August 26, 2025 1:21 am
(AP) – A federal appeals court says it’s unconstitutional for Pennsylvania to throw out mail-in ballots simply because the voter didn’t write an accurate date on the return envelope. Tuesday’s unanimous decision by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Pennsylvania to stop throwing out such ballots. It’s the latest time in at least a half-dozen cases that a court has told Pennsylvania to stop throwing out such ballots. However, higher courts have always reinstated the requirement in the heavily litigated matter that has pitted liberals trying to get rid of the requirement against Republicans who defend it.
August 25, 2025 9:28 am
A school bus was involved in a single vehicle accident in Donegal Township on Monday morning. According to Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers, a school bus carrying students left the road and crashed into a tree. The accident occurred in the 1100 block of Toll Gate Road at about 7:30 am. No injuries were reported. After a brief delay, all students were transferred to another bus and sent on their way to school
August 25, 2025 4:48 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia has surrendered to immigration authorities in Baltimore and faces possible efforts by the Trump administration to deport him to Uganda. The Maryland construction worker became the face of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies when he was wrongfully deported in March to a notorious prison in his native El Salvador. Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S. in June, but only to face human smuggling charges that his lawyers call preposterous. A judge in Tennessee determined that Abrego Garcia wasn’t a danger or flight risk. He was released from jail on Friday. The Trump administration has said it will try to deport him before his trial.
August 25, 2025 4:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Some National Guard units patrolling the nation’s capital at the direction of President Donald Trump have started carrying firearms. That’s an escalation of his military deployment that makes good on a directive issued late last week by his defense secretary. A Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly said some units on certain missions would be armed — some with handguns and others with rifles. An Associated Press photographer on Sunday saw members of the South Carolina National Guard outside Union Station with holstered handguns. The development in Trump’s extraordinary effort to override the law enforcement authority of state and local governments comes as he is considering expanding the deployments to other Democratic-led cities.
August 25, 2025 4:44 am
Pricey prescriptions and nagging medical costs are swamping some insurers and employers, which means patients may start paying more next year. Health insurance will grow more expensive in many corners of the market in 2026, and some coverage may shrink. That could leave patients exposed to more costs for doctor visits and prescription coverage changes. Price changes could be especially stark in individual coverage marketplaces, where insurers also are predicting the end of some government support that helps people buy coverage. Expensive gene therapies and diabetes and obesity treatments are pressuring prescription coverage.
August 25, 2025 4:42 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Witnesses say Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinian aid-seekers traveling through a military zone south of Gaza City that is regularly used to reach a food distribution point. Gaza City is now officially in famine after 22 months of war, while Israel’s military moves ahead with a planned offensive to seize the city. That could begin within days. Gaza’s Health Ministry on Sunday reported eight malnutrition-related deaths, including a child. Gaza City and its hundreds of thousands of people are now the focus of both a famine and the looming offensive. But many people are too exhausted or wary to flee.
August 25, 2025 4:40 am
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday threatening to withhold federal funding from local and state governments that allow cashless bail, arguing that it is a threat to public safety. Proponents of eliminating cash bail argue it penalizes poverty, as wealthier individuals can pay to await trial outside jail. Critics believe it is a time-honored way to ensure defendants released from jail show up for court proceedings and warn that cashless bail could lead to more crime. Studies show mixed results on the impact of cashless bail.
August 25, 2025 4:28 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Keith Kellogg says officials are “working very, very hard” on efforts to end the three-year war between Russia and Ukraine. Kellogg said in Kyiv on Monday that officials are “hoping to get to a position where, in the near term, we have, with a lack of a better term, security guarantees” that address Ukraine’s fears of another invasion by Russia in the future. A lack of progress in talks is fueling doubts about whether a peace settlement could be on the horizon.
August 25, 2025 4:21 am
Firefighters were called to a fire in South Franklin Township, Sunday night. According to Washington County 9-1-1, a neighbor reported a fire at 890 S Bridge Road in Prosperity at 11:35 PM. No injuries were reported, the house was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The State Police Fire Marshal is investigating the incident.
August 25, 2025 3:38 am
HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A two vehicle crash injured two people and shut down Route 22 near Burgettstown for several hours on Sunday evening. According to Washington County 9-1-1, the incident occurred a at mile marker one on Westbound Route 22 at 6:13 PM. Among the vehicles involved was a tractor trailer that overturned. The two people injured were transported to area hospitals, one by helicopter. Route 22 was closed in both directions between exits PA 18-Florence Burgettstown and the West Virginia line for nearly six hours to clear the scene. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the crash.
