October 23, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military has launched its ninth strike against an alleged drug-carrying vessel, killing three people in the waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the strike on social media Wednesday night. It further expands the Trump administration’s campaign against drug trafficking in South America. Wednesday’s strike followed a strike Tuesday night, also in the eastern Pacific, that killed two people. The attacks were departures from the seven previous U.S. strikes that had targeted vessels in the Caribbean. They bring the death toll to at least 37 from attacks that began last month.
October 23, 2025 4:48 am
BULLSKIN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A winning Cash 5 lottery ticket was sold in Fayette County. Pennsylvania Lottery officials say the ticket with Quick Cash matched all five balls drawn, 23-34-36-37-39, to win $300,000 in Tuesday’s drawing. Honey Bear Mart in Bullskin Township will earn a $500 bonus for selling the winning ticket. Officials urge anyone with a jackpot-winning Cash 5 with Quick Cash ticket to contact the nearest Pennsylvania Lottery office for further instructions or call 1-800-692-7481. More than 7,300 other Cash 5 with Quick Cash tickets won lower-tier prizes in Tuesday’s drawing.
October 23, 2025 4:45 am
Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services says it’s pushing back the start of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, by a month. The move is the result of the federal government shutdown. The LIHEAP program helps more than 300,000 Pennsylvania families during the colder months. Applications are now expected to open in December. “I urge Congress and the White House to recognize the serious consequences that limiting heating assistance will have on the health and safety of people in Pennsylvania. Congress must come together for a solution that protects people most at risk,” said Secretary of the Department of Human Services Dr. Val Arkoosh. If you need immediate help, many utility companies offer their own assistance programs.
October 22, 2025 5:23 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The most widely used COVID-19 vaccines may offer a surprise benefit for some cancer patients by boosting their immune systems to help fight tumors. Research reported Wednesday in the journal Nature found that people with advanced lung or skin cancer lived longer if they received a Pfizer or Moderna shot within 100 days of starting a type of immunotherapy. The mRNA in these vaccines appears to enhance the immune system’s response. Now the research team is preparing a more rigorous study of the potential connection, to see if mRNA vaccines should be deliberately paired with cancer drugs called checkpoint inhibitors. (Photo: AP)
October 22, 2025 5:02 am
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s plan to cut record beef prices by importing more meat from Argentina is running into heated opposition from U.S. ranchers who are enjoying some rare profitable years and skepticism from experts who say the president’s move probably wouldn’t lead to cheaper prices at grocery stores. Major ranching and farming groups all criticized Trump’s idea because it would likely hurt American ranchers and feedlot operators. And agricultural economists say that Argentine beef accounts for such a small slice of beef imports that even doubling that wouldn’t change prices much.
October 22, 2025 4:57 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani was attacked over his thin resume. Republican Curtis Sliwa strove to prove his seriousness as a candidate. And former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was pressed on the sexual harassment allegations that drove him from office in a contentious final debate in New York City’s mayoral race. They candidates met just days before early voting begins in the country’s largest city. While Mamdani began the debate accusing his rivals of being too consumed by fighting, he quickly joined the fray, including inviting one of Cuomo’s accusers to appear in the studio audience. Cuomo is now running as an independent after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani.
October 22, 2025 4:56 am
(AP) – North Carolina lawmakers have given final approval to a new U.S. House map backed by President Donald Trump. The map adopted Wednesday could help Republicans win an additional seat by reshaping a swing district currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis. The previous map already helped the GOP win 10 of the 14 House districts in North Carolina, which Trump won with 51% of the vote last year. North Carolina is the latest state to join Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push to avoid losing control of Congress. Texas and Missouri lawmakers already redrew their maps, and California lawmakers countered by asking voters to approve a map to help Democrats.
October 22, 2025 4:55 am
PARIS (AP) — The Louvre has reopened to the public, three days after thieves forced open a window and stole French crown jewels in a daring, daylight raid on the museum. The Apollo Room where the theft occurred remained closed to visitors, while crowds — hundreds deep — waited outside the museum’s glass pyramid entrance. The Louvre is normally closed on Tuesday and had been shut since the theft for investigation. No arrests have been announced, and the stolen jewels remain missing. The Paris prosecutor said Tuesday the stolen crown jewels were worth an estimated $102 million, not including their historical value to France. About 100 investigators are involved in the police pursuit of the suspects and jewels.
October 22, 2025 4:49 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s memoir is coming out in January. It touches on his political rise and the trauma of his home being set on fire. HarperCollins announced Tuesday that “Where We Keep the Light: Stories From a Life of Service” will be released Jan. 27. Shapiro was elected governor in 2022 and has become a prominent national Democrat. He was on Kamala Harris’ shortlist as a running mate in last year’s presidential election. A man set fire to his official residence in April. The family was safely evacuated, and the man pleaded guilty and was sentenced last week.
October 22, 2025 4:46 am
A Monessen man who while living in Cross Creek Township, allegedly severely beat his children pleaded guilty to two felony counts of endangering the welfare of children. Jermaine Lane, 34 was accused of beating his two seven year old sons so severely that hospital officials said that the boys would be in grave danger of severe injury and possibly death if they remained in his care. In 2019, police were alerted to the boys’ danger when an Avella Elementary school teacher found bruises and bite marks on the back of one of the children. He also had a cut on his head. Police interviewed Lane’s step children who said that Lane would only beat his biological children. They said on one occasion, Lane choked them to the point of losing consciousness. Lane will serve two concurrent 3-8 year sentences in state prison for his actions.
