January 9, 2026 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS will start accepting 2025 tax returns on Jan. 26, marking the official start of the 2026 tax filing season. The filing deadline is April 15. The IRS has faced challenges, including losing tens of thousands of workers through planned layoffs and buyouts spurred by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.. It also needs to implement major provisions from President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ tax package. The IRS expects to receive about 164 million individual tax returns this year, roughly on par with last year.
January 9, 2026 2:22 am
The Pennsylvania Farm Show – the country’s largest indoor agricultural exposition under one roof – kicks off this Saturday, Jan. 10th, in Harrisburg. This year’s theme is “Growing a Nation,” a nod to the Commonwealth’s role – and Pennsylvania agriculture’s role – in building our country as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America this year. To highlight that celebration, America250PA will have its interactive mobile unit on-site at the center of the Giant Expo Hall. Be sure to check it out! The 2026 Farm Show also features fan-favorites like the 1,000-pound butter sculpture, delicious Farm Show Food Court, thousands of competitive agricultural events, homegrown celebrity cooking demonstrations at the PA Preferred® Culinary Connection, and more than 1 million square feet of hands-on agriculture education opportunities and chances to engage with the people who are growing Pennsylvania and our nation through agriculture. Admission to the show is free, but parking is $15 per vehicle. Shuttle service is provided.
January 8, 2026 5:44 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed legislation that extends expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act. It’s a remarkable rebuke of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who tried to stop it. But renegade Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats on a so-called “discharge petition” to force action. The health care tax breaks have lowered health insurance costs for roughly 22 million people, but expired last month. The Congressional Budget Office said the proposed three-year extension would increase the nation’s deficit by about $80.6 billion over the decade, and increase the number of people with health insurance by millions. Members of the Senate are working on an alternative bill.
January 8, 2026 3:04 am
It was an evening of pomp, circumstance and celebration that had Washington
Common Pleas Court Judge Brandon Neuman sworn in as a Superior Court Justice. After seven years in Washington County, Neuman will move on to the appellate court level. He will be listening to appeals from common pleas courts to make sure that individuals, as he says, receive justice. Neuman is the first justice elected to an appellate position from Washington County. Members of the Supreme Court, Commonwealth Court, local Common Pleas Courts and his new colleagues on the Superior Court listened as his former boss Robert Pierce, his colleague Judge Gary Gilman, his former colleague in the State House Ryan Bizzaro and close friend Attorney Joseph Messa congratulated him and recalled their associations with him. All of them spoke of his qualities of patience, preparedness and compassion. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Todd administered the oath of office as Neuman’s four children held the bible while his wife Carrie looked on and robed Judge Neuman. In his remarks, Neuman said that in the opening paragraph of the Preamble to the Constitution, justice is the first quality mentioned. He said he hopes to continue to bring justice to the residents of Pennsylvania.
January 8, 2026 4:28 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will run for a second term in the pivotal battleground state after a first term that put him on the Democratic Party’s radar as a potential presidential contender in 2028. Shapiro will formally announced his reelection bid Thursday at events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Shapiro hasn’t disclosed any future plans and insists he’s focused on Pennsylvania issues. But his reelection effort will be watched as another test of whether he’s White House material. Shapiro has enjoyed robust public approval ratings and carries a reputation as a disciplined messenger and powerhouse fundraiser. For 2026, Pennsylvania’s Republican Party endorsed Stacy Garrity, the twice-elected state treasurer, to challenge Shapiro.
January 7, 2026 4:45 am
SOUTH UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A man is dead after a crash on Route 40 in Fayette County Wednesday evening. Fayette County dispatchers said the crash happened along Route 40 East in South Union Township at 6:28 p.m. A minivan and another vehicle were involved in the crash. Coroner Dr. Bob Baker said the driver of the minivan, Michael Duritsky Jr., 28, of Addison, was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials said the driver of the other vehicle was not injured. Police continue to investigate.
January 8, 2026 4:55 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis is on edge following the fatal shooting of a woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer taking part in the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown. The governor called for people to remain calm and the city’s school district canceled all classes and activities as a safety precaution Thursday and Friday. State and local officials have demanded ICE leave the state after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot in the head. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said they are not going anywhere. Federal officials called the killing Wednesday an act of self-defense. But Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey dismissed that characterization as “garbage.”
January 8, 2026 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The woman shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis was a U.S. citizen and mother of a 6-year-old. In social media accounts, 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good described herself as a poet, writer, wife and mom. Trump administration officials painted Macklin Good as a domestic terrorist who had attempted to ram federal agents with her car. Her mother told a Minnesota newspaper that her daughter was not involved in protests against the administration’s immigration crackdown. She said her daughter was compassionate and took care of others all her life.
January 8, 2026 4:48 am
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Police say a shooting outside a church building in Salt Lake City has killed two people and injured six others. The shooting took place Wednesday in the parking lot of a house of worship for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. Dozens of people were attending a funeral inside at the time. All the victims were adults. Salt Lake City police do not believe the shooting was targeting a religion. They also say they think it was not random. Authorities say no suspect is in custody. About 100 law enforcement vehicles were at the scene in the aftermath, and helicopters flew overhead.
January 8, 2026 4:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has advanced a resolution that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela. The vote Thursday was a disapproval of Trump’s expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere. Trump says the five Republicans who voted in favor of the resolution “should never be elected to office again.” The 52-47 vote to advance the war powers resolution ensures a vote next week on final passage. The measure has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign it if it were to pass the Republican-controlled House. Trump says the Senate vote impedes his authority as commander in chief under the Constitution.
