News

Rate hikes for SOBE may get revisited

Latest News August 14, 2026

By DAVID SKOLNICK Staff writer The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio will meet Wednesday to consider whether it will rehear its June 24 decision to approve significant emergency rate increases for SOBE Thermal Systems LLC, which impacted all of its downtown Youngstown customers. The PUCO will consider requests for a rehearing from the city of Youngstown and the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel regarding the rate increases for SOBE’s customers. The PUCO approved steam heat rate increases for all SOBE customers with most of them paying 93% more, starting June 30, and an ...

A surprise credit after an overseas purchase: The tariff refunds now flowing through shippers

Business News August 14, 2026

NEW YORK (AP) — If you bought something from an overseas vendor last year, it might be time to check your bank account. Shippers including FedEx and UPS that acted as customs brokers for imported packages and received tariff refunds from the U.S. government have started to pass on those refunds to the customers that originally paid the tariffs. The refunds to consumers are the last step in a monthslong process that kicked off in February when the Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs implemented by President Donald Trumpin March 2025 under the 1977 International Emergency ...

W.Va. lawmakers question Flock Safety

Local News August 14, 2026

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A company executive with Flock Safety defended its Automated License Plate Reader technology as a vital tool for “precision policing” that helps solve crimes and recover missing persons, while opponents argue these AI-powered cameras threaten Fourth Amendment privacy rights. The Joint Standing Committee on Government Organization met Sunday afternoon on the first of three days of legislative interim meetings at the State Capitol Building in Charleston to learn more about the cameras and how local governments were using them. Concerns have been growing ...

Board adds ‘Trump’ to Kennedy Center facade

Latest News August 14, 2026

WASHINGTON — The battle over the Kennedy Center’s future escalated Thursday as President Donald Trump’s allies on the board took new steps to commemorate him with physical changes to the iconic performing arts institution that could defy a federal court order. During an hourslong ...

New aircraft carrier heads to Middle East

Latest News August 14, 2026

WASHINGTON — The Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington has begun heading toward the Middle East as reports have emerged of mental health and supply issues aboard the long-deployed USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran, and its ...

Nation and world at a glance for Aug. 14

Latest News August 14, 2026

Man uses screwdriver to kill wife, daughter at Minnesota daycare MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man used a screwdriver to fatally stab his wife and their 7-year-old daughter at a daycare before killing himself, police said Thursday. Officials released a search warrant in connection with Wednesday morning’s attack in the Minneapolis suburb of Hopkins. The warrant identifies the man as 41-year-old Nathan Brown. Police say he attacked his wife, Kristen Brown, and their daughter, Evie, at the daycare Kristen Brown operated from the family’s basement. Nathan Brown then fatally shot ...