March 27, 2026 5:14 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel has launched a wave of strikes on Iran ahead of a planned U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure. Iran and the United States appeared stuck in a diplomatic impasse, setting the stage for more potential escalation as the first month of the Middle East war neared its end. Air raid sirens sounded in Israel early Friday as the military said it was working to intercept Iranian missiles. Iran kept up its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors, with incoming drones and missiles reported in both Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. After Wall Street’s worst day since the war began, Asian shares mostly fell over growing doubts about the chances for de-escalation.
March 27, 2026 2:17 am
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Iran is cementing its hold over the Strait of Hormuz, demanding vessels give up detailed information and detour into Iranian waters before being vetted by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. In some cases, vessels have paid for passage. Traffic through the strait has fallen by 90% since the start of the war, sending global oil prices skyrocketing and creating alarming shortages in the Asian nations that get their oil from producers in the Persian Gulf. Yet ships with connections to Iran and its chief energy customer, China, continue to transit the strait.
March 29, 2026 7:00 am
(AP – Actor James Tolkan, known for his roles as a cigar-chomping naval commander in “Top Gun” and a gruff high school administrator in “Back to the Future,” has died. He was 94. Tolkan’s booking agent says Tolkan died Thursday in Lake Placid, New York. In “Back to the Future,” Tolkan portrayed the bow tie-wearing Vice Principal Gerald Strickland, who eyeballed students for trouble — in particular Marty McFly, played by Michael J. Fox. Tolkan also portrayed commanding officer Tom “Stinger” Jardian in “Top Gun.”
March 26, 2026 5:25 am
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks have traded mostly lower after Wall Street had its worst day since the start of the Iran war over growing doubts about a de-escalation. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 has closed 0.4% lower, while South Korea’s Kospi has also dropped 0.4%. On Friday, oil prices gained around 1%, and U.S. futures edged up. President Donald Trump said he was postponing a threatened attack on Iran’s energy facilities shortly after U.S. stocks closed with sharp falls on Thursday. The S&P 500 slumped 1.7% for its worst day since January. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 2.4%, after Iran rejected a U.S. offer for a ceasefire.
March 26, 2026 5:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department plans to print President Donald Trump’s signature on every new U.S. paper bill. Treasury announced the idea Thursday. Treasury says it would mark the first time a sitting president’s signature appears on new currency. The announcement is part of a broader push to put Trump’s name and image on public symbols. Treasury also backs a separate effort for a Trump coin. Earlier this month, a federal arts commission approves a design for a gold commemorative coin with his face.
March 26, 2026 4:57 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court says the state cannot automatically give life without parole for felony murder without weighing each defendant’s culpability in the killing. The high court on Thursday ordered a new sentencing hearing for Derek Lee over a second-degree conviction, but paused it for four months to give state lawmakers time to consider legislation in response. Pennsylvania law has made people liable for second-degree murder if they participated in an eligible felony that led to death. Life with no possibility of parole has been the only possible sentence. The court says the current rule treats a lookout the same as the person who kills.
March 26, 2026 1:52 pm
The Fayette County Coroner’s Office has identified the man found dead in the Youghiogheny River last week as forty-two-year-old William Guidi of Somerset. He was identified using rapid DNA testing and advanced fingerprint analysis. His family has been notified. Two fishermen found Guidi’s body along the river. He reportedly had no ID, wallet, phone or fishing or hiking equipment on him. The coroner says preliminary autopsy findings suggest he died from accidental drowning, but final toxicology reports are still needed.
March 25, 2026 1:48 am
If you happened to notice a large police presence around the W&J Campus in Washington Wednesday afternoon, city police say they were called in to assist with an incident that began in East Washington Borough and ended in the city following a brief foot chase. They’ve released little information, except to say they did take a male into custody and there was no active threat to the community.
March 25, 2026 2:20 am
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele announced on Wednesday that the search for seventeen-year-old Emily Grace Salonick is over. Aubele says Salonick, who was missing for a week, was found in South Carolina and a twenty-year-old man is now facing charges. According to Aubele, Michael Hart is currently facing a charge of interfering with the custody of children, and additional charges are expected to be filed. Aubele, who called Hart – Salonick’s “paramour” – denied knowing where she was when he was first interviewed. Salonick was reported missing on March 18th. Aubele says their investigation led them to discover that Hart took her out of Pennsylvania and placed her with a family member. Authorities credit the public for help in finding her. They say they received hundreds of tips through phone calls and social media. The investigation is ongoing.
March 26, 2026 4:57 am
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed a bill that would codify marriage equality into law. House Bill No. 1800 calls to change the definition of marriage in Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes from: “a civil contract by which one man and one woman take each other for husband and wife” to “a civil contract between two individuals.” The legislation advanced with a vote of 127 yeas and 72 nays. Representative Malcolm Kenyatta was the prime sponsor for the bill. He released a statement on its passing, saying: “I know some folks in this building have never had to refresh a computer screen to see if a court has given you access to a fundamental right, but that’s where I was when Obergefell v. Hodges ruling came up – and the court voted correctly,” Kenyatta said. “Because of this vote, I got to marry my best friend, Dr. Matthew Kenyatta. As important as this vote is to me, my family and people across the commonwealth who are in loving same-sex marriages, it’s equally as important that this law is passed to ensure our state law reflects the law of the land held in Obergefell. “Marriage is not symbolic, there are legal, practical and financial things connected to the institution of marriage.” Governor Josh Shapiro also celebrated the movement. The bill is now moving to the Republican-led Senate for consideration.
