February 18, 2026 4:41 am
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bayer has agreed to a proposed $7.25 billion deal to settle thousands of U.S. lawsuits that blame Roundup for causing cancer. Bayer and lawyers for cancer patients announced Tuesday that they were filing the proposed settlement in St. Louis. It comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is preparing to hear Bayer’s argument about federal rules and warning labels for the popular weedkiller. That separate case will continue. Bayer says Roundup’s key ingredient of glyphosate does not cause non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But the company says legal costs have threatened Roundup sales in U.S. farming markets. Bayer bought Monsanto, the original Roundup maker, in 2018.
February 17, 2026 4:39 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — As the sun rose in New Orleans, rows of parade-goers already lined the street. People set up chairs, coolers, grills and ladders — offering a higher vantage point to catch the eye of float riders throwing glimmering plastic beads to revelers. Mardi Gras is also known as Fat Tuesday. It falls on the day before Ash Wednesday. The big bash marks the end of Carnival season and a final chance for indulgence and revelry before the Christian Lent period of sacrifice and reflection. New Orleans has the nation’s largest and best-known celebration. Parade-goers will line the streets hoping to catch beads, toys and trinkets unique to each parade.
February 18, 2026 4:40 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Warner Bros. Discovery is briefly reopening takeover talks with Skydance-owned Paramount to hear the company’s “best and final” offer, while the Hollywood giant continues to back the studio and streaming deal it struck with Netflix. In a Tuesday regulatory filing, Warner said that Netflix had granted it a waiver to open discussions with Paramount for seven days. Paramount now has until Feb. 23 to negotiate a possible transaction. But in the meantime, Warner’s board is still recommending shareholders support of its proposed merger with Netflix. A special meeting is now scheduled for Friday, March 20 to hold a vote on that deal.
February 17, 2026 6:09 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Capitol Police in Washington, D.C., have arrested an 18-year-old man after he ran toward the west side of the Capitol Building armed with a shotgun. Capital Police Chief Michael Sullivan said Carter Camacho of Smyrna, Georgia, parked a Mercedes SUV near the Capitol on Tuesday, got out and ran “several hundred yards” toward the building before officers intercepted him and ordered him to the ground. Sullivan says the gunman was wearing a tactical vest and gloves and had a Kevlar helmet and gas mask in the vehicle. The shotgun was loaded and the man had additional rounds on him, the chief says. Congress is not in session.
February 17, 2026 10:44 am
A Washington man is last reported in the Washington County Jail on $10,000 bond after his arrest following a drug bust last week in the City. Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh says 38 year old Carl Frey is charged with a firearms violation. A search warrant was served Friday at 600 Penn Avenue with the assistance of Washington Regional SWAT, the District Attorney’s Drug Task Force and Washington City Police. Walsh says it was the result of a months-long investigation. Authorities seized a half-kilogram of Methamphetamine and a semi-automatic pistol. Additional narcotics related charges are pending against others as the investigation by Task Force Detectives continues.
February 17, 2026 4:57 am
A rollover crash Monday night In Chartiers Township injured three people including two small children. Washington County 911 tells us it was a single-vehicle crash in the 2000-block of N. Main Street. Dispatchers say a woman and the two children were all transported by ambulance. We have no information on their identities or conditions. Meanwhile, one person was transported from the scene of a crash in the 2000-block of West Pike Street around 2 a.m Tuesday. Dispatchers say the vehicle took out a utility pole and traffic is restricted in the area as West Penn Power crews make repairs.
February 17, 2026 5:36 am
CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson has died. He was 84. Jackson was a protege of the Rev. Martin Luther King and became a leader of the Civil Rights Movement for decades after King was assassinated in 1968. A two-time presidential candidate, Jackson led a lifetime of political crusades, advocating for the poor and underrepresented on issues from voting rights and job opportunities to education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders and channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, using his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition to pressure executives to make America a more open and equitable society.
February 16, 2026 1:32 am
Still no updates on the search for Shelby Rhodes. Yesterday, the Donora and Monongahela Fire Companies, high-tech equipment and their dive teams searched in Monongahela River throughout the day and called off its search at 7 p.m. due to extreme cold water temperatures. Crews from several departments have been on hand, trying to find the 26-year-old from Monessen. According to his sister, Jessica, Shelby was last seen walking in the Black Diamond area at 5:00 a.m. on February 7, and friends haven’t heard from him in several days. An initial search of the area found a single set of footprints and Shelby’s cellphone along the banks of the Monongahela. Shelby was last seen wearing a blue and yellow flat-brim cap, a black hoodie, jeans and sneakers.
February 17, 2026 4:45 am
Gas prices are six cents lower this week here in Western Pennsylvania. AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report puts the average at $3.24 per gallon. Gas prices have risen slightly over the past week across the country as winter continues. The national average is up two cents from last week to $2.92. Current prices remain below what they were this time last year when the national average was $3.16. According to data from the Energy Information Administration, gasoline demand increased last week from 8.15 million barrels per day to 8.30 million. Total domestic gasoline supply increased from 257.9 million barrels to 259.1 million. Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 9.1 million barrels per day.
February 17, 2026 4:37 am
A federal judge has ordered an exhibit about nine people enslaved by George Washington to be restored at his former home in Philadelphia after President Donald Trump’s administration took it down last month. The order came on Presidents Day, the federal holiday honoring Washington’s legacy. The city of Philadelphia sued last month after the National Park Service removed the panels from Independence National Historical Park. The removal followed a Trump executive order on “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks. U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe said all materials must be restored while a lawsuit challenging the removal’s legality plays out.
