July 16, 2026 2:20 am
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a statewide Code Red Air Quality Action Day for particulate matter (PM2.5) for Thursday, July 16th. Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota will be entering Pennsylvania’s northernmost counties and pushing into southern counties Wednesday afternoon into Thursday, creating Code Red concentrations of PM2.5. Residents are strongly encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area. During Code Red Air Quality Alerts all residents should consider limiting their outdoor activities, and sensitive groups such as children, elderly residents, and those with respiratory illnesses should avoid long or intense outdoor activities and consider moving activities indoors.
July 16, 2026 4:35 am
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking about 7,000 cases of cyclosporiasis in nearly three dozen states. The agency said that the cases are either confirmed or suspected and that the illness has been found in 34 states since May 1. It is not known whether all of the cases are connected to the large outbreak centered on Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia, according to reports. The CDC said there were 1,645 lab-confirmed cases with 141 hospitalizations and no deaths. There are also more than 5,100 cases that “require further analysis to confirm the illness as domestically acquired cyclosporiasis.“ The agency said that state cases typically include both confirmed and suspected cases, while the CDS’s official count is confirmed cases, attributing to the variations in the data reported. Officials said that many people recover without treatment. The CDC also added that no specific food has been determined as a source.
July 16, 2026 4:39 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Trump administration has replaced an exhibit on slavery at the site of President George Washington’s home in Philadelphia with a version that historians say whitewashes the nation’s history. The new exhibit was installed Wednesday morning in the same area where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. It comes as President Donald Trump has made dismantling diversity and inclusion initiatives a priority and in the midst of his aggressive campaign to overhaul some of Washington’s most sacred cultural and historic institutions. The original panels were put in place in 2010 and told the story of how nine slaves lived in the home along with George and Martha Washington in the 1790s.
July 16, 2026 4:42 am
CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump has addressed a defense summit at the U.S. Army War College, but he focused more on political themes than battlefield issues. The summit, held Wednesday, included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Republican Pennsylvania Sen. David McCormick. Trump said the gathering will generate $10 billion in promised investments from defense and tech companies, but didn’t provide many details. He briefly mentioned the war in Iran and the military operation in January in Venezuela. Trump also discussed topics like windmills and ship catapults. The event featured prominent business leaders, including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon. Concerns about missile shortages and defense spending weren’t mentioned.
July 16, 2026 4:47 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States has intensified its strikes targeting Iran, hitting targets further north. American forces also fired into a ship it accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic. Tehran retaliated early Thursday with missile and drone fire targeting Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait before dawn. Days of back-and-forth strikes by the U.S. and Iran across the Middle East and renewed threats to the Strait of Hormuz have shredded the interim deal to end the Iran war and the region could tip back into all-out war. Already, Iranian officials say U.S. strikes have killed at more than than 35 people and wounded over 300 others.
July 16, 2026 4:46 am
President Donald Trump is making a primetime address to the nation that’s expected to include discussion of election issues. The president has long insisted he won the 2020 election, even though the very people he appointed to oversee it said the count was accurate and he lost. This term, Trump has appointed people who support his election falsehoods and launched a review of 2020 voting. There’s a wide and deep record of investigations, by Republicans as well as nonpartisan groups that show Trump lost the election. The president hasn’t revealed what he’ll say in his speech but teased “really big news.”
July 16, 2026 4:45 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Election officials in Arizona’s most populous county now agree on how to jointly oversee the vote. Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap had sued the board of supervisors in June 2025, alleging it illegally took over certain aspects of election administration. Under the settlement agreement signed this week, the Republican recorder largely will oversee early voting, ballot drop boxes and other duties. The predominantly Republican board will oversee Election Day voting, ballot tabulation and voting location equipment maintenance. The board also will fund a new $15 million information technology system and related positions for the recorder. An interim plan will govern the state’s July 21 primary.
July 15, 2026 5:49 pm
Two people were shot inside a Kroger grocery store in Harris County, Texas. Harris County Constable Precinct Four Captain Juan Flores says the shooting happened just before 3pm, local time. He says one of the injured parties was found outside the store and the other was inside. One of those people had to be life-flighted to the hospital. Flores wouldn’t confirm any details about the investigation but says police are not searching for any suspects.
July 15, 2026 2:40 am
Residents of Washington and Allegheny Counties filled the council chambers room of Canonsburg to view early considerations of a feasibility study being conducted by the United States Army Corps of Engineers to control repeated flooding along Chartiers Creek. The Open House is one of six being held to gather feedback concerning flooding along the 48 mile long creek that is a tributary to the Ohio River. The 277 square mile watershed area has more than 250,000 residents living in the watershed. The study is looking at the main stem of the creek and its tributaries. It is also examining existing remedies that have already been put in place by the state and federal government to make sure those are still functioning properly. Some of the remedies that will be considered are the change of the flow of water, adaptations to the water flow such as the broadcast of advanced flood warnings from emergency service agencies, non structural elevations and retention ponds. The study, which will include a 35% design completion plan is expected to be ready in early 2028. The USACOE is holding four more open houses, two at the Carnegie Borough Building on Wednesday and two at the McKees Rocks Borough Building on Thursday. More information about the project may be found here.
July 15, 2026 9:56 am
President Donald Trump says Immigration and Customs Enforcement should continue traffic stops after two deadly shootings within a week, seeming to contradict a new policy to halt them. In Florida on Tuesday, a third man in roughly a week died during an encounter with immigration officers. Authorities say the 28-year-old was killed after he was hit by a tractor-trailer while running from immigration and other federal officers.
