May 30, 2026 4:02 am
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — For many in Congo and elsewhere in Central and West Africa, there is no shame in craving wild meat, a key part of the culture. Even a disease as terrifying as Ebola, which is currently ravaging a remote part of eastern Congo, has failed to stem demand for wild meat emerging from the Congo Basin. The Congo Basin is an expansive forested ecosystem rich in wildlife from great apes to serpents — both of which are hunted for their meat. Although Ebola is not spread by food, cases in Africa have been associated with hunting, butchering and processing meat from infected animals.
May 31, 2026 7:00 am
Officials say Lithium batteries in a maintenance room were the cause of a fire at the City Mission in downtown Washington Friday morning. Washington County 911 says the fire was reported around 7:30 a.m. Washington City Fire Chief Chris Richer tells WJPA News the batteries were properly mounted to a charging shelf above a chair and once they combusted the chair caught fire. Richer says the buildings sprinkler system put the fire out and crews found minimal fire but there was heavy smoke. The entire complex was evacuated but no injuries resulted. The fire has been ruled accidental. City Mission President and CEO Diana Irey Vaughan says the fire was in the single men’s residence area near the cafeteria.
May 30, 2026 3:57 am
PennDOT’s District 12 Washington County Maintenance Update For June
Uniontown, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Washington County Maintenance Manager Brian Malik has announced a slate of work for the week of June 1. Bridge replacement work on Brush Run Road continues in Canton Township. Boom mowing will take place along Grange Road and Clover Hill Road in West Pike Run Township, as well as Clinton Frankfort Rd in Hanover Township. The detour remains from Brush Run Road to Jefferson Avenue to Scenic Drive. Crack sealing will take place throughout the County. Ditch line cleaning and repair continues along Enon Church Road in West Finley Township and State Line Road in Jefferson Township. Mowing takes place on Route 22, ramp 8046 in Hanover Township, Interstate 70 Ramp 8014 on Jefferson Avenue in the City of Washington, as well as South Bridge Road in Buffalo Township, and Rt 837 in Donora. Crews will also be rock lining in Carroll and Somerset Townships, stabilizing shoulders and repairing slides throughout the County. Crews will pick litter, replace downed signs, update existing signs, and perform other tasks throughout the County. PennDOT has a toll-free number—1-800-FIX-ROAD (1-800-349-7623)—for residents to report road maintenance concerns and the locations of dead deer on state highways. All maintenance activities are dependent on weather and operations. PennDOT says drivers can anticipate detours, flaggers, moving operations, and/or single-lane restrictions. And they encourage everyone to drive safely.
May 30, 2026 3:20 am
SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assured Pacific allies Saturday that Washington remains committed to the region while softening past comments that described China as an imminent threat. Speaking at the Shangri-La defense conference in Singapore, Hegseth said U.S. policy aims to preserve a favorable balance of power and prevent any country from dominating the Indo-Pacific. His remarks came after President Donald Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing and praised prospects for U.S.-China ties. Hegseth said there is no change in U.S. policy toward Taiwan but declined to address a pending arms package. He also urged Asian allies to increase defense spending.
May 29, 2026 4:31 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump’s name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center and blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Kennedy Center board’s March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” with no regard for its legal obligations. “The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one,” he wrote. Cooper also concluded that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, he said.
May 29, 2026 2:40 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s holding a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers as he looks to make a “final determination” on moving forward with a deal to extend the Iran ceasefire. Iran says the agreement has not been finalized. Trump confirmed the high-level talks on Friday, the day after The Associated Press and other news outlets reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had come to terms on a tentative agreement. The deal would extend the fragile ceasefire by 60 days and reopen the Strait of Hormuz as new talks are held on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.
May 29, 2026 5:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans sought unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs remain low despite economic uncertainty caused by the Iran war. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims were up to 215,000, up from 210,000 the week before. The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, rose by nearly 6,300 to 209,000. The number of Americans signing up for unemployment benefits — a proxy for layoffs — has stabilized in a low range of mostly 200,000 to 250,000 a week since the U.S. economy emerged from a brief but nasty pandemic recession in 2020.
May 29, 2026 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Attorney General Pam Bondi has finished her interview with House lawmakers about the release of the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Bondi stood behind the Trump administration’s release of the Epstein files but refused to answer questions on President Donald Trump’s involvement in it. Democratic lawmakers said Friday that Bondi told them she would not speak about the Republican president in the closed-door interview. Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse gathered outside the Capitol office where lawmakers were interviewing Bondi. The survivors tried to make their presence known to Bondi as she entered the room but say they were shoved aside by police officers. (Photo: AP)
May 29, 2026 4:32 pm
(AP) – Virginia State Police say a bus crashed into vehicles slowing for a work zone on Interstate 95 early Friday, killing five people in two cars and sending dozens to hospitals. The crash happened at about 2:35 a.m. on southbound I-95 in Stafford County. A state police statement says all five of those killed were from Massachusetts. Most of the injured were taken to hospitals in Stafford and Fredericksburg. Three were in critical condition, police said. Police said the crash is under investigation and charges are pending. The southbound lanes were reopened by noon, with traffic backups.
May 29, 2026 4:25 pm
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A court in Kenya has suspended a U.S. plan to establish a quarantine facility for Americans exposed to a rare Ebola virus in northeastern Congo. The decision came on Friday after backlash from medical workers and activists. The U.S. intended to send affected and exposed individuals to Kenya instead of flying them home. The Kenyan government has only acknowledged discussions about Ebola preparedness, not the facility itself. The High Court in Nairobi halted any agreements until petitions are heard on Tuesday. The Kenya Law Society and Katiba Institute challenged the facility, citing public health risks and lack of public participation.
