December 6, 2025 4:04 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A pretrial hearing on Luigi Mangione’s bid to exclude evidence from his state murder case has been postponed because his lawyers and the judge say he’s sick. It is slated to resume on Monday. Mangione is seeking to exclude a gun, notebook and other items police officers say they found in his backpack when he was arrested Dec. 9, 2024, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was killed in Manhattan. He and his lawyers are also trying to suppress some statements he made to police.
December 5, 2025 5:42 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Steel says it’ll resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois amid strengthening demand. The company made the announcement Thursday. It shut down the last blast furnace there in 2023. However, U.S. Steel says it can profitably operate the blast furnace to meet 2026 demand. The American Iron and Steel Institute reports that shipments from domestic steel mills are up this year. The move by Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel comes months after Japan-based Nippon Steel sealed a deal with President Donald Trump to buy the American steelmaker for $14.9 billion. Granite City Works makes rolls of sheet steel for the construction, container, pipe and automotive industries. (Photo: AP)
December 5, 2025 12:48 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix has struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to buy the legacy Hollywood giant’s studio and streaming business for $72 billion. The merger, announced Friday, would bring two of the industry’s biggest players in film and TV under one roof. Beyond its namesake television and motion picture division, Warner owns HBO Max and DC Studios. And Netflix has rose to dominance as a household name ubiquitous to on-demand content, while building of its own production arm to release popular titles like “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game.” The cash and stock deal is valued at $27.75 per Warner share, giving it a total enterprise value of approximately $82.7 billion.
December 5, 2025 12:45 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal vaccine advisory committee has voted to end a longstanding recommendation that all U.S. babies get the hepatitis B vaccine on the day they’re born. For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against the liver infection right after birth. The shots are widely considered to be a public health success for preventing thousands of illnesses. But U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s committee voted Friday to recommend the birth dose only for babies whose mothers test positive. For other babies, it will be up to the parents and their doctors to decide if a birth dose is appropriate.
December 5, 2025 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is allowing the challenged Texas congressional redistricting plan to be used in next year’s election, despite a lower-court ruling that the map likely discriminates on the basis of race. The map is favorable to Republicans and was pushed by President Donald Trump. The justices acted Thursday on an emergency request from Texas for quick action because qualifying in the new districts already has begun, with primary elections in March. The Supreme Court’s order puts the 2-1 ruling blocking the map on hold at least until after the high court issues a final decision in the case. The effort to preserve a slim Republican majority in the House in 2026 touched off a nationwide redistricting battle.
December 5, 2025 5:04 am
Russian President Vladimir Putin says some proposals in a U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine are unacceptable to the Kremlin. That suggests a deal is still some way off despite intense diplomacy by American envoys. U.S. President Donald Trump has initiated the major diplomatic push to stop the fighting. But peace efforts face tough demands especially regarding Ukraine’s territorial concessions and future security. In remarks to an Indian broadcaster before arriving there for a state visit, Putin described recent talks with U.S. envoys as necessary but difficult. His comments were published Thursday. European leaders accuse Putin of feigning interest in peace efforts. Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continue and have caused casualties and damage.
December 5, 2025 2:46 am
Washington County Commissioners were happy to announce that there will be no tax increase for residents in 2026. The 2.43 mil tax rate has been in effect since the 2010 budget. The total amount of money allocated for this year is $135 million. The finance department was able to craft together the balanced budget despite losing nearly $1 million in revenues due to the delayed approval of the state budget and the closure of the federal government. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman said those impacts forced the county to dip into its rainy day fund to provide services, but never did the county have to halt services in 2025 because of those impasses. Commissioner Electra Janis is proud that the county never cut services this year and she looks forward to possible expansion of services next year. Commissioner Larry Maggi voted to pass the budget but offered reservations about possible expansion of government next year. He said that he is not in favor of Sherman’s and Janis’ plans to incorporate the functions of the Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission into the Human Services Department and create two administrative and 10 counseling positions. He offered his yes vote to make sure all other existing services in the county continue. According to a statement from the county, they have eliminated 16 positions through attrition. The budget passed unanimously.
December 5, 2025 1:58 am
The City of Washington approved their 2026 budget with no tax increase. The $15.3 million budget is balanced and was unanimously approved. Mayor JoJo Burgess credited city staff and council for their hard work. In other city business, council approved the Federal Community Development Block Grants for the year. The grant is worth $527,525, the biggest projects being funded are the Washington Park Pool Upper Parking Lot Paving Project for $122,350. Street Paving projects worth $205,175 will see Shannon Street and Erie Street from Ridge Avenue to Pine Street being paved. Also Hallam Avenue to Ridge Avenue will be paved. The City also entered into a licensing agreement with the WashPA Outdoors Co., LLC for the use of a vacant parcel of land behind the Freedom Transit Center as a community garden called Firefly Gardens.
December 4, 2025 10:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI has made an arrest in its nearly 5-year-old investigation into who placed pipe bombs in Washington before the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. That’s according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday. The man’s arrest in Virginia marks the first time investigators have settled on a suspect in an act that had long vexed law enforcement and spawned conspiracy theories. The pipe bombs were placed on Jan. 5, 2021, near the offices of the Democratic and Republican national committees. Nobody was hurt before the bombs were rendered safe, but the FBI said both devices could have been lethal.
December 4, 2025 9:57 am
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce has notified County Commissioners that they need to pay nearly $460,000 for breaching a long-term contract for job creation and economic development services the Chamber provided without proper notice. Chamber President Jeff Kotula says the County violated the original termination requirements in the contract which called for one year’s notice. Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis voted to end the contract effective January 1, 2026 with only 51 days notice. The Chamber is requesting full and immediate payment to satisfy the County’s remaining commitment. Kotula says “due to their violation, we are certain the commissioners will honor the amount remaining on the contract to avoid litigation”. Kotula says the reasons provided by Sherman and Janis for cancelling the contract are “not true”. Commissioners are meeting this morning. WJPA News will have reaction once that meeting is complete. Tune to WJPA 95.3FM/1450AM for the very latest.
