September 25, 2026 4:53 am
No injuries resulted after a tractor trailer struck a disabled vehicle along Interstate 79 north early Friday morning. Washington County 911 says it happened around 4 a.m. near mile-marker 26 in Amwell Township. According to reports, the tractor trailer struck the vehicle and went down a steep hillside. The interstate is open through the area but motorists were asked to use caution through the area. Emergency crews towed both vehicles from the scene Friday afternoon. State Police continue to investigate.
September 25, 2026 2:26 am
The Houston Pumpkin Festival Committee and Houston Fire Company Board of Governors have decided to cancel the 2026 Houston Pumpkin Festival due to conditions at the festival grounds as a result of recent weather events like heavy rainfall and continued flooding. The Pumpkin Parade, however, will still take place on Saturday morning, October 10 at ten o’clock and The Firefighters Kitchen will be open throughout the day. Organizers say they understand how much this event means to the community and those who participate, but, they say safety is their top priority. They say their decision was not made lightly, in fact, they had made plans to utilize areas of the field that were still useable, however, with even more rain falling, that made it impossible. The Pumpkin Festival is the main fundraiser for the fire department to maintain its services to the community. (File photo of Pumpkin Festival)
September 25, 2026 4:44 am
Conditional use hearings for a proposed data center at Starpointe Business Park in Hanover Township have continued throughout the summer, and there is no end in sight. While many of these hearings were standing room only, there have been empty seats at the last two. Resident Cody Cunningham urges residents to be at as many hearings as they can to be seen and express their opinions. Another resident, Kerri Hageter, says she will continue to knock on doors and inform residents about these hearings. During Thursday night’s hearing, a witness for Prime Data Centers, LLC provided information about noise and sound studies that were conducted and noise reduction materials that would be used at the data center. During previous hearings, residents expressed concerns about noise pollution. Resident Katie Weber says she is still concerned, and she wants to hear from an acoustic expert who can address how harmful noises at different levels can be. The hearing will continue Tuesday and Wednesday of next week at 6:00 PM at the Hanover Township Fire Department Hall.
September 25, 2026 2:18 pm
(AP) – Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the United States lifts its naval blockade, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon. Iran’s foreign minister detailed the proposal in a private gathering on Thursday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to one attendee. The deal strongly resembles the so-called Memorandum of Understanding reached in June, but with an accelerated timetable. The earlier agreement quickly collapsed as Iran resumed attacks on shipping in the strait.
September 25, 2026 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Some trade analysts are struck by how few tangible accomplishments seem to have come from President Donald Trump’s meeting with China’s Xi Jinping. Xi concluded his state visit to the U.S. by saying he expects to meet Trump two more times this year. Trump took Xi to the National Archives on Friday to cap a three-day visit criticized for being light on substance, though Trump says they discussed the Iran war. Little was announced outside of the promise of more meetings and Washington and Beijing agreeing to extend their trade truce until January. Cato Institute vice president of general economics Scott Lincicome says there was a lot of “pomp and circumstance” signifying nothing.
September 25, 2026 4:58 am
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Energy Department says it will spend almost $2 billion to try to squeeze more electricity out of the nation’s aging and stressed power grid. President Donald Trump’s administration is stepping up efforts to avoid blackouts amid skyrocketing energy demand spurred by artificial intelligence. The money will go toward 31 projects across 26 states that are expected to produce more than 23 gigawatts of additional electricity capacity — enough to power 16 million homes. Energy Secretary Chris Wright spoke about the grant program Thursday in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Recipients include utilities, cooperatives and four state agencies. The state agencies — in Colorado, Indiana, Ohio and Oklahoma — were the biggest recipients, drawing at a total of $810 million. (Photo: AP)
September 25, 2026 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration is voicing support for the safety of vaccines. Dr. Heidi Overton on Thursday faced questions from senators who will vote on her nomination to lead the powerful health agency. Currently serving as a White House adviser, Overton has worked on Trump administration health efforts, including a plan from the Republican president to break up decades-old combination vaccines for children. Despite that effort, which is not supported by science, Overton says FDA-approved vaccines remain safe and effective. Overton also faced questions about the FDA’s oversight of the abortion pill and vaping products.
September 25, 2026 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer people applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, as U.S. jobless claims remain at historically low levels and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department said Thursday that 197,000 people applied for unemployment checks last week, fewest since mid-July and down from a revised 198,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week ups and downs, fell to 202,250 last week from 204,000. Claims for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs, and economists watch them because they can be a sign of where the job market is headed. So far this year, claims have mostly stayed below 220,000 — historically low.
September 25, 2026 5:03 am
(AP) – The White House network video pool is back in operation. Friday morning marked the first time the pool has been in action since President Donald Trump banned three news outlets in an extraordinary showdown over media access. A judge temporarily struck down the ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico on Thursday, but his ruling didn’t directly address the pool. CNN media analyst Brian Stelter says on X that CNN has a pool assignment at the National Archives on Friday with President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. He says the White House approved the network’s credentials.
September 24, 2026 4:48 am
James Copenhaver, one of three campaign rally attendees shot in 2024 during an assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump, has died. His lawyer announced the man’s death on Thursday. Copenhaver was 76. Copenhaver was in the bleachers during the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop, grazing Trump’s right ear with one bullet. Copenhaver was struck in the arm and in the abdomen, wounds that left him with lingering injuries and walking with a cane.
