July 14, 2026 2:55 am
Voices of Independence (formally TRIPL) joined with Disability Pride Pennsylvania to host the inaugural “Disability Pride Washington” event at the Mainstreet Pavilion in Washington on Tuesday. Organizers say the event was also held to honor Disability Pride Month and to observe President George H.W. Bush’s signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990. The act is a civil law that forbids discrimination against individuals with disabilities in many public and private places. Tuesday’s event featured guest speakers including Mayor JoJo Burgess, a wide variety of resource tables, entertainment and a food truck. Voices of Independence has been serving those with disabilities for 30 years in 27 counties throughout western Pennsylvania.
July 13, 2026 4:52 am
Gas prices are down 13-cents here in Western Pennsylvania this week. AAA says the average now stands at $4.01 per gallon. Here in Washington, our average is nearly 17 cents higher at $4.18. The national average, however increased 8-cents to $3.87 after steadily dropping since late May. The situation between the U.S. and Iran remains uncertain and that led crude oil prices to rise to over $70 per barrel as volatility lingers about the Strait of Hormuz. Prices are still lower than they were in the spring when the national average peaked at $4.56 on May 21. Today’s national average is 21 cents less than one month ago but 72 cents higher than one-year ago.
July 14, 2026 4:58 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian state television says two members of the Islamic State group have been executed after they were convicted of armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic. The report Tuesday identified the men as Mohieddin Abdollahi and Hossein Palani. It said they belonged to an Islamic State cell that formed after the group’s territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria and had planned attacks inside Iran.
July 14, 2026 5:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The sister of the late South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has been sworn in to fill his seat, just three days after his death. Darline Graham was sworn in at the Senate on Tuesday. Darline Graham was appointed by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Monday to fill the remaining months of her brother’s term. A separate special election will be held next month to pick a new Republican nominee in the general election for Lindsey’s Graham’s seat, as he had been seeking a fifth term this year. Darline Graham will be the state’s first female senator. She has not previously held public office.
July 14, 2026 5:04 am
BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) — Sen. Angus King says the motorist killed by ICE officers in a Maine shooting was not the target of the warrant the officers were executing. King said Monday that that information came from Homeland Security Secretary Mullin. It’s the second time in a week that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have used deadly force and at least the ninth death since President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown. Immigrant rights groups identified the man who was killed as a 26-year-old native of Colombia. DHS says “the vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.”
July 14, 2026 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge says President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over his leaked tax returns was filed for an “improper purpose” as she referred one of his attorneys for possible disciplinary action. The ruling from U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams on Monday amounts to a stinging rebuke of the Republican president’s lawsuit, characterizing it as an exercise in self-dealing in which he sued an entity that is effectively under his control. The suit concluded in May with a settlement agreement that created a since-abandoned $1.776 billion fund meant to compensate allies of the president, as well as immunity from tax audits.
July 13, 2026 4:59 pm
(AP) – South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has named Darline Graham Nordone as her late brother Lindsey Graham’s temporary replacement in the U.S. Senate. Graham died at age 71 over the weekend. Nordone will serve the remaining months of his term, which ends in January. A special election next month will determine the new Republican nominee for Graham’s seat. The open seat has sparked interest among South Carolina’s conservatives. A special primary election is scheduled for August 11, with a runoff on August 25 if needed. The general election will take place on November 3.
July 13, 2026 5:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close ally of President Donald Trump, has died after a brief illness. The South Carolina Republican was 71. Graham was known for advocating a strong U.S. foreign policy. He initially opposed Trump and ran against him for president in 2016, but later became a staunch supporter. Graham had just returned from Ukraine, where he’d meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Graham was known for advising Trump on matters such as Iran and Russia. Trump says Graham “sounded a little bit tired, but perfect,” when the senator called the president Saturday night after returning from his trip. The Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia’s preliminary findings are Graham died of aortic dissection.
July 13, 2026 10:36 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says the United States is “reinstating” a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and will charge ships for safe passage. He made the announcement in a post on social media Monday, after another exchange of fire between the United States and Iran over the critical waterway. A fifth of the world’s oil and gas passed through the strait before Iran asserted control over it after the start of the war.
July 13, 2026 4:45 am
PITTSBURGH — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed the state budget into law . He officially signed the 2026-27 General Appropriations Act into law around 6:15 p.m. It’s the fifth year in a row that the state budget has been overdue. Lawmakers said the stalemate this time around boiled down to how the budget is paid and a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on skill machines complicating talks. In his remarks, Gov. Shapiro repeatedly praised the divided legislature for finding compromise and consensus. “This is the fourth year in a row where – despite working with one of the only divided legislatures in the country, where we have some really profound differences – we stayed at the table and brought Democrats and Republicans together to get stuff done, again,” he said. “We managed to find compromise – without compromising our core values.” The new budget cuts taxes, invests in education and workforce development, offers a pension bump to retired school, state and emergency responders, funds projects to repair state roads, provides relief for farmers, supports crisis centers and requires data centers to report annual utility consumption to the state. While the budget contained many compromises, Shapiro said he’s proud of avoiding any cuts to Medicaid and that all adequacy funding stayed.
