April 1, 2026 5:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to tighten voting rules by creating a national list of eligible voters and limiting mail ballots. The order signed Tuesday directs the Department of Homeland Security to work with the Social Security Administration on state-by-state voter lists. It also seeks to stop the Postal Service from sending absentee ballots to people not on approved lists. The order calls for adding barcodes on ballot envelopes and threatens to withhold federal funds from states that do not comply. Democratic election officials in Oregon, Arizona, and Maine quickly promised lawsuits and non-compliance. Legal experts also question the order’s constitutionality.
April 1, 2026 2:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to suspend its construction of a $400 million ballroom where it demolished the East Wing of the White House. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist group’s request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. Leon wrote that the president is a steward of the White House, not its owner. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sued for an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress.
April 1, 2026 5:19 am
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say an American journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad and security forces are pursuing her captors. The journalist was identified as freelancer Shelly Kittleson by one of the outlets she worked for. A U.S. official blamed the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah. Two Iraqi security officials said the journalist was kidnapped on Tuesday and that she has U.S. citizenship. They said that two cars were involved in the kidnapping, one of which crashed while being pursued near the town of Al-Haswa in Babil province southwest of Baghdad. The journalist was the transferred to a second car that fled the scene. The U.S. Embassy had warned about kidnapping risks to U.S. citizens during the Iran war.
April 1, 2026 5:14 am
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Police in Fayette County say a child was being pushed out of an apartment window while another was being drowned in a bathtub. The woman accused of this is out on bond, and the District Attorney said the kids are lucky to be alive. “We are very happy that mom was in the area and was able to become involved and protect the children,” said District Attorney Michael Aubele. He says Vira Zabudko is now charged with assaulting two children and their mother in a Uniontown apartment. According to police, the mother, Karen Garcia, left her kids with Zabadko while she moved a few personal items. When she returned, she found Zabudko trying to push her 5-year-old child out of a third-story window. Police said, “Vira Zabudko told the child to get into the shower to wash the sins out because he is dirty.” She’s accused of dunking their heads into an overflowing tub of water. Police said Garcia and Zabudko started fighting and the kids eventually escaped with their mother and called 911. According to the district attorney the kids had no obvious physical injuries but additional charges may be added as the investigation continues. A preliminary hearing is set for April 9th.
April 1, 2026 2:41 am
The City of Washington Police Department is advising motorists that beginning on Monday, April 6th at six a.m. until June 30th, a portion of West Beau Street will be closed in both directions as part of the Courthouse Square demolition work. The closure on Beau will only be from the Crossroads visitors lot to North Franklin Street, so that the parking lot and the city parking garage will remain open and accessible from North Main Street.
March 31, 2026 4:11 pm
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say kidnappers have seized an American female journalist in Baghdad, and security forces are chasing the group. The Interior Ministry says it its pursuing the captors after intercepting one getaway car that overturned. Iraqi security officials said two cars took part in the abduction and the second car escaped. A U.S. Embassy spokesperson declined comment. The embassy has warned about kidnapping risks to U.S. citizens during the regional war.
March 31, 2026 4:14 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has agreed to permanently block the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. The two are media entities that the White House has said are counterproductive to American priorities. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss cited the First Amendment in his decision. The impact was not immediately clear — both because it will likely be appealed and because too much damage to the public-broadcasting system has already been done, both by the president and Congress.
March 31, 2026 4:50 am
The Common Pleas Court of Washington County has made its decision on the request by the Washington County Board of Elections to close 24 precincts and realign the voting districts in Peters Township. In an order released on Monday, Judge Michael Lucas is granting the closure of 24 precincts across 14 municipalities. During testimony last Thursday, Director of Elections Melanie Ostrander stated that Americans With Disabilities Act issues, dilapidated buildings, building availability and precinct staffing issues all contributed to the safety and convenience of voters in the affected precincts. Peters Township had their realignment request denied. Lucas pointed to the “Good Cause” clause in the voting code. It states that precincts should be between 100 and 1200 voters. In each of Peters Township’s districts, voting numbers would exceed 1200 voters. In some cases, precincts would exceed limits by 50%. The order states that Peters Township needs to file a new petition at a later date to offer evidence as to why their precincts should exceed limits set by the voting code. Four individual objectors, three from Peters Township, asked the court to dismiss the request to realign. Their assertion was that timing of a decision to realign districts could suppress their vote. The judge found no basis of that, indicating that nearly seven weeks prior to the primary election on May 19 is plenty of time for notice of change. Their argument is moot as the decision to realign Peters Township precincts was denied.
March 31, 2026 4:44 am
Washington City Council will entertain a largely routine business agenda on Thursday. One of the items up for approval is purchase of equipment from a $25,000 Pennsylvania State Fire Grant. Some of the items that will be purchased is a shipping container for $8000. Also to be purchased are rescue mannequins. Fire Chief Chris Richer says the shipping container will be used to mimic a home that may be on fire. He says using those as opposed to standard burn buildings are a large savings in cost. Rescue mannequins are also going to be purchased for $5200. Richer says that the new mannequins are more lifelike in structure and weight than what the department currently uses. Sound effects can also be programmed into the mannequins. In addition, a $2500 grant from the Washington County Community Foundation will be used to purchase a thermal imaging camera.
March 30, 2026 4:53 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States has hit the central Iranian city of Isfahan, sending a massive fireball into the sky, and Tehran struck a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. The attacks Tuesday were testament to the sustained intensity of the monthlong war the U.S. and Israel launched against Iran. Iran has maintained its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, closing off the vital waterway for global energy shipments, sending oil prices skyrocketing and roiling world markets. Meanwhile, Israel said another four soldiers have been killed in its invasion of Lebanon, as have two more United Nations peacekeepers, prompting the U.N. Security Council to schedule an emergency session later in the day.
