January 15, 2026 5:08 am
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. and Iranian officials faced each other at the U.N. Security Council, where America’s envoy renewed threats against the Islamic Republic despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to lower the temperature between the two adversaries. The U.S. was joined Thursday by Iranian dissidents to rebuke the government’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say has killed at least 2,637 people. Mike Waltz is the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. He said Trump has made it clear that all options are still on the table to stop the slaughter. Iranian ambassador Hossein Darzi blasted the U.S. for what it claimed was America’s “direct involvement in steering unrest in Iran to violence.”
January 16, 2026 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as U.S. layoffs remain low despite growing concern about a weakening job market. U.S. filings for jobless aid for the week ending Jan. 10 fell by 9,000 to 198,000, down from 207,000 the previous week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The figure was significantly less than the 215,000 that analysts polled by the data firm FactSet were expecting. Applications for unemployment benefits are viewed as a proxy for layoffs. The total number of Americans filing for jobless benefits for the previous week ending Jan. 3 declined by 19,000 to 1.89 million, the government said.
January 15, 2026 5:06 am
BEIJING (AP) — China and Canada have pledged to improve relations after years of tension. Chinese leader Xi Jinping told visiting Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday that he is willing to work on better ties. Talks have been underway since their initial meeting in October. Carney is the first Canadian prime minister to visit China in eight years. He says better relations could improve global governance. He has called for cooperation in agriculture, energy, and finance. No announcement has been made on tariffs, which is a sticking point in the relationship. China hopes U.S. pressure will lead Canada to pursue a foreign policy less aligned with the United States.
January 15, 2026 2:50 am
SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. — South Strabane Township leaders are reportedly considering budget cuts that would impact funding for police and fire services. Our news partners at Channel 11 obtained the proposal through a Right-to-Know request. The documents show nearly $157,000 in proposed cuts to the police department and about $173,000 in proposed cuts to fire, emergency services and public safety — a total of about $330,000. The proposal comes after the township approved its budget in November. Some residents are expressing concern. Heidi McConnell said she also filed a Right-to-Know request and obtained the proposal before a recent supervisors meeting. McConnell said Supervisor Jeff Bull stated at the meeting that “nobody was supposed to have their hands on these,” and she is questioning how the proposed changes were created. Bull told Channel 11 that past financial decisions left the township with limited options and called the current budget “unsustainable.” He said township taxes have increased 90% over the past seven years, including a 67% increase in 2023, and warned another increase could be possible next year. Bull also pointed to the cost of a $2 million fire truck, saying the township was promised grants and low-interest loans that did not materialize. He said taxpayers will pay about $500,000 in interest and still owe about $700,000. South Strabane Fire Chief Jordan Cramer said in a statement: “I look forward to working transparently and collaboratively with the South Strabane Township Board of Supervisors on a 2026 budget that maintains the current level of fire and emergency services for all who live, work, and visit our growing community. It is critical that any budget decisions continue to prioritize public safety, ensure uninterrupted emergency response, and protect the health and safety of our career and volunteer first responders who serve this community every day.” South Strabane Police Chief Drew Hilk said in a statement: “We look forward to working with the 2026 Township Board of Supervisors to create a fiscally responsible budget for 2026 that does not reduce or cut any police services to the South Strabane Township community.” Two more meetings are scheduled next week in South Strabane Township to discuss the budget, before it is due in mid-February.
January 16, 2026 2:55 am
Pennsylvania’s attorney general wants utility customers to be alert for a scam that is circulating in the Commonwealth. AG Dave Sunday said his office is receiving an increase in calls about impersonation scams involving utility providers. He highlighted false websites that mirror websites that legitimately belong to utility providers, which are showing up in Google searches. Sunday added that people who click these links often encounter claims that say their payment is past due. The websites also try to frighten victims into making a rushed payment or giving up their personal information. Anyone who is unsure if they are communicating with someone who is a representative of their utility company is encouraged to try calling the number on their bill. People who fall victim to a scam or believe they are a victim should contact the Bureau of Consumer Protection by clicking here to file a complaint.
January 16, 2026 5:17 pm
Columbus, OHIO (AP) — An Ohio grand jury has indicted a man in the double homicide of his ex-wife and her husband who were killed in their Columbus home last month. Court records show a Franklin County grand jury charged Michael David McKee on Jan. 16, with aggravated murder and aggravated burglary while using a firearm suppressor. McKee, 39, a vascular surgeon who was living in Chicago, is charged in the shooting deaths of 39-year-old Monique Tepe, from whom he was divorced in 2017, and dentist Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37, in their home on Dec. 30. No attorney for McKee was listed on court documents. Authorities apprehended McKee in Rockford, Illinois, last weekend. The hospital where he worked — OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center — has said it is cooperating with the investigation. He is currently being held after he waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday. His next hearing in Winnebago County, Illinois, is scheduled for Jan. 23.
January 15, 2026 2:57 am
A Charleroi man has been sentenced in an unusual trial for drug possession charges. John Beebe, 51 of Charleroi requested a Stipulated Trial. According to his defense attorney Patrick Fitch, the method is used to bring a case to close, administer sentence and, most importantly, begin the process of appeal. Beebe was found guilty of 10 assorted drug and controlled substance possession charges and was sentenced to 10.5 to 22 years in prison. Fitch feels that decisions made in the Court of Common Pleas violate Beebe’s constitutional rights against illegal search and seizure as described in both the Pennsylvania and United States Constitutions. In 2022 police executed a search warrant on Beebe’s home after Beebe’s employer turned packages delivered to his work place over to police. Inside the packages were caffeine powder, sweetener and 26,000 stamp bags. When the house was searched, police confiscated suspected heroin and fentanyl, firearms and $40,000 in cash. Now that the sentence is in place, Fitch says he will first appeal in Common Pleas Court for acquittal or a new trial. If denied, he will appeal to Pennsylvania Superior Court.
January 15, 2026 4:59 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act allowing him to deploy troops as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement persist in Minneapolis. Trump made the threat after a federal officer shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis on Wednesday after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle. The incident further heightened the sense of fear and anger radiating across the city a week after an immigration agent fatally shot a woman in the head. Trump has repeatedly threatened to invoke the rarely used federal law to deploy the U.S. military or federalize the National Guard for domestic law enforcement, over the objections of state governors.
January 14, 2026 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department says it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States. The department said Wednesday it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the U.S. The suspension will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant, or temporary tourist or business, visas. The department says it’s “bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system.” The suspension begins Jan. 21.
January 15, 2026 4:56 am
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Troops from NATO countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security. This follows talks in Washington on Wednesday between Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. that highlighted disagreements over Greenland’s future. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the deployment of French troops, with Germany sending a reconnaissance team on Thursday. Denmark is also increasing its military presence. The talks focused on U.S. intentions to take over Greenland for its mineral resources amid rising Russian and Chinese interest. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen expressed concerns over Trump’s intentions. Greenlanders remain uncertain about the future.
