April 16, 2026 2:47 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Washington City Police say two previously missing and endangered juveniles have been safely located within the City of Washington. Fifteen-year-old Stephany Frazier and fifteen-year-old Martell Jones, were reported missing on April 12th and police were particularly concerned because Frazier left behind a note indicating possible intent to harm herself and her safety was of immediate concern. Police say both juveniles were returned to their parents, and they appear to be safe. The City of Washington Police Department would like to thank the public for their assistance, vigilance, and cooperation in helping to locate these juveniles. The support and attention from the community played a valuable role in bringing this incident to a safe resolution. We are grateful for the positive outcome and are pleased that both individuals have been found and are being safely reunited with their families.
April 17, 2026 2:44 am
ELRAMA, Pa. – Pennsylvania American Water says it is completing more than $11 million in upgrades at its E.H. Aldrich Water Treatment Plant in Elrama, Washington County, improving drinking water reliability, efficiency, and safety for approximately 527,000 customers in Allegheny and Washington counties. Officials say the majority of the investment, approximately $8 million, is allocated to essential upgrades for the facility’s raw water intake and pump station. These improvements became necessary after water levels in the Monongahela River dropped by 3-5 feet when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed the nearby Monongahela River Locks and Dam 3 in 2024. Lower-than-expected river levels increased silt and debris at the plant’s intake, causing wear and reducing the efficiency of intake screens and pumps. To maintain water service, the company is upgrading intake equipment and pumps to meet customer demand, especially during changing river conditions. Construction on the intake project started in September 2025, with crews working from a barge and divers replacing intake bar screens and two 35-foot traveling screens. The project includes installing temporary pumps and reconstructing raw-water pumps to prevent disruptions to drinking water service during construction. Built in 1960, the plant is a critical regional facility, treating an average of 32 million gallons of water per day and capable of producing up to 50 million gallons daily to serve communities across southwestern Pennsylvania.
April 17, 2026 4:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved a short-term renewal until April 30 of a controversial surveillance program used by U.S. spy agencies. The action came in a post-midnight session Friday after Republicans revolted and refused President Donald Trump’s push for a longer extension. Republican leaders late Thursday had rushed out last-minute changes and called lawmakers back for a middle-of-the-night vote. Their proposal would have extended the program for five years with revisions. But the effort collapsed. At the center of the standoff is Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant.
April 17, 2026 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons, a key executor of President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda, will resign at the end of May, federal officials announced Thursday. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin described Lyons as a great leader of ICE. “We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector,” Mullin said in a statement. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson described Lyons in a post on X as “an American patriot who made our country safer.” The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press asking why he is resigning.
April 17, 2026 5:01 am
Some new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers started working before passing background checks and had problems in their past. ICE announced in January that it completed an unprecedented hiring spree, adding 12,000 officers and agents to double its force. Their mission is to help carry out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign. But the speed with which they were brought on to the payroll, to jobs considered important for national security, has raised alarm. The Associated Press found one new ICE hire had filed for bankruptcy twice and worked for six law enforcement agencies in three years. Another was accused of lying in a police report to justify a felony charge against an innocent woman. A third quit his only prior policing job after three weeks.
April 16, 2026 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is more overtly leaning into some of the spoils of his office in his second term, drawing comparisons to French Queen Marie Antoinette from political opponents. He has celebrated renderings of his $400 million White House ballroom even during the war in Iran and a partial government shutdown. His administration is pushing ahead with plans to build a 250-foot Triumphal Arch near the Lincoln Memorial. Democrats say Trump is more interested in the gilded trappings of the presidency than in everyday Americans’ concerns about affordability. The White House says the projects “will benefit generations of future presidents and American visitors.”
April 17, 2026 5:06 am
YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is marking the halfway point in his four-nation tour of Africa with a day focused on encouraging Cameroon’s young people. Leo was travelling Friday to Douala, Cameroon’s main port city, to celebrate Mass. The Vatican predicted some 600,000 people would turn out for the liturgy, the biggest crowd Leo is expected to draw on his 11-day, four-nation trip through Africa. Later Friday back in the capital Youande, Leo had an appointment with students, professors and administrators at the Catholic University of Central Africa. Popes have often used such encounters, especially in the developing world, to rally young people to persevere in the face of poverty, corruption and other challenges.
April 16, 2026 4:48 pm
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Israel has agreed to a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon. The truce announced Thursday could pause fighting with the Hezbollah militant group and boost attempts to extend the ceasefire between Iran, the United States and Israel after weeks of devastating war. U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. However, Israel has not been fighting with Lebanon itself, but rather with the Iranian-backed militants inside the country. Hezbollah said in a statement that any truce must apply across all Lebanese territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he agreed to the ceasefire “to advance” peace efforts with Lebanon.
April 16, 2026 4:47 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, remaining in the range of the past few years even as the war in Iran continues to threaten the global economy. The number of Americans applying for jobless aid for the week ending April 11 fell by 11,000 to 207,000 from the previous week’s 218,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s less than the 217,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting but within the range of the past several years. Filings for unemployment benefits are considered representative of U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.
April 16, 2026 4:44 am
East Washington Borough will host a Town Hall meeting Thursday evening to discuss a new dormitory planned by Washington & Jefferson College. The proposed location includes East Pine Street, Forrest Avenue and Penn Street. The community is being invited to attend to learn more about the project and share feedback. The Town Hall will be held at Burnett Center-Yost Hall at 292 E. Wheeling Street. It will begin at 7 p.m.
