October 15, 2025 10:25 am
South Strabane Township Police have announced an emergency road closure for Cameron Road at Route 19 because of a water main break. Police say repairs are underway but it is unclear how long it may take or when the roadway may reopen. Police are asking motorists to try and avoid the area if possible. Only local traffic will be permitted beyond East Beau Street.
October 15, 2025 12:43 am
Washington County Commissioners gathered municipal leaders from the eastern corridor of the county to offer them vital funding information at their Local Municipal Update tour. Leaders saw a presentation about ongoing economic development projects. They were updated on projects that were done through the county’s blight mitigation program. Local Share Account grant funding was discussed as well as programs funded by the National Opioid Settlement Fund. Municipal Leaders like Donora Borough Administrator Michael Thornton had the blight mitigation fund help demolish the structurally unsafe First United Methodist Church under emergency conditions. Chartiers Township Manager Jodi Noble related success with the blight mitigation fund for demolition of structures along Pike Street. She also spoke of a multi-municipal grant awarded through the LSA program to install license plate readers on traffic lights in Chartiers and South Strabane Townships and Houston Borough. Peters Township’s Paul Lauer thanked commissioners for funding the new Police Social Services Officer. She rides along with police officers and addresses the root cause of many repeat problems that regular police do not have the training to address. Lauer says the program has been extremely successful over a very short period of time. The next update meeting will be held October 22 at the PennWest University California Campus.
October 15, 2025 4:56 am
CHARLEROI, Pa. — A man who was stuck in a hole caused by a trench collapse thanked the dozens of emergency responders who saved his life. Vincenzo Lopez said, “I owe you my future; every day it is because of you.” Lopez was working on a sewer line break on McKean Avenue in Charleroi when the trench collapsed, trapping him in waist-deep dirt. Charleroi’s Fire Chief Robert Whiten says – when he first saw Lopez in the hole – he knew he was going to need backup. Whiten says emergency responders from 40 different agencies rushed to help – including the PA Urban Search and Rescue’s Strike team, which played a critical role in the rescue. For the 5 hours he was trapped. Lopez was eventually able to climb out of the hole with only an ankle injury and a chipped tooth. Lopez is already back at work and says that while he hasn’t gone back to working in ditches yet, he says he’s not afraid.
October 15, 2025 5:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ongoing government shutdown has delayed the announcement of the annual Social Security cost-of-living increase. This announcement, originally scheduled for Wednesday, is now set for Oct. 24. The delay affects millions of beneficiaries who rely on these adjustments to plan their finances. The Senior Citizens League and AARP are projecting a 2.7% increase. Many retirees worry this won’t cover rising costs. Some lawmakers propose using a different index to calculate these increases since they don’t factor in health care expenses. The agency plans to notify recipients of their new benefits in December. The program faces financial challenges, with a trust fund shortfall expected by 2034.
October 15, 2025 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is taking up a major Republican-led challenge to the Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the civil rights movement, that could gut a key provision of the law that prohibits racial discrimination in redistricting. The justices on Wednesday are hearing arguments for the second time in a case over Louisiana’s congressional map, which has two majority Black districts. A ruling for the state could open the door for legislatures to redraw congressional maps across the South, potentially boosting Republican electoral prospects in the closely divided House of Representatives by eliminating majority Black and Latino seats that tend to favor Democrats. The court’s conservative majority has been skeptical of considerations of race.
October 15, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll finds that after months of aggressive immigration enforcement measures from the Trump administration, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults are more likely to disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration than they were in March. The findings come as federal immigration agents expand a crackdown in the Chicago area, where more than 1,000 immigrants have been arrested since last month. A solid majority of AAPI adults also say the Republican president has overstepped on deporting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Most also oppose several specific tactics used by the administration, such as deploying the military or National Guard to carry out arrests or deportations.
October 14, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was fatally shot last month while speaking at Utah Valley University. Tuesday’s ceremony coincided with what would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday. Trump praised Kirk as “a fearless warrior for liberty” and a “beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody I’ve ever seen before.” Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 and played a significant role in conservative politics. In a sign of Kirk’s close ties to the administration, he is the first recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in Trump’s second term.
October 15, 2025 4:58 am
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Officials in Alaska are rushing to find housing for people from tiny coastal villages devastated by the remnants of Typhoon Halong. But the remote location and severe damage are limiting their options as they race against other impending storms and the onset of winter. High winds and storm surge seawater battered low-lying, isolated Alaska Native communities in the southwestern part of the state over the weekend. The Coast Guard plucked two dozen people from their homes after the structures floated out to sea in high water, three people were missing or dead, and hundreds of people were staying in school shelters — including one with no working toilets, officials said. Across the region more than 1,500 people were displaced.
October 14, 2025 4:48 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A man who scaled a security fence in the middle of the night and set fire to the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion has pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges. Cody Balmer entered the plea Tuesday for the attack in April that caused millions of dollars of damage to the state-owned building in Harrisburg. Gov. Josh Shapiro and members of his family were inside and had to be evacuated. No one was injured, but authorities say the 38-year-old Balmer told them he planned to beat the governor with a small sledgehammer if he encountered him. Balmer’s family has said he has a history of mental health problems. Balmer was sentenced under a plea deal to 25 to 50 years in state prison.
October 14, 2025 4:45 am
Washington Mayor Jo Jo Burgess is calling for an end to further acts of violence following Saturday’s fatal shooting downtown. In a statement released Monday night, Burgess says since the incident, “numerous rumors and misinformation have been circulated throughout the community. Unfortunately, this has led to acts of vigilantism and other potential violence”. The mayor says “this type of behavior will not be tolerated” and “those who engage in such actions will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law”. Washington City Police continue to investigate the shooting that occurred around 3 a.m. near Joe’s Bakery in the 100-block of N. Main Street. 20 year old Julian Lassic was killed. Another person was also shot and transported to a Pittsburgh hospital. There is no word on their identity or condition. Mayor Burgess says police are working tirelessly but the investigation has been “hindered by a lack of cooperation”. Both the mayor and police say they know there are eyewitnesses who have critical information that could help solve this case. Anyone with information is urged to come forward. You can contact Police directly at 724-223-4226 or submit information anonymously through the tip line at 724-223-4108.
