September 7, 2025 3:50 am
South Main Street between Park and East Prospect avenues in Washington will be closed for about two weeks beginning Monday, according to PennDOT. Single lane restrictions will remain in place through the end of September. The work will allow water main lines to be moved in advance of the Catfish Creek culvert bridge being rebuilt this spring. Traffic will be detoured along Route 18, Route 40, Route 19 and Sanitarium Road to Route 2001. The closure was originally scheduled to begin Sept. 2.
September 5, 2025 8:46 am
U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs last month as the labor market continued to cool under uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s economic policies. The Labor Department said Friday that hiring decelerated from 79,000 in July. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%, the Labor Department reported. When the department put out a disappointing jobs report a month ago, an enraged Trump responded by firing the economist in charge of compiling the numbers and nominating a loyalist to replace her.
September 5, 2025 4:55 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Some Washington businesses have turned to social media to help catch a repeat theft suspect. Capelli’s beer and pop warehouse and laundromat on Jefferson Avenue are some of the latest victims of a man police call a serial thief. It’s the second time in two weeks they have done so. City of Washington Police also shared photos of the man and are asking for help in identifying him. Police believe the man has stolen from over 5 local businesses. This is just the latest instance in which Washington Police have turned to the social media platform for help in the past couple of months. Last week, Police asked for help in identifying a man who busted through a wall to steal a safe from The City Mission. They’ve now filed charges against 60-year-old Patrick Thurston for theft.
September 5, 2025 2:44 am
School board members in the Washington School District approved the hiring of a new superintendent at their meeting last night. The board voted to hire Alisa King who was serving as the assistant superintendent in the Belle Vernon School District. King will replace George Lammay who announced his retirement a few weeks ago. In 2021, Lammay retired from the Bentworth School District, where he had served as assistant superintendent and after deciding he really wasn’t ready to retire, he was hired as the new superintendent for the Washington School District.
September 5, 2025 2:43 am
Finishing touches are being applied to the City Mission’s Sally’s Sanctuary for its formal opening later this month. State Senator Camera Bartolotta (R-46) stopped by the brand new women’s shelter to deliver a large grant to aid in its completion. Bartolotta presented City Mission Executive Director Diana Irey-Vaughn a check for $500,000 from the Department of Community and Economic Development. Irey-Vaughn thanked the senator for being a “champion” for the mission. Bartolotta was pleased to bring the financial help to help homeless women, who she says are often are victims of domestic abuse and need places like Sally’s Sanctuary to get their lives back in order. Irey-Vaughn says Bartolotta was also key in delivering another $500,000 earlier this year in Washington County Local Share Account funding. The $7.1 million facility, named after retired Chief Development Officer, Dr. Sally Mounts, will bring 50 brand new beds to help homeless women. It also has a child care center for women with children. A formal dedication will be held on September 24.
September 5, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced tough bipartisan questioning about his COVID-19 policies in a Senate committee hearing. On Thursday, Democratic senators clashed with Kennedy over his changes to vaccine recommendations, while some Republican senators also expressed concerns. Kennedy praised President Donald Trump for the Operation Warp Speed initiative but criticized the safety of mRNA vaccines. He defended the firing of the CDC director, claiming she was dishonest. Kennedy’s actions, including replacing a vaccine advisory panel with skeptics, have drawn criticism from medical groups. They warn his policies could increase vaccine-preventable diseases and have called for his resignation.
September 5, 2025 5:02 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal appeals court panel has put on hold a lower court judge’s order to wind down operations of the immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The three-judge panel in Atlanta on Thursday decided by a 2-1 vote to stay the federal judge’s order pending the outcome of an appeal. The judges in the majority said it was in the public interest. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams issued a preliminary injunction last month ordering operations at the facility to be wound down by the end of October. Detainees would be transferred to other facilities.
September 5, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has hosted tech executives at the White House, showcasing AI research and investments. Thursday’s event highlights major financial commitments from companies like Meta, Apple, and Google. Notably absent was Elon Musk, replaced by OpenAI’s Sam Altman. The dinner, moved indoors due to rain, follows a meeting of the White House’s new AI education task force, chaired by Melania Trump. She emphasizes both the potential and risks of AI. Trump, despite criticizing AI, frequently shares AI-generated content online. The event underscores shifting alliances and ongoing debates about AI’s role and regulation.
September 5, 2025 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War. This move is part of his effort to project a tougher image for America’s military. Trump cannot formally change the name without legislation, which his administration will request from Congress. In the meantime, the Pentagon will use “secondary titles” to go by its original name. The Department of War was created in 1789 and renamed in 1947. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has hinted at the change, and Trump believes Congress will support the move if needed.
September 4, 2025 4:53 am
DUNBAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police have announced that a missing 9-year old girl has been found dead. Troopers had been looking for Renesmay Eutsey after she was last seen in the 100 block of 3rd Street in Dunbar Borough on Wednesday. In a Missing Endangered Person Advisory, troopers say they believe she may be “at special risk of harm or injury.” Eutsey, who has an intellectual disability, was staying with a foster family at the time of her disappearance, according to Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele. He says the girls adoptive mother, 31-year-old Kourtney Eutsey has been charged with Criminal Homicide in connection to the child’s death. State Police say the girl was found in the Youghiogheny River in Smithton, Westmoreland County. According to Aubele, the girl had been abused and had several bruises and cigarette burns on her body. A cause of death has not been released.
