Top Stories category, Page 246
Scottdale man charged in death of passenger in 2021 crash
A Scottdale man was arrested Wednesday on state police accusations that he was driving a pickup truck that crashed, causing the death of his passenger. Earl Brooks Gilbert IV, 38, is charged with homicide by vehicle, reckless endangerment and related offenses in connection with the 2021 death of Brandalyn Pomaibo,...
Trump administration plans to cut 80,000 employees from Veterans Affairs, according to internal memoVideo
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs is planning a reorganization that includes cutting over 80,000 jobs from the sprawling agency that provides health care for many former service members, according to an internal memo obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The VA’s chief of staff, Christopher Syrek, told top-level...
Trump grants 1 month exemption for US automakers from new tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is granting a one-month exemption on his stiff new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada for U.S. automakers, amid fears that the trade war could harm U.S. manufacturers. The announcement comes after Trump spoke with leaders of the “big 3” automakers, Ford, General Motors,...
Veterans are speaking out on the Trump administration’s plans to cut the VA’s budget
NORFOLK, Va. — Stephen Watson served in the Marines for 22 years and receives care through the Department of Veterans Affairs for a traumatic brain injury. He supports President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk’s cost-cutting program — even if it affects the VA. “We’re no better because we’re veterans,”...
Real ID deadline is approaching
The deadline is quickly approaching to acquire a Real ID to fly domestically. Starting on May 7, anyone 18 years of age or older will need a Real ID or another acceptable form of identification to fly domestically or visit certain Federal and military facilities, as well as enter nuclear...
Trudeau not willing to lift Canada’s retaliatory tariffs if Trump leaves some tariffs on Canada
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is unwilling to lift Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on the United States if President Donald Trump leaves any U.S. tariffs on Canada, a senior government official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official confirmed Trudeau’s stance on the condition of anonymity because they...
No limits on Sunday hunting proposed for Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania lawmakers are taking another look at making hunting a seven-day-a-week activity, when in season. State Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, this week introduced Senate Bill 67 to fully repeal Pennsylvania’s prohibition on Sunday hunting. It builds on Act 107 of 2019 that permitted hunting on three Sundays. A similar bill...
Detroit man pleads guilty but mentally ill to fatal Greyhound bus stabbing on Parkway East
A Detroit man who called his victim a “demon” pleaded guilty but mentally ill Wednesday to the fatal stabbing of a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus in 2023. Javon Garrett, 20, admitted to stabbing Cozell McQueen late at night on July 30, 2023, as the bus traveled along the...
3 Western Pa. federal buildings listed, then removed, to be closed or sold
The Trump administration on Tuesday released a list of hundreds of federal properties it says it could close or sell, including offices for the Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service, after deeming them “not core to government operations.” The list, which has since been taken down from the General...
Takeaways: Trump’s address to Congress shows country’s stark partisan divide
WASHINGTON — A president’s speech to Congress — even without the formal gloss of a State of the Union address — is typically a time for a call to national unity and predictable claims about the country being strong. But that wasn’t President Donald Trump’s plan. His speech on Tuesday...
Ash Wednesday: Tradition meets convenience when it comes to buying ashes
Online shopping has become a way of life — even for the Catholic Church. In preparation for Ash Wednesday, a rising number of religious leaders are forgoing the tradition of burning palms and instead buying ashes on the web. “Actually, the manufactured ones stick better and are darker,” said Joan...
China will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China said Wednesday it will increase its defense budget 7.2% this year. The budget was announced at the National People’s Congress, the annual meeting of China’s legislature. The Pentagon and many experts say China’s total defense spending may be 40% higher or more because of items included...
Cybercrime crew stole then resold hundreds of tickets to Swift concerts, prosecutors say
NEW YORK — A cybercrime crew stole then resold more than 900 digital tickets to Taylor Swift concerts and other pricey events on StubHub, according to prosecutors in New York. The international scam involved people working in Jamaica for a firm contracted by the online ticket marketplace, Queens District Attorney...
BlackRock strikes deal to bring ports on both sides of Panama Canal under American control
A Hong Kong-based conglomerate has agreed to sell its controlling stake in a subsidiary that operates ports near the Panama Canal to a consortium including BlackRock Inc., effectively putting the ports under American control after President Donald Trump alleged Chinese interference with the operations of the critical shipping lane. In...
IRS drafting plans to cut as much as half of its 90,000-person workforce
WASHINGTON — The IRS is drafting plans to cut its workforce by as much as half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts, according to two people familiar with the situation. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose the plans. The layoffs...
Suicide, accidental deaths in Westmoreland dropped in 2024, coroner says
Westmoreland community relations and prevention Director Tim Phillips knows the county is doing something right in its efforts to reduce accidental drug overdose deaths. There was a nearly 15% decrease in those deaths in 2024, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office annual report released Tuesday — which also noted...
Boeing Starliner astronauts near trip home with SpaceX
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will soon get to fly home from the International Space Station, having flown up on Boeing’s Starliner, but headed home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon. The duo joined SpaceX Crew-9 commander Nick Hague on Tuesday for a pre-departure news conference from the space...
2 killed in Mississippi as powerful U.S. storms bring threatsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — Powerful storms killed two people in Mississippi, tore the roofs off an apartment building and a nursing home in a small town in Oklahoma and threatened more communities across the nation Tuesday with wide-ranging weather. The large storm system also brought blinding dust storms to the Southwest,...
Western Pa. residents flock to Pittsburgh to rally against Trump’s policies
Trisha Cleckley traveled by bus almost two hours from her Beaver Falls home on Tuesday morning to get to Pittsburgh in time to be part of the city’s 50501 anti-President Donald Trump protest. A pro-democracy and pro-human rights national movement, 50501 stands for 50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement. Pittsburgh’s...
Wall Street wipes out all post-election gains for S&P 500Video
Stocks racked up more losses on Wall Street Tuesday as a trade war between the U.S. and its key trading partners escalated, wiping out all the gains since Election Day for the S&P 500. The Trump administration imposed tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico starting Tuesday and doubled tariffs...
Western Pa. braces for sticker shock as tariffs bring uncertainty for consumers, businesses
Ami Robinson said she had been pinching pennies before President Donald Trump’s new tariffs against America’s three biggest trading partners took effect Tuesday. “I think things were already more expensive than they were last year,” Robinson, 40, of Dormont said after leaving the Target store in Downtown Pittsburgh. “It’s just...
Here’s what tariffs are and how they workVideo
WASHINGTON — Tariffs are in the news at the moment. Here’s what they are and what you need to know about them: Tariffs are a tax on imports Tariffs are typically charged as a percentage of the price a buyer pays a foreign seller. In the United States, tariffs are...
Leadership vacuum: Ragland withdraws as Pittsburgh police chief candidate, plans to retire
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is 0 for 2. Christopher Ragland, the city’s acting chief for just over four months since his predecessor quit, announced Tuesday he is resigning, too. More than that, Ragland withdrew his name from consideration to be permanent chief, a job the 30-year veteran had once coveted....
Lower Burrell considers allowing alcohol in parks for events only
People who attend events at Lower Burrell city parks may be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage under a proposal from city council. Mayor Chris Fabry said the city will draft a proposal that would allow alcohol in city parks during events only. He intends for the proposed rules to...
Trump takes credit for ‘swift and unrelenting’ action in speech to Congress
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took credit for “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy Tuesday in an address to Congress and the American people about his turbulent first weeks in office, as Democratic legislators immediately registered their dissent with stone faces, placards calling...
