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<\/p>\nPa. lawmakers issue statements after passing of former U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSmoky skies making *** comeback and we will hold storms off forever. I’m breaking down our next severe weather alert day coming up in your 4 day plus 4 more forecasts. Breaking overnight, *** woman found shot inside of *** car in Wilkinsburg. The investigation now underway with one suspect in custody. Plus *** GPS mess sending drivers down closed Commercial Street. Why neighbors say it’s become *** safety hazard and what Penda is doing about it. Pittsburgh’s action new sport this morning starts now. Taking you live over downtown Pittsburgh right now through our action cam, you can see that wildfire haze returning, impacting air quality. Good morning. I’m Yasmin Rodriguez. Cleanup continues this morning after yesterday’s storms when two confirmed tornadoes touched down. Meteorologist Jill Sweat is here with your forecast. Jill, *** much quieter end to the weekend, right? The storms are gone, but the smoke is not. In fact, it’s going to continue to seep in as we go through the day. Starting to see some of that smoke lining up across the region. It’s going to be *** little bit more of an issue. For those of you north of the city of Pittsburgh, in fact, could be dropping closer to the surface. That was the big issue that we had on Friday, adding to those air quality concerns. That’s going to be more of *** problem as it looks towards this evening and sunset, but everybody will see the haze, milky look to the sky. Still expecting smoke to hang around tonight, so keep those windows closed even though temperatures will be really nice. Decent day for us tomorrow as we’ll keep the sunshine around. Temperatures will rebound into the 80s, but that. Gears us up for next severe weather alert day. We have upgraded Tuesday now as we are anticipating more storms to file in, especially late afternoon and evening. That’s good time for the storms. They really could tap into *** favorable environment for damaging winds, possibly even *** few more tornadoes, and as you heard, the National Weather Service, they confirmed to yesterday. Behind Tuesday’s active weather, we will cool down and turn *** little bit less humid for the second half of the week. Really nicest weather. We’ve had for Picklesburg. Unfortunately, the weekend has been marred by those storms and also the wildfire smoke. You will notice more of that haze getting you set into the late afternoon early evening hours with temperatures peaking in the upper 70s. Again, quiet day tomorrow as we get back into the new work week. Tuesday afternoon and evening though could be messy on the roads, especially in time for the evening commute with that line of severe weather. I’ll walk you through it hour by hour so you can plan ahead with future casts. That’s coming up in *** few minutes. Jill, thank you. And breaking news. Police say *** woman is in the hospital after being shot inside of *** car in Wilkinsburg and just into our newsroom. Police say they’ve charged *** 66-year-old man in that shooting. It was around 11 o’clock last night. Allegheny County police responded to McNary Boulevard and Payton Street. Where they found the woman who was taken to the hospital. Officers took Mark Bell into custody at that scene. Bell faces multiple charges including attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and carrying *** firearm without *** license. Bell is currently in the Allegheny County Jail waiting to be arraigned in court. Turning now to Pittsburgh’s action weather. Clarion County, one of the counties that saw *** tornado warning yesterday afternoon. Viewer Stephanie Peters sharing these images from the area near Limestone. You can see those downed trees, many of them snapped, and parts of Westmoreland County also saw *** tornado warning. Heavy rain reported in the Derry area. *** viewer sharing this photo of that downpour. Now the rain brought flash flooding to other parts of Westmoreland as well. *** viewer sharing this picture from the Greensburg area near Mount Pleasant Road. The rain too much for the storm sewers to handle. And not far from there, the storm brought down trees in the new Alexandria area. We found this one along Flowers Road, the road completely blocked by the fallen debris, but the good news is that road is open this morning. You can always stay up to date on the air quality, storm recovery efforts, and weather conditions wherever you are. Just check out WTAE.com or the WTAE app. 20 Pennsylvania wildland firefighters are headed to Minnesota to help with the wildfires there. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources says they’ll help to coordinate operations. Firefighters have been battling several wildfires across northeastern Minnesota near the Canadian border. Canada also experiencing *** major wildfire season, with hundreds of active fires burning across several provinces, the smoke blanketing parts of the Midwest and Northeast. Turning now to commitment 2026 coverage, and as November nears, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is ramping up his reelection campaign. Shapiro took the stage yesterday in Harrisburg and unveiled *** multi-million dollar statewide campaign effort designed to help elect Democrats across Pennsylvania. Shapiro says the Rise Up Pennsylvania initiative will give Pennsylvania *** better position in Washington. We are going to stand up to Donald Trump’s chaos and cruelty and corruption, and we will send *** resounding message this November that we are better than that and we value our freedoms here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Shapiro is facing state treasurer Stacey Garrity in the general election this fall. Garrity has the public support of President Donald Trump. The time now is 9:05 and the US military launched air strikes today targeting Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The strikes were in retaliation for the killing of American troops, the first US deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war. Those service members were not immediately identified out of respect for the families. Washington correspondent Jackie DeFusco joins us live from the White House, and Jackie, have we heard from President Donald Trump yet? *** bit, Yasmin. President Trump speaking to other media outlets on Saturday, described the deaths of these two American service members as very sad, as *** shame, but he also continued to defend his underlying mission of dismantling Iran’s nuclear program. We’re learning, according to US Central Command, that these service members were killed while defending against Iranian drone and missile attacks in Jordan alongside partner forces there on Friday. Another service member was reported missing. 4 others hospitalized, although they have since been discharged. Since the war began. This means that 16 US troops have been killed, over 430 wounded, and officials say many more, more than 50,000 Americans in uniform, are operating across the Middle East right now as fighting has intensified with the reported attacks not just on military targets, but also *** range of infrastructure like power and water plants throughout the region. In bridges following the collapse of the ceasefire deal. Now Iranian authorities have reported hundreds of recent casualties on their side, and on Saturday, the country’s Supreme Leader warned of unforgettable lessons if US attacks continue. It was against that backdrop that the State Department issued *** new warning over the weekend telling Americans worldwide, but especially in the Middle East traveling, that they should exercise increased caution right now amid these heightened tensions, Yasmin. And Jackie, how are members of Congress reacting to the deaths of these US troops and how could it impact the debate over defense spending ahead of their August recess? He saw *** lot of prayers being shared and condolences by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as you would expect in response to this news, but some Democrats also pointing to these deaths as evidence that in their view this war needs to end immediately. This could potentially further fuel the opposition that we’ve seen, for example, as Senate Democrats just this past week in protest over the war decided to block the advancement of *** $1 trillion annual defense bill that if passed could substantially. Increase funding for the Pentagon as that normally bipartisan package is stalled in the Senate, we are also though seeing House Republicans moving forward with another approach to try to pass some of that defense spending along with their other priorities on *** party line vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that they’re looking to pass the first legislative step in that process sometime this week before they head home for their August recess. But as we’ve seen in the past, he could very well potentially meet some roadblocks. He tries to navigate that razor thin Republican majority in the House. Yasmin, Jackie, thank you. And of course local lawmakers are also responding to the news of American troops’ deaths. Congressman Chris Deluzio writes in part, quote, I’m thinking of the loved ones of those killed, missing, or injured in this latest attack of the Iran war. Senator Dave McCormick calling it devastating news, saying he’s quote, praying for our brave troops, their families, and all those who are serving our country. The conflict is not only impacting travel plans like Jackie mentioned, but our wallets too. Oil prices are climbing because of *** slump in shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Gas prices continue to tick up, hovering around that $4 mark, according to AAA, the National. The average price for *** gallon of gas has ticked up to 399 cents. That’s up nearly 11 cents from *** week ago. Here in Pennsylvania, the statewide average is 418 cents per gallon. Overall, gas prices are 34% higher since the start of the war in Iran. And as the Parkway ease closure continues, crews are still working around the clock to clean up the site of the old Commercial Street bridge. They’re on *** strict deadline to get the job done right now. They’re working to clear the rubble from the tracks that’ll be used to slide the new bridge into place. The slide is expected to happen sometime this week. Now Commercial Street is the street that runs under the bridge, and it’s been closed for *** few weeks now, but some drivers, their map apps, specifically Apple Maps, says otherwise, and that’s been causing *** lot of confusion and frustration. Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 reporter Felicity Taylor went there to see what’s happening. It’s *** dangerous issue. If you had not been out here to give us the instructions, we would have probably, you know, ended up somewhere that says detour. It was *** GPS mess in Swiss Elm Park the past two days. I was coming back from Plumb just trying to go back to, you know, back towards Pittsburgh and all the roads are closed. And uh Apple Maps is not telling me where to go. Apple Maps and even PA 511 are routing drivers down Commercial Street, even though it’s been closed for weeks for the Commercial Street Bridge replacement project. Keeps pushing me back like 10 minutes. Keep trying to figure out where to go. Once the driver turns around though, their map doesn’t reroute them properly, and they’re stuck driving in circles around. The residential neighborhood. We’re having *** lot of problems with lost people doing dangerous things, turning around, speeding, wrong way on one-way roads, turning around in people’s driveways, not yielding to pedestrians. Christina Sirkovich lives right off Commercial Street and runs the community group Swiss Elm Forward. She says they’ve been calling Apple, Pendo, and the police for help. We were told that there would be police stationed in the. during the day to help us out with response times and things like that. Uh, the construction crew, when they get *** lot of people coming down or if they need to send *** couple loads of rubble up because this is also their access point for that, they’ll send some guys up to try to direct people. Pendot told Pittsburgh’s Action News Four that they are aware of the issue and have reached out to Apple to try to get it fixed, but it is out of their control. If you are driving in this area, be sure to pay attention to all pen dot signs and not GPS. I’m Felicity Taylor, Pittsburgh’s Action News. And as we count down to the end of the project, we’ll be sure to keep you updated on the progress, including just when the slide will begin. We have *** special section on WTAE.com. You can find all of the details there.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Pa. lawmakers issue statements after passing of former U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 4:03 PM EDT Jul 19, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\tEditorial Standards \u24d8<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\tLocal lawmakers have issued statements following the passing of former U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy. VIDEO: Top stories on Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Murphy represented Pennsylvania\u2019s 18th Congressional District from 2003 until his resignation in 2017.He was a Republican and also a clinical psychologist. We’re told he died late Saturday night at the age of 74. Following his passing, Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman, who served as Congressman Tim Murphy\u2019s Field Director from 2003 to 2005, issued a statement, saying he was shocked by the unexpected news. “I was devastated to hear the completely unexpected news of Congressman Tim Murphy\u2019s passing. Twenty years ago, Tim was my boss. In the years since, he became a dear friend and one of my most influential political mentors,” Sherman said. “Tim was a true statesman who cared deeply about the people he represented. Whether you agreed with his policies or not, no one could deny his unwavering commitment to his constituents or the tireless work ethic he brought to public service every single day. He was one of the hardest-working people I\u2019ve ever known.”The Republican Committee of Allegheny County also issued a statement, saying Murphy dedicated himself to representing his constituents and serving the U.S. with “conviction and commitment.”Current Washington County Mayor JoJo Burgess also issued a statement, saying although they may not have agreed on things, Murphy was always “accommodating and respectful when meeting with him.” State Sen. Jay Costa said he and the former congressman had the opportunity to work together on a few issues they felt passionate about, like expanding access to pre-K for all children. Download the WTAE app to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news in your inbox.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tPITTSBURGH \u2014 \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Local lawmakers have issued statements following the passing of former U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy. <\/p>\n VIDEO: Top stories on Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 <\/p>\n Murphy represented Pennsylvania\u2019s 18th Congressional District from 2003 until his resignation in 2017.<\/p>\n He was a Republican and also a clinical psychologist. <\/p>\n We’re told he died late Saturday night at the age of 74. <\/p>\n Following his passing, Washington County Commissioner Nick Sherman, who served as Congressman Tim Murphy\u2019s Field Director from 2003 to 2005, issued a statement, saying he was shocked by the unexpected news. <\/p>\n “I was devastated to hear the completely unexpected news of Congressman Tim Murphy\u2019s passing. Twenty years ago, Tim was my boss. In the years since, he became a dear friend and one of my most influential political mentors,” Sherman said. “Tim was a true statesman who cared deeply about the people he represented. Whether you agreed with his policies or not, no one could deny his unwavering commitment to his constituents or the tireless work ethic he brought to public service every single day. He was one of the hardest-working people I\u2019ve ever known.”<\/p>\n The Republican Committee of Allegheny County also issued a statement, saying Murphy dedicated himself to representing his constituents and serving the U.S. with “conviction and commitment.”<\/p>\n Current Washington County Mayor JoJo Burgess also issued a statement, saying although they may not have agreed on things, Murphy was always “accommodating and respectful when meeting with him.” <\/p>\n State Sen. Jay Costa said he and the former congressman had the opportunity to work together on a few issues they felt passionate about, like expanding access to pre-K for all children. <\/p>\n Download the WTAE app<\/a> to stay connected with breaking news. Sign up for our email newsletters<\/a> to get breaking news in your inbox.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pa. lawmakers issue statements after passing of former U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy Smoky skies making *** comeback and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247325,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[105747,900,105745,6823,105743,28,523,73,75,74,6985,105742,10555,1562,105746,105744,420,437,78],"class_list":["post-247324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-18th-congressional-district","tag-action-news","tag-constituent","tag-conviction","tag-passing","tag-pennsylvania","tag-people","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-statement","tag-tim-murphy","tag-top-story","tag-u-s","tag-unexpected-news","tag-unwavering-commitment","tag-video","tag-washington-county","tag-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}