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 15, 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 15, 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.
October 13, 2026 2:14 am
During a formal arraignment on Tuesday, a mother and son both pled not guilty to charges associated with the death of Karoline Heintz in August. Heintz was found stabbed to death in her car, near the California Public Library. Eighteen-year-old Royce Moser of North Strabane Township and his 56-year-old mother, Rachel Moser, of Beallsville are facing a laundry list of charges related to Heintz’s death. The Mosers are accused of bringing Heintz’s SUV with her body inside and dumping it near the library. Detectives were able to extract internet search evidence from Royce’s phone looking for information on how to remove fingerprints, how long Ring video is stored and information about the death penalty. A Pennsylvania State Police detective had testified at an earlier hearing that Rachel Moser received a call from Royce asking for help and how she helped him transport the body and gather belongings from his home to have Royce stay at her home after the incident. In her interview with Royce, he said that Karoline and he were talking in his father’s driveway. She said something that got him upset. He told her to wait, he went into the house, retrieved a knife and returned and stabbed her.
October 14, 2026 4:39 am
ROME (AP) — The Vatican says Pope Leo XIV has celebrated Mass in a special room set up for him at the hospital after cancer surgery. The Vatican says Leo celebrated along with his secretaries on Wednesday afternoon. Doctors say Leo is eating regularly and has begun walking and doing respiratory exercises, and his post-operative tests are normal following surgery to remove a cancerous mass from his lung. Pope Leo XIV spent a peaceful night in Rome’s Gemelli hospital after doctors removed the lower lobe of his right lung and confirmed he has cancer. Wednesday’s announcement offered further evidence that this pope is taking a new approach to communicating about his health. His doctors say Leo’s recovery is proceeding as planned. (Photo: AP)
