in Georgia has won the $980 million jackpot, overcoming abysmal odds to take the huge prize. The numbers selected Friday were 1, 8, 11, 12 and 57 with the gold Mega Ball 7. The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 290.5 million. A winner can choose an annuity or the cash option — a one-time, lump-sum payment of $452.2 million before taxes. If there are multiple jackpot winners, the prize is shared. In September, two Powerball players in Missouri and Texas won a nearly $1.8 billion jackpot, one of the largest in the U.S.
November 16, 2025 1:37 am
Pennsylvania adopted their budget after more than a four month delay. It is a more than $50 billion spending plan that addresses several programs that are deficient in funding such as public education. One of the programs not addressed was public transportation. Governor Josh Shapiro proposed increasing the portion of the sales tax dedicated to public transportation by $290 million. That proposal was not included in the bill. Sheila Gombita, Executive Director of Freedom Transit in Washington County is disappointed in the lack of funding and says that it is a need that must be addressed. She says that without funding, the shared ride services provided by Freedom Transit would most heavily affected. She said that modifications in transit times, possibly a decrease in days of service and fare increases are all possible to keep the shared ride services viable. Gombita says that additional funding is needed to avoid these actions. She says that riders should contact their state representatives and tell them to fund public transportation and let them know how important it is in their lives.
November 16, 2025 1:35 am
The United States Small Business Administration paid a visit to Washington County to alert businesses and non-profits of an available loan program to help them recover from last spring’s flooding. Timothy Watson, Public Affairs Specialist with the SBA said that a Presidential Disaster Declaration has made an Economic Injury Disaster Loan available for flooding that occurred on June 14-15, 2025 in Washington County. The loan is a working capital loan for small businesses, agricultural co-ops and small businesses engaged in agriculture. It is also available to private non-profit organizations. The low interest loans carry rates of 4% for businesses and 3.625% for non-profits. Applications must be made on line at SBA.gov\disaster. The deadline to apply for the loan is April 22, 2026.
November 15, 2025 4:28 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Utilities are producing eye-popping forecasts about the amount of electricity they’ll need to power massive new data centers that are feeding the fast-growing AI economy. But the forecasts are setting off alarm bells about whether they can be trusted. One question is whether utilities are counting speculative data center projects that may never get built. Some worry regular ratepayers could be stuck with paying for unnecessary power plants. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission wants to know how grid operators determine that a project is viable, while states are trying to find out what’s in utilities’ forecasts and weed out speculative projects.
November 14, 2025 3:42 pm
ATLANTA (AP) — A longtime Georgia prosecutor has announced that he will take over the state’s election interference case against President Donald Trump and others. This follows the removal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case. The Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia was tasked with finding a new leader after Willis was disqualified due to an “appearance of impropriety.” The organization’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, said Friday that he would handle the case himself. While legal action against Trump is unlikely while he’s president, 14 others face charges, including Rudy Giuliani and Trump’s former White House chief of staff.
November 14, 2025 3:44 pm
Emails released by the House Oversight Committee reveal how Jeffrey Epstein maintained connections with influential figures despite his 2008 guilty plea to soliciting prostitution from an underage girl. The documents, spanning at least a decade, show Epstein’s interactions with business executives, reporters, academics, and political players. Some supported him during legal troubles, while others sought introductions or advice. The emails do not implicate his contacts in crimes but illustrate his influence. Epstein was charged with sex trafficking in 2019 and died in jail a month later.
November 14, 2025 9:44 am
Washington County President Judge Valarie Costanzo has denied petitions filed by the Washington County District Attorney’s office seeking to force Coroner Timothy Warco to turn over autopsy reports without charging fees. Judge Costanzo ruled Thursday that this is a civil matter and should not be attached to criminal court. The judge also asked both sides to find ‘common ground’ to resolve their issues. District Attorney Jason Walsh tells WJPA News he disagrees that this is a civil matter claiming “these fees are completely related to active file homicide cases, so in that respect , they are not simply a civil matter they are intertwined with criminal active cases”. The District Attorney claims the coroner has been withholding autopsy reports and other records in several homicide cases and that’s harming their investigations. Walsh also claims all municipal police departments and State Police are also being impacted by the coroner’s actions. Walsh says he is considering all options on the table including an appeal to State Superior Court.
November 14, 2025 7:20 am
White House officials now say they have reached framework trade deals with several countries that could mean lower prices at the grocery store. The deals would roll back some of President Trump’s tariffs that are hitting imports like coffee and bananas. The deals cover four countries — Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, and Guatemala — with full agreements expected to be signed in about two weeks. It’s important to note the deal does not include Brazil, which provides about one-third of US coffee imports and still faces some of the highest tariffs under Trump s plan.
November 14, 2025 4:48 am
SOUTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A South Strabane couple is fed up after they say their doorbell camera caught someone looking into thier car or trying to break in on three separate occasions. Video show a man, dressed in black, walking up and shining a light inside and then walking away. Dora Black has lived in along North Main Street of nearly 70 years and tells our news partners at WPXI that she had just gotten home from work when it happened around 2:30 a.m. Thursday. South Strabane Police say no one reported this incident but they are reminding residents to call them if their vehicle or property is broken into.
November 14, 2025 2:27 am
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll announced that up to 25 trucks can now park at the Interstate 79 southbound weigh station in Washington County, part of the 1,202 truck parking spaces in 133 locations that the Commonwealth is adding by the end of 2026. In addition, the PA Turnpike is evaluating opportunities for more than 600 additional spaces across its system. This is the first statewide expansion of designated parking spaces – other than through facility construction projects – and will provide safe options for commercial drivers to meet federal hours-of-service rest requirements, helping to address a longstanding, nationwide challenge and improving driver safety. PennDOT’s designated truck parking spots will be established on Interstate on-ramps with no sight distance or safety concerns, weigh stations used for Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) motor carrier safety enforcement, and various other locations within highway right of way. PennDOT and PSP staff collaborated closely to identify sites that can be designated quickly and cost-effectively. Spots will be marked with truck-parking signage installed by PennDOT.
