April 29, 2026 4:43 am
South Strabane Township Supervisors held discussions during their meeting centered on their data center ordinance, fossil fuel and electric generation ordinance and their noise and dust ordinance. Those continuing discussions are frustrating residents that want to see a data center ordinance passed before a land development plan is filed on a 1400 acre property owned by CNX on Zediker Station Road that could develop one there. Diane Ecker played sound effects from an operating data center to emphasize that supervisors must take their health and well being into consideration. Cynthia Rossi made a trip to Ohio to visit a data center and specifically study a fossil fuel power generation plant. She described the power plant and the data center buildings as huge. She said it would be inhumane to have a data center complex like the one that she saw built in a residential/agricultural area of South Strabane. Hearing the frustrations of the residents, Supervisor Jeff Bull said that they are making sure that the ordinance is being done right. Supervisors will be updated on changes to the data center ordinance and the fossil fuel electric generation ordinance this week. It is likely another public hearing will be scheduled to allow comment on changes. Supervisors also voted to have the noise and dust ordinance advertised so residents can view modifications to that ordinance as it would relate to data center construction.
April 29, 2026 2:48 am
The Fayette County Coroner is urging a nationwide ban on Tianeptine, also known as “gas station heroin,” after the county’s first accidental overdose. The substance, which is described as opioid-like, is not FDA-approved for any medical use. According to the release, it is highly addictive and can cause severe withdrawal symptoms, like seizures and respiratory depression. Dr. Bob Baker said the product is sold in vape shops and online, with more popular brands labeled as TD Plus, Neptune’s Fix and Pegasus. Several states have already banned the product, but Baker said he is recommending a nationwide ban to fast-track legislation in efforts to prevent an epidemic. Baker said he is working with other agencies to bring awareness to this problem and save lives.
April 29, 2026 4:48 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s high court has ruled that spreadsheets of raw data from ballots are public records. The Democratic-majority court’s decision on Tuesday provides access to what are known as “cast vote records.” The justices say their decision helps assure the public that elections are safe, secure, and accurate while keeping individual votes secret. Lycoming County elections officials had denied access to digital copies from the 2020 presidential election. The court clarified that these records are not physical ballots but spreadsheets of raw data. The high court said it was only ruling on the issue in one Pennsylvania county and said it was possible other counties do not sufficiently randomize their election data.
April 29, 2026 5:00 am
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks are mostly higher despite a retreat on Wall Street, and oil prices gained after the United Arab Emirates said it would leave OPEC in a blow to the oil cartel. Markets in Japan were closed for a holiday. The UAE’s planned exit from OPEC could mean higher oil output in the longer run from the country, as it had pushed back against OPEC production quotas in recent years. But short term oil prices will still be impacted by Iran war and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is still largely closed. On Tuesday, Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 fell 0.5%. The Federal Reserve was expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged at a meeting later Wednesday.
April 29, 2026 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted again, this time over a social media photo of seashells arranged on a beach that officials say constituted a threat against President Donald Trump. It’s the second criminal case the Justice Department has brought against the longtime Trump foe. Comey says he assumed the arrangement of shells reading “86 47” was a political message, not a call to violence against Trump, the 47th president. The two-count indictment charges Comey with “knowingly and willfully” making a threat to “take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon” Trump and with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce.
April 29, 2026 4:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face questioning from members of Congress for the first time since the Iran war began. The hearing Wednesday before the House Armed Services Committee will focus on the Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion military budget for 2027. Democratic lawmakers are likely to grill Hegseth on the Iran war’s costs and huge drawdown of critical munitions. Lawmakers from both parties also have raised concerns about Hegseth’s firing of top generals and other military leaders. While a ceasefire is now in place, the U.S. and Israel launched the war Feb. 28 without congressional oversight.
April 29, 2026 4:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear arguments over the Trump administration’s push to end legal protections for migrants fleeing war and natural disaster. Wednesday’s argument is one in a series of immigration cases the court is considering against the backdrop of the president’s far-reaching immigration crackdown. The government is appealing lower court orders that blocked the Department of Homeland Security from quickly ending temporary protected status for people from Haiti and Syria, exposing them to potential deportation. If the justices agree with the Trump administration, authorities could potentially strip protections from up to 1.3 million people from 17 countries.
April 28, 2026 5:39 pm
Pittsburgh, PA – As part of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to securing high-profile events across the Commonwealth, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) mobilized significant resources and coordinated with federal, state, and local partners to make the 2026 NFL Draft safe and secure for the record breaking 805,000 fans who participated in the festivities. During the three-day event, the PSP reported no significant incidents and made only one minor arrest. Members provided aviation support and deployed the PSP tactical mounted unit, advanced communication equipment, and additional tactical assets across the area, including at various activities in Point State Park. Troopers investigated several reports of suspicious packages and determined each one was unfounded and posed no threat to the public. Troopers say they also worked with their safety partners to reunite a lost eight-year-old girl with her family. “The success of the 2026 NFL Draft further demonstrated PSP’s shared commitment with our federal, state, and local public safety partners to ensure large-scale events like this are safe and secure for everyone involved,” said Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens, Acting Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police.
April 28, 2026 3:48 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey has been indicted again, this time over a social media photo of seashells arranged on a beach that officials say constituted a threat against President Donald Trump. That’s according to a person who was familiar with the matter but was not authorized to publicly discuss it and confirmed the indictment to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Tuesday. The charge or charges against Comey are unknown. It’s the second criminal case the Justice Department has brought against the longtime Trump foe. Comey says he assumed the arrangement of shells reading “86 47” was a political message, not a call to violence against Trump, the 47th president. (Photo: AP)
April 28, 2026 3:50 pm
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates announced that it will leave OPEC effective May 1, stripping the oil cartel of its third-largest producer and further weakening its leverage over global oil supplies and prices. The UAE’s decision had been rumored as a possibility for some time, as it pushed back in recent years against OPEC production quotas it felt had been too low. Regional politics are also likely at play. The UAE has had increasingly frosty relations with Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s largest producer, over political and economic matters in the Mideast, even after both came under attack by fellow OPEC member Iran during the war.
