December 9, 2025 5:00 am
Firefighters battled the cold and flame early Tuesday morning in Peter Township. Washington County 9-1-1 says a home was fully engulfed in flames when crews were called to the 400-block of Thompsonville Road just after 3:30 a.m. It took crews about thirty-minutes to bring the blaze under control. A man inside the home was able to get out safely and call 9-1-1. No injuries resulted. The State Police Fire Marshall has been called in to investigate. It’s believed the fire broke out on the first floor of the home and spread to the second floor.
December 9, 2025 4:56 am
Washington and Jefferson College is advising students to avoid the area of N. Main Street where there have been recent shootings. A safety advisory was sent to students and parents Monday by Dean Eva Chatterjee-Sutton, the Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students. In the letter, she says; “In the past two week, there have been two alleged shooting incidents in the vicinity of North Main Street. One over the Thanksgiving break and the other last night, while neither of these situations has ties to Washington & Jefferson College, the safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. Out of an abundance of caution, we are advising everyone to avoid that area after dark, as the potential risk associated with being near the affected area is not worth the added risk of exposure”. She says they are working closely with the City of Washington and area law enforcement officials as they address safety concerns in the community. W&J issues a shelter-in-place alert Sunday after an incident in which police say they were called for a report of shots fired and a man experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. 65 year old William Coles was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and prohibited possession of a firearm.
December 9, 2025 2:58 am
Ambulance Service Still Undecided In Peters TwpA vote to direct township staff to begin negotiations for ambulance service took a turn at Peters Township’s council meeting. It was anticipated that council would direct staff to begin negotiations with either UPMC Washington County Ambulance and Chair Services or AHN Canonsburg Ambulance Services. Staff prepared a recommendation to select AHN Canonsburg Ambulance. The motion was reluctantly made to select AHN Canonsburg and when a roll call vote was taken, it ended in a 3-3 tie. Alison Shanafelt, Frank Arcuri, and Robert Lewis voted for the measure. Frank Kosir, Dr. Thomas Pirosko and Gary Stiegel voted against. Councilman Matt Rost was absent, creating the tie vote. A motion was then made to have staff negotiate with both organizations to bring their final and best offers forward. Township Manager Paul Lauer said he hopes to have a final contract in front of council for their second meeting in January. The township’s current ambulance service provided by VFW Post 764 in McMurray is vacating its services due to increasing costs of operation.
December 9, 2025 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will road-test his claims he’s fixing Americans’ affordability woes at a nighttime rally in Pennsylvania. He’s heading Tuesday to Mount Pocono, in a county that flipped his way in 2024, helping him win the swing state and return to office. Polls show voter confidence in Trump’s economic leadership has faltered. Trump blames his predecessor for inflation, but his tariffs haven’t helped prices. His chief of staff Susie Wiles says she wants him to “campaign like it’s 2024 again” to help turn out his supporters for midterm elections in November.
December 9, 2025 5:49 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — More people are turning to GoFundMe for help with basic needs such as housing and food. The crowdfunding platform’s annual report, released Tuesday, shows a 20% increase in fundraisers for essentials. This follows a quadruple increase in that same category last year. The “Year in Help” report also shows that “monthly bills” were the second fastest-growing category in 2025. The report comes amid weakened wage growth and low consumer confidence in the United States. GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan says people around the world are struggling with the rising cost of living. But he adds that “people do step up and support folks in those situations.”
December 9, 2025 5:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems likely to expand presidential control over independent federal agencies, signaling support for President Donald Trump’s firing of board members. The court’s conservative majority suggested in arguments Monday it would overturn a 90-year-old decision that has limited when presidents can fire agencies’ board members, or leave it with only its shell intact. Lawyers for the administration are defending President Donald Trump’s decision to fire Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter without cause and calling on the court to jettison the unanimous 1935 decision. The court already has allowed Slaughter and the board members of other agencies to be ousted from jobs even as their legal challenges continue.
December 8, 2025 5:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is giving farmers some $12 billion in aid to help as they struggle to sell their crops while getting hit by rising costs. The move Monday comes after the president raised tariffs on China as part of a broader trade war. China has since agreed to buy more U.S. soybeans, but sales have so far been slow. Farmers have backed Trump politically but his aggressive trade policies and frequently changing tariff rates have come under increasing scrutiny. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said farmers will get the money by the end of February. Payments will be limited to no more than $155,000.
December 9, 2025 5:11 am
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is nearly complete, after a two-month process plagued by delays and finger-pointing. Now, the key players are to move to a far more complicated second phase, which could reshape the Middle East. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan lays out an ambitious vision for ending Hamas’ rule of Gaza. If successful, it would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision, normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world and a possible “pathway” to Palestinian independence. If it stalls, Gaza could become trapped in instability for years.
December 8, 2025 5:14 am
Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett has launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate in Texas. Crockett’s announcement Monday came after fellow Democrat and former Rep. Colin Allred ended his Senate campaign to run for a House seat. Texas is critical to Democrats’ long-shot hopes of reclaiming a Senate majority in next year’s elections, and GOP incumbent John Cornyn is facing the toughest primary race of his 24-year Senate career against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and two-term Rep. Wesley Hunt. Crockett still faces state Rep. James Talarico for the Democratic nod. Crockett has a national profile as one of Congress’ most outspoken Democrats and a frequent target of GOP attacks.
December 9, 2025 5:51 pm
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (AP) — A Cinnabon worker in Wisconsin has been fired after a racist outburst directed at two customers went viral. A video showing part of the incident was posted on TikTok and shows the white employee cursing and taunting at the customers from behind the counter. The TikTok user who posted video said the incident happened while she and her husband were taking a break from shopping Friday at a mall in a suburb of Green Bay. The Georgia-based cinnamon roll chain said in a social media post on Saturday that the worker was immediately terminated by the franchise owner over the “disturbing video.”
