May 9, 2026 3:51 am
More than 350 people turned out Friday at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe to celebrate strong female leaders for the presentation of the 23rd annual Washington County Athena Award. Leanna Spada, executive director of the Mon Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce in Charleroi, took home the honor. “We have so many strong women in this county, and I worked alongside so many of them,” said Spada, who has led the chamber since 2018. “So I feel like I’m accepting this award for all of them as well.” Aliesha Walz, president and CEO of the Washington County Community Foundation, won the Diana Irey Vaughan Athena Young Professional Leadership Award. “I know so many of the previous honorees, the women who are part of the Athena program … and so to be included in this group of influential, powerful change-makers is something I could have only aspired to,” she said. The awards were presented by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce with Dollar Bank as the title sponsor.
May 8, 2026 6:08 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the leaders of Russia and Ukraine have agreed to his request for a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of prisoners. Trump said Friday that such a halt to hostilities could be the “beginning of the end” of the long war between them. Trump announced on social media that the ceasefire would run Saturday through Monday. Saturday is Victory Day in Russia, a holiday that commemorates victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The Republican president says the ceasefire includes a suspension of all kinetic activity and the exchange of 1,000 prisoners by each country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov both confirmed the agreement.
May 8, 2026 9:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers a delivered a surprising 115,000 new jobs last month despite an economic shock from the Iran war. Hiring was better than the 65,000 that economists had expected, though it decelerated from the 185,000 jobs created in March. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.3%. The war has caused the biggest disruption of global oil supplies in history and sent average U.S. gasoline prices surging past $4.50 a gallon this week. But the conflict hasn’t done much damage to the American job market so far.
May 8, 2026 10:29 am
The Virginia Supreme Court has struck down a Democratic congressional redistricting plan that had won voter approval. The court’s decision on Friday marked a major setback for Democrats in a nationwide redistricting battle with Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. The plan approved April 21 by voters could have helped Democrats win up to four additional U.S. House seats. But the court said state lawmakers violated procedural requirements when referring the plan to the ballot. A recent U.S, Supreme Court ruling that weakened the Voting Rights Act has been used by Republicans in several Southern states to try to eliminate congressional districts held by Black Democratic lawmakers.
May 8, 2026 4:51 am
The Washington County Coroners Office has identified the person killed in a crash Thursday afternoon along Interstate 70 in Buffalo Township. 23 year old Joshua Hopkins of Austin, Texas was pronounced dead at the scene. A cause and manner of death are pending. The coroner says he was the operator and sole occupant of a car traveling eastbound on the Interstate when he lost control, crossed the median and collided head-on with a tractor trailer in the westbound lanes near mile-marker 10. He was wearing a seatbelt. State Police are investigating.
May 8, 2026 2:14 am
Washington County Commissioners have tabled a vote on the miniature golf course proposed for Mingo Creek County Park. It’s the result of backlash from community members concerned that it would take away from the park’s natural aesthetic and interfere with the hiking and horse trails. Commissioners Chairman Nick Sherman said that the golf course would occupy only one quarter of an acre and would not disturb the natural aesthetic of the park. Sherman expressed concern about the lack of entertainment options for younger generations. Commissioner Larry Maggi, howver, emphasized the importance of preserving the park’s pristine natural resources and avoiding disruption to the property. Sherman also said the county may conduct a poll on its website so residents can voice their opinions on whether they support the project that carries a price tag of $318,595 to build. That price could jump by another $131,121 with an exhanced add-on to include water features. In other action, Commissioners unanimously approved the creation of a new Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Advisory Council. The county aims to appoint council members by mid-summer.
May 8, 2026 4:48 am
Washington City Council worked through a day to day business agenda at their voting meeting on Thursday. Council approved the Washington County American Spirit Grant and will use the funds to replace the flagpole in front of City Hall. Council authorized a $270,000 grant from the Redevelopment Authority of Washington County as a match commitment toward the Pennsylvania Greenways, Trails and Recreation Programs grant for the rehabilitation of the tennis and pickleball courts project. They also approved the Washington Business District Authority’s plans for Makers Markets that will occur the third Thursday of the month from June through October. The location of the events will be at the corner of Main and Chestnut Streets. Council also recognized Robert Miklic and James Sadler with the Pride of Washington award. The two men came upon a woman in physical distress. They rendered aid to her until an ambulance arrived to transport her to the hospital. Miklic was there for the presentation and thanked council for the recognition. He declined to elaborate on the event.
May 7, 2026 4:58 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense announced that the country’s air defenses are “actively engaging” with a missile and drone attack as the Iran war’s shaky ceasefire was again challenged. The ministry advised residents not to approach, photograph or touch “any debris or fragments that have fallen as a result of successful air interceptions” early Friday. Hours earlier, the U.S. military said it had intercepted Iranian attacks on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz Thursday night and “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces.” President Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that the ceasefire was holding despite the violence.
May 7, 2026 5:01 am
ROME (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni to ease tensions over the war with Iran. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his criticism of Europe’s stance on the conflict have strained relations. Rubio’s trip began Thursday with a meeting with Pope Leo XIV. Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani aim to maintain Italy’s strategic partnership with the U.S. while resisting pressure over the Iran conflict. Italy opposes the war and has declined to allow U.S. bombers to land without parliamentary approval.
May 8, 2026 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court has ruled against the new global tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court. A split three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade in New York found the 10% global tariffs were illegal after small businesses sued. The court ruled 2-1 Thursday that Trump overstepped the tariff power that Congress had allowed the president under the law. The tariffs are “invalid″ and “unauthorized by law,” the majority wrote. At issue are temporary 10% worldwide tariffs the Trump administration imposed after the Supreme Court in February struck down even broader tariffs the president had imposed last year on almost every country on Earth.
