June 5, 2026 4:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate passed legislation to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies early Friday morning. This came after weeks of delays and fierce backlash to an unrelated $1.776 billion settlement fund that threatened to derail the bill. Senators voted for the $70 billion legislation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for the next three years, through the end of Trump’s term. The final vote came after Republicans narrowly defeated multiple attempts to add language to the bill that would permanently ban Trump’s settlement fund to compensate political allies who believe they have been politically persecuted.
June 5, 2026 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is again seeking to boost the struggling U.S. coal industry. A plan announced Thursday would spend nearly $700 million to support coal-fired power plants and coal exports. A White House official said the administration will use authority under a Cold War-era national defense law to support 13 coal plants across the country and help build coal plants in Alaska and West Virginia. If built, the plants would be the first new U.S. coal plants since 2013. The money will also help restart a coal-fired power plant in Maryland and support construction of a long-delayed coal export terminal in Oakland, California. Environmentalists said the plan would “put polluters first” and jeopardize Americans’ health.
June 5, 2026 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a bill to aid Ukraine and sanction key segments of the Russian economy. That’s despite Republican leaders warning the legislation will undermine negotiations designed to achieve a comparable but stronger result. The legislation seeks to cement U.S. assistance for Ukraine by providing more than $1 billion in security and reconstruction aid, and making another $8 billion available for Ukraine’s defense through loans. The vote Thursday represents the House’s second major foreign policy break this week with President Donald Trump. It comes one day after the House approved a war powers resolution that would halt the U.S. military action against Iran.
June 5, 2026 5:02 am
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — President Vladimir Putin says Russia will strengthen its air defenses to counter recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which have reached deep inside his country and cast a cloud over his showcase economic forum in his hometown of St. Petersburg. Replying to a question from The Associated Press during a meeting Thursday with heads of international news agencies, Putin vowed to bolster Russia’s air defenses. The media session came on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, his annual showcase for investment. Hours before the forum opened Wednesday, a Ukrainian drone attack set ablaze an oil terminal in the city and also hit a historic nearby naval base.
June 5, 2026 5:03 am
The New World screwworm fly is threatening the $113 billion U.S. cattle industry for the first time in more than a half century. An infestation from its flesh-eating larvae has been confirmed in south Texas in a 3-week-old calf in La Pryor, about 100 miles southwest of San Antonio. Federal and state officials had been working to keep the parasite from reaching Texas since its late 2024 appearance in southern Mexico. Before that, it had been contained in Panama for years. The U.S. eradicated the pest by the early 1970s by breeding sterile male flies and dropping swarms from planes to mate with wild females. Millions are being released each week now.
June 5, 2026 4:58 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Television and movie actors have voted to ratify a four-year contract with studios and streaming services. This comes after union leaders negotiated protections against synthetic actors created by artificial intelligence. The ratification was widely expected, and a strike like the one in 2023 never seemed likely during the drama-free negotiations. More than 90% of Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists members approved the agreement. The new deal, like on recently reached by Hollywood writers, is for four years instead of the usual three. This provides extra labor stability in the industry. The contract includes provisions to keep the use of AI actors minimal.
June 6, 2026 2:32 am
PennDot has announced several road construction projects that will create traffic snarls in the area. The ongoing PennDot bridge replacement on Rt. 18 (Park Avenue) and South Main Street will see Rt.18 come to a complete close on Monday June 8. The closure is expected to last until June 29. A five mile detour is posted. That detour can be found here .
Additionally, In Upper St. Clair Township, Rt. 19 will be closed in both directions beginning at 6:00 AM on Saturday June 6, ending at 10:00 PM Sunday June 7. Route 19 will be closed from Boyce Road to McLaughlin Run Road/McMurray Road. The demolition of the Country Club Road Bridge will take place at this time. Significant detours will be in place. Those detours may be found here .
June 4, 2026 5:42 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the Justice Department that could allow him to avoid prison time. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter. The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October that charged Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or sharing diary-like notes with family members. Officials said the material contained classified information as he was preparing a memoir of his time in government. The person familiar with the matter insisted on anonymity to discuss a deal that hasn’t been made public. (Photo: AP)
June 4, 2026 2:21 am
Earlier this spring, the Pennsylvania Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement Trust’s dispute resolution committee deemed four grants as non-compliant. These grants included $25,000 for training and continuing education for the county’s Department of Human Services, $75,000 for The Childcare Group Solutions Center by Direct Consulting Solutions, $300,000 for the Shawn Patrick Recovery House, and $80,000 for an ECHO (Educate Children for Healthy Outcomes) program through the WHS Teen Outreach’s Common Ground Teen Center. During an appeal hearing held Wednesday, these decisions were overturned and the grants were deemed compliant. The decision regarding the $25,000 grant for the county’s Department of Human Services was overturned at the beginning of the hearing without further discussion. The other three grants were voted on following discussions with county representatives and Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski, who runs the WHS Teen Outreach Program.
June 3, 2026 5:08 am
ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) continues to host public input hearings about a proposed rate increase for People’s Natural Gas customers. A residential customer could see their monthly bill go up about $16 a month from $122 to $138, according to Peoples. If approved, the company said the rate increase would allow Peoples to earn a fair return on investments and continue to improve infrastructure. “The pipelines gas flows through are vitally important to continue to maintain and improve, and so, really, that’s in large part what this about, to continue to invest in the system and deliver safe, reliable service for customers,” said Nick Paradise of Peoples Gas. Critics believe Peoples Gas is looking to help its shareholders more than customers. In the end, a judge will make a recommendation to commissioners, who will then make a final decision. That’s due by December 26.
