April 4, 2025 8:26 am
Heavy rains overnight led to flooding in parts of Washington County Friday morning. Washington County 9-1-1 tells WJPA News that several vehicles became submerged in flood water in West Bethlehem Township. We are told no injuries were reported but at least one individual had to get out of a vehicle near Ten Mile Road. Several other vehicles in the area were also submerged. PennDot has since closed the roadway. In Buffalo Township, dispatchers say two vehicles were abandoned in flood waters at Green Valley Road at the underpass and Rural Valley Road at Carlisle was totally washed away while a nearby driveway was also destroyed. Flooding also led the McGuffey School District to operate on a two-hour delay.
April 4, 2025 2:19 am
Washington City Council has handed down disciplinary action against three firefighters. In a roll call vote with councilman Joe Pintola absent, council unanimously suspended one fire fighter for two weeks with an additional period of 60 days of ineligibility for overtime. A second fire fighter was demoted from captain and then terminated. A third fire fighter was terminated. Neither Fire Chief Chris Richer or Mayor JoJo Burgess would elaborate on details of any incident. Both issued statements pointing out that at no time was the public involved, nor was there any danger to the public. They will remain silent on the details to allow the accused to have their due process in finalizing their incident. Swearing in was also held for one new firefighter while another was promoted to Fire Department Engineer. According to Richer, the department has two fire fighters attending the Fire Academy with an anticipated graduation date in June. The department is fully staffed at 22. In addition to the fire department actions, the police department accepted the retirement of Captain Von Lacock, a 23 year veteran. They also swore in Police Officer Lt. Michael Cain. At the end of the meeting, Mayor JoJo Burgess announced a Job Fair that will be held May 12. He also announced a low income housing program that is in its early stages. He stated that the city is working with the Redevelopment Authority of Washington County and local contractors to renovate abandoned homes to sell to low income home buyers. Burgess hopes to have the first home closed by the end of this year.
April 4, 2025 2:54 am
Washington County Commissioners are looking for clarity on how the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency spends its money. A motion approved unanimously in Thursday’s voting meeting has the county solicitor provide a legal memorandum on whether the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency and the Washington County Chamber of Commerce are subject to Pennsylvania Right to Know laws. According to Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman, county commissioners have issued three requests on how the Tourism Agency spends county appropriations. Sherman says the total appropriations to the agency are in the neighborhood of $3 million annually. He says they just want to make sure that there are not better ways to spend that money and possibly drive more economic development in Washington County. In written statement for Washington County Tourism and Promotion Agency President Jeff Kotula (pictured), The agency is not subject to Right to Know laws. He further stated that the agency does diligently comply with IRS and state financial filing responsibilities. Kotula further stated that the agency will be supplying the state mandated CPA audited 2024 financial records that are “once again clean.” Kotula went on to say that the agency has taken over promotion duties so that county and agency efforts are not duplicated as had been the case in the past. In addition, he added, “Representatives from both the chamber and tourism boards met with all the commissioners last week to answer their questions on how tourism dollars are being spent and the successes we have achieved. And while the chamber and tourism are not subject to Right to Know, it was important to us that we met with the commissioners personally and addressed their questions directly, openly, and with facts.”
April 4, 2025 4:54 am
In a move to improve safety within the Trinity Area School District, the board voted 6-2 to approve a proposal from Centegix for a panic button and visual emergency notification system. The system aims to improve emergency response times across the district’s schools by allowing staff members to alert authorities quickly in the event of an emergency. Board directors Gregory Rudman and Sean Dobich voted against the measure with Dobich expressing his concerns about the long-term financial commitment required for the system after the grant period ends. While the system’s first year is covered by a grant, the district would be responsible for paying $40,000 upfront, followed by an annual fee of $50,000 in following years. In a separate matter, the board also approved a $139,939.66 quote from Knight Sound & Light Inc. by a 6-2 vote to upgrade the lighting system in the High School Auditorium with funding sourced from the 2021 Construction Fund (CoStars). Additionally, the board approved a partnership with Range Resources, which involves a potato planting initiative this year costing approximately $3,500. The agreement covers the purchase of potatoes and maintenance of the land, including mowing. According to Board President Jennifer Morgan, the initiative is part of a collaboration where students will help harvest the potatoes, which will then be donated to the local food bank.
April 4, 2025 5:00 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock markets worldwide are careening even lower after China matched President Donald Trump’s big raise in tariffs in an escalating trade war. The S&P 500 sank 3.5% Friday, coming off its worst day since COVID wrecked the global economy in 2020. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1,226 points, and the Nasdaq composite tumbled 3.4%. Not even a better-than-expected report on the U.S. job market was enough to stop the slide. European stocks saw some of the day’s biggest losses, and the price of crude oil tumbled to its lowest level since 2021 on worries about how a trade war could cause a recession.
April 4, 2025 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said that he’s fired “some” White House National Security Council officials. The firings on Thursday come a day after far-right activist Laura Loomer raised concerns directly to him about staff loyalty. Trump downplayed Loomer’s influence on the firings. But Loomer during her conversation with Trump urged the president to purge staffers she deemed insufficiently loyal to his agenda. That’s according to several people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive personnel manner. Loomer, who has promoted 9/11 conspiracy theories, was a frequent presence on the campaign trail during Trump’s 2024 run. Now, she’s been speaking out about members of Trump’s national security team that she insists can’t be trusted.
April 4, 2025 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — After a long wait, the Senate is launching action on President Donald Trump’s ”“big, beautiful bill” of tax breaks and spending cuts. But it’s coming at a risky moment for the U.S. and global economy after his announcement of steep tariffs. More than a month after House Republicans surprised Washington by advancing their framework for Trump’s package, Senate Republicans are ready to start voting on their version. It’s a next step in the long process. But work on the multitrillion-dollar package is coming as markets at home and abroad are on edge in the aftermath Trump’s vast tariffs scheme, complicating an already difficult political and procedural undertaking.
April 4, 2025 5:04 am
LAKE CITY, Ark. (AP) — Parts of the Midwest and South are facing the possibility torrential rains and life-threatening flash floods on Friday The fresh storms come as many communities are still reeling from severe tornadoes that destroyed whole neighborhoods and killed at least seven people. Forecasters warned of catastrophic weather on the way, with satellite imagery showing thunderstorms lining up like freight trains. Those who died in the initial wave of storms on Wednesday and early Thursday were in Tennessee, Indiana and Missouri. Forecasters say it was the opening act for days of wild weather that could bring life-threatening flash floods across the nation’s midsection.
April 4, 2025 5:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s acting inspector general has announced that he will review Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to convey plans for a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen. The review will also look at other defense officials’ use of the the publicly available encrypted app, which is not able to handle classified material and is not part of the Defense Department’s secure communications network. Hegseth’s use of the app came to light when a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, was added to a Signal text chain by national security adviser Mike Waltz.
April 4, 2025 5:01 am
DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Gaza’s Health Ministry says an Israeli airstrike has killed at least 27 Palestinians sheltering at a school in northern Gaza and wounded 70 more. Health Ministry spokesman Zaher al-Wahidi said the bodies of 14 children and five women were recovered from the school in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City. He said the death toll from Thursday’s strike could still rise because some of the wounded had critical injuries. The Israeli military said it struck a “Hamas command and control center” in the Gaza City area, and said it took steps to lessen harm to civilians. Israeli forces have been expanding their strikes and evacuation orders across the war-torn territory in recent days.
