December 10, 2025 2:27 am
North Franklin Township Supervisors ratified their budget for 2026. The budget is balanced and contains no tax raise. The spending plan comes in at $3.6 million according to Supervisor Chairman Bob Sabot. Sabot says that the process of putting the budgets together has gotten easier over the last several years and the township actually has a savings fund, something that was lacking when he was elected to office his second time around. Sabot says that residents will see a lot of exciting things for them to do. Pickleball courts and a boat launch area are planned for next year. In other township business, supervisors will consider amendments to the burning ordinance at their January meeting.
December 10, 2025 2:26 am
Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania got an early Holiday present from county officials. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held at their new location in the Washington County Courthouse. Commissioner Nick Sherman was proud to bring to life the new office that he says will make the filing of Protection From Abuse Orders easier and safer. He pointed to the new children’s area that will shield the children from the sometimes angry atmosphere that exists in these situations. Megan Hegedus, CEO of Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern Pennsylvania was extremely appreciative of the new space and thanked all of the judges and commissioners that worked for years to bring this new space into existence. Commissioner Sherman offered words of caution. He said that the holiday season is when cases of domestic violence see a large spike. It is often caused by overindulgence of alcohol or drugs.
December 10, 2025 1:25 am
A big drug bust in North Strabane Township. Police say multiple stamp bags of suspected drugs, including some 1,000 glassine stamp bags filled with suspected heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine were found following a traffic stop on Tuesday along McClelland Road. Police said charges have since been filed against two individuals, but they have not been identified. Police say both have been charged with possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance and related offenses. Authorities say the investigation is ongoing and more charges may be filed. North Strabane Police say they were assisted by the state district attorney’s office Anyone with information related to illegal drug activity is asked to call the department at 724-746-4090 or submit tips via email at tips@nstpd.com.
December 9, 2025 5:51 pm
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (AP) — A Cinnabon worker in Wisconsin has been fired after a racist outburst directed at two customers went viral. A video showing part of the incident was posted on TikTok and shows the white employee cursing and taunting at the customers from behind the counter. The TikTok user who posted video said the incident happened while she and her husband were taking a break from shopping Friday at a mall in a suburb of Green Bay. The Georgia-based cinnamon roll chain said in a social media post on Saturday that the worker was immediately terminated by the franchise owner over the “disturbing video.”
December 9, 2025 5:49 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — More people are turning to GoFundMe for help with basic needs such as housing and food. The crowdfunding platform’s annual report, released Tuesday, shows a 20% increase in fundraisers for essentials. This follows a quadruple increase in that same category last year. The “Year in Help” report also shows that “monthly bills” were the second fastest-growing category in 2025. The report comes amid weakened wage growth and low consumer confidence in the United States. GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan says people around the world are struggling with the rising cost of living. But he adds that “people do step up and support folks in those situations.”
December 9, 2025 5:48 pm
(AP) – The first of a series of powerful storms is slamming the Pacific Northwest, dumping heavy rain and swelling rivers. KOMO-TV reports that fire crews rescued two people trapped by floodwaters at a campsite in the Gold Bar area of Snohomish County on Monday night. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center expects several days of heavy rainfall in western Washington and northwestern Oregon with the trans-Pacific jet stream bringing heavy rain along the coast and more than a foot of new snow in northwestern Wyoming. Meanwhile, a clipper moving eastward across the Upper Midwest is forecast to bring a range of wintry weather to the region Tuesday.
December 9, 2025 5:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will road-test his claims he’s fixing Americans’ affordability woes at a nighttime rally in Pennsylvania. He’s heading Tuesday to Mount Pocono, in a county that flipped his way in 2024, helping him win the swing state and return to office. Polls show voter confidence in Trump’s economic leadership has faltered. Trump blames his predecessor for inflation, but his tariffs haven’t helped prices. His chief of staff Susie Wiles says she wants him to “campaign like it’s 2024 again” to help turn out his supporters for midterm elections in November.
December 9, 2025 5:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems likely to expand presidential control over independent federal agencies, signaling support for President Donald Trump’s firing of board members. The court’s conservative majority suggested in arguments Monday it would overturn a 90-year-old decision that has limited when presidents can fire agencies’ board members, or leave it with only its shell intact. Lawyers for the administration are defending President Donald Trump’s decision to fire Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter without cause and calling on the court to jettison the unanimous 1935 decision. The court already has allowed Slaughter and the board members of other agencies to be ousted from jobs even as their legal challenges continue.
December 9, 2025 5:11 am
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is nearly complete, after a two-month process plagued by delays and finger-pointing. Now, the key players are to move to a far more complicated second phase, which could reshape the Middle East. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan lays out an ambitious vision for ending Hamas’ rule of Gaza. If successful, it would see the rebuilding of a demilitarized Gaza under international supervision, normalized relations between Israel and the Arab world and a possible “pathway” to Palestinian independence. If it stalls, Gaza could become trapped in instability for years.
December 9, 2025 5:06 am
MIAMI (AP) — Democrat Eileen Higgins has won the Miami mayor’s race over a Republican endorsed by President Donald Trump. Higgins on Tuesday became the first Democrat in nearly 30 years to be elected Miami mayor. Her win gives Democrats a boost in one of the last electoral battles ahead of the 2026 midterms. Higgins spoke frequently in the Hispanic-majority city about Trump’s immigration crackdown, saying she has heard of many people in Miami who were worried about family members being detained. Higgins will be the first woman to lead the city of Miami. She beat Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager.
