April 30, 2026 5:03 am
Outlaw country singer-songwriter David Allan Coe, who wrote the blue-collar anthem “Take This Job and Shove It” and created a singing career after a stint in prison, has died. He was 86. A statement to People said he died Wednesday. The cause was not disclosed. Coe had a cult following based on his raw, often-obscene lyrics and a checkered plus somewhat mysterious past. His hits included “You Never Even Call Me by My Name” in 1975 and “The Ride” in 1983. He was also the first country singer to record “Tennessee Whiskey,” which has since become a genre standard.
April 29, 2026 4:43 am
South Strabane Township Supervisors held discussions during their meeting centered on their data center ordinance, fossil fuel and electric generation ordinance and their noise and dust ordinance. Those continuing discussions are frustrating residents that want to see a data center ordinance passed before a land development plan is filed on a 1400 acre property owned by CNX on Zediker Station Road that could develop one there. Diane Ecker played sound effects from an operating data center to emphasize that supervisors must take their health and well being into consideration. Cynthia Rossi made a trip to Ohio to visit a data center and specifically study a fossil fuel power generation plant. She described the power plant and the data center buildings as huge. She said it would be inhumane to have a data center complex like the one that she saw built in a residential/agricultural area of South Strabane. Hearing the frustrations of the residents, Supervisor Jeff Bull said that they are making sure that the ordinance is being done right. Supervisors will be updated on changes to the data center ordinance and the fossil fuel electric generation ordinance this week. It is likely another public hearing will be scheduled to allow comment on changes. Supervisors also voted to have the noise and dust ordinance advertised so residents can view modifications to that ordinance as it would relate to data center construction.
April 29, 2026 3:40 pm
HARRISBURG – Rep. Bud Cook (R‑Greene/Washington) announced on Wednesday, grants for two employers who hire individuals who live in the 50th District. The grants, which total a little more than $36 million, will be used to help cut greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs and strengthen the area’s industrial economy. Cook says the companies receiving the grants are CNX Green Ventures LLC – which will get $31.5 million to install special ventilation wells at the Enlow Fork coal mine. He says the project will use a pipeline system to safely capture and transport the methane for offsite processing. The other company is Iron Senergy Holding LLC., that will receive $4.8 million to install a device to capture coal mine methane. Cook says the funding is awarded as part of the Medium-scale Award Track (MAT) and Large-scale Award Track (LAT) of the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) program. In total, more than $267 million was awarded to manufacturing projects across Pennsylvania through the RISE PA program.
April 29, 2026 2:59 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has weakened a landmark Civil Rights-era law that has increased minority representation in Congress and elsewhere. In a 6-3 ruling, the court’s conservative majority on Wednesday struck down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana. The decision opens the door for more redistricting across the country that could aid Republican efforts to control the House. The effect of the ruling may be felt more strongly in 2028 because most filing deadlines for this year’s congressional races have passed. It’s unclear now how much is left of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That law is the main way to challenge racially discriminatory election practices. (Photo: AP)
April 29, 2026 10:34 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The man charged with trying to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and kill President Donald Trump took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes earlier, outfitted with an ammunition bag, shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife. The details are in a new court filing. Cole Allen of California was later captured when he tried to race past a security barricade near the ballroom, prompting an exchange of gunfire with Secret Service agents. Allen’s defender says he’s presumed innocent.
April 28, 2026 2:48 am
The Fayette County Coroner is urging a nationwide ban on Tianeptine, also known as “gas station heroin,” after the county’s first accidental overdose. The substance, which is described as opioid-like, is not FDA-approved for any medical use. According to the release, it is highly addictive and can cause severe withdrawal symptoms, like seizures and respiratory depression. Dr. Bob Baker said the product is sold in vape shops and online, with more popular brands labeled as TD Plus, Neptune’s Fix and Pegasus. Several states have already banned the product, but Baker said he is recommending a nationwide ban to fast-track legislation in efforts to prevent an epidemic. Baker said he is working with other agencies to bring awareness to this problem and save lives.
April 29, 2026 4:48 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s high court has ruled that spreadsheets of raw data from ballots are public records. The Democratic-majority court’s decision on Tuesday provides access to what are known as “cast vote records.” The justices say their decision helps assure the public that elections are safe, secure, and accurate while keeping individual votes secret. Lycoming County elections officials had denied access to digital copies from the 2020 presidential election. The court clarified that these records are not physical ballots but spreadsheets of raw data. The high court said it was only ruling on the issue in one Pennsylvania county and said it was possible other counties do not sufficiently randomize their election data.
April 29, 2026 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jerome Powell says he plans to remain on the board of the Federal Reserve after his term as chair ends next month “for an undetermined period of time.” He cited the recent legal actions taken by the Trump administration against the Fed as his reason for staying on. The Fed Wednesday left its benchmark interest rate unchanged for the third straight meeting but signaled it could still cut rates in the coming months, moves that attracted the most dissents since October 1992. The Senate Banking Committee earlier approved Powell’s successor as chair, Trump appointee Kevin Warsh, on a party-line vote. (Photo: AP)
April 29, 2026 4:58 am
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey has appeared briefly in court, kick-starting a criminal case against him that legal experts say presents significant hurdles for the prosecution and will likely be a challenge for the Justice Department to win. Comey was indicted in North Carolina on Tuesday on charges of making threats against President Donald Trump related to a photograph he posted on social media last year of seashells arranged in the numbers “86 47.” The Justice Department contends those numbers amounted to a threat against Trump, the 47th president. Comey says he did not interpret the numbers as a call to violence against the Republican president. Comey did not enter a plea Wednesday in Virginia.
April 29, 2026 4:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing questioning from lawmakers as he goes before Congress for the first time since the Iran war began. Wednesday’s hearing before the House Armed Services Committee is focused on the Trump administration’s $1.5 trillion military budget for 2027, but Democrats are using the opportunity to grill Hegseth on the Iran war’s costs, President Donald Trump’s shifting justifications for the war, and the huge drawdown of critical munitions. Lawmakers from both parties also have raised concerns about Hegseth’s firing of top generals and other military leaders. While a ceasefire is now in place, the U.S. and Israel launched the war Feb. 28 without congressional oversight.
