October 19, 2025 12:06 pm
LONDON (AP) — London police are investigating whether Prince Andrew asked a police officer to find damaging information on Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual assault. Reports suggest Andrew sought to smear Giuffre in 2011 by trying to check her criminal record. This comes after Buckingham Palace announced Andrew would give up his Duke of York title following more revelations of his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre’s family wants King Charles III to strip Andrew of his prince title. The duke’s demise began in 2019 following a disastrous interview in which Andrew sought to counter media reports about his friendship with Epstein and denied allegations he had sex with a 17-year-old Giuffre.
October 19, 2025 7:08 am
(AP) A plan to fire live artillery shells over a major Southern California highway as part of a military showcase attended by Vice President JD Vance has drawn strong objections from Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Democrat says the exercise is potentially dangerous and has forced him to close a 17-mile portion of the interstate for safety reasons. Vance and U.S. Marine officials at Camp Pendleton have said there is nothing unsafe about the artillery exercise and no need to disrupt traffic on Interstate 5, which is the main highway along the Pacific coast between San Diego and Los Angeles. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are visiting Camp Pendleton o celebrate the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary. (Photo: AP)
October 19, 2025 7:06 am
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan and Pakistan say they will respect a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey. The truce comes into effect immediately and is intended to pause hostilities. The Taliban government’s chief spokesman and Pakistan’s defense minister confirmed the truce on Sunday. Violence has escalated between the neighbors since earlier this month, with each country saying they were responding to aggression from the other. Afghanistan denies harboring militants who carry out attacks in border areas. Pakistan is grappling with militancy that has surged since 2021, when the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan and returned to power.
October 19, 2025 7:00 am
Residents of Washington County took their opportunity to participate in the nationwide series of “No Kings” rallies. Critics of President Donald Trump, his policies and his administration lined both sides of South Main Street in front of the Washington County Courthouse to express their concerns. Reasons for participation by supporters varied, from protesting Trump as a hateful person, to trying to stop what they feel is a dictatorship under construction. Donna Patrina, President of the Washington Greene County Central Labor Council was there to support workers and veterans. Theodore Tolliver is the President of the Washington and Jefferson College Democrats. He said he was there to defend the Constitution and to help drive young people to get involved in politics early and stay involved throughout their lives. It was an enthusiastic crowd. Car horns blared, crowd chants often drowned out speaker comments. Detractors of the rally were not obvious, but several motorists were noticed offering unfriendly gestures to the crowd.
October 18, 2025 12:30 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government shutdown is approaching the second longest on record and there’s no end in sight. Some lawmakers predict it could surpass the 35-day shutdown from President Donald Trump’s first term. The nation’s 1.3 million active-duty service members have gotten a temporary reprieve. But hundreds of thousands of federal civilian employees are being furloughed and facing financial stress. The travel economy is taking a big hit with tourist sites such as Smithsonian museums in the nation’s capital closed. There have been air controller shortages in some cities and flight delays. The longer the shutdown lasts, the more it could be a drag on the economy.
October 18, 2025 12:28 pm
Prince Andrew has been banished from the royal whirl after emails emerged this week showing that he had remained in contact with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein longer than he previously admitted. The House of Windsor has finally moved to insulate the monarchy from years of tawdry headlines about Andrew’s dodgy friends and suspicious business deals. Buckingham Palace on Friday released a statement from Andrew saying that he had agreed to give up use of his last remaining royal titles so that continued allegations about him “don’t distract from the work of His Majesty.”
October 18, 2025 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is calling on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end their brutal war. Trump made the statement in a social media post following a lengthy White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. Trump’s frustration with the conflict has surfaced repeatedly in the nine months since he returned to office, but with his latest comments he edged back in the direction of pressing Ukraine to give up on retaking land it has lost to Russia. In his post, Trump said: “Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!”
October 18, 2025 4:11 am
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump has commuted the sentence of former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who was slated to serve more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges. One of Santos’ lawyers told the New York Post late Friday that the former lawmaker was released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, New Jersey, around 11 p.m. The New York Republican was sentenced in April after admitting last year to deceiving donors and stealing the identities of 11 people — including his own family members — to make donations to his campaign.
October 18, 2025 4:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Five remaining universities have been weighing an offer from President Donald Trump to sign a “compact” for higher education. None has signed on as the deadline approaches, and on Friday, the University of Virginia declined the offer. The White House has faced several rejections after inviting nine universities to become initial signers of the compact. The document requests that universities adopt commitments aligned with Trump’s political priorities, including eliminating race and sex from admissions decisions. On Friday, the Trump administration met with the universities still trying to decide whether to sign the agreement. More than 30 higher education organizations have urged the White House to withdraw the compact.
October 18, 2025 3:49 am
Washington County Commissioners recognized a Southpointe business owner for his national honor centered on hiring veterans. Martin Beichner, owner of AccuTrex Products was honored by the National American Legion with the 2025 Employer Veterans Award for mid-sized companies. The honor is given to businesses whose staff is made up of at least 10% veterans. Beichner was honored to receive the award. He said he felt it was important to hire veterans, especially those in need. Beichner has hired several veterans from the City Mission and is proud to say that they are now on their feet in their own apartments and driving their own cars. He said he is blessed that he returned from a tour in Vietnam with all of his fingers and toes and most of his sanity. He said several of his friends still suffer from physical difficulties caused by agent orange. Beichner joined the Navy in 1967 becoming a corpsman serving in South Vietnam. During the commissioners meeting Beichner received his plaque from the National American Legion, a proclamation from Washington County Commissioners and a proclamation presented by Cecil Township Supervisor Cindy Fisher.
