January 8, 2026 4:28 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will run for a second term in the pivotal battleground state after a first term that put him on the Democratic Party’s radar as a potential presidential contender in 2028. Shapiro will formally announced his reelection bid Thursday at events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Shapiro hasn’t disclosed any future plans and insists he’s focused on Pennsylvania issues. But his reelection effort will be watched as another test of whether he’s White House material. Shapiro has enjoyed robust public approval ratings and carries a reputation as a disciplined messenger and powerhouse fundraiser. For 2026, Pennsylvania’s Republican Party endorsed Stacy Garrity, the twice-elected state treasurer, to challenge Shapiro.
January 7, 2026 4:45 am
SOUTH UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man is dead after a crash on Route 40 in Fayette County Wednesday evening. Fayette County dispatchers said the crash happened along Route 40 East in South Union Township at 6:28 p.m. A minivan and another vehicle were involved in the crash. Coroner Dr. Bob Baker said the driver of the minivan, Michael Duritsky Jr., 28, of Addison, was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said the driver of the other vehicle was not injured. Police continue to investigate.
January 8, 2026 4:55 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis is on edge following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown. The governor called for people to remain calm and the city’s school district canceled all classes and activities as a safety precaution Thursday and Friday. State and local officials have demanded ICE leave the state after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot in the head. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they are not going anywhere. Federal officials called the killing Wednesday an act of self-defense. But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed that characterization as “garbage.”
January 8, 2026 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The woman shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis was a U.S. citizen and mother of a 6-year-old. In social media accounts, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good described herself as a poet, writer, wife and mom. Trump administration officials painted Macklin Good as a domestic terrorist who had attempted to ram federal agents with her car. Her mother told a Minnesota newspaper that her daughter was not involved in protests against the administration’s immigration crackdown. She said her daughter was compassionate and took care of others all her life.
January 8, 2026 4:48 am
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Police say a shooting outside a church building in Salt Lake City has killed two people and injured six others. The shooting took place Wednesday in the parking lot of a house of worship for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. Dozens of people were attending a funeral inside at the time. All the victims were adults. Salt Lake City police do not believe the shooting was targeting a religion. They also say they think it was not random. Authorities say no suspect is in custody. About 100 law enforcement vehicles were at the scene in the aftermath, and helicopters flew overhead.
January 8, 2026 4:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has advanced a resolution that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela. The vote Thursday was a disapproval of Trump’s expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere. Trump says the five Republicans who voted in favor of the resolution “should never be elected to office again.” The 52-47 vote to advance the war powers resolution ensures a vote next week on final passage. The measure has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it if it were to pass the Republican-controlled House. Trump says the Senate vote impedes his authority as commander in chief under the Constitution.
January 8, 2026 4:58 am
State lawmakers and governors will have decisions to make in 2026 about the budgets for their biggest social safety net programs. It comes in response to the tax cut and policy law that President Donald Trump signed last year. The measure imposes new work requirements for some people with Medicaid health coverage. It also raises the states’ share of costs for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries. Many states could also decide whether to fall in line with tax cuts, including eliminating income taxes on tips and overtime.
January 7, 2026 2:35 am
According to a published report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday – the newspaper will cease publication on Sunday, May 3rd. The report says that over the past 20 years, Block Communications Inc. has lost more than $350 million in cash operating the newspaper, but despite their efforts, they are facing “continued cash losses at a scale no longer sustainable.” Recent court decisions would require the Post-Gazette to operate under a 2014 labor contract that imposes “outdated and inflexible operational practices,” making continued publication impossible. In a statement, the Block family said it deeply regretted how the decision will affect Pittsburgh and the surrounding region. The Block family said it was “proud of the service the Post-Gazette has provided to Pittsburgh for nearly a century.”
January 7, 2026 2:42 pm
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who shot and killed a motorist acted recklessly and rejected federal officials claims that the officer had acted in self-defense. During a Wednesday news conference hours after the ICE officer shot the woman, whose name hasn’t been released, an angry Frey blasted the federal immigration crackdown on the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Of the federal officers, he said, “They’re sowing chaos on our streets and in this case quite literally killing people.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the incident as an “act of domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers by a woman who “attempted to run them over.”
January 7, 2026 8:49 am
PennDOT and State Police were called to a rock slide along Interstate 79 Wednesday morning. Washington County 9-1-1 says it happened just before 7:30 a.m near mile-marker 44 between Houston and Canonsburg. State Police Washington tell WJPA News that two vehicles were struck by, what they called, boulders. Dispatchers say no injuries resulted. PennDOT says crews removed rock debris and both lanes were reopened to traffic around 8:45 a.m.
