January 3, 2026 4:40 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The FBI says it disrupted a New Year’s Eve attack plot in North Carolina, arresting an 18-year-old who allegedly pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group. Christian Sturdivant is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Authorities say he shared plans with an undercover FBI employee to use knives and hammers to carry out the attacks. Sturdivant was arrested Wednesday and remains in custody. An attorney representing him did not respond Friday to requests seeking comment. The investigation began last month after authorities linked Sturdivant to a social media account that posted content supportive of IS.
January 3, 2026 4:38 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Authorities in Iran report that violence surrounding protests over the country’s struggling economy has killed two more people, raising the death toll to at least 10. The protests, now a week old, are the largest since 2022. U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Friday against violently suppressing protesters, promising U.S. intervention. This sparked an angry response from Iranian officials. Activists say the protests have spread to over 100 locations across 22 provinces. Iran’s government, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, has signaled a willingness to negotiate, but economic challenges persist.
January 3, 2026 4:41 am
The Trump administration has frozen child care funds to all states after allegations of fraud at Minnesota day care centers run by Somali residents. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said states will have to provide more verification for the child care centers that receive funds from the Child Care and Development Fund. In addition, Minnesota will have to provide additional verification on top of the new requirements for centers that are suspected of fraud. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has accused President Donald Trump of weaponizing the allegations for political gains. Trump has targeted the Somali diaspora in the state.
January 3, 2026 3:56 am
Emergency crews were dispatched to the 50 block of West Maiden Street in West Middletown early Saturday morning. At about 1:30am, a pick-up truck left the road and struck a house. The people in the home were trapped until emergency crews arrived. They were safely evacuated. The driver of the pick-up truck also escaped. Washington County 9-1-1 officials state that no injuries were reported and that the home is being analyzed for structural integrity.
January 4, 2026 3:54 am
The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission has launched the “Pennsylvania 250; The Keystone of American History” showcase to commemorate Pennsylvania’s role in the nation’s founding, growth and democratic evolution. At the center of the initiative is an exhibition called “Revolutionary Things: Objects from the Collection”. It is a 3000 square foot exhibition at The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. It features more than 140 artifacts that span three centuries of Pennsylvania and American history. Additionally, several other events are planned statewide. Among them are the “Patriots and Prisoners: The Pennsylvania Experience” that examines prisoners of war. That will take place during the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show. Locally, Old Economy Village in Ambridge will explore craftsmanship as a civic tradition. That will culminate in a Civil War Weekend on May 2, 2026. More information about other statewide events may be found at phmc.pa.gov.
January 4, 2026 4:06 am
SPRING CITY, Pa. (AP) — Tech companies looking to plunge billions of dollars into ever-bigger data centers to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing are increasingly being voted down. Communities across the United States are learning from each other’s battles as data center developers branch out in search of faster connections to power sources. Once-sleepy municipal board meetings in farming towns and growing suburbs now feature crowded rooms of angry residents pressuring local officials to reject the requests. One commercial real estate consultant says “it’s becoming a huge problem” and it’s raising alarms among Big Tech firms, electricity providers, labor unions and other AI stakeholders.
January 2, 2026 5:08 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Enhanced tax credits that have helped Americans offset the cost of Affordable Care Act health insurance for the last four years expired overnight. The arrival of the New Year’s Day deadline with no fix from Congress cemented higher health costs for millions of Americans, including many self-employed workers, small business owners, farmers and ranchers. The change represents a failure by lawmakers to address an affordability issue that many Americans have raised as a top concern ahead of the 2026 midterms. On average, the more than 20 million subsidized enrollees in the Affordable Care Act program are seeing their premium costs rise by 114% in 2026, according to an analysis by the health care research nonprofit KFF.
January 2, 2026 3:31 pm
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The FBI says it disrupted a New Year’s Eve attack plot in North Carolina, arresting an 18-year-old who allegedly pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group. Christian Sturdivant is charged with attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Authorities say he shared attack plans with an undercover FBI employee. Sturdivant was arrested Wednesday and remains in custody. Searches of his home uncovered what authorities call a manifesto detailing plans for an attack with knives and a hammer. The investigation began last month after authorities linked Sturdivant to a social media account that posted content supportive of IS.
January 2, 2026 4:48 am
A car and a tractor-trailer crashed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike Thursday night. The Mt. Pleasant Volunteer Fire Department said the crash happened at the 87.7-mile marker at 8:23 p.m. When crews arrived, they found the car pinned underneath the trailer. The driver of the car was able to get out on their own. The vehicle was removed by firefighters, who were back in service around two hours after they were called to the scene. (Photo: Mt. Pleasant VFD)
January 2, 2026 4:57 am
PITTSBURGH — A new law, changing penalties for driving under the influence, signed by Governor Josh Shapiro in December, is now in effect. Prosecutors believe it holds drunk drivers accountable, but defense lawyers say it may be too harsh. For years, if someone was arrested and charged with a DUI, prosecuting attorneys could allow first-time offenders to enter what’s called an ARD, or Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition. “ARD, for years, was always considered a clean slate,” said Attorney Phil DiLucente. “It gave people the opportunity to start anew.” But a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling last April changed that. “Now the Supreme Court, it’s the law of the land, and they decided an ARD is not a conviction,” said Beaver County District Attorney Nate Bible. That meant that district attorneys and judges could no longer look at someone who was charged with DUI a second time as a repeat offender if they successfully completed a diversion program after their first DUI. “We’re okay with sort of the clean slate and people getting a fresh start, but when you have somebody who’s on their second, third, fourth DUI, that fourth DUI shouldn’t be counted as a third,” Bible said. So, the Pennsylvania District Attorney Association worked with lawmakers to change the law. “This is how people get killed, so they wanted to put a stop to that and try to have some accountability,” Bible said. As an example, if you were charged with your first DUI last year and successfully went through a diversion program. But then, 5 years from now, you get a second DUI. Even though the PA Supreme Court said that first DUI wasn’t a conviction on your record — because of the new state law — you can now face penalties as if it were a conviction.
