October 30, 2026 5:44 pm
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Leo XIV has become the first pope to vote in a U.S. general election, casting a mail-in ballot in Chicago. The Vatican confirmed Friday that Leo, born Robert Prevost, exercised his right as a U.S. citizen, emphasizing his belief in civic participation. Leo holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship and has voted whenever eligible. U.S. law allows citizens abroad to vote via absentee ballot. Leo’s vote was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times. The pope has been vocal about U.S. politics, often clashing with former President Donald Trump on issues like immigration and war. (Photo: AP)
October 30, 2026 1:19 pm
EPHRATA, Pa. (AP) — Lancaster County in Pennsylvania has been the epicenter of the nation’s worst measles outbreak in 35 years. It’s also home to the largest Amish population in the U.S. Some Amish and related Mennonite groups, with historically lower rates of vaccination, have been hit hard. Vaccination rates also declined in the general population amid the resurgence of a contagious virus considered “eliminated” from the U.S. since 2000. Pennsylvania leads the U.S. this year with over 1,350 cases, more than a third in Lancaster County, according to official figures. Many Amish and Mennonites are showing a new openness to vaccines, while members of the general public are also taking extra precautions.
October 29, 2026 1:21 am
ICE agents were present in the City of Washington Thursday morning. A WJPA reporter went to Shirls Avenue, where roofing work was being done and spoke to Jason Morris of Morris Contracting & Roofing. Morris explained that there was a van circling before his crew got to the job site. After work began, about 10 ICE agents started to approach. Morris said no one was detained. As for whether the workers were here illegally, Morris would not comment. One arrest – unconfirmed at this time – may have been made. WJPA has received a video from a resident on Donnan Avenue in Washington, showing one man being arrested. WJPA reached out to Washington Police for comment and they issued an email statement saying: “The City of Washington Police Department’s knowledge of reported U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity within the city is limited to information the department has seen posted on social media. The department has no additional knowledge of such activity and has had no interactions with ICE regarding these reports.”
October 29, 2026 2:22 am
The man, police believe, that shot 20 year old Julian Lassic in an alley adjacent to the Sin City Disciples Clubhouse in the early morning hours on October 11, 2025 will face trial. Karl Sullivan, 37 of Fredericksburg, Virginia had homicide, aggravated assault, and reckless endangerment charges along with weapons possession and receiving stolen property charges held for court after a 90 minute hearing. City of Washington Police testified how they found Sullivan slumped over a curb, bleeding on North Main Street on their way to the alley where a call of shots fired was issued. They testified how they found Lassic lying on his back bleeding from alleged gunshot wounds in the alley. They also testified about the evidence found at the scene that included two firearms. Prosecutors connected Sullivan with the shooting by finding DNA evidence on one of the guns. Sullivan was arrested and in jail in an unrelated incident in Virginia, when police served a search warrant for Sullivan’s DNA and later determined that both DNA samples matched. A bullet found in Julian Lassic was determined to be one fired by the gun that allegedly was in the possession of Sullivan that night. Sullivan’s defense attorney Fred Rabner argued that because there were no witnesses to the shooting and no video evidence of the incident, not enough evidence was available to hold Sullivan for trial for the homicide. Judge Kelly Stewart said that those evidence issues would be better handled by a jury during trial. Stewart held all charges against Sullivan for court. Sullivan will be formally arraigned on December 3.
October 30, 2026 2:28 am
A ribbon cutting was held at Franklin Crossroads Park Thursday morning to commemorate the opening of the retail phase. Franklin Crossroads Park is taking the place of the former Washington Crown Center Mall and offers a mixed-use business and commercial campus. PREP Funds and IRG are behind the redevelopment. The retailers now have exterior entrances and their own parking field. Chris Salata, a partner with PREP Funds, says this is a huge milestone, and there can now be a larger focus on the business park at the back of the property. Jeff Kotula, the president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agency, explains that there are a lot of different businesses, and they are ready just in time for the holiday season. Bob Sabot, the chairman of the board of supervisors in North Franklin Township, says this was a long time coming, but the township is back in business. (Pictured: PREP Funds Chris Salata)
October 30, 2026 4:44 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has rescheduled campaign rallies in a pair of critical Midwestern states that he had previously canceled. That’s according to a person familiar with the plans. The person says the Republican president will now visit Iowa and Kansas for back-to-back campaign rallies on Sunday. The person insisted on anonymity to discuss Trump’s schedule. The Republican National Committee initially said in canceling the rallies that Trump would do telerallies instead to reach more voters. But the person familiar with the latest plans says the Iowa and Kansas rallies have been rearranged to accommodate the new telerallies added to Trump’s schedule.
October 30, 2026 4:45 am
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola denies that she knew anything about an effort to put another candidate on the Alaska ballot with the same name as the Republican incumbent. Peltola told voters in Juneau Thursday night that she “knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent.” Peltola is running against Sen. Dan Sullivan. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that subpoenas seeking grand jury testimony or documents, along with records preservation demands, were issued after The New York Times reported that Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan Jr. as part of an alleged effort to confuse voters.
October 30, 2026 4:45 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s final election results show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc lost its majority in parliament. It won 53 seats in Tuesday’s voting, while the main opposition secured 48. Arab-led parties achieved a historic 19 seats. Parties must now negotiate to see if they can form a coalition with at least 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu remains in charge, but coalition talks are expected to be challenging. The president will assign someone to form a government next week. If no one can do so, a new election could be held early next year. Netanyahu’s party has made unsubstantiated claims about election interference by Arab-led parties.
October 29, 2026 8:44 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge closely monitored by the Federal Reserve accelerated last month, a sign prices remain elevated less than a week from midterm elections that have focused on affordability concerns. Consumer prices rose 3.6% in September compared with a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Thursday, up from 3.4% in August. On a monthly basis, prices climbed 0.5%, up from 0.3% in August and the highest figure since May. Annual inflation has worsened since the Iran war caused spikes in oil and gas prices. U.S. oil prices still top $100 a barrel, up from less than $70 before the war.
October 29, 2026 8:46 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a healthy 3.4% annual pace from July through September, accelerating from the second quarter on strong consumer spending and investment in artificial intelligence. The expansion in third-quarter gross domestic product – the nation’s output of goods and services – was faster than the 2.2% growth registered from April through June, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Consumer spending rose at a brisk 3.8% clip in the third quarter, and business investment was up sharply, reflecting the AI boom.
