October 16, 2026 3:08 pm
(AP) – The United States is making an unprecedented attempt to revive three shuttered nuclear plants to meet growing demand, especially from data centers. No commercial nuclear reactor is known to have resumed generating electricity after beginning the decommissioning process that removes one from service. However, some reactors have restarted after long outages. The federal government is lending as much as $4.4 billion to restart power plants in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Iowa. The plants all closed before their licenses expired, largely because their electricity was considered too expensive. Two of the plants have contracts to power data centers. The Trump administration is pushing hard to deploy nuclear power.
October 16, 2026 3:39 am
That big hole in the ground on West Beau Street behind the courthouse will start to fill up soon. Commissioner Nick Sherman addressed the project at the Local Municipal Briefing and stated that construction on the new public safety building will begin October 19. Sherman says that the 3 story $40 million project is contractually mandated to be completed in 460 days. That puts the completion date at the beginning of 2028. Sherman addressed concerns about pyrite, that many blame as the major reason the Courthouse Square building was compromised. He says that the whole city of Washington is built on pyrite. The key is to channel water away from the building so that the pyrite that exists does not freeze and thaw against building concrete, then causing damage. He says support walls from the old building that will be used in the new building have been shored up preventing that. Sherman says the three story building will house the sheriff’s office and the 9-1-1 emergency center. A third floor that was originally designated as a booking center will now be used as a court relations area. Operations such as DUI classes, psychiatric evaluations, mental health evaluations and drug and alcohol evaluations will be conducted there. Sherman says that simultaneously, the county’s 9-1-1 emergency radio communications system is scheduled to be completed at the same time.
October 16, 2026 3:48 am
Washington Mayor JoJo Burgess met with the city’s administrator, engineer, representatives from the DEP, and a representative from Senator Camera Bartolotta’s office Thursday morning for a walking tour of problem areas that are causing consistent flooding in the city. Burgess says the meeting produced some answers to questions on flood mitigation in the city moving forward – which were either unknown at the time or misunderstood. He says in the next several weeks, steps will be taken to address some of the problems, which may include working with other municipalities and business and property owners.
October 16, 2026 3:51 am
Representative Tim O’Neal announced he is spearheading a six-bill legislative package that will address the state’s growing property tax burden, improve school district accountability, and give homeowners greater control over the taxes they pay. Representatives Marc Anderson, Jack Rader, Ryan Warner, and Ann Flood joined him in introducing these bills. The bills are designed to provide relief and strengthen taxpayer protections. The package would give taxpayers a say in property tax increases, establish annual limits on county property tax increases, require voter approval for major school construction debt, close loopholes in school district borrowing, encourage responsible education spending, and provide counties with a new property tax relief option. O’Neal emphasized that meaningful reforms like these should not be delayed.
October 16, 2026 4:10 am
(AP) — Authorities say a 16-year-old opened fire at an elementary school in Bend, Oregon, killing three children and a teacher. He was shot by a person at the scene who pursued him into the school. Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz says authorities found the suspect dead inside the school minutes after the shooting Thursday was first reported. Krantz says the three children killed were aged 5, 8 and 11. A 7-year-old child and a teacher were injured and taken to a hospital in critical condition. Police say the attacker forced his way into the school by shooting at locked doors. A Bend police spokesperson says he was shot and went down inside the school shortly after officers arrived.
October 16, 2026 4:16 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine attacked a Russian oil refinery, abandoning a brief truce involving energy-related targets that it said Moscow did not heed. The strike happened Thursday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt betrayed by President Donald Trump. The drone strike started a fire at the refinery about 300 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Moscow. The attack could further complicate Kyiv’s relations with Trump, which have soured again in recent days. Zelenskyy said he was outraged by Russia’s continuing aerial bombardment of his country’s energy infrastructure in apparent defiance of Trump’s demand on Sunday for both sides to halt those attacks. On Thursday, Trump openly declared his dislike of Zelenskyy in an interview with Newsmax.
October 16, 2026 10:18 am
(AP) — The United States is making an unprecedented attempt to revive three shuttered nuclear plants to meet growing demand, especially from data centers. No commercial nuclear reactor is known to have resumed generating electricity after beginning the decommissioning process that removes one from service. However, some reactors have restarted after long outages. The federal government is lending as much as $4.4 billion to restart power plants in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Iowa. The plants all closed before their licenses expired, largely because their electricity was considered too expensive. Two of the plants have contracts to power data centers. The Trump administration is pushing hard to deploy nuclear power.
October 16, 2026 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI employees fired for their roles in the investigation of President Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Florida estate are suing to get their jobs back, calling their terminations unlawful acts of “political retribution.” Thursday’s complaint adds to the legal challenges to mass terminations under FBI Director Kash Patel of agents who participated in investigations of the Republican president or are seen as opposed to Trump administration interests. The suit was filed in federal court in Washington on behalf of nine agents, intelligence analysts and staff operations specialists fired in February. Patel says employees he has fired had “weaponized” the FBI.
October 16, 2026 4:11 am
MIAMI (AP) — Hurricane Trudy has strengthened as it approaches the Pacific coast of Mexico. The U.S. National Hurricane Center reports Thursday that Trudy was about 230 miles southwest of Acapulco, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. The hurricane was moving north-northwest at 7 miles per hour and is expected to approach southwestern and west-central Mexico this weekend. The center says Trudy is on track to become a major hurricane on Friday, bringing rainfall of 4 to 8 inches across Colima and Jalisco states through the weekend.
October 16, 2026 4:15 am
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Drone attacks on cargo ships in the Black Sea this month have raised concerns among NATO members. The attacks, near Romania and Bulgaria, threaten global shipping routes and have resulted in deaths and missing crew members. Russia is suspected, but evidence is lacking. NATO members fear these incidents could draw other countries into the war for Ukraine. Romanian airspace has been repeatedly violated by Russian drones. NATO is discussing security measures, but its defense clause may not cover these attacks. The situation highlights the growing threat and the need for increased counter-drone capabilities in the region.
