May 2, 2026 5:06 am
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Spirit Airlines has announced it is going out of business after 34 years. The ultra-low-cost airline known for its bright yellow planes and deep discount fares said Saturday it has started winding down operations. It said all its flights have been canceled and customer service is no longer available. The airline had been struggling financially since the COVID-19 pandemic, weighed down by rising costs and debt. Efforts to secure a government bailout failed, leaving about 17,000 jobs at risk. Spirit’s closure could impact budget-conscious travelers, especially in areas like Las Vegas and Florida, where the airline had a significant presence.
May 2, 2026 4:53 am
UNIONTOWN, Pa. — A family is displaced after a fire broke at a home in Fayette County. Dispatchers said firefighters were called to the 90 block of Connellsville Street in Uniontown just before 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Uniontown Fire Department Assistant Chief Rick Lint said the first arriving units saw heavy smoke when they arrived. “As soon as we pulled in, we had bystanders state that there were possibly two kids in the upstairs of the house. We did a very aggressive attack and search right off the get-go for that,” Lint said. Lint said the back of the house sustained most of the damage. The Red Cross has been notified and they will give the family shelter and clothing. No injuries were reported.
May 2, 2026 4:59 am
A Bethel Park school bus driver is charged with driving students while drunk. Police say the Bethel Park High School boys’ volleyball team was on the bus last Friday when the driver started driving erratically. A motorist who had been following the bus noticed it was swerving and called police. Officers met the bus at the high school where they say the volleyball coach told them the driver smelled of alcohol and ignored pleas to pull over. Police say they found an empty water bottle in driver Jeanne Bennett’s purse that smelled of alcohol. The 68-year-old admitted she’d been drinking. The district is taking action. The administration sent a message to parents saying the driver was immediately removed from service. All students were safely transported and accounted for, and each affected family was contacted. Bennett faces more than 50 charges, including 17 felonies for endangering the welfare of children. She was released after posting bond and is due in court on May 14th.
May 2, 2026 5:04 am
A Supreme Court decision striking down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana has amplified an already intense national redistricting battle. The court’s ruling Wednesday limits the use of race in drawing voting districts. In response, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has suspended the state’s May 16 congressional primary to allow time for state lawmakers to draw new House districts. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has called a special session to start Monday in case the Supreme Court allows the state to change its U.S. House districts, and Tennessee’s Republican governor is calling a session starting Tuesday to do the same there.
May 2, 2026 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the European Parliament trade committee calls President Donald Trump’s tariff hike on European Union automobiles “unacceptable.” Committee Chair Bernd Lange says the Trump administration “keeps breaking its commitments,” including on import taxes for steel and aluminum products. Trump said Friday he’ll increase the tariffs charged on cars and trucks from the EU next week to 25%, which could jolt the world economy. The Republican president says the EU is not complying with a fully agreed to trade deal, though he hasn’t fleshed out his objections. Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had agreed to the trade deal last July. It set a 15% tariff on most goods.
May 2, 2026 5:07 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States is warning shipping companies that they could face sanctions if they pay Iran to safely pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control issued the alert Friday. It adds another layer of pressure in the standoff between the U.S. and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which typically handles a fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments in peacetime. Iran effectively closed the strait to normal traffic by attacking and threatening to attack ships after the U.S. and Israel launched a war on Feb. 28.
May 2, 2026 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says the United States will withdraw about 5,000 troops from Germany in the next six to 12 months. President Donald Trump had threatened to withdraw some troops from the NATO ally as he feuds with Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the U.S. war with Iran. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement Friday that the “decision follows a thorough review of the Department’s force posture in Europe and is in recognition of theater requirements and conditions on the ground.” The number of troops leaving Germany would be 14% of the 36,000 American service members stationed there.
May 2, 2026 1:07 am
Two Washington County School Districts have been awarded Environmental Education Grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The California School District received $29,823 for their Teaching Sustainability Through Honeybee Behavior and Genetics workshops. Partnering with two other school districts, 9 workshops will be held focusing on honeybee science and environmental education. The Charleroi School District received $5000 for their Charleroi Area School District Edible Learning Lab. Their project will convert and expand an existing greenhouse into a year round growing lab where students will learn about plant science, hydroponics and sustainable agriculture. The grants are part of a more than $1 million statewide investment aimed at expanding environmental education.
May 2, 2026 2:44 am
An Allegheny County man is accused of threatening to kill President Trump and a member of Congress. An FBI spokesperson confirms Raymond Chandler was arrested by FBI Pittsburgh and the Secret Service on Friday morning. According to the affidavit, Chandler left a voicemail on April 18th for an unidentified member of Congress, in which he asked the individual to imagine that 1,000 people “pull you out of your house and they slit your throat and they slit your daughter’s throat and they slit everyone’s throat.” Chandler stated that this must happen because “wealth concentration has gotten so bad in this country,” the affidavit says. The affidavit alleges that, on April 29th, Chandler left another voicemail for an unidentified member of Congress, saying, “I want you to put that firearm to the President’s head, and I want you to pull the trigger and I want you to kill him.” Chandler said the president is “a liar among all liars. He’s a great deceiver. He’s the antichrist,” according to the affidavit. The member of Congress’s representatives reportedly provided the FBI with “numerous recordings” of voicemails from Chandler, and expressed concerns about his “escalating calls for violence.” Recordings included threats to Trump, the member of Congress and ICE, the affidavit says.
May 1, 2026 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April. That’s an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid a federal law requirement for congressional approval of military action that extends beyond 60 days. A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb. 28 have terminated.” Democrats and some Republicans have demanded formal approval for further military action. Legal experts argue the administration’s interpretation stretches the law’s intent.
