February 23, 2026 5:11 am
A busy Monday morning for area emergency crews. They were called to separate accidents in North Strabane Township. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers tell us the first occurred just before 5 a.m. in the 400 block of Brownlee Road. A box truck and two other vehicles were involved. Dispatchers say no serious injuries resulted from that crash. A second crash was then reported around 5:30 a.m. in the 900-block of Thomas- Eighty Four Road. Dispatchers say it was a two-vehicle, head-on collision. Everyone was able to get out of the vehicles but one caught fire and was said to be fully engulfed in flames when emergency responders arrived. According to dispatchers, three people were transported to UPMC Washington Hospital. We have no information on their identities or conditions.
February 23, 2026 5:36 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has permanently barred the release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith on his investigation into President Donald Trump’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated by Trump, granted a request from the Republican president to keep under wraps the report detailing Smith’s findings that resulted in criminal charges in 2023. Cannon dismissed the case in 2024 after concluding that Smith was unlawfully appointed. American Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog that has been pushing for the report’s release, says it “will continue using every tool available to force this information into the open.” Trump attorney Kendra Wharton praised Cannon’s ruling and said Smith’s report “should never see the light of day.”
February 23, 2026 10:42 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are unveiling a bill to have the government refund about $175 billion in Trump-era tariff money after the Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs were illegal. The bill from Senators Ron Wyden, Ed Markey, and Jeanne Shaheen would order Customs and Border Protection to issue refunds within 180 days and pay interest. The bill prioritizes small businesses. It also urges big companies to pass refunds along to customers. The Supreme Court announced its 6–3 on Friday, but it gives little guidance on refunds. Trump says refunds could be tied up in courts for years.
February 23, 2026 3:48 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nick Reiner has pleaded not guilty in the killing of his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner. Nick Reiner’s attorney entered the plea to two counts of first-degree murder in a Los Angeles courtroom Monday. Authorities say the acclaimed director and his wife of 36 years were found dead with stab wounds in their Los Angeles home on Dec. 14. Nick was arrested hours later and has been held without bail for the two months since. Police have said nothing about possible motives. Prosecutors have not decided whether to seek the death penalty.
February 23, 2026 5:31 am
The State Police Fire Marshal has ruled that an overheated electrical cord on a space heater in the basement caused the fire that destroyed a home in Chartiers Township Saturday morning. The blaze broke out around 10:30 a.m. along Arden Road. Firefighters say they found heavy smoke and flames coming from the home when they arrived. According to reports, Jim Southern shared the home with his daughter and her three children. He was injured and transported to Pittsburgh’s West Penn Hospital for treatment for burns and smoke inhalation. The community is now rallying around to help the Loar family after they lost all of their belongings in the fire.
February 23, 2026 4:44 am
A 7-year-old boy died after he was struck by a vehicle in Greene County over the weekend. State Police say the crash occurred around 4:30 p.m. Saturday on South Eighty Eight Road in Monongahela Township. According to Police, the boy was walking westbound across the road when he was hit by a Honda HRV driven by a 92-year-old man. The boy later died of his injuries. The coroner identified him as Wilson Churilla, of Greensboro. The investigation into the crash continues.
February 23, 2026 4:55 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro may be the nation’s most prominent Jewish politician as antisemitism surges across America. But he insists on living his faith “out loud.” The 52-year-old Democrat is attempting to straddle an almost impossible chasm as both a Jewish progressive and a Zionist as he marches toward a dominant reelection this fall. Already, Shapiro may be one of his party’s leading 2028 presidential prospects. He’s also among the Democratic Party’s most vilified from within, almost entirely because of his faith and staunch support for Israel. Perhaps more than any other issue, Shapiro’s ability to navigate glaring personal and political risks related to his faith will ultimately determine how far he can rise in an evolving Democratic Party.
February 22, 2026 5:01 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of residents in parts of the northeastern U.S. are stuck at home under road travel bans and blizzard warnings as a fierce winter storm threatens the densely populated region overnight. The National Weather Service says snow of up to 2 feet is possible in many areas into Monday, along with heavy winds and sharply reduced visibility. New York City and Rhode Island have banned nonessential road travel into Monday, with New Jersey implementing similar restrictions. Schools are set to be closed Monday in cities including New York and Boston. Emergency declarations have been issued in several states and cities.
February 22, 2026 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Secret Service says an armed man was shot and killed after entering the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Although Trump often spends weekends at his resort, he was at the White House when the breach occurred early Sunday morning. Authorities say the man had a gas can and a shotgun. The FBI says investigators have identified him as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin of North Carolina. Investigators have not identified a motive. However, Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign.
February 23, 2026 5:02 am
GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Twenty-five members of the Mexican National Guard died in six separate attacks after special forces killed the notorious leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. That’s according to the country’s security secretary, who spoke Monday as much of Mexico feared more violence. Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes was called “El Mencho.” He was the boss of one of the fastest-growing criminal networks in Mexico, known for trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine to the United States and staging brazen attacks against government officials. He was killed after a shootout in his home state of Jalisco. Cartel members responded with widespread violence, blocking roads and setting fire to vehicles.
