July 29, 2026 2:25 am
Uniontown, PA – PennDOT has announced upcoming bridge preservation projects in Greene and Washington counties. In Greene County, Route 1003 (Porter Street) over I-79 in Franklin Township will be affected. Route 1003 (Porter Street) is scheduled to close between Caldwell Road and North Porter Street beginning Wednesday, August 5, at 7:00 AM through early September. Posted detour: Apple Hill Road, Route 19, Route 221 and Porter Street. In Washington County, Route 19 (Washington Road) over Route 519 in North Strabane Township will be worked on. Route 19 (Washington Road) will have nightly single-lane restrictions in place from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM, Monday, August 3, through Friday, August 7. Also, Route 2056 (Barrett Hill Road) over I-79 in Amwell Township. Route 2056 (Barrett Hill Road) is scheduled to close between Moninger Road and Barrett Hill Road beginning Thursday, August 6, at 7:00 AM through early September. Posted detour is Moninger Road, Mankey Road, Route 19, Weaver Run Road, Lone Pine Road, Baker Hill Road. Crews from Triton Construction, Inc. will conduct bridge preservation activities, including latex overlays, epoxy overlays, expansion dam replacement, concrete repairs to extend the life of eight structures. A $4.1 million infrastructure investment project in Washington and Greene counties.
July 30, 2026 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Todd Blanche’s nomination to become attorney general has stalled as lawmakers scrapped a planned committee vote. Key Republicans have demanded more assurances about the settlement of President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service. The Senate Judiciary Committee had been scheduled to vote Thursday to advance Blanche’s nomination to the floor. But Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have threatened to withhold their support without more answers from the Justice Department about the controversial settlement. A spokeswoman for the committee said in a statement Wednesday night that the vote would be postponed.
July 30, 2026 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The stop-start fighting between the United States and Iran appears to have entered a new phase as Saudi Arabia has publicly joined military escalations against Tehran-backed proxies. At the same time, an already untenable diplomatic effort to end the war has faltered once again as mistrust deepens between the longtime adversaries. Despite several days of relative calm, both sides carried out military strikes in the last 24 hours that once again risk a return to all-out war — and further expansion in the region. Late Wednesday, the U.S. military said it had launched a “a powerful response” against Iran. Little is clear about what strategy, if any, American or Iranian officials have for a path forward.
July 29, 2026 5:01 am
It’s been a choppy year for restaurants that lean into lettuce. Lettuce prices rose sharply in the first half of 2026 due to hot weather in Arizona, where about one-third of America’s lettuce is grown. Now, some restaurants are dealing with the fallout from a cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded lettuce that has sickened thousands of Americans. Taco Bell will likely see the biggest sales impact from the outbreak. But market research companies say other salad-focused chains are seeing reduced foot traffic as well. Federal health officials first tied the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants in multiple states, although health officials say there might be additional causes.
July 30, 2026 4:56 am
KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — The Kumamoto prefectural government says the powerful earthquake that hit southwestern Japan earlier this week has now killed at least 25 people. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake on Tuesday set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes in the Kumamoto area on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu. Time was running out to find survivors as rescuers continued to work. The total number of those missing was unclear. The quake left at least 86 people injured, five of them seriously, the prefectural government said.
July 29, 2026 3:40 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday despite persistently high inflation and a spike in energy prices caused by the Iran war. The Fed’s rate-setting committee reached the 9-3 decision after two days of deliberations, marking the fifth straight meeting at which the benchmark rate was kept at around 3.6%. Three Fed officials dissented in favor of a rate increase, and Fed Chair Kevin Warsh described the policy discussion to reporters as a “good family fight.” Inflation has been stuck above the central bank’s 2% target for more than five years and Wall Street still expects a rate hike in September.
July 29, 2026 9:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci will face a contempt of Congress vote in a Senate committee next week after he invoked the Fifth Amendment in a hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Wednesday’s hearing, Fauci declined to answer dozens of questions from senators. The scientist’s decision to not testify injected drama into the lingering tensions between Fauci and GOP lawmakers over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and accusations he lied about its origins, which he denies. Fauci was subpoenaed by Sen. Rand Paul, who led the charge to have the now-retired infectious disease expert testify again. The hearing was part of a campaign to arrest Fauci, spearheaded by some congressional Republicans. Fauci says Paul has an “obvious obsession” with calling for his prosecution.
July 29, 2026 5:00 am
South Strabane Township Supervisors have tabled their fossil fuel power generation ordinance. Supervisor Zach Morgan tells WJPA News they want to make some changes to the measure and will consider it again when they meet next month. It is part of the township’s overall data center ordinance which was approved in June. Supervisors also voted unanimously to change their emergency notification service. Cancelling the use of Code Red after seven years. Fire Chief Jordan Cramer says Code Red was costing the township $4,200 annually and they did not use it once last year. They will now use the ‘Regroup Mass Notification’ System.
July 29, 2026 2:39 am
A woman from Ohio wanted on homicide charges is last reported in the Washington County jail awaiting extradition. 38 year old Karenda Hutsenpiller was charged in connection with a police chase Friday here in the City of Washington as well as East Washington Borough. Police stopped her vehicle along North Avenue and she was apprehended by an East Washington police officer after she tried to flee on foot. Police say she is wanted on an active warrant in connection with a homicide in Ohio and was on supervised release after pleading guilty to manslaughter 15-years ago in Warren, Ohio. She has been charged with fleeing police, evading arrest, resisting arrest and other offenses.
July 28, 2026 2:50 am
City of Washington Police have filed charges against a West Virginia man in connection with an alleged fraud scheme involving Stewart Snacks, LLC, an independent distributor of Little Debbie snack products. The investigation began after reports of fraudulent business records and missing product associated with deliveries made throughout Washington County at stores including Shop-N’-Save, Giant Eagle and WalMart. James Powell, of Valley Grove, was employed as a distributor and allegedly created fraudulent delivery invoices indicating that the products had been delivered to several retail stores. Powell allegedly forged signatures on delivery invoices and received commission payments for deliveries that never occurred. Police have charged him with three counts of Forgery, two counts of Theft by Deception, two counts Theft by Unlawful Taking and other charges. Police say they are seeking more than $17-thousand dollars restitution. Powell was taken into custody in West Virginia and is last reported awaiting extradition to Washington County.
