March 13, 2026 9:30 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy, hobbled by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, advanced at a sluggish 0.7% annual rate from October through December, the Commerce Department reported Friday in a big downgrade of its initial estimate. Growth in gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — was down sharply from 4.4% in last year’s third quarter and 3.8% in the second. And the fourth-quarter number was half the government’s first estimate of 1.4%; economists had expected the revision to go the other way — and show stronger growth. Federal government spending and investment, clobbered by the shutdown, plunged at a 16.7% rate, hacking 1.16 percentage points off fourth-quarter growth.
March 13, 2026 2:42 am
The 2026 Washington County Real Estate Expo was held Thursday and much of the programming centered on development. Panel discussions dealt with residential and commercial development. Richard Gasperini of Genfour Real Estate concentrates on industrial development. He highlighted development along PA Turnpike 576, Interstate 70 and spoke glowingly about light industrial development taking place at the Washington Crown Center. Data Centers also were discussed. In a breakout session, Brian Patten of Next Generation Land Development Company, John Bates of Prime Data Centers and Mike Sicoli of DQE Communications discussed how data centers will need to generate their own power off of the main power grid to operate. They also discussed how new data centers will be using closed loop air cooled cooling systems that will use considerably less water than what has been described in current data centers. Despite those assurances, Jodi Borello, Community Organizer for the Center for Coalfield Justice said that developers should slow down and find out from residents personally whether a data center is welcome. She said that many in Washington and Greene Counties do not want the serenity of their rural homes disturbed by data centers. Tony Rosenberger of Chapman Properties updated progress on the former Washington Mall site. He says that once the building for Harbor Freight is finished in June, full demolition of the buildings will take place. Campers RV renovations are underway and they expect to open in late summer.
March 13, 2026 2:49 am
A small group of demonstrators gathered in front of the George Washington Hotel Thursday afternoon to make local officials aware that they are not happy with what they call “back-room deals” regarding data centers. The demonstration was held at the hotel, where Washington County Commissioners were reportedly holding an invite-only data center round-table following their Real Estate Expo at Washington & Jefferson College earlier in the day. The group says data center developers, fossil fuel companies, and other corporate partners were expected to attend, with no representation from ordinary working families living in the communities where these projects are proposed.
March 12, 2026 2:53 am
HARRISBURG – Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46) announced on Thursday, that a $193,493 state grant was awarded to Natural Streams Foundation, Inc. to support the initial planning work for an abandoned mine land reclamation project in Smith Township, Washington County. The grant is part of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Abandoned Mine Land and Abandoned Mine Drainage Grant Program, which recently awarded funding for 15 environmental restoration projects across the state. The funding will support engineering design and permitting work needed to begin removing more than 250,000 cubic yards of coal refuse from a nearly five-acre site in the township. “Projects like this are an important step in restoring land affected by historic mining,” Bartolotta said. “This funding enables essential planning so the site can be reclaimed, improving environmental conditions and supporting safer, more productive land use.” Pennsylvania has the largest inventory of abandoned coal mines in the nation. Funding for the program comes through Pennsylvania’s federally supported Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program.
March 12, 2026 4:57 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has launched multiple attacks on Gulf Arab states including sending dozens of drones toward Saudi Arabia. The attacks on Friday followed warnings from Iran’s new supreme leader about hosting American bases. U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening new major retaliation. Trump said Friday on social media to “watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today.” Intense airstrikes hit around Iranian capital Tehran as well as outlying areas. It was not immediately clear what had been targeted. The price of Brent crude oil remained over $100 per barrel as Iran kept its stranglehold on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
March 12, 2026 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare bipartisan effort for a deeply divided Congress, the Senate has passed a broad bill to make U.S. housing more accessible and affordable. The bill passed on Thursday would reduce regulations, regulate corporate investors and expand how housing dollars can be used to build affordable homes and rentals. It now heads back to the House, which passed a separate version earlier this year. It is unclear whether President Donald Trump would sign it after declaring last weekend that he won’t sign any new measures unless Congress passes legislation that would require voters to show proof of citizenship.
March 12, 2026 5:00 am
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — Investigators are working to understand the exact reason a man with a rifle crashed into a Michigan synagogue in what federal officials say was an attack carried out by a naturalized citizen born in Lebanon. Officials say 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali was killed by security after ramming into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township near Detroit, Michigan, on Thursday. Authorities say he drove down a hallway in a vehicle that then caught fire. The FBI is leading the investigation and described the attack on one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community. DHS says Ghazali was granted U.S. citizenship in 2016.
March 13, 2026 5:01 am
The United States is getting slammed by a stretch of weather extremes, from flooding rain to record heat and late-season snow. On Wednesday, Washington, D.C., hit a record 86 degrees, then snow fell on Thursday. Meteorologists say the Southwest faces a heat dome with prolonged triple-digit temperatures. Polar cold will push into the Midwest and East. Two northern storms are likely to dump feet of snow, with one strengthening into a rare inland bomb cyclone. Hawaii is dealing with an atmospheric river and flash flooding. Experts link the wild swings to a sharply dipping jet stream.
March 12, 2026 2:31 pm
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (AP) — A man armed with a rifle rammed a vehicle into a major synagogue in a Detroit suburb and was fatally shot by security. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday. The person said the vehicle caught on fire after crashing into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield Township. Investigators are still working to identify the man and a possible motive for the attack. The person cautioned that the investigation is still in the early stages The person could not publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
March 12, 2026 1:24 pm
(AP) – Old Dominion University police say a gunman and one victim are dead, and two other victims are hurt after a shooting at the school on Thursday morning. The F-B-I has identified the gunman as 36-year-old Mohamad Jalloh, a former national guardsman who pleaded guilty nearly a decade ago to providing material support to ISIS. He was sentenced to serve 11-years in prison, but he was released early, in late 2024. Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett said officers responded after it was reported that people were being shot in a classroom in the business school building, Constant Hall. The Norfolk, Virginia, university canceled classes and suspended all operations on its main campus through Friday and urged people to avoid the area in and around Constant Hall while emergency officials continued to work. Sentara Health says one patient remains in critical condition, and another was released from a different emergency department facility.
