August 16, 2025 4:30 am
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — President Donald Trump has failed to secure an agreement from Vladimir Putin to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, falling short in his most significant move yet to stop the bloodshed, even after rolling out the red carpet for the man who started it. Putin said they had hammered out an “understanding” on Ukraine and warned Europe not to “torpedo the nascent progress.” But Trump said “there’s no deal until there’s a deal.” He said he would call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders to brief them on the talks.
August 16, 2025 4:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has reversed course and agreed to leave the Washington, D.C., police chief in control of the department after a court hearing. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a new memo, is directing the District’s police to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement regardless of any city law. Bondi’s new order Friday came after officials in the nation’s capital sued to block President Donald Trump’s takeover of the Washington police. On Thursday night, his administration escalated its intervention into the city’s law enforcement by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department.
August 16, 2025 4:23 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Democrats have unveiled a proposal that could give California’s dominant political party an additional five U.S. House seats in a bid to win the fight to control Congress next year. The plan calls for the reshaping of district lines to greatly strengthen the Democratic advantage in the state ahead of midterm elections. Republicans will be defending a fragile House majority in 2026. Meanwhile Texas Republicans have ended a legislative session without approving new congressional maps but quickly began another. It is intended to satisfy President Donald Trump’s wishes for redistricting that bolsters the GOP. Democrats blocked the plan by leaving the state during a special session.
August 16, 2025 4:20 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Erin has become a Category 4 hurricane in the Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is currently northeast of Anguilla, with winds of 130 mph. It is moving west-northwest. While it is not forecasted to hit land, strong winds are affecting nearby islands, raising concerns about flooding and landslides. Tropical storm watches are in place for several islands. Experts predict Erin will turn northeast, potentially affecting Bermuda. This is the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, which is expected to be unusually busy.
August 17, 2025 7:00 am
PennDot is delivering limited good news in Peters Township. A portion of East McMurray Road will reopen on August 18. East McMurray Road will be open with its intersection with Bebout Road. It will be open from Demmel Drive to Bebout Road. East McMurray will remain closed from the entrance to the Coen store to Fulton Drive. East McMurray Road will remain closed after the Coen store heading east. Thompsonville Road will be open to all traffic. Left hand turns are not available. Bebout Road will also be open to all traffic. The remaining portion of East McMurray Road will remain closed until the completion of the project. It is estimated that the construction will last until mid September.
August 15, 2025 4:42 pm
(WPXI) – U.S. Steel has released new details on what investigators believe caused the explosion at the Clairton Coke Works plant that killed two people and injured ten others. U.S. Steel said an investigation conducted by third-party experts has revealed that the explosion happened while crews were flushing a gas valve in preparation for planned maintenance. Investigators learned pressure was building inside the valve, which caused it to fail. The failure caused coke oven gas to fill the area, which led to the explosion after it found a source of ignition. U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt said the plant is now safe to operate, but investigators continue to review surveillance video and interview employees as they work to find answers.
August 15, 2025 5:02 am
Washington High School football players were back on their home field for practice Thursday, after practicing at an undisclosed location earlier this week for safety reasons. Police say a teenager — wanted in connection with a July shooting in the City of Washington — is still on the run and is now allegedly making threats against members of the football team. Authorities are not naming the teen because he is being charged as a juvenile, but they are urging him to turn himself in “for his safety and everyone else’s.” Washington School District Superintendent George Lammay says that he, school police, city police and the coaching staff agreed the threat had to be taken seriously. “We just felt we had to err on the side of caution to keep our kids safe,” Lammay said. Extra school police and city officers were on hand when the team returned to the field Thursday. Another teen, 16 year old Tristan Lassic was taken into custody last week and faces charges that include attempted homicide for that July 29th shooting of Rashard Carter along Shannon Avenue.
August 15, 2025 2:48 am
Washington County Commissioners are looking into allegations that the controller’s office may have defaulted on approximately $1 million dollars in county bill payments. WJPA Radio received reports of the concern while commissioners were engaged in their monthly meeting on Thursday. Acting Controller Heather Sheatler was asked about the reports and she denied knowing anything about them. Pressed further, she indicated that she has no notices of default and all accounts are funded. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman said that he learned of the concerns from the Finance Department. Commissioners have directed the Finance Department to pull files to determine exactly what occurred. He said details are limited and he will explain further when all information has been collected.
August 15, 2025 4:47 am
Washington County Commissioners delivered a split decision on whether to appeal a decision from the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records that determined that the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency is an independent corporation and not subject to county government control. After several minutes of debate between Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman and Commissioner Larry Maggi, the board voted 2-1 to retain Peacock Keller as special counsel to appeal the decision. Sherman has repeatedly requested records from the agency with regards to salaries, and consulting fees. WCTPA President Jeff Kotula has provided documentation of his agency’s spending including 20 years worth of financial audits. Sherman maintains that the documents do not satisfy his questions about salaries and consultant fees. Maggi characterized the lawsuit as a waste of taxpayer money. Sherman says he is protecting taxpayer money. The County funds the WCTPA about $2.5 million dollars annually.
August 15, 2025 2:00 am
Washington County Commissioners met and on their agenda were two items pertaining to next year’s version of the Washington County Real Estate Expo. Commissioners voted to extend the agreement with Richardson Communications to provide professional services and other consulting services under its current terms. They also agreed to approve a marketing agreement with Drive Marketing, Inc. The contract there is for $2000 and 10% of all gross funds raised by the company. The items caused dissent among the commissioners. Commissioner Larry Maggi wanted to table the matters for more discussion. Those motions failed. Both items passed 2-1 with Maggi dissenting. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman praised last year’s Expo as a success, Maggi maintained that it was poorly attended. Sherman said the Expo led to Lighthouse Electric signing deals to redevelop the Ross Mould site in Washington and to purchase the former Brockway Glass plant in Canton Township. Maggi said that those negotiations have been underway for several years dating back to when he chaired the commissioners. Even spending caused disagreement. Sherman said the Expo did not cost taxpayers anything, Maggi said it was a waste of taxpayer dollars for county employees to be working there instead of their regular jobs. A date for next year’s Real Estate Expo is yet to be determined.
