BROWNSVILLE, Pa. — A fatal pedestrian accident is under investigation. A man died after being hit by a vehicle Monday evening in Brownsville. Fayette County Coroner Bob Baker said Mark Smith, 30, of Brownsville, was struck by a vehicle while walking along Route 40 East. Smith was taken to the Uniontown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. There is no word on whether the driver of the vehicle stopped.
Airports across the country anticipate record numbers over the course of the next two weeks, and the Pittsburgh International is no exception. From Sunday, December 21, to Sunday, January 4, the Airport anticipates around 465,000 arrivals and departures. That’s up 6% from the same period last year. The busiest remaining days are slated to be Friday, December 26 and Sunday, December 28, with an anticipated 34,000 combined seats each date. Friday, January 2, is expected to be the next busiest day, with an anticipated 33,800 combined seats. Airport officials said it’s important to remember early mornings and late afternoon hours are typically busier, so it’s a good idea to allow for extra time. Flyers should try to check their bags at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international flights. The new TSA checkpoint can accommodate up to 12 lanes. Airport officials said those additional lanes will help to accommodate the high volume of travelers expected over the next two weeks, but flyers might have to wait a little longer.
Freedom Transit has released it Christmas and New Years holiday schedule;
· Wednesday, December 24: Transit Center is closed. Shared Ride Service ends at 5:00 PM.
· Thursday, December 25: Transit Center is closed; no fixed route service, and no shared ride service.
· Wednesday, December 31: Shared Ride Service ends at 5:00 PM.
· Thursday, January 1: Transit Center is closed; no fixed route, or shared ride service.
Shared Ride Scheduling
· To schedule shared ride trips for Wednesday, December 24 or Friday, December 26, contact Customer Service at 724-223-8747 by noon on Tuesday, December 23.
· To schedule a shared ride trip for Friday, January 2, contact Customer Service at 724-223-8747 by noon on Wednesday, December 31.
For more information visit www.freedom-transit.org or call 724-223-8747.
The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has scheduled 10 in person and telephonic meetings in mid-January to gather public input on proposed rate increases by the Pennsylvania American Water Company in both their water and wastewater services. Two of the in person meetings will take place in Washington. The meetings are scheduled for January 13 at 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm. They will be held at the Crossroads Center 95 West Beau Street Suite G-16. Telephonic meetings will take place January 21 at 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm. The toll free conference number is 866-675-4281. PIN number 85057514. The PAWC proposes an overall increase of $168.7 million (approximately 14.6%) in total annual operating revenues for water and wastewater service. As proposed, PAWC customers would have seen the following rate changes:
• For a typical residential water customer using 3,263 gallons a month, an increase ranging from $2.73 per month to $27.77 per month, an increase between 9.8% and 41.14%, depending on their service area.
• For a typical wastewater customer using 3,164 gallons a month, an increase ranging from $0 per month to $26.29 per month, an increase between 0% and 54.14%, depending on their service area.
• For customers with combined stormwater and wastewater systems, an increase of approximately $20 per month.
A final PUC decision on PAWC’s rate increase requests is due by August 13, 2026.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy economy expanded at a strong 4.3% annual rate from July through September as consumer spending, exports and government spending all grew. Tuesday’s report from the Commerce Department said U.S. gross domestic product — the economy’s total output of goods and services — up from its 3.8% growth rate in the April-June quarter. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast growth of 3% in the period. However, inflation remains higher than the Federal Reserve would like. The Fed’s favored inflation gauge — called the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE — climbed to a 2.8% annual pace last quarter, up from 2.1% in the second quarter.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says it has conducted another strike against a boat it said was smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person. In a social media post Monday night, U.S. Southern Command said, “Intelligence confirmed the low-profile vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations.” A video appears to show a number of strikes landing near and on the boat before it catches fire. Southern Command provided no evidence that the vessel was engaged in drug smuggling. At least 105 people have been killed in 29 known strikes since early September.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump has delivered a new warning to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump said Monday if the Venezuelan leader “plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever be able to play tough.” The warning comes as the U.S. Coast Guard steps up efforts to interdict oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea as part of the Republican administration’s escalating pressure campaign on the government in Caracas. Trump was surrounded by his top national security aides, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as he suggested that he remains ready to further escalate his four-month pressure campaign on the Maduro government.
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has scolded Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell for including confidential victim names in court papers seeking to set aside her 2021 sex trafficking conviction and free her from a 20-year prison sentence. Judge Paul A. Engelmayer said Monday that exhibits included with Maxwell’s habeas petition — which she filed on her own, without a lawyer — will be kept under seal and out of public view “until they have been reviewed and appropriately redacted to protect the identities of victims.” Meanwhile, the Senate’s top Democrat on Monday urged colleagues to take legal action over the Justice Department’s incremental and heavily redacted release of its files on Epstein and Maxwell.
Hours before airtime on Sunday, CBS News’ “60 Minutes” held a planned story on President Donald Trump’s deportation policy at the order of the network’s new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss. Weiss, the founder of the Free Press website, had sought to get Trump administration perspective included in the story. The move is sure to increase scrutiny on CBS and “60 Minutes,” which Trump sued last fall over an interview with Kamala Harris and has recently complained about stories critical of him. Weiss said in a statement that holding stories that aren’t ready, because they lack context or are missing critical voices, happen every day in newsrooms.
The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion after yet another drawing passed without a big winner. The numbers drawn Monday night were 3, 18, 36, 41, 54 and the Powerball 7. There have been 46 straight drawings without a big winner since early September. The next drawing will be Christmas Eve on Wednesday. The prize is expected to be the 4th-largest in U.S. lottery history. Powerball tickets cost $2. The game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
