FILE – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, July 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will be leaving the Trump administration at the end of the month to spend time with her young family. The 28-year-old Leavitt called it a “bittersweet decision” in a social media post Wednesday shortly after President Donald Trump announced she’d be stepping down. She is the youngest person in history to hold the role and recently gave birth to her second child. She said that, since returning to the White House from maternity leave, she has felt she could not devote enough time or attention to both roles. Trump said she will be one of his “top outside advisors.”

FILE – Powerball lottery tickets are displayed Oct. 4, 2023, in Surfside, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

A Powerball ticket sold in western Illinois has won a $1 billion jackpot. Lottery officials say the ticket that won the jackpot on Wednesday night was purchased at a Hy-Vee gas station in Quincy along the Missouri border. It’s not clear if the winner has come forward yet. The prize can be taken as a $1 billion annuity over 29 years or a lump sum of $450.5 million in cash. Most winners take the lump sum. This is the first jackpot win since May 2. The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292 million. The Powerball jackpot now resets to $20 million for the next drawing on Saturday.

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that a former PennDOT employee has been charged with embezzling more than $33,000 by overcharging her department-issued credit card.

Tracy Touzalin, 55, of Dingmans Ferry, was charged Wednesday with felony theft by deception and three related felonies regarding conduct between 2023 and 2025, when she worked as a PennDOT Roadway Programs Technician in Pike County.

Touzalin was arraigned Wednesday morning and released on her own recognizance.

“This defendant was entrusted with taxpayer dollars that should have supported much-needed infrastructure projects, but instead went into her personal bank account,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This conduct is criminal theft and a betrayal of the public she was hired to serve.”

According to the investigation, Touzalin created fraudulent purchase orders that allowed her to overcharge her PennDOT-issued Purchase Order Card, with her stealing the overcharges.

It was determined that between June 2023 and March 2025, Touzalin charged a total of $57,920 to PennDOT for “janitorial services.” Of this amount, only $24,470 was actually paid to cleaners. Touzalin deposited the difference of $33,450 into her personal bank account.

The Office of Attorney General accepted the case referral from the Office of General Counsel.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Andrew Biggins. Criminal charges, and any discussion thereof, are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

HARRISBURG – Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr.  announced the approval of two state grants to improve agricultural innovation in the 47^th Senate District.

Vogel said the following Agriculture Innovation Grants are being awarded by the state Department of Agriculture:

Tiny Seed Farm, of Rochester, Beaver County, will receive $31,690 for an automated specialty crop system.

Dream, Invent, Inspire, of Evans City, Butler County, will receive $5,247 to help pay for an AI system for vertical garden and crop management.

“Agriculture is a very competitive business, and it’s important that Pennsylvania farmers can access innovation to give them an edge and keep our ag communities strong,” Vogel said.

Agricultural Innovation Grants help farmers and other agriculture businesses implement new technologies and conservation and renewable energy innovations designed to expand their potential to generate profits, enrich soil and water resources, and produce energy on the farm.

Pennsylvania agriculture supports more than 48,800 farms and nearly 600,000 jobs, and contributes $132.5 billion annually to the commonwealth economy.

CENTER TOWNSHIP, PA – Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) announced that Center Township in Beaver County, PA is receiving $999,000 for upgrades to their waterline infrastructure. This funding will pay for a section of replacement waterline. Replacing this waterline will improve water service and reduce maintenance work for the Township.

“Every community should have safe, clean drinking water that they can count on,” said Congressman Deluzio. “I’m glad to announce this funding for the people of Center Township. Thank you to former Congressman Conor Lamb for his work on this project in the 117th Congress.”

“The management and investigative efforts [from this funding] will protect the health and safety of residents,” said Bill DiCioccio, Jr., Chairman of the Board of Supervisorsfor Center Township.

The waterline infrastructure funding was appropriated by Congress in 2022 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act and is granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the State and Tribal Assistance Grants’ (STAG) State Revolving Fund.

PITTSBURGH (Aug. 13, 2026) — Vitalant and the Pittsburgh Pirates wrap up their 30th annual blood drive series this August with events at PNC Park and locations across western Pennsylvania. Donors will help maintain a steady blood supply for area hospitals and receive a voucher redeemable for two tickets to a Pirates home game (Sunday through Thursday) during the 2026 season*.

Donors of all blood types are needed this summer. Summer is often referred to as “trauma season,” when the need for blood can increase while donations drop due to busy donor schedules. Type O donors can help most patients in emergencies.

WHEN: Wednesday, August 26, and Thursday, August 27, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

WHERE: PNC Park, Press Conference Room, 115 Federal St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Free parking is available in Red Lot 6, 200 W. General Robinson St., Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Additional drives will be held at partner locations throughout the region.

HOW: To schedule an appointment and view the full list of participating community drives, visit Vitalant.org/Pirates, call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825), or use the Vitalant app.

Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are recommended.

“Each donation has the potential to save a life right here in our community,” said Mandi Semple, Vitalant communications manager. “These final summer drives are a way to give back and enjoy a Pirates game as a thank-you for stepping up for local patients.”

SCOTT TADY

PITTSBURGH– Country star Luke Combs will headline Acrisure Stadium on May 8.

Photos of the fire and aftermath courtesy of the Campbell family.

Story by Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio. Published August 12, 2026 12:06 P.M.

(Raccoon Township, Pa)  A Raccoon Township family is dealing with the aftermath of a devastating fire that destroyed the base of operations for their family business.

The Campbell family says that their lives changed in an instant in the early morning hours of August 6th.

An explosion and subsequent fire took place at approximately 4:15am in the shop for Campbell’s Lawn Care, which is located on the property where the family lives along Route 18.

Nobody was injured during the fire and the Campbell’s are thankful that that their multi-generational home was spared, however one of their cats was not recovered.

The building that burnt was the home to maintenance and repair operations of the family business, and included sentimental life-long collections of tools and supplies which were all lost in the fire. They say the status of the business, which has been operating since the 1990s, is now in critical condition due to the massive loss.

The Campbell’s say that insurance will cover a fraction of the costs but will not be able to cover everything that that was there.

They are accepting donations from those who are able to help them in any way possible, whether it be tools, supplies, or monetary.

Their GoFundMe page can be viewed here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-campbell-family-rebuild-after-a-devastating-fire?attribution_id=sl:4a136a6c-45c0-41ce-bd31-9068c2468e3c&lang=en_US&ts=1786497256&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_content=amp30-treatment-2&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link