October 6, 2026 4:38 am
The Cecil Township Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to create the position of Director of Public Safety. Supervisors also appointed Chief of Police Shawn Bukovinsky to the role. Chairman Frank Egizio says creating this position was necessary because of continual growth in the township. Egizio believes that Bukovinsky’s background and knowledge will make him a great fit. Bukovinsky says he looks forward to working closely with the fire department and coordinating police, fire, and EMS together. In other business, supervisors will host a Data Center Ordinance Hearing on Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00 PM at the Cecil Township Municipal Building. Residents will have the opportunity to review a drafted ordinance and provide feedback.
October 5, 2026 2:39 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Pennsylvania has surpassed 1,000 measles cases this year, state health officials said Monday, making it the largest state outbreak in more than three decades. The U.S. is enduring its worst year for measles since 1991, with nearly 3,900 reported cases, according to the CDC. The nation has seen eight reported measles-associated deaths in the past two years — more than the combined total of reported deaths over the previous three decades. Since the beginning of last year, large outbreaks have been reported in several states, including Texas and Utah, as well as South Carolina, which had the largest with 997 cases reported. Health officials say Pennsylvania’s current outbreak started in April, west of Philadelphia. There have been 1,004 cases, including 198 hospitalizations and five deaths, state officials said. Health experts attribute such outbreaks to low vaccination rates. (Photo: AP)
October 5, 2026 2:41 am
Gas prices are seven cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.637 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline dropped 11 cents over the past week to $4.36. This follows a record-setting September at the pump. The monthly average was $4.33, 50 cents higher than the previous September record of $3.83 set in 2023. Crude oil prices have dipped back into the $90 per barrel range, lowering the national average, but overall gas prices remain the highest they’ve ever been for this time of year.
October 6, 2026 5:06 am
ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — Cornell students, professors and others are thronging a campus plaza to protest the university’s response to allegations of sexual assault at a fraternity house in 2024. Students complained at Monday’s demonstration that the Ivy League university has met sexual assault complaints with procedures and silence, instead of support. Speakers faulted fraternities, the university trustees and Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff. The protesters marched to present a list of demands at the school’s main administration building. It had been splashed with graffiti and damaged overnight.
October 6, 2026 5:07 am
President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Army Maj. Nidal Hasan for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas. The U.S. military hasn’t carried out the death penalty since 1961. A Pentagon spokesperson says the Army secretary will decide the time and place for the execution. Hasan killed 13 people and injured more than 30, claiming it was to stop soldiers from going to Afghanistan. Trump’s approval starts procedural steps for the execution, but Hasan could delay it with an appeal in civilian courts. Death sentences are rare in the military, with only four men currently on death row.
October 6, 2026 5:08 am
Tennessee’s top Republicans are exploring alternative execution methods after the failed execution of Christa Pike. U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn said Monday the state needs to reevaluate its execution procedures. She emphasized the need to find a successful method, whether lethal injection or electric chair. Top legislative leaders have discussed potential changes to state execution laws during their 2027 session. Tennessee’s execution procedures gained national attention last week when Pike survived a lethal injection attempt. Republican Gov. Bill Lee halted the remaining execution scheduled for this year and ordered an independent investigation into the state’s capital punishment system.
October 5, 2026 5:09 am
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has begun a three-nation tour of NATO allies with a stop in Iceland. Unease persists there about the Trump administration’s Arctic intentions even after a deal was reached to ease the president’s designs on neighboring Greenland. Rubio called Iceland “a good friend” and offered no hint of tensions with the island that’s a NATO member but has no army. Before the Greenland deal was struck last month, Iceland was an occasional feature of Trump’s comments and social media complaints about NATO allies not doing enough to support the United States. Rubio, who also will visit Greece and Portugal this week, has often been called upon to reassure U.S. partners after undiplomatic comments by Trump.
October 6, 2026 5:11 am
Seven major oil-exporting countries agreed Sunday to keep production steady in November at a time when the Iran war has driven the price of benchmark Brent crude oil above $100 a barrel. The so-called OPEC+ subgroup will meet again on Nov. 1 to review conditions in the oil market. The group includes Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman. The fighting with Iran began with U.S. and Israeli attacks last Feb. 28 and has disrupted global oil supplies and driven prices higher.
October 5, 2026 5:10 am
VIENNA (AP) — The United States military recently confirmed that the U.S. has deployed weapons in space. It didn’t specify the types or targets of these weapons. Such resources as the 2026 Global Counterspace Capabilities Report, published by the nonprofit Secure World Foundation, help to provide an overview of potential space weapons. The report lists five distinct categories of counterspace capabilities. It examines systems being developed by 13 countries. But there’s a lack of transparency on what is being launched into space, Concerns persist, despite the Outer Space Treaty, which bans nuclear weapons in space. Experts argue the treaty needs updating to address modern challenges.
October 6, 2026 11:58 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Skydance-owned Paramount has closed its $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. The new Hollywood giant will be known as Skydance. The merger that closed Tuesday brings two of America’s oldest moviemaking studios together. It also further concentrates power in an industry already run by just a handful of major players. HBO Max and networks such as CNN now find themselves under the same roof as Paramount+ and CBS. Skydance Corp. emerges from one of the biggest tie-ups ever in the media and entertainment industry. Including billions of dollars in debt, the Warner acquisition amounted to nearly $111 billion.
