Hamilton Journal News
Drones hit Iraq city where U.S. forces are based
IRBIL, Iraq — Drones carrying explosives targeted a city in northern Iraq where U.S. forces are stationed and sirens rang out in Bahrain on Friday, July 24, hours after the American military said it finished its 13th night of strikes against Iran. The...
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Trenton woman accused of stealing more than $2M
A Trenton woman is accused of stealing more than $ 2 million from a Middletown business where she worked as a bookkeeper, according to Warren County prosecutors. Alisha R. King, 3 9, h a s b e e n indicted on 10 felony counts in Warren County Common...
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$9M project to create 28 jobs at Hamilton facility
An international manufac‑ turer has secured local incen‑ tives to support a $9 million ver‑ tical expansion project that will create more than two dozen new jobs with approx‑ imately $ 2.7 mil‑ lion in local pay‑ roll while retain‑ ing nearly 100...
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Problem Middletown bar to reopen, forgo alcohol sales
A Middletown bar that has been the site of multiple shootings and hundreds of police calls in recent years could soon reopen under a new concept aimed at ending the violence that has troubled the neighborhood. Nate Williams, the new manager of the...
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Doctors struggle to get reimbursed by insurers
In her office off South Main Street in Centerville, clinical psychologist Dr. Kathy Platoni held a file more than an inch thick of copies of emails, forms, and other correspondence she’s had with one health insurance company since the start of this...
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New rest areas along I-75 in Butler County open
Drivers traveling along Interstate 75 through Butler County just got some relief. The two rest areas in Liberty Twp. that have been closed for two years are open, according to a state transportation official. The rest areas just south of the Ohio 63...
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Specialty license plates help nonpro ts advertise, fundraise
For decades, Ohio drivers have been able to show their support for certain causes on their license plates. The revenue earned through specialty plates is a major factor in income and advertising for many nonproffts. The Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles...
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Cat overpopulation being tackled by multiple groups
Butler County’s animal shelters may be the public face of animal welfare, but they aren’t waging the battle against cat overpopulation by themselves. Shelters increasingly rely on volunteer cat rescue individuals and organizations to trap, neuter and...
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ICE contract gives sheri ’s budget boost
The Butler County sheriff has submitted a $ 68 million early spending plan for next year that estimates a 28% revenue hike for housing illegal immigrants and other inmates from outside the county. Sheriff Richard Jones has submitted a preliminary,...
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‘It’s exciting to see’: Company adding 100 jobs
Hamilton-based thyssenkrupp BILSTEIN of America, Inc. is set to expand its operations in the city with a major hiring initiative and facility investment. The automotive technology ffirm announced plans Monday, July 13, to hire around 100 new employees...
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Middletown OKs gravel removal at Paperboard site
Marva Gaston sees a future where she can sit outside again without worrying about dust blowing through her neighborhood. After repeatedly raising concerns for a year to the city of Middletown about a massive gravel pile left by an abandoned paper...
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Butler County tax budget skewed by 27th pay period
The Butler County commissioners are mulling a $138.6 million structurally balanced general fund tax budget for next year that looks large but is skewed by a rare extra pay period and other anomalies. The annual tax budget is a rough draft of the...
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Residents weigh in on Cleveland-Cli s proposal
Residents, labor leaders, business oficials and environmental advocates packed Middletown council chambers Thursday, July 9, for an Ohio Environmental Protection Agency public hearing on a proposed Cleveland-Cliffs project. Supporters say the project...
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County has seven cases of ‘explosive’ diarrhea illness
A foodborne, parasitic illness that can cause “watery, and sometimes explosive, diarrhea,” according to the Ohio Department of Health, is spreading throughout Ohio with about a dozen local cases. ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderho is urging Ohioans to...
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Meteorologists: Heat dome to last at least a week
Most of America’s Lower 48 states are about to swelter under an unusually large, strong and long-lasting heat dome that will spike temperatures in a way that the National Weather Service calls “signifficant and dangerous.” The heat wave will start...
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Company to renovate former paper mill
A Swiss manufacturing company plans to invest $150 million to renovate and expand a historic former paper mill in Middletown, creating 56 full- time jobs by the end of 2028. Weidmann, a family- owned company that manufactures paper insulation...
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Property tax reform delays tax bills in area
A package of property tax relief measures that will save taxpayers roughly $3.8 billion over several years has been a challenge for county auditors to implement and delayed second half tax bills. Trying to correctly implement the patchwork tax credits...
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Miami at Middletown to end sports program
For generations, Miami University Middletown gave local student-athletes a chance to continue competing while earning a college degree close to home, building a tradition that stretched across decades and left an enduring mark on the regional...
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Trump takes defense spending ght to Turkey
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump got what he wanted from NATO at last year’s summit: an alliance whose members had largely acceded to his demands to step up their defense spending. This week when he meets leaders in Turkey, his mission is to...
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America’s 250th marked by fanfare, severe weather
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump mixed partisan politics with patriotic appeals on Saturday as he commemorated the 250th anniversary of American independence, a moment he declared “one of the most joyous and glorious milestones of all...
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2 companies OK’d to frack 15 acres of Ohio public land,
Volume 105, Number 186
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Ex-Paperboard site sees progress amid cleanup
The former Paperboard site in Middletown is getting a new look. Fencing has been removed, remediation work is underway and, little by little, the gravel pile on the site is getting smaller. Middletown spokesperson Ken Brown said O’Rourke Wrecking...
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Are backyard fireworks legal? It depends
As I n d e p e n d e n c e Da y approaches, Ohio residents stocking up on ffreworks may be wondering whether it’s legal to set them offi in their backyards. The answer depends not only on state law, but also where they live. Since 2022, Ohio law has...
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Cohen building project stalled but still in process
Although demolition at the for‑ mer Cohen Recycling site hasn’t kicked off this week as estimated earlier this year, Hamilton offi‑ cials maintain the delay stems from a missed brownfield grant, not from any slowdown in the $50‑million‑per‑phase...
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County appeals decision on market zoning status
Butler County has filed an appeal seeking to overturn a March decision that allowed Garver Family Farm Market in Lemon Twp. to operate under agricultural zoning standards. The appeal, filed in Butler County Common Pleas Court, argues the Board of...
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Fairfield Schools closer to proposed tax on ballot
Voters in the Fairffeld school system could see one of three diffierent, new tax options on the fall ballot, said oficials during a recent school board meeting. In the wake of a May ballot defeat of a proposed earned income tax, Fairfield officials...
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Organizations join forces to tackle housing shortage
Half of Ohio renters are paying more than they can afiord, leaving little for necessities and even less for a down payment on a home, said Sarah Reynolds of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati. Even if they could save, starter homes are...
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F
OR 250 YEARS, America’s story has been created by ordinary people doing extraordinary things — and few places embody that spirit more than southwest Ohio. Locally, invention wasn’t an abstract idea; it was a way of life. From bicycle shops that...
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Hundreds rally for Haitians after TPS ruling
Hundreds of people gathered on the Springfield City Hall Plaza in a massive show of support for the Haitian community Thursday, June 25, after a U.S. Supreme Court decision earlier in the day cleared the way for the Trump administration to end...
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Group aims to set world record for retiring flags
A local nonprofft is aiming to set what it calls a world record this Fourth of July by retiring thousands of American ffiags in a single ceremony. The Old Glory Retirement Foundation, based in Franklin, plans to conduct the large-scale ffiag...
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Kroger breaks ground for Hamilton store
A replacement for the aging Kroger on Hamilton’s west side is ffnally moving forward. Kroger leaders and city officials recently broke ground on a massive new Marketplace store, saying it will ofier the full range of services the current location can...
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Trenton proposes data center tax incentives
The city of Trenton has introduced a proposed tax abatement and compensation agreement for a planned data center known as Project Mila. The project, led by developer Prologis, calls for a 250-megawatt data center spanning 893,034 square feet across...
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Ex-New Miami o cer sentenced to 36 months
A former New Miami auxiliary police offcer has been sentenced to 36 months in prison after being convicted on six felony counts related to tampering with evidence and records. Casey Gilpin, 48, was found guilty in mid- May following a two-day trial...
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Ohio suspends payments to more Medicaid providers
The Ohio Department of Medicaid has suspended payments to eight newly identiffed high-risk providers, the department stated in a press release. Each of those providers were connected to at least one of the 49 providers suspended earlier this month...
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Friction between Trump, GOP senators is growing
WASHINGTON — The relationship between President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans neared a breaking point this week as he upended their efforts to speedily conffirm one of his own nominees and said he would not sign the renewal of a key surveillance...
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U.S., Iran sign initial deal; talks continue
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an agreement with Iran on Wednesday that calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and waives U.S.-backed sanctions on the country, immediately allowing Iran to sell its oil freely in...
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Study identifies region’s infrastructure issues
Data center growth in the Cincinnati-Dayton corridor will depend less on water supply and more on energy infrastructure, where the region lags far behind Columbus, a new study shows. The study, released June 8 by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce Research...
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Hamilton’s new ventures are local shops, big builds
Hamilton continues to see a broad wave of commercial, residential, hospitality and industrial development. That trend is supported by a steady pipeline of projects at various stages, from ffnancing to pre‑construction to active building, while the...
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State eyes changes for math standards
Ohio schools have new standards to help students perform better in math under a bill headed to Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk. Among the new provisions in Senate Bill 19, Ohio schools must provide evidence- based academic intervention services to students...
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Lakota Schools votes to put tax issue on fall ballot
cuss the district’s school buildings’ needs in coming years and how to fund those changes. School officials have contended the facility shortfalls of the 17,000-student district — the largest suburban school system in
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SHOPPING UNDER SURVEILLANCE
Agrowing number of businesses are installing Flock cameras and other types of automated license plate readers outside their stores, including some of the largest retail chains in the country. Stores and shopping centers say they use the technology for...
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Trump raises expectations of winding down war
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has long been looking for this weekend to be a big one for his presidency. The World Cup returned to the U.S. on Friday, June 12, for the ffrst time in 32 years after Trump threw himself into winning the bid to...
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Investigators reenter Hamilton sewer where man’s remains found
Author i t i e s onc e a g a in descended into the sewer pipes beneath Hamilton’s Market Street as the investigation into the death of William Lee Campbell continued, drawing multiple agencies to the area Wednesday, June 10. Those authorities include...
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Hamilton’s downtown visitor center to close
Visit Hamilton, Ohio, formerly the Hamilton Welcome Center, will shut down its offce at the corner of High and Second streets on June 30. The decision was made by the center’s board at its most recent meeting May 27, according to Mark Motz, who joined...
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Property tax elimination won’t be on fall ballot
Entities that rely on roughly $24 billion in property taxes to provide vital services to their residents can heave a sigh of relief knowing the effiort to eliminate their main revenue source won’t be on the November ballot. Brian Massie, co- founder...
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LOCAL SOCCER FANS LOOK FORWARD TO WORLD CUP
he World Cup’s return to the United States is stirring memories of 1994 while kicking ofi a new wave of excitement across southwest Ohio. Local fans, coaches and longtime supporters say the tournament’s arrival, with 104 matches across 16 cities across...
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Signs to point to a path around blocked crossings
In an effort to reduce traffic congestion downtown during train crossings, the city is planning to install railroad detour signage to help guide drivers. Public Works Director Scott Tadych said City Council tasked his department several months ago...
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Ohio cities begin receiving marijuana tax revenue
Communities across Ohio have begun to receive their share of tax revenue generated from recreational marijuana sales, with local oficials planning to use the funds for everything from park improvements and capital projects to property tax relief and...
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Feed the Hungry to host 3rd Community Day
Feed the Hungry Project will host its third annual Community Day on Saturday, June 6. The event will take place from noon to 7 p.m. at the nonprofft’s Dream Center, 834 Yankee Road. Executive Assistant Monique Patterson said the organization...
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City’s water main project to bring detours, disruptions
Hamilton is launching a $2.7 million water main replacement project along and around Grand Boulevard this week to enhance long‑term water service reliabil‑ ity and strengthen public safety. Marking another step in the city’s ongoing effort to modern‑...
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War in Iran drives up fuel, fertilizer costs for farmers
The war in Iran, which started in late February and has shown no clear signs of ending, is continuing to raise fuel and fertilizer prices during Ohio’s planting season, pushing costs up for farmers. Chad Warner, a Darke County farmer and member of the...
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No easy fix for St. Clair Twp.’s stalled trains
St. Clair Twp. residents in the Cedar Grove subdivision have been held back by stalled trains for years, and the effort by the county commissioners to free them has failed. The commissioners were forced to return a $2.7 million grant to the Ohio Rail...
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‘Honor matters’: Middletown celebrates Memorial Day
Middletonians gathered under sunny skies Monday, May 25, to celebrate Memorial Day with a parade and ceremony honoring those who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The annual parade made its way from Smith Park to Woodside Cemetery along...
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Commissaries stop charging for single-use shopping bags
Shoppers will no longer be charged for single- use plastic and paper bags at most commissaries worldwide, the Defense Commissary Agency said. The policy, which began April 6, has been rescinded, except at locations required to comply with applicable...
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Township denies zoning request for development
Liberty Twp. trustees have denied a zoning request for a proposed 191-unit residential development on Yankee Road. Trustees unanimously rejected Tuesday, May 19, a request from developer John Candle Homes to rezone a 100-acre parcel for new...
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West Chester Twp. weighs development options
West Chester Twp. trustees are considering zoning changes and future development options for roughly 3,200 acres along the Union Centre Boulevard corridor. The township placed a 14-month moratorium on development in October 2025 to study opportunities...
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Gas prices keep summer travel projections flat
Record-high gas prices aren’t stopping travelers from hitting the road this holiday weekend, but they are limiting how much they will be on the roads throughout the summer. AAA predicts an estimated 1.7 million Ohioans will travel 50 miles or more...
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YMCA Monsoon Bay Aquatic Center opens this week
Middletown’s ffrst public swim‑ ming pool in years has welcomed its inaugural swimmers, with sec‑ ond graders from Rosa Parks Ele‑ mentary School being the ffrst to try it out. Officials from the city of Mid‑ dletown and Atrium Family YMCA attended a...
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Lakota school board weighs tax issues for fall
Residents of the Lakota Local School District could be asked to decide in the fall on a new request for school taxes. The Lakota Board of Education recently took the ffrst of two votes mandated by Ohio law to further explore the possibility of putting...
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Triple the pride: Brothers to graduate from Miami U. together
Among the crowd of thousands of new graduates at Miami University’s today, commencement will be three brothers who are also statistical rarities for the school. The Hargett triplets, born just minutes apart and now all seniors at Miami, will continue...
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Miami’s Cook Field to close by fall for arena project
As Miami University’s school year winds down, so too are the ffnal days of one of its historic campus sports ffelds. For thousands of students at Miami’s main Oxford campus — and the surrounding communi‑ ties — the recreational sports and green space...
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District celebrates beginning of work on $62M high school
Monroe school and city offcials gathered at a campus ffield Saturday, May 9, for a groundbreaking ceremony for the ffirst new high school in Butler County in 16 years. The morning event, including ceremonial shoveling of dirt by various offcials,...
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DeWine: Suspending gas tax would be ‘disservice’
As gas prices continue to surge across the country, a fall out from the ongoing Iran war, President Donald Trump said Monday, May 11, he will move to suspend the federal tax on gasoline to help ease the burden for Americans. The president cannot...
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Other cities may have to take Fairborn’s approach
Fairborn voters have passed an update to their city charter that provides a clearer path to recalling a council member should citizens have the signatures to do so, and other Ohio cities may need to have similar charter changes in the near...
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Long-planned aquatic site in Middletown set to open
A long-planned aquatic center on Middletown’s East End will open May 23, marking the return of a public swimming option to the city. The new YMCA Monsoon Bay Aquatic Center, located at 5750 Innovation Drive, features a pool, water slide, concession...
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Developer buys property near Dayton airport
With a new industrial park in mind, a limited liability company tied to a Massachusetts real estate investor recently spent just over $4 million on several parcels of property in Union and Butler Twp., near the Dayton International Airport. The...
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Ohio to implement Medicaid work requirements in 2027
Following last year’s passage of a federal reconciliation bill also called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” or the “Working Families Tax Cuts Act,” states will be required to implement work requirements for certain Medicaid members by Jan. 1,...
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Senators press military on Israel’s evacuation zones
BEIRUT — A dozen U.S. Dem‑ ocratic Senators have called for the U. S. Central Command to answer questions about Amer‑ ican coordination with Israel in declaring broad “evacuation zones” in Lebanon and Iran, alleg‑ ing that the practice may violate...
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‘Such a relief’: BCBDD levy passes
The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities levy has passed by a 53-47 ratio, according to nal, unof cial results with 100% of precincts reporting. BCBDD Public Relations Coordinator Patricia Dawson called the levy passaged “a...
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EI Ceramics gets extension to meet Middletown payroll
A long‑planned redevelopment on Curtis Street will have an addi‑ tional year to meet payroll com‑ mitments required by the city of Middletown. EI Ceramics, which purchased the 9.5‑acre property at 705 Cur‑ tis St. from the city in September 2023, has...
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‘A SPECIAL MILESTONE’
Butler Tech’s aviation program is making history. Student Garrett Garcia, 17, recently had to clear his travel plans with a local airport trafc control tower and his parents. That happens when you decide to y your own plane to and from your school at...
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Strait of Hormuz open, U.S. blockade remains
BEIRUT — Iran said Friday it fully reopened the Strait of Hormuz to commercial vessels, but President Donald Trump said the American blockade on Iranian ships and ports “will remain in full force” until Tehran reaches a deal with the U.S., including on...
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Trump threatens Iran’s civilian infrastructure
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday threatened widespread destruction of Iran’s energy resources and other vital infrastructure, including desalination plants, if a deal to end the war is not reached “shortly.” Tehran...
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