WJPA News

The Donora Fire Company says rescuers were unsuccessful again on Sunday in their search to find Shelby Rhodes. The dive team says the search was called off around 7 p.m. Sunday due to extreme cold water temperatures. Crews from numerous departments were on hand along the Monongahela River searching for the man reported missing earlier this week. So far, crews say they have spent some 35 hours searching for Rhodes. According to his sister Jessica, Shelby was last seen walking in the Black Diamond area around 5 a.m. Feb. 7. Shelby’s friends indicated on Wednesday that they hadn’t heard from him in several days, Jessica said. An initial search near the Monongahela River revealed a single set of footprints and Shelby’s cellphone, after which emergency crews got involved. Shelby was last seen wearing a blue a yellow flat-brim cap, a black hoodie, jeans and sneaker The Mononaghela Police department is handling the investigation.

Pittsburgh International Airport received 443 diverted flights in 2025, nearly reaching its record of 463 set in 2018. The increase in diversion traffic followed intense thunderstorms in June and July that disrupted operations at major East Coast airports, airport officials say. By the end of July, the diversion rate at PIT exceeded its 2018 pace and the five-year average. “Even without topping the 2018 number, PIT’s performance last year underscores its importance in keeping the national airspace system moving as part of national critical infrastructure,” said Jim Moorhead, vice president of airport operations for the Allegheny County Airport Authority. “That’s something we’re proud of, and we will continue to be a reliable and resilient partner in the national air transportation system.” Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration consider the airport a preferred diversion site because of its inland location and robust runway infrastructure, officials say. Most diverted flights originated from major metropolitan hubs along the East Coast. The three major New York City airports accounted for 120 diverted flights, while two airports in Washington, D.C., sent 93 flights to Pittsburgh. Diversions typically occur due to inclement weather, mechanical issues or onboard medical emergencies, officials say. Many diversions at PIT are for a “gas-n-go,” which is a quick refueling stop where an aircraft takes on fuel and departs without loading or unloading passengers.

U.S. Steel Corp. generated $5.6 billion in total economic impact for Pennsylvania during fiscal year 2024, according to a report released Friday. The analysis, conducted by Parker Strategy Group, found the company supported 13,687 jobs across the state. The $5.6 billion impact represents approximately 0.6% of Pennsylvania’s gross domestic product, or about $1 out of every $180 in the state economy. This figure marks a 55.6% increase in total economic impact since fiscal year 2022. The report also shows the company’s economic contribution equals roughly 11.8% of the state’s enacted 2024-25 General Fund appropriations. U.S. Steel contributed $216 million in total local and state tax revenues during the fiscal year. On a per-resident basis, the company’s economic activity amounts to approximately $428 per Pennsylvanian. The company supported 13,687 jobs statewide, a figure comparable to the full civilian labor force of a smaller Pennsylvania county. This total includes 3,462 direct employees. To support its operations, U.S. Steel worked with 980 suppliers based in Pennsylvania.

The FBI says a glove containing DNA was found about two miles from Nancy Guthrie’s Arizona home and appears to match those worn by a masked person outside her front door the night she vanished. The glove, found in a field near the side of the road, was sent off for DNA testing. The discovery was revealed days after investigators had released surveillance videos of the masked person outside Guthrie’s front door in Tucson. Guthrie is the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie and was last seen at her home on Jan. 31. Purported ransom notes were sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Lawmakers and the White House are offering no signs of compromise in their battle over oversight of federal immigration officers. That impasse has led to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security. A partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump’s team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund the department through September. Democrats are demanding changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal officers in Minneapolis last month. Congress is on recess until Feb. 23, and both sides appear dug into their positions.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump says that members of his newly created Board of Peace have pledged $5 billion toward rebuilding Gaza and will commit thousands of personnel to international stabilization and police forces for the territory. Trump said Sunday that the pledges will be formally announced when members of the board gather for their first meeting Thursday in Washington. Trump isn’t detailing which board member nations are making the pledges for reconstruction or would contribute personnel to the stabilization force. But Indonesia’s military says up to 8,000 of its troops are expected to be ready by the end of June for a potential deployment to Gaza.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says it’s boarded another sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean. The Pentagon said in a statement Sunday that U.S. forces boarded the Veronica III after tracking it from the Caribbean Sea. Venezuela had faced U.S. sanctions on its oil for several years and relied on a shadow fleet of tankers. President Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December to pressure then-President Nicolás Maduro before Maduro was captured in a U.S. military operation. The Defense Department says U.S. forces boarded the Veronica III overnight. The Pentagon’s social media post doesn’t say whether the ship was formally seized.

ATLANTA (AP) — A strong storm system has brought tornado watches and damage in parts of the Southeast just as the Northeast starts to warm up. On Sunday, the National Weather Service reports some of the worst damage near Lake Charles, Louisiana. High winds overturned a horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float. They also damaged an airport jet bridge and knocked an awning into power lines. The weather service also reports snapped and toppled power poles near Jena, Cheneyville, and Donaldsonville. No deaths or serious injuries are being reported. Meanwhile, California braced for a powerful winter storm that was expected to bring thunderstorms, damaging winds and heavy snow to mountain areas.