May 19, 2026 2:39 am
Triple A says Memorial Day travelers can expect to pay the highest gas prices at the pump in four years. Gas prices are nine cents lower in Western Pennsylvania this week at $4.760 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. Nationally, after some consistent declines, the national average price for gasoline rose towards the end of last week and the national average is $4.51, a penny less than last Monday and nearly 50 cents higher than a month ago. Travelers are preparing to hit the road in record numbers this week, and drivers will be facing the highest Memorial Day gas prices since 2022. This time last year, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline was $3.17. Simultaneously, oil is trading around $107/barrel after spending most of last week trading around $100/barrel. With elevated oil prices and expected higher demand, prices could continue to push upward through the week and into the weekend. (Photo: AP)
May 18, 2026 2:52 am
A retired priest and chaplain is facing charges for sex-related crimes dating back to 2009 – after investigators say two victims recently came forward. Now, our news partners at WPXI say there could be more victims. Authorities say 84-year-old Robert Byrnes is currently facing multiple charges, including aggravated indecent assault without consent and obstruction and official oppression. The Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office says Byrnes was a chaplain for the Pennsylvania State Police and other law enforcement agencies through 2018, and was issued a badge and a state police uniform. He lived at Christ Our Shepard Center in Greensburg in an apartment above the kitchen and the DA’s office says both male victims reportedly worked in the kitchen there. Following his arraignment, Byrnes on $250,000 unsecured bail. He’s expected to appear in court again in June.
May 19, 2026 4:50 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates says drones that targeted its Barakah nuclear power plant all came from Iraq. The announcement Tuesday means that Iranian-backed Shiite militias were likely behind Sunday’s nuclear plant attack. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said he’s willing to give Iran a few days — possibly until early next week — to make progress in peace negotiations before the United States resumes military strikes. No group has claimed responsibility for the UAE attack, though Iran and its proxies had been suspected. Such militias have launched repeated drone attacks targeting Gulf Arab states after Israel and the United States began their war against Iran on Feb. 28.
May 19, 2026 4:51 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has not ruled out the possibility of compensating individuals involved in violence during the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot from a new $1.776 billion fund. During a Congressional hearing on Tuesday, Blanche stated that anyone who believes they were politically targeted can apply for the “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” The fund, announced Monday, aims to compensate those mistreated by previous administrations’ Justice Departments. Blanche emphasized that the fund is not limited to any political party or specific individuals. Some Democrats have criticized the fund as an abuse of power, while some Republicans have expressed discomfort with it.
May 19, 2026 4:54 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Federal authorities say the teenagers who killed three people at a San Diego mosque met online and shared a “broad hatred” toward different religions and races. Mark Remily of the FBI said Tuesday that authorities have uncovered writings by the suspects. Authorities have also recovered 30 firearms and a crossbow from two residences searched in connection to the investigation. Remily said authorities are still trying to uncover whether the shooters had broader plans.
May 19, 2026 4:55 am
BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The visit comes less than a week after U.S. President Donald Trump wrapped up his own trip to Beijing. Putin is scheduled to be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday. The meeting is likely to be closely watched as Beijing seeks to maintain stable relations with the United States while also preserving strong ties with Russia. The Kremlin has said Putin and Xi are planning to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries but also key international and regional issues. The visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship signed in 2001.
May 19, 2026 5:11 am
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Former Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman, who was convicted of lying during testimony at the O.J. Simpson murder trial, has died. He was 74. Fuhrman was one of the first two police detectives sent to investigate the 1994 killings of Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Furhman reported finding a bloody glove at Simpson’s home but his credibility came under attack during the trial as the defense raised the prospect of racial bias. Under cross-examination, Fuhrman testified he had never made anti-Black racial slurs over the previous 10 years, but a recording made by an aspiring screenwriter showed he had done so repeatedly. A coroner said Monday that Fuhrman died May 12 in Idaho, where he had moved years ago.
May 19, 2026 5:10 am
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo will open three treatment centers for the Ebola virus in the eastern Ituri province, and the World Health Organization is sending a team of experts to the country, following an outbreak that has killed nearly 120 people. An American doctor in Congo is among the newly confirmed cases of a rare type of Ebola virus with no approved vaccines or medicines, Congolese officials said Monday, as details emerged about the government’s delayed response to the outbreak. The Bundibugyo virus spread undetected for weeks. Experts criticize the delayed response and lack of resources. The U.S. CDC says the risk to Americans is low but urges caution for travelers in the region.
May 18, 2026 5:57 pm
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Police say a shooting at a San Diego mosque has killed three men and both suspects are dead. San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said both suspects are believed to be teens and the case is considered to be a hate crime. The shooting happened Monday at the Islamic Center of San Diego. It is the largest mosque in San Diego County. The Islamic Center is about 9 miles north of downtown San Diego. The campus includes the Al Rashid School, which the website says offers courses in Arabic language, Islamic studies and the Quran.
May 18, 2026 10:39 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A gun and notebook that prosecutors say link Luigi Mangione to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson can be used as evidence at his murder trial. The judge’s ruling Monday partially rejects a defense argument that those items were seized illegally, before a search warrant was obtained. It’s a major win for prosecutors, enabling them to show the jury a possible murder weapon and evidence they say points to motive. But the judge also ruled that other evidence found during an initial search of Mangione’s backpack must be suppressed. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges.
