July 18, 2026 4:06 am
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump says Darline Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham, has his support to run for a full term to replace her brother in the U.S. Senate. Graham is serving the remaining months of her late brother Lindsey Graham’s Senate term, but she’s weighing a possible run for a full term. Lindsey Graham’s funeral services will include services in Washington on July 28 and in South Carolina on July 29. Filing for a special Republican primary opens next week. Several people familiar with the deliberations said she has started having conversations about a potential campaign. Her current appointment runs until January. Lindsey Graham died last weekend.
July 18, 2026 4:09 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Millions of people in the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states are muddling through another day of unhealthy air from uncontrolled wildfires in Minnesota and Canada. The nation’s capital was enveloped in an eerie haze Friday. And Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Guardians postponed their game against Pittsburgh Pirates in Ohio. Air quality warnings are expected to remain in effect at least through Saturday in parts of the U.S. There’s potential for temporary relief with storms forecast over the weekend. But a forecaster at the National Weather Service says smoky conditions are expected to last as fires continue to burn largely unchecked.
July 18, 2026 4:11 am
A federal prosecutor in Texas has shared new details about the shooting of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE officer in early July. The incident occurred while Salgado Araujo was driving to a construction site with co-workers. U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz says ICE officers were targeting two Guatemalan men driving a similar van. Salgado Araujo’s family claims he was close to obtaining legal status after 35 years in the U.S. The officers reportedly believed Salgado Araujo and his passengers fit the suspects’ description. The shooting has sparked protests and demands for transparency.
July 18, 2026 4:04 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States and Iran have exchanged strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensifies. The region has endured days of back-and-forth attacks in a conflict increasingly focused on control of the strait. The U.S. Central Command said early Saturday it had hit “surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities,” and Iran retaliated, with reports of strikes from Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq while air sirens also sounded multiple times in Bahrain. Iranian officials say recent U.S. strikes have killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds, with new casualties reported Friday, when the U.S. military also acknowledged more injured service members.
July 18, 2026 3:53 am
The Avella Area Community Festival has been cancelled for today. In an announcement released by festival officials, they say the event scheduled from 4 pm to 10 pm this evening was cancelled due to inclement weather and poor air quality. Organizers are exploring options to reschedule the festival. They say updates will be shared as soon as they become available.
July 18, 2026 5:56 am
Summer might be half over, but there is still plenty of fun to be had at the Washington Community Pool! DeAnna Martin, the Washington Park Director, explains that there are always events for people to utilize the pool, including a Christmas in July evening swim on Wednesday, July 29th. The night will include Christmas pool floats, music, and decorations. Swimmers are encouraged to come dressed in festive swimwear. The pool will also host Shark in the Park and Aqua Zumba in August. Martin says that if the community loses a space like the pool, it would be very hard to get it back. She encourages everyone to continue to enjoy the Olympic-sized pool, whether it be to cool off, get exercise, or to have fun at one of the upcoming events.
July 18, 2026 1:20 am
Emergency Responders in Washington County will now have a resource to reach out to should on the job stress become overwhelming. Washington County Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Daniel Harvey is announcing the creation of the Responders First Initiative. It is a Critical Incident Stress Management team. Emergency responders respond to incidents regularly that involve critical injury and death. Often times, responders have no one to talk to about what they just witnessed. The program will help emergency responders work through mental and emotional stresses, both immediate and those built up over time, by offering them counseling with trained first responder peers and mental health professionals. The program was established through a $179,000 grant from the Staunton Farm Foundation and a partnership with Healing Bridges, who Harvey says, recognized the need for such services for emergency responders. Harvey says that the program is active right now, but if any emergency responder peers are interested in helping their fellow responders, training is available. Contact Daniel Harvey at the Department of Public Safety or Natalie Ross at Healing Bridges.
July 17, 2026 12:32 pm
ATLANTA (AP) — Federal health officials have identified lettuce from Mexico served by Taco Bell locations across five U.S. states as a source of the widespread outbreak of diarrhea-causing parasite cyclospora. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention late Thursday confirmed the source and warned consumers not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia. Officials have identified a single supplier of the lettuce. The federal warnings to consumers did not identify the company, but a federal official who was briefed on the investigation and not authorized to discuss it told The Associated Press it was Taylor Farms of Salinas, California. Taylor Farms didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
July 17, 2026 9:09 am
Officials at Hollywood Casino at the Meadows cancelled harness racing on Friday because of air quality. In a statement posted on social media, officials said “the health and safety of our horses, drivers, trainers and all racing personnel are our top priority. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the well-being of both the horses and human participants.” Live racing is scheduled to resume Saturday at 12:45 p.m. Also affected by the smokey conditions, Kennywood Park, Sandcastle and Idlewild were closed on Friday. On Saturday, the Avella Area Community Festival will not be held because of the threat of inclement weather and poor air quality. Organizers say they are exploring options to reschedule. The smokey conditions also forced postponement of the Pirates/Guardians game in Cleveland. It will be played as part of a split double-header on Saturday.
July 17, 2026 2:20 am
Harrisburg, PA –The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a statewide Code Purple Air Quality Alert for particulate matter (PM2.5) for Friday, July 17th. Wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota will blanket Pennsylvania on Friday, creating Code Purple concentrations of PM2.5. Residents are strongly encouraged to check www.airnow.gov for current conditions in their area. Current local conditions could be more severe (Code Maroon) or less severe (Code Red or Code Orange) depending on your location at any given time. Residents should make informed decisions on their outdoor activity based on the conditions at the time. During Code Purple Air Quality Alerts all residents should avoid long or intense outdoor activities, and sensitive groups such as children, elderly residents, and those with respiratory illnesses should avoid all outdoor activities. All residents are encouraged to move activities indoors. There is good news though. State officials say Saturday’s air quality should improve considerably. (Photo of Washington)
