June 9, 2025 4:57 am
North Franklin Township will host a public hearing Tuesday at 5 p.m. to consider a zoning change requested by developers seeking to buy the Crown Center Mall and turn it into a mix use of retail, light industrial and other uses. Supervisors Chairman Bob Sabot says “the new prospective owners are to announce their plans for the property and Supervisors are expected to vote on the planned sale. The mall is currently owned by New York based Kohan Group and Sabot says the Township has repeatedly fined them “for failing to upkeep the mall and Supervisors have publically encouraged the sell of the mall which Kohan has owned for ten years”. According to Sabot, the mall “is struggling on the inside with just a few retail outlets” but is doing well on the outside with an auto dealership, Marshalls, Rural King, and Ollie’s. The original Franklin Mall opened in 1963 with Sears as its main anchor.
June 10, 2025 1:40 am
Residents on Druid Drive in Peters Township once again questioned council on several issues relating to a new cell tower proposed on their street. AT&T has applied to install a co-located cell tower to expand capacity on its already existing cell antenna. Representatives from Diamond Communications and AT&T presented to council their plans for the project. At issue with residents are lingering feelings about the last time an upgrade was done on the same electrical tower for Verizon. Tony Brown spoke of how ugly the current project is, with cabling draped on the outside of the structure. He delved deeply into safety issues during construction, damaged personal property, damaged roads and deep trenches left open for months before being filled. He seeks a more deeply involved council to make sure these problems are not repeated. Council was looking to be more proactive in adding conditions to the building permit before it would be issued. Conditions added to the application are a $50,000 bond if properties are not repaired, a township copy of the close out report filed by the construction company to AT&T, and a precise construction schedule sent out to all residents of Druid Drive that live between its two intersections with Fireside Drive. The schedule for construction is to last seven weeks with a start date sometime in September.
June 10, 2025 4:46 am
The role, which supports economic and community development efforts in the borough, was the subject of debate among council members. In a closely split vote, Canonsburg Borough Council voted 4-3 to approve the hiring of a replacement for the borough’s Coordinator of Community Initiatives, a position formerly held by Lisa Scarmazzi. Councilmembers Diane Richie, John Severine, and Vice-Chairman Edward York Jr. voted against the motion. Richie said she opposed filling the position at this time due to concerns over fiscal responsibility. In other business, Mayor David Rhome was honored with a ceremonial title of Kentucky Colonel, the highest title of honor awarded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Rhome was nominated by Colonel Bob Schmidt, a Canonsburg native now residing in Kentucky. The title, issued by the non-profit organization the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, recognizes individuals for their service and commitment to their communities. The organization was founded in 1933 and has honored numerous notable figures over the decades, including U.S. presidents, musicians, actors, authors, and athletes. Also during the meeting, council approved a temporary closure of the parking lot adjacent to Rusty Gold Brewing from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. on July 3. The closure will accommodate a hot dog eating contest sponsored by Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop and the Downtown Canonsburg Merchants.
June 10, 2025 4:59 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Proposals that would allow victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits beyond the current statute of limitations in Pennsylvania are again moving forward. The state House voted on a pair of bills Monday, the latest development in a yearslong campaign by victim advocates. House Democrats voted unanimously in favor of the measures, while Republicans mostly opposed them. Both pieces of legislation are now headed to the GOP-controlled Senate for consideration. One version would require amending the state constitution, which would require years to become law.
June 10, 2025 5:00 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Amazon says it will spend $20 billion on two data center complexes in Pennsylvania, including one it is building alongside a nuclear power plant that has drawn federal scrutiny over its arrangement to essentially plug right into the power plant. Kevin Miller of Amazon’s cloud computing subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, told The Associated Press on Monday that the company will build another data center complex just north of Philadelphia. The data centers are designed to meet growing demand for artificial intelligence products. Amazon has recently committed to big data center projects in Mississippi, Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina as it expands to compete with other tech giants.
June 9, 2025 5:04 am
President Donald Trump is defending his decision to send Another 2,000 National Guard troops along with 700 Marines to Los Angeles, escalating a military presence local officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom don’t want and the police chief says creates logistical challenges for safely handling protests. Additional protests against immigration raids are expected to continue in other cities Tuesday.
June 10, 2025 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is scrambling to establish rules to guide U.S. Marines who could be faced with the rare and difficult prospect of using force against citizens on American soil, now that the Trump administration is deploying active duty troops to the immigration raid protests in Los Angeles. U.S. Northern Command said Monday that it’s sending 700 Marines into the Los Angeles area to protect federal property and personnel. A U.S. official says troops will be armed with their normal service weapons but will not be carrying tear gas. They also will have protective equipment such as helmets, shields and gas masks.
June 10, 2025 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been met with sharp questions and criticism by lawmakers who demanded details on his moves to deploy troops to Los Angeles. Lawmakers also expressed bipartisan frustration Tuesday that Congress doesn’t yet have a full defense budget from the Trump administration. The hearing before the House Appropriations defense subcommittee was the first time lawmakers have been able to challenge Trump’s defense chief directly. After persistent questioning about the cost of sending National Guard members and Marines to Los Angeles in response to protests over immigration raids, Hegseth turned to his acting comptroller, Bryn Woollacott MacDonnell, who said it would cost $134 million.
June 10, 2025 5:08 am
MIAMI (AP) — President Donald Trump’s new ban on travel to the United States by citizens from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries is now in effect. The ban took effect on Monday and comes as tensions escalate over the president’s campaign of immigration enforcement. Trump signed the new proclamation last week. It applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also imposes heightened restrictions on people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela who are outside the U.S. and don’t hold a valid visa.
June 9, 2025 5:08 am
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to use vaccines. He is pledging to replace them with his own picks. The 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices had been in a state of flux since Kennedy took over. He recently took the unusual step of changing COVID-19 recommendations without first consulting the panel. Kennedy says the committee members had too many conflicts of interest.
