November 6, 2026 4:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. job market likely bounced back last month from a disappointing September. Layoffs are low, and most Americans enjoy unusual job security. But hiring was probably too modest to deliver much relief to those still looking for work. And wage gains haven’t been keeping up with persistently high inflation. When the Labor Department releases numbers on October job creation and unemployment Friday, they’re expected to show that employers added 65,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained low at 4.2%, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.
November 6, 2026 4:53 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A brutal sell-off swept through Wall Street, led by stocks tied to the buildout of AI data centers. The S&P 500 fell 4.4% Thursday for its worst drop since President Donald Trump shook markets worldwide in April 2025 with his “Liberation Day” tariffs. The wipeout more than erased the market’s gain from the day before, which was its best in three months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 1,800 points, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 5.5%. AI stocks worldwide felt pressure as worries rise about possible moratoriums on data centers following Democratic victories in the U.S. midterm elections.
November 6, 2026 4:55 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced he will change all 548 death sentences in the state to life in prison without parole. The state Supreme Court will have the final say in hundreds of these cases. The announcement Thursday comes as Newsom prepares to leave office after eight years and considers a run for president. The Democrat, who’s long been opposed to the death penalty, placed a moratorium on executions in California in 2019. The California District Attorneys Association has expressed concerns, warning it could cause anguish for victims’ families. The ACLU applauded the move, citing racial bias in the death penalty’s implementation.
November 6, 2026 2:44 am
We are quickly closing in on Thanksgiving. It’s just three weeks away and 2000 Turkeys needs your help. The annual fundraiser, sponsored by WJPA Radio and the Observer Reporter, raises much needed funding to provide a complete Thanksgiving dinner to thousands of families who might not otherwise enjoy the day. This year, as food and fuel costs continue to climb, the need is great. A special thanks goes out to Washington Financial Bank. CEO Michael Chaido stopped in the WJPA studios to present a fifteen-thousand-dollar check from the bank and another five-thousand-dollar check from the bank’s charitable foundation. Our 2000 Turkeys goal this year is 165-thousand-dollars, and to date, we have raised 100-thousand-dollars. We are also hitting the streets again this year. Range Resource’s Day is set for Wednesday, November 18th from eight a.m. until two p.m. in downtown Washington and Canonsburg. Employees and volunteers will be out asking for your help to reach our goal. If you would like to help, you can send a check to P.O. Box 2000, Washington, Pennsylvania, 15301, or bring your donation to WJPA Radio at 98 South Main Street or the Observer Reporter at 122 South Main Street, both in Washington. We are also, for the first time this year, accepting on-line donations using Zeffy. You can find the link on the WJPA and Observer Reporter websites. Thank you!
November 6, 2026 4:44 am
The Department of Justice has filed a complaint against Penn State University challenging its policy of offering in-state tuition rates to some immigrants in the country illegally, part of a sweeping crackdown by President Donald Trump’s administration. Two dozen states once offered the tuition breaks, which often had bipartisan support. But as the Trump administration began suing last year, the policies ended in places including Kentucky, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Florida. More recent challenges have focused on individual schools, including a lawsuit filed last month against the University of Delaware.
November 5, 2026 1:47 pm
BROWNSVILLE, Pa. — A man accused of beating a woman and setting fire to her home while she was still inside was sentenced to prison on Wednesday. Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said Anthony T. Boyer, 47, received a sentence of 17 to 34 years in a state correctional facility after he was convicted by a jury. He was convicted of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, arson and burglary. Police said Boyer broke into his ex-girlfriend’s house in Brownsville in October 2025 and beat her with a tire iron and a baseball bat. Police said he also assaulted a member of the woman’s family who was also in the house at the time. Officers arrived at the scene while it was ongoing and found a burning pile of pillows and readily combustible household items at the time. Police said the woman was beaten so severely that she initially appeared to be dead. When officers interviewed Boyer, they asked if the woman he attacked was dead. When he was told she was not, he said, “She will be dead,” and implied he knew people who would make it happen.
November 5, 2026 8:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs remain scarce and most workers enjoy job security. The Labor Department reported Thursday that 189,000 people sought jobless aid last week, fewest since mid-July and down from 195,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, dipped to 194,750. Applications for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them closely because they can provide signs of where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have remained at historically low levels, never topping 230,000 in a single week. They’ve come in at or below 200,000 for eight straight weeks
November 5, 2026 5:51 am
The Cecil Township Board of Supervisors held a data center workshop to give residents the opportunity to provide feedback on a drafted data center ordinance. Less than ten residents attended the workshop. Supervisor Cindy Fisher says she was surprised by the turnout, because many residents expressed opinions on social media. Resident Deborah Lee expressed concerns about how close a data center could be to residential properties. The drafted ordinance states that there would be a 500-foot setback. Additionally, data centers could only go in a limited area of I-2 zoning, and there are conditions regarding energy and water use. Lee says she is happy to have the opportunity to speak with supervisors about the ordinance. Fisher explains that the next steps would be to incorporate changes, advertise the formal ordinance, and then hold a public hearing. Fisher says an ordinance will be adopted by the end of January.
November 4, 2026 2:46 am
Pennsylvania State Police have identified a serial killer responsible for two murders in Washington County in the 1970s, and authorities say there could be more victims. DNA evidence has helped bring answers to the two cold cases, identifying James Richard Clark Sr. as the suspect. Clark, however, died on July 17, 2023, at the age of 66. More than five decades ago, Susan Rush was 21, and Brenda Ritter was 18. Both were raped and murdered. Rush, of Washington, disappeared in 1976 after leaving a local shopping mall. She was scheduled to meet family members at a church for a Thanksgiving Eve dinner but never arrived at the services or her home. On Nov. 25, her brother found her locked car parked along North Avenue in Washington with the driver’s side window open one inch. Rush was found dead inside. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Six months after Rush was killed, a second homicide occurred in the county. Ritter was last seen leaving her boyfriend’s home in Chartiers Township on May 18, 1977. The next morning, her abandoned vehicle was located along Rankin Road in South Strabane Township. A State Police helicopter located her body on a hillside not far from her car, and her clothing was found nearby. Ritter was also sexually assaulted and strangled to death. Early leads in her case similarly yielded no results until investigators submitted evidence from the Ritter homicide to a crime lab in late 2008 to create an offender profile, but the profile produced no matches until state police received grant funding for cold-case DNA testing in May 2022 and completed further testing three years later. State police say they believe there may be more victims as Clark was employed at the time, as a long haul truck driver.
November 4, 2026 2:44 am
Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) today confirmed that an unvaccinated resident of Jefferson County tested positive for measles and has died. This is the sixth confirmed measles-associated death in Pennsylvania. The death was reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and added to Pennsylvania’s measles dashboard. The number of confirmed measles cases stands at 1,467 across 45 counties so far in 2026. To protect the privacy of the individual and their family, DOH will not release any additional details that could personally identify them. DOH is bound by laws that limit what can be shared publicly, and families deserve the dignity to mourn in private. DOH continues to lead Pennsylvania’s robust response to the ongoing measles outbreak and is making the most up-to-date information on cases, hospitalizations, and deaths available on its measles dashboard. While daily numbers fluctuate, tracking these trends provides Pennsylvanians and health care providers with visibility into community transmission across the Commonwealth and helps inform DOH’s ongoing robust response. Key updates include thirty-four newly confirmed cases since November 2nd in forty-five counties. Total hospitalizations are now at two-hundred and eighty-three and deaths now stand at six.
