March 17, 2026 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have launched an unprecedented effort to hold the Senate floor and talk for days about a bill that they know won’t pass — an attempt to capture public attention on legislation requiring stricter voter registration rules as President Donald Trump pressures Congress to act before November’s midterm elections. The talkathon began Tuesday and could last a week or longer as Senate Majority Leader John Thune tries to navigate Trump’s insistence on the issue and Democrats’ united opposition. The legislation would require Americans to prove they are U.S. citizens before they register to vote and to show identification at the polls, among other new voting requirements.
March 17, 2026 4:49 am
CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) — A 7-ton meteor that sped across the Cleveland sky at 45,000 miles per hour on Tuesday broke apart in a thunderous boom that startled residents who feared an explosion. People several states away reported seeing the bright fireball even though it was 9 a.m. The American Meteor Society said it received reports from Wisconsin to Maryland. NASA later confirmed that it was a meteor nearly 6 feet in diameter. Astronomer Carl Hergenrother says meteors typically fall about once a day in the U.S. The meteor was first seen about 50 miles above Lake Erie.
March 17, 2026 10:33 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the National Counterterrorism Center has announced his resignation, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war in Iran. Joe Kent says Iran “posed no imminent threat” to the U.S. and it’s clear the U.S. started the war “due to pressure from Israel.” President Donald Trump has offered shifting reasons for the strikes and has pushed back on claims Israel forced the U.S. to act. Kent is a former political candidate with connections to right-wing extremists. Kent was confirmed to his post last July on a 52-44 vote. As head of the National Counterterrorism Center, Kent was in charge of an agency tasked with analyzing and detecting terrorist threats.
March 17, 2026 5:27 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi has been subpoenaed to answer questions from Congress about the Justice Department’s sex trafficking investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and the agency’s handling of millions of files related to the disgraced financier. Bondi was ordered Tuesday to appear for a deposition on April 14 by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform after a vote earlier this month that was supported by five Republicans. The Justice Department’s failure to fend off the subpoena from the Republican-led committee underscores widespread discontent among President Donald Trump’s own base over Bondi’s management of the review and release of a trove of documents from the criminal investigation into Epstein. (Photo: AP)
March 17, 2026 4:54 am
The Waffle House along Racetrack Road remains open after it was hit with four violations following an inspection by the State Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Program. According to the Department of Agriculture’s website, there were repeat violations for cigarette butts, paper and food found on the ground near the back door and trash on the ground near a trash bin. The inspection also found that the back door to the washing area had a gap that could allow insects, rodents or other animals to enter. According to the report, the person in charge at the time did not have adequate knowledge of food safety. A follow-up inspection was scheduled in ten days.
March 17, 2026 2:40 am
Gas prices are stable in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.733 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. Spring Break season is here as the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline jumped nearly 24 cents since last week to $3.71. The last time the national average was in the $3.70 range was October of 2023. Gasoline demand increases this time of year as the weather warms up and more drivers hit the road. Gas prices are also rising due to the conflict in Iran. The national average has gone up 73 cents since the conflict began on February 28th. Crude oil prices play a major role in what drivers pay at the pump, and prices have surpassed the $100/barrel mark multiple times in recent days. To help offset rising prices, the U.S. announced it will release 172 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves over four months. The move is part of a broader effort by the International Energy Agency to release a total of 400 million barrels of oil, the largest emergency release in its history.
March 16, 2026 2:24 am
The McDonald Police Department is sending a warning to parents after seizing several BB guns that were modified to look real. Police said they found two of these guns this month that were reportedly modified with metal parts and fake gun manufacturer stampings in order to look real. “In past incidents across the country, suspects have been shot by police and citizens brandishing these facsimile guns. We would advise parents to educate their children on the danger that these items can present,” the McDonald Police Department said in a statement. Police said one gun was found in a case involving a fight and another was found in a suspicious activity case that involved marijuana, gummies, a THC vape, wax and spray paint. They added that both of the juveniles said they had the guns “for protection.” Both juveniles are facing charges, police say. (Photo: McDonald Police Department Facebook page)
March 17, 2026 5:06 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Hundreds of flights are canceled or delayed one day after powerful storms swept across the eastern half of the country and disrupted thousands of others. The flight-tracking site FlightAware says more than 550 flights scheduled to fly into, out of or within the U.S. have been called off as of early Tuesday, It says over 460 have been delayed. Travelers have been facing additional jams at airport security checkpoints as a partial government shutdown strains screener staffing. The disruptions come at an already challenging time for air travel, in part because the shutdown that began Feb. 14 has pressured staffing at some security checkpoints.
March 17, 2026 5:04 am
BANGKOK (AP) — The escalating Iran war is pushing parts of the world into energy triage. Governments are deciding where to cut demand or absorb higher costs, while prioritizing dwindling supplies. In places like Bangkok and Vietnam, people are being urged to work from home, take the stairs and keep air-conditioning above 24°C, while some businesses are preparing for disruptions. The conflict is disrupting critical oil and natural gas shipments from the Middle East, sending prices soaring and threatening global growth — with Asia facing the greatest risk from the shock. That prompted some governments to draw on their emergency reserves, a stopgap measure that can only go on for so long.
March 17, 2026 5:05 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Israel says it has killed the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ all-volunteer Basij force, a key force used to suppress demonstrations in the Islamic Republic. The Israeli military said Tuesday a strike the day before had killed Gholamreza Soleimani. Iran did not immediately acknowledge Soleimani’s killing. “The Basij forces are part of the armed apparatus of the Iranian terror regime,” the Israeli military said in its statement. Also Tuesday, Dubai, a major transit hub for international travel, briefly shut its airspace as the military said it was “responding to incoming missile and drone threats” around the city, and a man was killed by the debris of a missile intercepted over Abu Dhabi.
