July 10, 2026 7:45 am
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Lawyers for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk plan to call a final witness on Friday as they try to raise doubts about the prosecution’s case. A Utah judge is deciding whether prosecutors have enough evidence to put Tyler Robinson on trial on a charge of aggravated murder. Kirk was killed as he spoke to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Robinson is charged with aggravated murder and has not entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after Kirk was killed.
July 10, 2026 7:42 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times, the Daily News and other media outlets are asking a federal judge to impose sanctions on OpenAI, escalating a legal fight over artificial intelligence and copyright that could shape the future of a struggling news industry. The newspapers allege the ChatGPT maker is hiding evidence important to what could be a landmark copyright infringement trial over how OpenAI and its business partner Microsoft built their AI technologies using millions of news articles. At issue is whether AI chatbots are unfairly competing as an information source, siphoning off web traffic without doing the journalistic work it took to gather the news.
July 10, 2026 4:49 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Crews are draining the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool again as President Donald Trump’s problem-plagued effort to renovate the site pushes past his initial July 4 deadline. The president initially suggested his renovations would last a century. But, within weeks of the project originally reaching completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom. Trump has blamed the peeling on vandals, though critics allege it’s from shoddy repair work. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told a conservative podcaster that the draining was planned and that the water might still contain debris from the Independence Day fireworks display over the National Mall.
July 10, 2026 4:51 pm
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A passenger on board a flight from Greece to Germany was partially sucked out of a window when it broke soon after take off. A hospital official in northern Greece said the 61-year-old man suffered neck and shoulder injuries and friction burns. Passengers reported hearing a loud bang nearly an hour into the flight on Friday. One said that oxygen masks dropped and the plane began to lose altitude, causing panic. Low-cost airline operator Ryanair said the flight to Memmingen, near Munich, returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take off after a window became dislodged. The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal.
July 9, 2026 7:47 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new AP-NORC poll finds that many Jewish Americans feel unsafe in the United States, with a majority saying they feel less safe than they did before Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The findings highlight the vulnerability that many Jewish adults in the U.S. feel as bipartisan support for Israel erodes and significant divides emerge within the Jewish community about what constitutes antisemitism — particularly when it comes to protesting Israel. About 3 in 10 say they or members of their household have experienced physical assault, verbal assault, online harassment or damaged property because of their Jewish background in the last year.
July 9, 2026 6:09 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dipped slightly last week as layoffs in the U.S. remain historically low. U.S. applications for jobless aid in the week ending July 4 ticked down by 2,000 to 215,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast 220,000 new applications. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the U.S. job market. The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending June 27 rose by 8,000 by to 1.81 million, also historically low.
July 9, 2026 5:51 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Olympic canoe racer has pleaded not guilty to deliberately damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. David Hearn, who competed in three Summer Olympics, entered the plea on Thursday in D.C. Superior Court. Hearn, 67, from Bethesda, Maryland, faces a felony count of property destruction. President Donald Trump ordered a multimillion-dollar renovation of the pool, but the project has faced issues. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said six others were arrested on related charges. Hearn’s attorneys argue the charges are based on a “concocted narrative” and criticize the administration’s handling of the situation.
July 9, 2026 7:50 am
State Police have charged a Bentleyville man with sexually assaulting a 15 year girl in Butler County. According to police, 22 year old William Leach took an Uber to the girl’s home and engaged in sexual acts inside the home. He then hid inside when family members returned but took the girl for a walk. Police say the girl’s mother realized she was missing around 1 a.m. and called police. Police say he provided the victim with alcohol and marijuana. An initial search failed to locate Leach but officers returned later and were able to take him into custody. The criminal complaint says Leach faces charges that include; two-counts each of Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse and Statutory Sexual Assault. Police say they found items including knives, razor blades and drug paraphernalia and that Leach told the girl he would kill her and her entire family if she told anyone.
July 8, 2026 2:49 am
The Washington County Coroner’s Office has been searched again, this time, by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. They say they assisted Monessen Police in executing the search warrant to obtain documents needed for an investigation. “This is uncharted territory for our office. As a law enforcement agency, the Monessen Police Department is entitled to material pursuant to a criminal investigation and prosecution. Pursuing justice and accountability shouldn’t come at a cost to the victim, the victim’s family, or public safety,” Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole W. Ziccarelli said. In a statement provided to WJPA News, the coroner’s office offered this response; “This matter involves a Westmoreland County criminal investigation into a drug-related death in which the victim died at Mon Valley Hospital in Washington County, after which the Washington County Coroner performed an autopsy. Some weeks ago, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office requested the autopsy report and toxicology reports for its investigation. The Coroner’s Statute provides that the Coroner has the authority to assess fees when services or reports are requested from another county. The established fees for the requested reports amounted to $600, which would operate to offset our approximate out-of-pocket costs of $2,500.00. The Westmoreland District Attorney took the position that it did not have to pay these fees, and that they would not pay these fees. So, they raided the Coroner’s Office and took them through the force of a search warrant. It is the position of Washington County Coroner Tim Warco that the taxpayers of Washington County should not be responsible for the funding of matters in other counties when there is a mechanism for the recovery of those funds”. This is the second time the office was searched. Last November, a search warrant was executed amid a dispute over access to autopsy reports. The Washington County District Attorney’s Office, Pennsylvania State Police, Washington City Police and Canonsburg Police all searched for autopsy reports connected to five cases. Officials said investigators and the DA’s office had repeatedly requested the documents and were denied. The DA’s office said it was told three reports were available but would only be released for a fee of about $700 each. District Attorney Jason Walsh said those reports were essential to prosecuting crimes and serving victims. Coroner Tim Warco at the time, said he had decided to charge fees because his office wasn’t receiving police reports needed to complete autopsies and related records.
July 9, 2026 2:27 am
South Strabane Township is in the market for a new fire chief. Jordan Cramer, Chief of Fire and Emergency Services and Emergency Management Coordinator tells WJPA News that he tendered his resignation on Wednesday to take on a new position as the Director of Fire Services in Ross Township. Cramer said that his final day will be September 11. He will be at the annual September 11 memorial. He said he looks forward to working through the transition period and serving South Strabane residents. Cramer came to South Strabane Township in 2022 from Peters Township. Ross Township commissioners voted to hire Cramer at their meeting Monday. According to reports, his salary will start at $108,000. Ross does have a residency requirement meaning that he will have to move to the Township. Ross has eight volunteer fire companies. (PHOTO: Jordan Cramer)
