October 14, 2026 2:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration projects a 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment for older adults and people with disabilities starting in 2027. Some recipients say it won’t offset rising prices. This adjustment means $75 extra per month for the nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries and about 7.3 million Supplemental Security Income recipients. Inflation continues to pressure household budgets and savings, and some older Americans feel the increase isn’t enough. The Social Security Administration faces a looming bankruptcy date if a funding shortfall isn’t addressed by Congress. Lawmakers have proposed measures to replenish the trust funds, including lifting the payroll tax cap to generate substantial revenue.
October 15, 2026 4:41 am
CAIRO (AP) — Iran-backed Houthi rebels have struck the headquarters of Saudi oil company Aramco in a strike that damaged the offices of senior executives. That’s according to two regional officials on Wednesday. There were no casualties. The strike is part of intensifying attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Houthis in neighboring Yemen. The rebels say the latest attacks are retaliation for Saudi military actions in Yemen. The rebels’ attacks have disrupted flights and raised concerns about Saudi Arabia’s ability to intercept missiles and drones. The conflict also has reignited Yemen’s civil war that has caused increased casualties and humanitarian challenges.
October 15, 2026 4:45 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones lost some speed after restrictions were suddenly imposed on battlefield use of the country’s U.S.-made Starlink communication terminals. Ukrainian officials shared the information Wednesday as the capital endured a second consecutive night of missile attacks. At the same time, Ukraine did not receive the usual advance warning from its Western partners about the devastating Russian ballistic missiles aimed at Kyiv. That’s according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The situation triggered fears that Ukraine is being starved of vital intelligence, especially from the U.S. Zelenskyy did not specify which partners he was talking about when referring to the lack of warning.
October 14, 2026 4:43 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Justice Department is threatening California with possible legal action over what it says are noncitizens believed to have received mail ballots for next month’s midterm elections. A letter sent Tuesday to Secretary of State Shirley Weber from Trent McCotter, the acting deputy attorney general, says the Justice Department has provided officials in Los Angeles County with a password-protected thumb drive containing a list of names the federal government believes are likely noncitizens. The letter gives the state 48 hours to review the list. The Los Angeles County registrar says his office is reviewing the demand with the secretary of state and state attorney general.
October 15, 2026 4:44 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal authorities investigating Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar have seized the Democratic lawmaker’s phone and have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to a person briefed on the probe. The subpoenas were issued for a grand jury collecting evidence in Minnesota as authorities probe potential fraud in Omar’s immigration paperwork, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. The investigation led to the search Monday of Omar’s Washington, D.C. home just weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking reelection.
October 15, 2026 4:46 am
Florida has won a key court decision in a case involving a ban on social media accounts for kids under 14. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the law in 2024 as a way to protect kids from social media addiction. A federal appeals court overturned an injunction from a lower court. The appeals court says the law implicates the First Amendment but does so it in a way that is content neutral. The law bans social media accounts for Florida children under 14 and requires parental consent for kids who are 14 or 15. Trade groups argued that the law violated free speech rights.
October 14, 2026 2:36 am
The deadline for removing skill game machines went into effect at midnight, prompting non-compliant venues across the area to get rid of their devices. In June, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that skill game machines are essentially slot machines. Lawmakers had 120 days to regulate the machines after the ruling, but ultimately couldn’t agree on how much to tax the games, with proposals rising as high as 52%. The fight became a stalemate between the Senate and the House. Harrisburg insiders said “very little progress” was made before the deadline, but also said discussions are expected to continue. Under the new rules, licensed casinos and qualifying licensed truck stop establishments are the only entities permitted to operate skill games. To maintain the machines, qualified businesses must pay a licensing fee of $500 per month for each machine, a cost that several local businesses say is not worth the expense. If caught operating a skill machine, you will face a first-degree misdemeanor charge. It carries up to five years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Officials estimated that there were about 70,000 skill games throughout Pennsylvania
October 14, 2026 8:47 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. inflation accelerated last month as gas, clothes, and air fares got more expensive, evidence that rising prices remain an economic challenge just a few weeks before the midterm elections. The consumer price index rose 3.7% in September compared with a year ago, the Labor Department said Wednesday, up from 3.4% in August. On a monthly basis, costs jumped 0.6% from August to September, up from 0.4% the previous month. The figures underscore the lingering impact of the Iran war on gas prices and the stubborn persistence of inflation, which fell sharply from a 9.1% peak in 2022 but this year has ticked higher since the war began in late February.
October 13, 2026 2:14 am
PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Peters Township elementary school teacher is off the job after investigators say she was drunk at school and left her first-grade class unattended. Katharine Viviano is a first-grade teacher at Pleasant Valley Elementary School. According to investigators, last Thursday, Viviano left school property and drove to the Wine and Spirits store during the school day. Police say surveillance video shows that she purchased alcohol and left, then returned to the elementary school and backed into another car while parking. Investigators say Viviano was visibly intoxicated, and another teacher found her inside the internal classroom bathroom with her students unattended. The other teacher told investigators that Viviano was semi-conscious and would not exit nor verbally respond. Police say she admitted to drinking vodka earlier in the day, and that she had slurred speech, glassy, bloodshot eyes, and was unable to walk without assistance.
October 14, 2026 4:33 am
North Franklin Township will be holding a special meeting to consider zoning changes in the township. The township is looking to rezone a large tract of land that sits along Park Avenue, adjacent to the reservoirs and dams. Supervisors wish to create the Franklin Lakes Overlay Area in an effort to make sure developers do not arrive and try to build housing developments that would stress the township’s infrastructure. They also wish to protect the green areas of the township as much as possible. Supervisors will also be entertaining changes in zoning to portions of the property that holds the closed Ramada Inn hotel. Currently the zoning for the parcel is a combined C3 and R3. A request for light manufacturing to be added as part of the C3 zoning is also proposed. A prospective buyer for the property is asking for the residential zoning to be eliminated to better suit their needs. That hearing will be held on November 18 at 5:30 pm. Supervisors are also studying the possibility of teaming with a neighboring municipality for police coverage. Last month, resident Fawn Schooley said that she and other residents would prefer to have a neighborhood police presence as opposed to the current State Police coverage. Their complaint is that State Police are only around when they are called. They feel a neighborhood police presence would be more effective shiuld issues arise. Supervisors expressed that they are happy with State Police coverage. They did meet this week with City of Washington Police for very preliminary discussions.
