January 22, 2026 5:11 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Maine has become the latest target in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement wave. The Department of Homeland Security named the enforcement operation Catch of the Day, an apparent play on the state’s seafood industry. Maine has relatively few residents who are in the United States illegally but has a notable presence of refugees in its largest cities. An appeals court on Wednesday suspended a decision that prohibited federal officers from using tear gas or pepper spray against peaceful protesters in Minnesota. The government persuaded the court to freeze a judge’s ruling while it pursues an appeal.
January 22, 2026 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll finds that anxiety about costs and affordability is particularly high among Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Hawaiians. That’s true even at a moment when economic stress is widespread. The survey found that about half of Asian American and Pacific Islander adults said they wanted the government to prioritize addressing the high cost of living and inflation in 2026, compared to about one-third of U.S. adults overall in a separate AP-NORC survey. The findings indicate that this small but fast-growing subgroup is not convinced by President Donald Trump’s attempts to tamp down worries about inflation and defend his tariffs. Like Americans overall, AAPI adults have also become more focused on health care issues over the past year.
January 22, 2026 5:12 am
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — A former Uvalde schools police officer who was among the first to respond to the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school has been acquitted of criminal charges that he failed his duty to confront the gunman. Adrian Gonzales had faced 29 charges of child abandonment and endangerment and up to two years in prison. A jury acquitted him Wednesday. Prosecutors had alleged at trial that Gonzales abandoned his training and could have stopped the gunman outside Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. Gonzales’ lawyers insisted he never saw the gunman before he entered the school. The trial was a rare prosecution of an officer for allegedly failing to act to stop a crime and protect lives.
January 22, 2026 5:49 pm
Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” led all films with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards, setting a record for the most in Oscar history. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters showered “Sinners” with more nominations Thursday than ever before, breaking the 14-nomination mark set by “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land.” Coogler was still trying to process the record-breaking haul when reached by The Associated Press this morning. Paul Thomas Anderson’s father-daughter revolutionary saga “One Battle After Another” trailed in second with 13 nominations of its own, making it a banner day for Warner Bros.
January 21, 2026 6:10 pm
Washington County 911 has confirmed to WJPA News that a chlorine leak was reported at the Monongahela Sewage Treatment Plant around one-thirty Wednesday afternoon. A supervisor tells us that HazMat Teams from Washington, Westmoreland and Fayette counties were called out to assist with clean-up. Emergency Management officials say there were no reports of any injuries and the spill was contained to one building.
January 21, 2026 5:56 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Meteorologists warn that a stretched polar vortex could bring severe winter weather to much of the United States. This week, warm Arctic waters and cold continental land are combining to send subzero temperatures, heavy snow, and ice across the eastern two-thirds of the country. The frigid conditions are expected to persist through January and into early February. Experts say the atmospheric pattern is set, with the potential for crippling ice and snow. The National Weather Service cautions about power outages and treacherous travel conditions. The Midwest and North could see temperatures as low as 30 degrees below zero. (Photo: AP)
January 21, 2026 5:45 pm
One of the region’s biggest employers is letting go of a large group of employees. According to reports that have not been confirmed by the officials, at least 144 employees of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort were informed on Tuesday that they were being dismissed. As for why, a statement from the Fayette County resort said the workforce reduction followed changes in available room inventory that have impacted guest volume and operational demand. Officials there said that, while difficult, these adjustments are intended to position Nemacolin for long-term stability, and the company extends its sincere appreciation to all associates for their dedication and service. The resort is now owned by Maggie Hardy, the owner and CEO of 84 Lumber. Her father, Joseph hardy, founded both 84 Lumber and Nemacolin Woodlands.
January 21, 2026 5:16 pm
Washington Police say they were called out, along with several other departments, around twelve-thirty Wednesday morning, to assist police in East Washington Borough following reports of shots fired in the area of the four-hundred block of East Beau Street. Authorities say shots were fired but there were no reports of any injuries, and after a short stand-off, an adult male was taken into custody. Police say no further information is being released at this time.
January 21, 2026 2:47 pm
DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — President Donald Trump says he’s canceling his tariff threat on several European nations in his push for U.S. control of Greenland after coming to terms with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security. Trump’s announcement Wednesday on social media came soon after he said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he was backing off his threat of using military force to seize the Danish territory that he says is crucial to U.S. national security. (Photo: AP)
January 20, 2026 4:50 am
Few details are available but Police are investigating a reported standoff in the 400 block of East Beau Street in East Washington early Wednesday morning. Washington County 9-1-1 confirmed that shots were fired but it is unclear if they were fired at police. According to reports, a suspect was wanted on an outstanding warrant. An unidentified man is said to be in custody.
