(File Photo of a Police Siren Light)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(South Heights Borough, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver report yesterday that forty-nine-year-old David Schroeder of Aliquippa was charged after causing a head-on two-vehicle crash in South Heights Borough yesterday morning. Schroeder was driving on State Route 51 on Jordan Street on its intersection with Laurel Road and hit the vehicle of forty-five-year-old Jason Gross of Ambridge while trying to make a left turn onto Laurel Road in front of the vehicle of Gross. Schroeder hit his vehicle head-on to the vehicle of Gross and both vehicles suffered damage that was disabling.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Little remained of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel the day after a former Marine opened fire and set the building ablaze in Grand Blanc Township, Mich., Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — The man who opened fire in a Michigan church and killed four people while setting it ablaze long harbored hatred toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to longtime friends, and told a stranger who showed up at his door days before that attack that Mormons were the “antichrist.”

The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford, began making those sentiments known years ago following his return from Utah where he dated but later broke up with a girlfriend who was a member of the Mormon faith, two childhood friends said Tuesday. Sanford had moved to Utah after leaving the Marines and told his friends he had become addicted to methamphetamines.

No longer the happy-go-lucky kid who was voted class clown of their graduating class, Sanford routinely spouted off about his grievances against the church, his friends said. The first time they heard it was at a wedding thirteen years ago.

“We were like, ‘come on,’ we don’t want to hear this,” said Bobby Kalush, who grew up down the road from Sanford. “When he came back from Utah, he was a completely different person.”

Just six days before Sunday’s attack, those grudges were still boiling at the surface, said Kris Johns, a city council candidate who described a bizarre brush with Sanford while door knocking for his campaign.

The two were speaking at Sanford’s home in Burton about gun rights when Sanford physically leaned in, Johns said, and asked, “What do you know about Mormons?”

For close to 15 minutes, Sanford spoke in controlled and calm tones about the Mormon faith, saying he was concerned about their beliefs while expressing that he was a Christian. Sanford then said he believed that Mormons are the “antichrist,” according to Johns.

“That’s something I’ll never forget,” he said.

Police have released very few details about Sanford, who died after being shot by officers, and have refused to discuss what might have motivated the attack at the church, which was set reduced to rubble in Grand Blanc Township, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of Detroit.

On Tuesday, Sanford’s family released a statement through a lawyer, expressing condolences. “No words can adequately convey our sorrow for the victims and their families,” they said.

Changes started after the Marine Corps

Sanford served four years in the Marine Corps after enlisting in 2004 and deployed once to Iraq for seven months, according to military records. His commander during the deployment, David Hochheimer, said the unit never saw combat or incoming fire. “It was a relatively quiet time,” he said on Tuesday.

Sanford moved to Utah shortly after leaving the military. His friends said they noticed a change after he moved back home, thinking his battle with addiction was to blame. Kalush said his friend was no longer the “short, stocky ball of energy” who once bought dozens of flowers to give out to girls before the homecoming dance.

Around bonfires with friends, it wasn’t unusual for Sanford to start talking about how Mormons were going to take over, said Frances Tersigni, who along with his twin brother was among Sanford’s best friends.

“It was just so random. It was like, ‘Why Mormons dude?’” Tersigni said. “It’s hard to explain. We didn’t take it serious.”

But there were no signs that he was a threat to anyone, Tersigni said. An avid hunter, Sanford was married now and raising a child at home.

“He never once, never, said ‘I’ve got to do something,’” he said. “There’s a Jake we all knew, and there was one who was hidden. It wasn’t apparent to us.”

Victims include devoted grandfathers

Federal investigators remained at the church Tuesday as heavy machinery began moving debris from the church.

Authorities have not yet released the names of the four people who died or the eight people — ages 6 to 78 — who were wounded and expected to survive. Among the wounded were a father and his young son, according to a GoFundMe post.

One of those who died was being remembered as a grandfather who adored spending time with his family. John Bond, a Navy veteran, was well-known in the community and loved golfing and trains, according to friends organizing fundraising for the family.

Another victim was identified by family and friends as Pat Howard, 77, of Holly, Michigan. He attended the service with his wife, Kitty, who was not wounded during the attack, family friend Cara Carrubba told The Associated Press.

“Uncle Pat was so many things. … In my mind I see him mid conversation, his eyebrows raised, his eyes bright and a smile just starting to show,” niece Maureen Seliger said on Facebook.

Michigan community comes together

Jeffrey Schaub, bishop of the Grand Blanc church, said in a video posted Monday that the attack has left the community reeling.

“As you can expect our members are quite shaken in spirit and in body,” he said. “And it hurts.”

There has been an outpouring of support from different faith communities, he said. “It was very humbling to see how much good there is in the world today and that, above all, we are all children of the same Father in heaven,” he said, with a tremor in his voice.

Sanford drove his truck into the church’s brick wall while members were gathered inside Sunday morning. He apparently used gas to start the fire and also had explosive devices, said James Dier of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Flames and smoke poured from the church for hours after the attack.

Jerry Eaton, 78, who lives across the street, sheltered seven people who fled the church, including a mother with her four young children. He was watching television when he heard the shooting.

“I’ve done a lot of hunting, so I know the sound of gunfire,” he said. “As much as I didn’t want to believe it, that’s exactly what it sounded like.”

(File Photo: Source for Photo: The sunset is seen from the Capitol before Republican and Democratic news conferences about the government shutdown, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, on Capitol Hill, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Plunged into a government shutdown, the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline.

Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by the Trump administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide.

“We don’t want it to shut down,” Trump said at the White House before the midnight deadline.

But the president, who met privately with congressional leadership this week, appeared unable to negotiate any deal between Democrats and Republicans to prevent that outcome.

This is the third time Trump has presided over a federal funding lapse, the first since his return to the White House this year, in a remarkable record that underscores the polarizing divide over budget priorities and a political climate that rewards hardline positions rather than more traditional compromises.

Plenty of blame being thrown around

The Democrats picked this fight, which was unusual for the party that prefers to keep government running, but their voters are eager to challenge the president’s second-term agenda. Democrats are demanding funding for health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, spiking the costs of insurance premiums nationwide.

Republicans have refused to negotiate for now and have encouraged Trump to steer clear of any talks. After the White House meeting, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist.

What neither side has devised is an easy offramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure. The ramifications are certain to spread beyond the political arena, upending the lives of Americans who rely on the government for benefit payments, work contracts and the various services being thrown into turmoil.

“What the government spends money on is a demonstration of our country’s priorities,” said Rachel Snyderman, a former White House budget official who is the managing director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank in Washington.

Shutdowns, she said, “only inflict economic cost, fear and confusion across the country.”

Economic fallout expected to ripple nationwide

An economic jolt could be felt in a matter of days. The government is expected Friday to produce its monthly jobs report, which may or may not be delivered.

While the financial markets have generally “shrugged” during past shutdowns, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis, this one could be different partly because there are no signs of broader negotiations.

“There are also few good analogies to this week’s potential shutdown,” the analysis said.

Across the government, preparations have been underway. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russ Vought, directed agencies to execute plans for not just furloughs, as are typical during a federal funding lapse, but mass firings of federal workers. It’s part of the Trump administration’s mission, including its Department of Government Efficiency, to shrink the federal government.

What’s staying open and shutting down

The Medicare and Medicaid health care programs are expected to continue, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services. The Pentagon would still function. And most employees will stay on the job at the Department of Homeland Security.

But Trump has warned that the administration could focus on programs that are important to Democrats, “cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”

As agencies sort out which workers are essential, or not, Smithsonian museums are expected to stay open at least until Monday. A group of former national park superintendents urged the Trump administration to close the parks to visitors, arguing that poorly staffed parks in a shutdown are a danger to the public and put park resources at risk.

No easy exit as health care costs soar

Ahead of Wednesday’s start of the fiscal year, House Republicans had approved a temporary funding bill, over opposition from Democrats, to keep government running into mid-November while broader negotiations continue.

But that bill has failed repeatedly in the Senate, including late Tuesday. It takes a 60-vote threshold for approval, which requires cooperation between the two parties. A Democratic bill also failed. With a 53-47 GOP majority, Democrats are leveraging their votes to demand negotiation.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said Republicans are happy to discuss the health care issue with Democrats — but not as part of talks to keep the government open. More votes are expected Wednesday.

The standoff is a political test for Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who has drawn scorn from a restive base of left-flank voters pushing the party to hold firm in its demands for health care funding.

“Americans are hurting with higher costs,” Schumer said after the failed vote Tuesday.

House Speaker Mike Johnson sent lawmakers home nearly two weeks ago after having passed the GOP bill, blaming Democrats for the shutdown.

“They want to fight Trump,” Johnson said Tuesday on CNBC. “A lot of good people are going to be hurt because of this.”

Trump, during his meeting with the congressional leaders, expressed surprise at the scope of the rising costs of health care, but Democrats left with no path toward talks.

During Trump’s first term, the nation endured its longest-ever shutdown, 35 days, over his demands for funds Congress refused to provide to build his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

In 2013, the government shut down for 16 days during the Obama presidency over GOP demands to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Other closures date back decades.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – The Pennsylvania State Capitol is reflected on the ground June 30, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Aimee Dilger, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s counties, school districts and social service agencies are warning of mounting layoffs, borrowing costs and damage to the state’s safety net as the politically divided state government enters its fourth month of a budget stalemate.

The stalemate entangling Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, the Democratic-controlled House and the Republican-controlled Senate has stalled billions of dollars from going to schools and social services, and it has no certain end in sight as the federal government careens toward a shutdown.

The finger-pointing in Pennsylvania’s statehouse has fallen along partisan lines. Now it is a campaign trail topic as Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity prepares to challenge Shapiro’s bid for a second term in 2026’s election.

Budget standoff has big effect

The fight in the statehouse over things like public school funding and curbing the rising cost of Medicaid doesn’t involve most of the money in a roughly $50 billion budget.

But the effect is being felt broadly.

The grant-funded Jefferson-Clarion Head Start has laid off more than 50 staff while more than 300 families who had slots in state-funded pre-kindergarten programs have had to line up other arrangements, quit jobs or find ways to work from home.

One parent, Taylor Miller, said she is relying on babysitting help from her children’s grandparents who live a half-hour away while she completes her coursework to become a phlebotomy assistant. Her 3-year-old lost her six-hour daily preschool class, and her 18-month-old lost her weekly home-visit session with a teacher.

“This is the one thing that most children have, and they make friends, they socialize, they love to read and to learn and it’s just a great environment for the kids — and to have that taken away, only two weeks into the school year, it affects them, it hurts them,” Miller said.

The nonprofit Jefferson-Clarion Head Start, meanwhile, is on track to max out a $750,000 line of credit and has no guarantees that families and laid-off employees will return once state aid starts flowing again, executive director Pam Johnson said.

As October begins, county officials and human services providers say the damage is accelerating.

Lines of credit and reserves are running out, meaning deeper layoffs and more service shutdowns are inevitable, they say.

“Things are going to get exponentially worse in October,” said Kristen Rotz of the United Way of Pennsylvania, which surveyed over 100 social services agencies. “The impacts of this impasse are going to become much more real.”

Meanwhile, organizations that are using reserves to plug budget holes are missing out on the investment income on the cash that helps support their finances, officials say.

Without the governor’s signature on a new spending plan, Pennsylvania state government lost some of its spending authority starting July 1, and there is no trigger in the law to funnel aid to schools, counties or social services without an agreement.

The state is legally bound to make debt payments during a stalemate, cover Medicaid costs for millions of Pennsylvanians, issue unemployment compensation payments, keep prisons open and ensure state police are on patrol.

All state employees under a governor’s jurisdiction are typically expected to report to work and be paid as scheduled, so state offices are open.

But schools are missing out on an estimated $3.8 billion so far. The school board in Philadelphia, the state’s largest district, authorized the district to borrow up to $1.5 million, or three times the normal amount this time of year.

Universities, libraries and county health departments are also missing payments, Shapiro’s administration has said.

Armstrong County shut down senior centers and furloughed staff there, Westmoreland County issued furlough notices to 125 employees, and Lancaster and Chester counties warned that they will stop fronting entire reimbursements for social service providers.

Smaller social service agencies hit hard

Some smaller social services agencies have been hit hard.

Safe Berks, a domestic violence and sexual assault-prevention program serving Berks County, laid off several staff, took on debt and isn’t paying some bills or filling vacant positions, its CEO said.

County commissioners say waiting times for social services are growing, and laid-off caseworkers, counselors or social workers are unlikely to return to their jobs.

“How long does it take to train one of those workers, one of the social workers, the case workers, to get back out in the field?” said Dave Glass, a Clearfield County commissioner. “You could be losing a year or more.”

(File for Photo: Source for Photo: A photo of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk is seen on a large screen during a memorial for Kirk, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/John Locher)

PROVO, Utah (AP) — An attorney for the 22-year-old man charged with killing Charlie Kirk asked a judge Monday for more time to review the large amount of evidence in the case before deciding if the defense will seek a preliminary hearing.

A preliminary hearing would determine if there is enough evidence against Tyler Robinson to go forward with a trial. Defendants can waive that step, but Robinson’s newly appointed attorney Kathryn Nester said her team did not intend to do so.

Utah prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder and plan to seek the death penalty.

Both the defense and prosecution acknowledged at a brief hearing Monday that the amount of evidence prosecutors have is “voluminous.” Robinson was not present for the hearing and appeared via audio from jail at his defense team’s request.

Judge Tony Graf set the next hearing for Oct. 30.

Defense attorneys for Robinson and prosecutors with the Utah County Attorney’s Office declined to comment after Monday’s hearing. It took place in Provo, just a few miles from the Utah Valley University campus in Orem where many students are still processing trauma from the Sept. 10 shooting and the day-and-a-half search for the suspect.

Authorities arrested Robinson when he showed up with his parents at his hometown sheriff’s office in southwest Utah, more than a three-hour drive from the site of the shooting, to turn himself in. Prosecutors have since revealed incriminating text messages and DNA evidence that they say connect Robinson to the killing.

A note that Robinson left for his romantic partner before the shooting said he had the opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices, “and I’m going to take it,” Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray told reporters before the first hearing. Gray also said Robinson wrote in a text about Kirk to his partner: “I had enough of his hatred.”

The assassination of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism, has galvanized Republicans who have vowed to carry on Kirk’s mission of moving American politics further right.

Trump has declared Kirk a “martyr” for freedom and threatened to crack down on what he called the “radical left.”

Workers across the U.S. have been punished or fired for speaking out about Kirk after his death, including teachers, public and private employees and media personalities — most notably Jimmy Kimmel, whose late-night show was suspended then reinstated by ABC.

Kirk’s political organization, Arizona-based Turning Point USA, brought young, evangelical Christians into politics through his podcast, social media and campus events. Many prominent Republicans are filling in at the upcoming campus events Kirk planned to attend, including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Sen. Mike Lee at Utah State University on Tuesday.