August 8, 2026 4:30 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is moving ahead with its efforts to fire Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, two months after the Supreme Court allowed her to retain her job while she fights the president’s effort to terminate her over mortgage fraud allegations that she has denied. The justices, in a 5-4 decision in June, said Cook, who was nominated to the Fed’s Board of Governors by President Joe Biden, could remain in her post at least as long as her lawsuit challenging her firing goes on. The Trump administration is appealing a lower-court ruling in Cook’s favor. A letter this week from the White House to Cook said President Donald Trump was “considering” firing Cook but wanted to give her an opportunity to challenge the effort.
August 8, 2026 4:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration must stop construction of the $400 million White House ballroom because Congress has not approved the project. Trump blasted the decision Friday as “unjust” while vowing to appeal it to the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit ruled that Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom where the East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition. The panel upheld an April order from a lower court judge for aboveground work on the project to be halted.
August 8, 2026 7:13 am
Emergency responders were called to a home in the 200 block of Franklin Terrace in North Franklin Township for a vehicle that collided into the front of a home. According to 9-1-1 dispatchers, the accident occurred at 9:48 Friday night. Minor injuries occurred to the people in the vehicle and were treated at the scene. No one in the house was injured. Hazmat/collapse personnel were called to the scene to stabilize the front wall of the house.
August 7, 2026 3:39 pm
CHICAGO (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration orders inspections for hundreds of Boeing planes, following reports of cracks in some older models. The rule, finalized Thursday, applies to certain Boeing 737 Max models and takes effect September 10. The FAA estimates this covers 471 planes. So far, no cracks have been found in these specific Max models. However, the FAA received reports of cracks in older 737 planes. Boeing says it has been working with operators on this issue for six years and already initiated its own inspections. The company supports the FAA’s latest directive.
August 7, 2026 3:35 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says a federal appeals court’s decision that he cannot build a $400 million ballroom at the White House without congressional approval is unjust. The Republican president says on social media he’ll be appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit ruled Friday that Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot ballroom where the East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition. The panel upheld an April 16 order from a lower court judge for Trump’s Republican administration to halt aboveground work on the ballroom.
August 7, 2026 8:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 23,000 jobs last month, and Labor Department revisions shaved 103,000 jobs off payrolls in May and June. But the unemployment rate dipped to 4.1% as Americans left the job market. The June jobs numbers from the Labor Department Friday marked a sharp reversal for the U.S. labor market. Hiring had been rebounding this year from a lackluster 2025 in the face of the conflict in the Persian Gulf that has sent energy prices surging and put a strain on family budgets. Job growth had been solid, if unspectacular.U
August 7, 2026 4:46 am
A new building is being planned for the Tylerdale section of Washington. City Council approved the subdivision and preliminary and final land development applications for a project at the corner of Wylie Avenue and Sammy Angott Way. The Redwood Construction Services company has plans to build an office and storage building. According to Councilman Ken Westcott, the plans have been in motion for about two years. Redwood Construction will have their main offices and storage areas for trucks and related equipment. The land has been used most recently by PennDot to park their equipment during road construction in the area. No date has been set for groundbreaking.
August 7, 2026 4:45 am
The Washington County Hazmat team looked into a report of radiation on a portion of the Montour Trail in Cecil Township. During the quarterly meeting of the Washington County Local Emergency Planning Committee, Joseph Pordash, Hazmat Coordinator and Radiological Officer for Washington County delivered his findings when the hazmat crew visited the area. He said that his crew visited the area of the trail that is bordered by 5D Field Services. They are a company that stores and disposes of pipes used in the gas and oil industry. The county first became aware of the situation when local news reports spoke of an article published by Rolling Stone Magazine that said their measurements found radiation levels of 3500 picocuries per liter of air on the Westland branch of the trail. Normal radiation levels are 5 picocuries per liter of air. Pordash said that county hazmat crews measured radiation levels and found them to be in normal range along the trail. They walked the trail in two directions along the border of the company’s property and took contamination and exposure samples every 15 feet and found no radiation threat. No tests were performed on the company’s property. Pordash said there is no immediate threat of contamination. Any further investigations would be in concert with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The PA DEP did test for radiation and found no radiation threat and declined to perform soil sample tests.
August 7, 2026 2:13 am
The Center for Coalfield Justice in Washington hosted a meeting Thursday afternoon to celebrate the launch of a steering committee. This committee is dedicated to raising awareness about orphaned and abandoned wells in Pennsylvania. During the meeting, Angela Ferritto, the president of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and the secretary-treasurer of Union Energy, spoke about the work that goes into capping these wells, and the funding and advocacy that is required. The room was packed with community members who wanted to learn more about the initiative. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions for the new committee. Sarah Martik, the executive director at the Center for Coalfield Justice, says that she is happy to participate on the committee and to partner with Union Energy. The steering committee is currently recruiting members and planning upcoming meetings. They hope to host events like town-hall meetings and round-table discussions to educate the community and build support.
August 7, 2026 4:55 am
An international ceremony took place in Canonsburg when a World War II pilot that was shot down over Japan just before the bombing of Hiroshima had a piece of his B-24 bomber returned to his family. For decades, First Lt. Joseph E. Dubinsky was thought to have been killed when his plane, The Taloa, was shot down on July 28, 1945. According to Japanese Historian, Shigeaki Mori, he in fact survived the crash and was taken to Hiroshima as a prisoner of war. Nine days later, on August 6, 1945, the United States dropped the atom bomb on Hiroshima and Dubinsky was killed. Through Mori’s efforts, Dubinsky’s nephew Bob Tatalovich was contacted and a family that held on to a piece of Dubinsky’s plane presented him with the memento. On August 6, 2026, on the 81st anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, the family placed the airplane piece in a time capsule and buried it next to Dubinsky. Tatalovich, along with his many family members honored Dubinsky with a new religious burial ceremony, a military flyover, a 21 gun salute and the playing of Taps at his final resting place, St. Michael’s Byzantine Catholic Cemetery in Canonsburg. Family members swelled with emotion and pride as they honored their late cousin and uncle. Tatalovich and the rest of Dubinsky’s family were proud to be a part of the transformation of one time war enemies into friends. The event was important in Japan also. Japanese media representatives were on hand to cover the event.
