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WJPA News Archive

What’s In The Latest Version Of Senate Budget Bill

June 30, 2025 5:01 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — At some 940 pages, the legislation is a sprawling collection of tax breaks, spending cuts and other Republican priorities, including new money for national defense and deportations. Now it’s up to the Republican-controlled Congress to decide whether President Donald Trump’s signature’s domestic policy package will become law. The bill is nearing a final Senate vote. If it passes, it would then move to the House. Democrats are united against it. The bill would make permanent many of the tax breaks passed in Trump’s first term while adding new ones such as no tax on tips or overtime.

Jerome Powell Sticks To Position Against President

July 1, 2025 2:53 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is sticking to his position that the central bank will keep its key rate on hold while it waits to see how President Donald Trump’s tariffs effect the economy, defying the steady stream of criticism from the White House, which wants lower borrowing costs. Powell repeated his view Tuesday that U.S. inflation is likely to pick up later this summer, though he acknowledged that the timing and magnitude of any price increase from the duties is uncertain. But he said the Fed will stay on hold while it evaluates how the economy evolves. Powell’s comments underscored the divide between the U.S. central bank’s leader and the Trump administration. Trump has repeatedly urged the Fed to cut its key rate, which he says would save U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars on interest costs on the federal government’s massive debt, and boost the economy.

Attorney General Bondi’s Claims Raise Epstein Questions

July 1, 2025 3:02 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi’s comments about evidence the Justice Department is reviewing from its Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation have fueled anticipation about the expected release of more files related to the New York financier. But weeks after Bondi’s claim about “tens of thousands” of Epstein videos, it’s unclear what she was referring to. The Associated Press spoke with lawyers and law enforcement officials in criminal cases of Epstein and ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell who said they hadn’t seen and didn’t know of recordings like what Bondi described. One of Maxwell’s lawyers says salacious videos of Epstein with children never surfaced. The department has declined AP requests to speak with officials overseeing the Epstein review. The comment, made to reporters at the White House days after a similar remark to a stranger with a hidden camera, raised the stakes for President Donald Trump’s administration to prove it has in its possession previously unseen compelling evidence.

Bryan Kohberger Lands Plea Deal

July 1, 2025 4:45 am

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty. Shanon Gray, an attorney for the family of victim Kaylee Goncalves, has confirmed that families of the victims received the news in a letter from prosecutors Monday. A change of plea hearing is set for Wednesday. Kohberger, 30, is accused in the stabbing deaths of Goncalves, Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen at a rental home near campus in Moscow, Idaho, in November 2022. Kohberger was arrested in Pennsylvania weeks after the killings. He had been a criminal justice graduate student at Washington State University.

LevelUp Pickleball Club Coming To Canonsburg

July 1, 2025 3:06 pm

(WPXI) Set to open in August 2025, LevelUp Pickleball Club is shaping up to be the premier pickleball club in the country – and it’s right outside of Pittsburgh. Located in Canonsburg, the club is the ninth-largest indoor pickleball club in the country, at 62,000 square feet, with 40,000 square feet serving as court space. The facility is equipped with various amenities, including 16 indoor courts, three bars, a 4,500-square-foot restaurant, and men’s and women’s locker rooms. The facility is set to open in August. “As I travel the country, we teach 280 camps a year in 45 states and having seen all the clubs that are out there, we decided to make what I feel was the best indoor club in the country,” Wayne Dollard shared.

Man Who Killed Two Firefighters Wanted To Be One

July 1, 2025 4:58 am

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A 20-year-old man’s life appeared to have begun to unravel in the months before law enforcement say he fatally shot two firefighters and severely wounded a third as they responded to a wildfire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Wess Roley was living out of his vehicle and his former roommate, T.J. Franks Jr., said he shaved off his long hair and started to “kind of go downhill.” Authorities say the man had set a fire and the firefighters who rushed to put out the blaze instead found themselves under fire. They took cover behind fire trucks. Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris says it appears the man later killed himself.

Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart Dead At 90

July 1, 2025 12:48 pm

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Jimmy Swaggart, the televangelist whose multi-million-dollar ministry was crippled by his encounters with prostitutes, has died. He was 90. His death was announced Tuesday. The Louisiana native was best known for being a captivating Pentecostal preacher with a massive following before being caught on camera with a prostitute in New Orleans in 1988, one of several TV preachers brought down in the 1980s and ’90s by sex scandals. He continued preaching for decades, but with a reduced audience. In a tearful 1988 sermon, he wept and apologized, telling parishioners across the nation, “I have sinned against you.”  (Photo:  AP)

Hurricane Flossie Strengthens Off Mexican Coast

July 1, 2025 2:19 pm

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Flossie has strengthened to a Category 2 storm off Mexico’s Pacific coast and could become a major hurricane before weakening later this week. The National Hurricane Center reports the storm has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. It was located Tuesday about 180 miles southwest of Manzanillo, Mexico. Rain is currently affecting parts of the coastal region. Flossie is moving northwest at 10 mph and is expected to continue in that direction. Flossie is expected to continue strengthening and become a major hurricane as soon as Tuesday night. Then, it is expected to rapidly weaken starting late Wednesday.

Jury Reaches Verdict On Four Of Five Charges

July 1, 2025 5:40 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial said Tuesday that it has reached a verdict on four of five counts against the hip-hop mogul and was unable to reach a decision on the top charge, racketeering conspiracy. The judge indicated that he would instruct the jury to continue weighing the charge, echoing the sentiments of prosecutors and Combs’ defense team that just two days into deliberations was too soon to give up on reaching a verdict on all counts.  (Photo:  AP)

Roscoe Home Damaged In Weekend Fire

June 30, 2025 4:46 am

ROSCOE, Pa. — No injuries were reported, but a fire left the inside of a house scorched in Roscoe Borough. Firefighters were called to Rebecca Street for reports of a house fire at 2:10 p.m. on Saturday. Members of the Fallowfield Fire Company said they rescued a family pet from the house, but it died. The inside of the home suffered extensive damage. The walls were blackened and multiple appliances were destroyed. Multiple other Washington County community fire departments helped battle the blaze.Crews spent around an hour and a half at the scene.