June 23, 2026 4:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has told lawmakers it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the war in Iran. The proposal would add to what is already a sizable defense spending boost being sought by President Donald Trump. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said senators would review the proposal when it was formally submitted. But Democrats and some Republicans have been highly critical of Trump’s military actions against Iran and skeptical of the deal the president made to end the war. The money, largely to replenish stockpiles, comes as Trump is seeking $1.5 trillion this year for the Defense Department, a 50% increase.
June 23, 2026 4:48 am
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is traveling to Pakistan for talks with leaders mediating negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Tuesday’s visit comes as technical teams in Switzerland work on details of a deal following high-level talks Monday between Iran and the United States. Also Tuesday, Iran said there’s been no visit scheduled for inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to see nuclear sites earlier bombed by the United States. The remarks by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei in Tehran, Iran’s capital, appear to cut against those made by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who said negotiations in Switzerland won an agreement for the IAEA to visit Iranian sites.
June 23, 2026 2:53 am
Gas prices are seven cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.330 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. Motorists are getting a break at the pump as the summer travel season heats up. For the first time since mid-March, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is down to $3.92. This marks nearly four straight weeks of declines. Crude oil prices continue to fall as the U.S. and Iran work on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Sliding gas prices come as millions of Americans prepare to travel for Independence Day in record numbers starting next weekend. Today’s national average is 63 cents less than a month ago but 71 cents more than a year ago. According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand increased last week from 8.73 million barrels per day to 9.21 million. Total domestic gasoline supply decreased from 215.1 million barrels to 214.2 million. Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 10.1 million barrels per day.
June 23, 2026 4:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a revamped federal tool that state election officials have used in their efforts to identify illegally registered noncitizen voters is unlawful and cannot be used. U.S. District Court Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan on Monday sided with advocacy groups that argued the recent upgrades to the program, called Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, aggregated Americans’ sensitive personal data in a way that could result in voters being wrongly purged from voter rolls. The tool has been around for decades and was recently upgraded. But some election officials have raised concerns about its accuracy and security.
June 22, 2026 2:57 am
UPMC Washington is celebrating the official launch of its therapy dog program with a birthday party for its newest employee, Savior, the golden retriever therapy dog. This program was supported through local donors and is designed to promote a supportive care environment for workers and patients at the hospital. Studies have shown that therapy dogs visiting hospitals have been shown to reduce patient anxiety by an average of 34%.During the celebration, it was announced the the hospital system foundation was being renamed as the Washington Greene Health Foundation. Natalie Chaido, development manager, said that the foundation looks to impact the community by funding different programs with a health and wellness mission that will complement services that the hospital offers in Washington. The foundation is looking into the possibility of expanding the therapy dog program at the Greene County Hospital location.
June 22, 2026 4:51 am
PARIS (AP) — France is experiencing another day of scorching heat, with most of the population exposed to extreme temperatures. Meteo France has placed 54 departments under a red heat wave alert. The heat is expected to last until at least the end of the week, with highs above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in many towns. The extreme weather is being compared to a notorious heat wave in August 2003, in which an estimated 15,000 people died. Europe is warming at twice the global average, and human-caused climate change is linked to increasingly extreme weather. The U.N. climate agency projects more heat records in the next five years.
June 22, 2026 5:47 pm
A series of severe thunderstorms moved through the Washington, Greene, Fayette, Westmoreland and Allegheny County areas Monday afternoon. Washington County 911 tells WJPA there were no injuries reported, but there were numerous downed trees around the county that kept emergency crews busy. The storms also spawned tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings. No word on whether any tornadoes actually touched down. West Penn Power, at the height of the storm system, reported on their website, only a handful of outages in Washington County.
June 22, 2026 4:59 am
(WPXI) – A man is accused of stabbing his father to death over the weekend in Jefferson Hills. Alhaji Buhari, 69, was found stabbed multiple times in a home on Arnoni Drive on Saturday afternoon. He died on scene. The Allegheny County Police Department immediately began investigating. Through witness interviews and evidence collected on scene, detectives identified Alhaji’s son, Kabir Buhari, 42, as the suspect. Detectives learned Kabir fled after the stabbing and later tracked him to a hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. ACPD says he was taken into custody on Monday morning by the Montgomery County Police Department in conjunction with the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force. Kabir is facing a homicide charge and will be held in Montgomery County pending extradition to Allegheny County.
June 22, 2026 12:48 pm
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — A man is facing a homicide charge, accused of shooting and killing his uncle, whom he claimed “came at him” with a wooden child’s oar. The shooting happened before 11:45 a.m. Saturday on Low Street in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, according to a criminal complaint. The document says Joshua Lowry, 45, called police to tell them he shot his uncle. The uncle, who Pennsylvania State Police identified as Bruce Kasiewicz, was found shot in the chest and deceased in Lowry’s bedroom with blue latex gloves on his hands and a small wooden oar on the floor near his body. In an interview with police, the complaint states Lowry told police that he woke up to Kasiewicz knocking on his bedroom window to wake him up. Lowry then let Kasiewicz into the home and went back into the bedroom to get dressed. That’s when he says Kasiewicz put on the gloves and grabbed the wooden child’s oar, then stood in his doorway. Lowry claimed he thought Kasiewicz “was there to kill him,” so he grabbed his muzzleloader and fired once, hitting Kasiewicz in the chest. The complaint states that when investigators looked through the home, they found no physical evidence of a physical altercation or attempted physical altercation before the shooting. Lowry also lacked any injuries consistent with an altercation. Investigators also state in the complaint that the “physical evidence preliminarily examined did not support Lowry’s statements as to the chain of events that led to him shooting the victim.” Lowry is being held at the Westmoreland County Jail and was denied bail. He is set to appear in court again on July 1.
June 21, 2026 4:56 am
PITTSBURGH — Rain is expected Monday morning and will be steady to heavy at times with thunder. Travel will be impacted by heavy rain that will reduce visibility and create ponding on roads. Heavy rain could produce localized flooding through the day and evening. Scattered showers and storms are expected in the afternoon. According to our news partners at WPXI, there is a chance for isolated severe storms south and east of Pittsburgh. Severe storms could produce damaging winds and frequent lightning. An isolated tornado chance is very low but can’t be ruled out; mainly south and east of Pittsburgh. Comfortable conditions are expected Tuesday and Wednesday with a mix of sun and clouds; highs will be in the upper 70s. Increasing humidity is expected later in the day on Thursday, with showers at night. Highs will get back into the 80s late week and into the weekend.
