January 28, 2026 3:26 am
South Strabane Township Supervisors took the next steps in amending their 2026 budget. During their voting meeting, they authorized the advertisement of the revised spending plan for 10 days. They also authorized the scheduling of a special voting meeting to take place on February 11 at 6:30 pm to adopt the budget. Both measures passed 3-2 as with all other votes concerning the budget. Supervisors George Rowand, Jeff Bull and Zack Morgan approved, Bob Weber and Russell Grego voted no. Supervisors also adopted a measure to direct the township manager to contact the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to participate in an information program that could make recommendations for budget allocations. Supervisor Chairman George Rowand says that conversations held with other communities indicate that the 62% of the budget spent on public safety may be out of line. Supervisors also passed an ordinance governing the development of solar farms. The ordinance will be amended to have decommissioning fees increased and property setback lines established at 1000 feet. Supervisors also tabled a measure to advertise draft ordinances for Data Centers, Battery Energy Storage Systems and a noise ordinance. Township Manager Peter Stefansky stated that the ordinances need approval from several other governing bodies before they can be offered for public view. Stefansky also said that each of the ordinances would have public hearings before any official action would be taken.
January 28, 2026 4:57 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The man accused of squirting an unknown substance on Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar at a town hall in Minneapolis has a criminal history and made online posts supportive of President Donald Trump. Minnesota court records show Anthony Kazmierczak was convicted of felony auto theft in 1989 and has multiple arrests for driving under the influence. Police say Kazmierczak used a syringe to squirt liquid at Omar on Tuesday. Kazmierczak has been charged with assault. Omar continued speaking and says she’s OK. It’s unclear if Kazmierczak has a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. In social media posts, Kazmierczak criticized Democrats, calling them “angry and liars.”
January 28, 2026 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Customs and Border Protection official told Congress in a notice that two federal officers fired shots during the encounter that killed ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Tuesday’s notification obtained by The Associated Press said officers tried to take Pretti into custody and he resisted, leading to a struggle. The official said that during the struggle, a Border Patrol agent yelled, “He’s got a gun!” multiple times. The notice says a Border Patrol agentsr and a CBP officer each fired Glock pistols. Investigators from CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducted the analysis based on a review of body-worn camera footage and agency documentation.
January 28, 2026 4:59 am
Authorities say a man who was involved in a human smuggling operation was shot Tuesday in an exchange of gunfire with the U.S. Border Patrol and after firing at a federal helicopter. The FBI says agents returned fire, striking the man and wounding him. Authorities say the 34-year-old man was transported to a hospital and was recovering from surgery Tuesday evening. He was identified as Patrick Gary Schlegel. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department says the FBI asked it to lead a use-of-force investigation of the Border Patrol. It noted that such investigations are standard when a federal agency is involved in a shooting in the county.
January 28, 2026 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve pushed the pause button on its interest rate cuts Wednesday, leaving its key rate unchanged at about 3.6% after lowering it three times last year. With the economy growing at a healthy pace and no signs of deterioration in hiring, Fed officials likely see little reason to rush any further rate cuts. While most policymakers do expect to reduce borrowing costs further this year, many want to see evidence that stubbornly-elevated inflation is moving closer to the central bank’s target of 2%. According to the Fed’s preferred measure, inflation was 2.8% in November, slightly higher than a year ago.
January 28, 2026 5:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board says the placement of a helicopter route so close to Reagan National Airport’s secondary runway was a key factor in causing a midair aircraft collision that killed 67 people near Washington, D.C., a year ago. The NTSB said Tuesday that air traffic controllers’ over reliance on asking pilots to avoid other aircraft also contributed to an American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter colliding a year ago. The Federal Aviation Administration has taken steps to ensure helicopters and planes no longer share the same crowded airspace around the nation’s capital. An NTSB investigator says air traffic control had a big workload around the time of the crash.
January 27, 2026 12:29 pm
(AP) – A new influx of arctic air is expected to spur freezing temperatures in parts of the South already covered in snow and ice. Many people have fled to warming shelters, and crews worked Tuesday to restore power knocked out by a massive weekend winter storm. At least 35 deaths have been reported in states afflicted with severe cold. A county sheriff in Texas said Tuesday that three brothers, all under 10 years old, died after falling through ice on a pond the previous day. Other deaths included two people run over by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio, fatal sledding accidents that killed teenagers in Arkansas and Texas, and a woman whose body was found covered in snow in Kansas. In New York City, officials said eight people were found dead outdoors over the frigid weekend. The National Weather Service says more widespread record cold temperatures are forecast for Tuesday, with eastern Texas through western Pennsylvania under extreme cold warnings. (Photo: AP)
January 27, 2026 12:33 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A daylong hearing was held that should make clear what caused a midair aircraft collision that killed 67 people near Washington, D.C. The National Transportation Safety Board will recommend steps to prevent similar tragedies. An American Airlines jet flying from Kansas and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided and plummeted into the Potomac River a year ago. The Federal Aviation Administration has taken steps to ensure helicopters and planes no longer share the same crowded airspace around the nation’s capital. A NTSB investigator says air traffic control had a big workload around the time of the crash.
January 27, 2026 5:44 pm
(AP) – Authorities in Arizona say one person was shot and in critical condition Tuesday in a shooting involving the Border Patrol near the U.S.- Mexico border. The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said it was working with the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in response to the shooting in Arivaca, Arizona, a community about 10 miles from the border. The FBI said it was “investigating an alleged assault on a federal officer” and that the subject was in custody. The area is a common path for drug smugglers and migrants who illegally cross the border, so agents regularly patrol there.
January 27, 2026 8:44 am
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) — The chief federal judge in Minnesota says the Trump administration has failed to comply with orders to hold hearings for detained immigrants and has ordered the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to appear before him Friday to explain why he shouldn’t be held in contempt. In an order dated Monday, Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz said Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, must appear personally in court. Schlitz took the administration to task over its handling of bond hearings for immigrants it has detained. The order says Schlitz recognizes that ordering the head of a federal agency to appear personally is extraordinary, but that the “extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary.”
