Trump reinstates blockade of strait; oil prices shoot up

July 13, 2026

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States is reinstating a blockade on Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and will charge ships for safe passage, after another heavy exchange of fire threatened negotiations aimed at ending the war. President Donald Trump said on social media Monday that Iranian ships will no longer be able to travel through the strait and America would charge a 20% toll on eligible cargo, as the conflict with Iran has intensified after peace talks failed to deliver meaningful progress. “We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only ...

Sen. Lindsey Graham, close ally of Trump, dies

July 12, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Donald Trump's closest allies in Congress who traveled the globe to advocate for a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy, has died after a “brief and sudden illness,” his office said. He was 71. The statement posted on social media ...

US attacks Iran on Sunday after strike on ship in strait

July 12, 2026

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States attacked Iran early Sunday morning over an Iranian strike on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz that set the container ship ablaze and forced its crew to abandon it. Iran responded with attacks targeting several countries in the Middle East, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Jordan. The burst of fighting raised new questions about efforts to reach a permanent end to a war that began on Feb. 28. The strait, a key transit route for oil and natural gas, has become the key sticking point in negotiations, and repeated fighting ...

YLIVE ENLIVENS DOWNTOWN YOUNGSTOWN: Concert revelers get early start

July 11, 2026

YOUNGSTOWN — Jason Aldean had a hit with “My Kinda Party,” but YLIVE concertgoers didn’t wait for Aldean to take the stage to get the party started. Several downtown bars and restaurants were filled with people enjoying food and drinks before making the hike up the hill to Stambaugh ...

US issues demand for Iran to open waterway

July 11, 2026

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is demanding that Iran make a public statement saying the Strait of Hormuz is open and that ships crossing the vital corridor won’t be attacked anymore, senior U.S. officials said Friday, adding that internal Tehran power struggles have made it difficult to reach and keep a deal. The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe to reporters the state of play with Iran, said the resumption of strikes this week came after what they described as a rogue faction of Iranian hard-liners trying to sabotage the ceasefire between Tehran and ...

City council to act on $170M water project

July 11, 2026

YOUNGSTOWN — With an estimated $170 million wastewater improvement project expected to commence in the fall, city council will be asked Wednesday to permit the purchase of property and easements for the work. The work is for an 80-million-gallon-per-day wet weather facility. The structures in the facility would treat excess combined sewage during heaving rainstorms and then release the water. It is the third part of work, costing more than $300 million when done, by the city to improve its wastewater system as mandated by the federal government. Two items on council’s agenda ...