January 23, 2026 5:01 am
South Strabane Township Supervisors held their second special meeting in a week concerning the reopened 2026 budget. After a three hour workshop on Monday, supervisors previewed the new spending plan. The current budget calls for $8.772 million in revenue and $8.738 million in expenditures. The revised plan calls for $8.501 million in revenues and $8.487 million in expenditures. According to supervisor Zack Morgan, errors in calculations were discovered and adjusted to accurately reflect revenues. Morgan says that there were two major factors, building permit fees are split between the township and consulting firm Code.Sys. That makes up $120,000 in decreased revenue. Morgan also stated that Act 13 monies that were calculated at $250,000 are more likely to be in the range of $180,000. Morgan said that even though all departments will see an increase in funding, the township will lay off one employee and cease funding the Parks and Recreation department. The layoff will be for an administrative assistant/emergency services specialist that also supports the township with other administrative tasks. Fire Chief Jordan Cramer calls the layoff a blow to his department that will create more stress to his staff. Lois Gnagey, vice chairperson of the Parks and Recreation department is mad because the residents will not have Community Day, Easter Egg Hunts, Breakfast with Santa or bus trips that are popular with adults. The new budget will be available for inspection after the January 27 voting meeting. Supervisors plan to hold a special voting meeting on February 11 to formally adopt the new budget.
January 22, 2026 2:46 am
Attorney General Dave Sunday says a Washington County man pleaded guilty to rape and other sexual abuse of a 12-year-old child. Miguel Pedrosa, 63, pleaded guilty Thursday to rape of a child and numerous other felonies. In accordance with a plea agreement, Pedrosa was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. The abuse happened over a period of months, and an incident was recorded in January, when the child’s mother installed a video camera inside her home. Pedrosa was a close acquaintance of the victim. “This heinous conduct has no place in society, and the plea resolution is effectively a life sentence for the defendant who is already in his sixties,” Attorney General Sunday said. “I commend the Pennsylvania State Police for a sound investigation that led to very serious charges, this conviction, and, we hope, a measure of justice for the victim and their family.” In all, Pedrosa pleaded guilty to rape of a child, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, corruption of minors, aggravated indecent assault of a child, indecent assault, and endangering the welfare of a child — all felonies.
January 23, 2026 5:14 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Police arrested anti-immigration enforcement demonstrators at Minnesota’s largest airport after they overstepped their permit, officials said, as Arctic temperatures seized the state and others protesting the Trump administration’s crackdown urged people to stay away from work, school and shops. One of the faith groups organizing the protest said Friday “roughly 100 clergy” were arrested. Metropolitan Airports Commission spokesman Jeff Lea said the protesters were arrested outside the main terminal of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport when they went beyond what their permit for demonstrating stipulated and began affecting airline operations. Meanwhile, groups are asking Minnesotans to stay home in protest at immigration enforcement operations in the state
January 22, 2026 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith has defended his investigations of Donald Trump at a public congressional hearing. Smith insisted Thursday he acted without regard to politics and had no second thoughts about the criminal charges he brought. Smith said no one should be above the law, and the law required that Trump “be held to account.” Smith’s criminal investigations in Washington, D.C., and Florida shadowed Trump during his 2024 Republican presidential campaign. He testified behind closed doors last month but returned to the House Judiciary Committee for the public hearing. Republican lawmakers looked to undermine Smith while Democrats hoped to elicit damaging testimony about Trump’s conduct. Trump says Smith has “destroyed many lives.”
January 23, 2026 5:16 am
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement in Ukraine with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoys during marathon overnight talks, and the Kremlin insisted that the territorial issue needs to be resolved to make peace. The Kremlin meeting, which lasted past 3 a.m. Friday, came hours after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sharply criticized his European allies Thursday for what he cast as their slow and fragmented response to Russia’s nearly four-year full-scale invasion. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who took part in Putin’s meeting with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, said it would be impossible to reach a peace deal “without solving the territorial issue.”
January 23, 2026 5:17 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Activists report that Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests has killed at least 5,002 people. Many more are feared dead. But information is scarce in part because Iran has imposed the most comprehensive internet blackout in its history. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency provided the latest death toll Friday and noted more than 26,800 people have been detained. Iran’s government says 3,117 have died. But it has a history of giving lower tolls for political reasons. The Associated Press has been unable to verify these numbers because of the two-week internet shutdown. The U.S. has moved an aircraft carrier group closer to the Middle East. And U.S. President Donald Trump is warning of potential action against Iran.
January 23, 2026 6:11 pm
ONTARIO, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say they have arrested Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder facing charges related to drug trafficking and the killing of a federal witness. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel on Friday confirmed Wedding’s arrest. Patel said Wedding was arrested after turning himself in at a U.S. embassy in Mexico, where authorities believe he had been hiding for more than a decade. The former Olympian was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Wedding was charged in 2024 with running a drug ring that used semitrucks to move cocaine between Colombia, Mexico, Southern California and Canada.
January 23, 2026 5:13 am
TikTok has finalized a deal to create a new American entity, avoiding the looming threat of a ban in the U.S. that has been in discussion for years. The social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX to form the joint venture. The company said in a statement that the new version will operate under “defined safeguards” with an emphasis on data protections and software assurances for U.S. users. The establishment of a U.S. unit ends years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States.
January 23, 2026 6:13 pm
(AP) – That snowflake icon on your smartphone app might be quick and handy — it just might not be as accurate as a human when the weather gets rough. Experts say that’s especially important during winter storms like the one forecasted to smack the eastern U.S. with a mix of heavy snow, treacherous ice and subzero temperatures. The popular Weather Channel app, for example, uses artificial intelligence to analyze everything from computer models to citizen weather reports. But humans always have the last word. Most experts say the best place to get the most accurate forecast is still probably local television meteorologists.
January 22, 2026 5:52 pm
ATLANTA (AP) — A massive winter storm is barreling toward the eastern U.S., threatening to bring severe ice and snow from Texas to Boston. Forecasters warn the storm could rival a hurricane in damage to power lines and trees, especially in areas with heavy ice. The storm is expected to start Friday in New Mexico and Texas, moving east through the South and then up the coast into New England. Bitterly cold air could follow, with wind chills dropping to minus-50 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of Minnesota and North Dakota. Utility workers are on alert and supplies like bread and salt are flying off shelves. (Photo: AP)
