September 9, 2026 2:39 am
The Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency (WCTPA) has announced a third round of tourism grant investments for 2026 totaling $110,300. These projects will support tourism and marketing initiatives throughout Washington County as well as assist local organizations, municipalities, and businesses in enhancing visitor experiences, promoting attractions and events, and investing in tourism infrastructure. To date, the WCTPA has awarded $504,850 in tourism program grants in 2026. This latest funding round includes eight projects representing a diverse range of tourism initiatives, including the rehabilitation of a historic covered bridge, improvements to an accessible walking trail, and marketing campaigns designed to attract visitors to Washington County events, attractions, and facilities. According to Jeff Kotula, President of the WCTPA, these strategic investments in local tourism assets and attractions are essential in strengthening the county’s economy and quality of life. The summary below includes all grants approved by the WCTPA Board of Directors:
Capital Grants
- Amwell Township: $35,000 for rehabilitation of the Hughes Covered Bridge
- Donegal Township: $30,000 for paving and accessibility improvements to the walking trail at historical park
- Pennsylvania Trolley Museum: $4,300 for hardware and software upgrades to Trolley Simulator Exhibit
Marketing Projects
- County Home Shows: $14,000 to promote the 2027 Washington County Home Show through television and radio advertising
- Donora Borough: $10,000 to promote the inaugural Mon Valley Fall Festival & Carnival at Palmer Park through multimedia advertising
- DoubleTree by Hilton: $4,000 to promote the American Contract Bridge League Regional Championship through multimedia advertising
- Meadowcroft Rockshelter & Historic Village: $8,000 to promote 2027 visitation via print and digital advertising
- Sarris Candies: $5,000 to promote factory tours during special events held at the Sarris Candies Production Facility
September 10, 2026 6:15 pm
(Harrisburgh) – By a vote of 5-0, the State’s Public Utility Commission approved a motion directing PUC staff to develop proposed updates to Pennsylvania’s emergency electric load control regulations, including greater clarity regarding the order, criteria and circumstances under which customers may be curtailed during pre-emergency and emergency conditions. The motion also directs the Commission to hold a technical conference this fall examining cost responsibility associated with large computational loads, including data centers. The Commission’s action comes amid growing concern about the balance between rapidly increasing electricity demand and the resources available to serve that demand across the PJM Interconnection. Pennsylvania’s existing regulations provide a basic framework for electric utilities to manage load during pre-emergency and emergency conditions. The Commission will now examine potential updates to provide greater and more consistent direction concerning the order, criteria and applicability of curtailment.
September 10, 2026 6:08 pm
(AP) – Four people serving mandatory life sentences for second-degree murder in Pennsylvania are asking the state Supreme Court to reconsider their cases. They filed a King’s Bench petition on Thursday, which allows the court to bypass lower courts for urgent matters. In March, the court ruled that mandatory life sentences without parole are cruel if the person’s role in the murder isn’t considered. However, the ruling wasn’t made retroactive, leaving lawmakers to determine how to handle people currently serving such a sentence. However, the divided legislature adjourned in July without legislation that addressed the ruling. The petitioners want the court to make the ruling retroactive, allowing for resentencing.
September 9, 2026 2:11 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A Pennsylvania coroner confirms that the two measles-related deaths in Pennsylvania last month involved infants, and the virus itself caused one of the deaths. Lancaster County’s coroner, Dr. Stephen Diamantoni, said Wednesday that he told the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of his conclusions. CDC officials, however, haven’t said whether they will count either death as measles-associated. The coroner says a boy died on Aug. 14 shortly after his birth of a ruptured spleen and tested positive for measles. A 6-week-old girl died Aug. 18 at her home. She was born with a genetic birth defect that left her highly vulnerable to an infection, and a measles infection killed her.
September 10, 2026 4:50 am
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Canada for talks with Prime Minister Mark Carney. He aims to secure further support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia. Ukraine faces pressure from Russia’s air war, which is targeting its power grid ahead of winter. Recent U.S. efforts to end the conflict have shown little progress, but talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv are expected to continue. Zelenskyy arrived in Calgary on Wednesday night. His flight from Moldova to Norway was delayed due to a drone incursion. The aerial drone battle between Russia and Ukraine has intensified since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
September 10, 2026 4:51 am
An Anthropic researcher is resigning over concerns about irresponsible development of artificial intelligence. Jacob Coxon, who worked at Anthropic and OpenAI, shared his worries about unsafe development practices and underestimating AI’s capabilities on the social platform X on Tuesday. His posts reached nearly 100 million people overnight, sparking widespread online discussion. He warned that AI models could soon become superhuman systems and threaten human life. Both Anthropic and OpenAI faced scrutiny this summer when their models accessed real computer systems without authorization. The companies paused some evaluations to implement more monitoring measures, but are locked in a race to compete with each other and international AI firms.
September 9, 2026 12:18 pm
UPPER ST. CLAIR TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Route 19 will close in both directions Sunday between Boyce Road and McLaughlin Run Road/McMurray Road, weather permitting. The closure will run from 2 a.m. to 10 p.m. as crews install temporary work structures for the Country Club Drive Bridge replacement project, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The restrictions could be lifted earlier if work is completed ahead of schedule. The work is part of a $2.5 million bridge replacement project in Allegheny County. PennDOT plans additional temporary disruptions on Route 19 as work progresses. Demolition activities and temporary bracing construction will require a day-long closure on a Saturday and another day-long closure on a Sunday. Crews will also implement a full weekend closure and detour on Route 19 later in the project to remove the temporary bracing and falsework.
September 9, 2026 4:39 am
Canonsburg Council held their agenda setting meeting and spent the evening discussing multiple items for two hours. Council will be voting on a measure to establish a Municipal Public Safety Drone Program. Its efforts would be the operation of drones by police, fire and public works personnel to get a better understanding of issues in those departments. Eric Chandler, Council President says that borough owned and operated drones would have been extremely valuable when rainstorms caused significant flooding in the west end of town last month. Council also discussed the possibility of establishing an entertainment fee on tickets for live performances in the borough. Revenue raised by the fee would be used to offset resources spent on police and ambulance services protecting the venues. The third item discussed concerned bills circulating in Harrisburg centered on the legalization of Skill Games in Pennsylvania. A June Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling stated that Skill Games are illegal slot machines. The court gave the legislature until October 13 to enact legislation protecting the devices. If not, the devices could be seized by Pennsylvania State Police. Council discussed the issue and recognized that Amusement Device Taxes paid to the borough for those machines would no longer be in effect. Council recognizes that it could put a dent into finances if no resolution is determined. Council will be holding workshops on September 21 on funding for the Town Park Pool repairs. On September 28 a Canonsburg Forward workshop will be held.
September 9, 2026 4:41 am
Renovations will soon be made to the Generations Room at the Cecil Township Municipal Building. The Generations Room serves as the Cecil/McDonald Senior Center. Frank Egizio, the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, says that there will be tiles replaced, new doors installed, and old seating taken out. Egizio says that lunch and activities for senior citizens will be held at the local fire department while the work is being completed. Renovations are expected to start the first week of October and wrap up by the first week of November. Approximately $71,000 from a state grant award made these renovations possible. In other business, the $153,000 roof replacement project at the Cecil Municipal Building has been completed. Egizio says Vertex Roofing Contractors replaced the shingles and covered the skylights in the meeting room.
September 8, 2026 2:17 am
Gas prices are three cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.306 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. Labor Day weekend travelers faced the highest gas prices ever for this time of year as the national average rose six cents over the past week to $4.15. Continued volatility in the Strait of Hormuz has pushed crude oil prices over $90 per barrel. After a record-setting August, this past Labor Day weekend set a record at the pump. The national average has never been above $4 per gallon on Labor Day. The current Labor Day record is $3.82, set on September 3, 2012. Even though gasoline demand decreases this time of year, typically bringing down gas prices, this year is different due to the high cost of crude oil. According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand decreased last week from 9.04 million barrels per day to 8.92 million. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 206.8 million barrels to 205.7 million. Gasoline production stayed the same as last week, averaging 9.8 million barrels per day.
