Freedom Transit Offering Rides To NFL Draft

April 21, 2026 2:27 am

To help accommodate those attending the NFL draft, Freedom Transit has added three additional return times from Pittsburgh back to Washington County on Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24. One bus will depart downtown Pittsburgh at approximately 10:00 PM, another bus will depart at approximately 11:30 PM and the last bus will depart at approximately 12:15 AM. Information on stop locations in downtown are listed below in the inbound and outbound detour sections.  Freedom Transit has a limited fleet of buses and may not be able to accommodate all riders wishing to use the public transit service during the NFL draft.  Fixed‑route bus service is subject to vehicle capacity limits. Boarding is permitted on a first‑come, first‑served basis until capacity is reached. Seating is not guaranteed, and standing may be required.  The cost to ride the Metro is $4.00 for a one-way ticket.  Tickets can be purchased by downloading the Freedom Transit app on the App Store or Google Play. Learn more about buying bus tickets or click the button.

NFL Draft Week Is Here

April 21, 2026 2:04 am

You may have heard that the NFL Draft is coming to Pittsburgh later this week. Officials have been working to come up with the best travel plan. PennDOT is encouraging drivers to plan their trip using real-time travel information available on a specialized web page. Governor Josh Shapiro’s office has set up 5-1-1 PA.com/map/page/NFL. The page is dedicated to monitoring traffic conditions on primary travel routes. This is just the start of major sports events in the Commonwealth with Philadelphia set to host some FIFA World Cup Soccer matches in June and July and the Phillies are set to host the Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 14. Experts say Pittsburgh will host between 500 and 700 thousand people between August 23rd and the 25th.

Court; State Constitution Guarantees Right To Abortion

April 21, 2026 4:55 am

A Pennsylvania court has ruled that the state’s constitution guarantees a right to abortion. This decision overturns a decades-long law that banned using Medicaid funds for abortion costs. The ruling, announced Monday, marks a significant victory for Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics that sued Pennsylvania in 2019 over Medicaid funding limitations. Pennsylvania now joins a few states where advocates have successfully protected abortion access through state constitutions. The attorney general’s office is reviewing the decision and hasn’t said if it will appeal.

Pakistan Pressing For Second Round Of Talks

April 21, 2026 4:57 am

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan is pressing ahead with the groundwork for a second round of talks between Iran and the United States in Islamabad. A fragile ceasefire hung in the balance on Tuesday even though it remains unclear whether Tehran will send a delegation. Both sides remain dug in rhetorically with U.S. President Donald Trump warning that “lots of bombs” will “start going off” if there’s no agreement before the ceasefire deadline. And Iranian’s chief negotiator says that Tehran has “new cards on the battlefield” that haven’t yet been revealed. The two-week ceasefire is due to expire Wednesday.

Iran Gives Field Commanders More Power

April 21, 2026 5:00 am

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iran has granted its commanders more autonomy over militias in Iraq, allowing some to act without Tehran’s approval. Three militia members and two other officials described the shift to The Associated Press, on condition of anonymity to speak freely about sensitive matters. It comes amid the pressures of the Iran war. Many Iran-backed militias are funded through Iraq’s state budget and embedded within Iraq’s security apparatus. The conflict in the Middle East has exposed the fragility of Iraq’s institutions. Baghdad has struggled to control the militias. Officials and experts say that even if a fragile ceasefire deal holds, the U.S. is expected to intensify efforts against them. A decentralized structure allows factions to operate independently, complicating efforts to rein them in.

Trump’s Fed Nominee To Face Senate Panel

April 21, 2026 5:01 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kevin Warsh is taking another step toward his decade-long goal of winning the top job at the Federal Reserve by appearing at a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee on Tuesday. But the role that he may eventually assume could turn out vastly different than what he expected. Warsh, a former top official at the Fed and a wealthy investor, will likely face a range of tough questions at the hearing. Democrats on the committee have already signaled they will press him about what they argue is a lack of transparency regarding some of his vast financial holdings. And it’s not clear when the committee may even be able to vote on his nomination.

Labor Secretary Leaving Trump Cabinet

April 21, 2026 4:58 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet after multiple allegations of abusing her position, including an affair with a subordinate and drinking on the job. She is the third Trump Cabinet member to leave recently. Reports of investigations into her conduct began surfacing in January. A New York Times report last Wednesday revealed that the Labor Department’s inspector general was reviewing inappropriate communications involving Chavez-DeRemer and her aides. The White House initially dismissed the allegations, but as more emerged, her job security became uncertain. At least four Labor Department officials have already been forced from their jobs as the investigation progressed.

Tim Cook To Step Down As Apple CEO

April 21, 2026 4:59 am

Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down from the job that he inherited from the late Steve Jobs, ending a 15-year reign that saw the company’s market value soar by more than $3.6 trillion during an iPhone-fueled era of prosperity. The 65-year-old Cook will hand the CEO duties to Apple’s head of hardware products, John Ternus, on Sept. 1 while remaining involved with the Cupertino, California, company as executive chairman. Although he never shook the perception that he lacked Jobs’ vision, Cook leveraged the popularity of the iPhone and other breakthroughs orchestrated by his predecessor to lift Apple to heights that seemed unfathomable when it was on the brink of bankruptcy during the mid-1990s.

Butler County Man Found With Loaded Gun At Airport

April 21, 2026 1:28 am

A Butler County man is facing charges after police said a gun was found in his carry-on bag at Pittsburgh International Airport on Monday. Transportation Security Administration officers found the loaded handgun in the passenger’s bag at the main security checkpoint and alerted Allegheny County Police. Police determined that the passenger, Garrett Beattie, 43, of Cranberry Township, did not have a valid concealed carry permit. He is charged with carrying a firearm without a license. The FBI was also notified. According to Allegheny County police, passengers who bring firearms into an airport security checkpoint can face federal civil fines from the Transportation Security Administration up to $10,000. Repeat offenders can be fined up to $13,910.

Get Those Winter Coats Out

April 20, 2026 4:56 am

Hope you didn’t put away your winter weather gear.  There is a Freeze Warning in effect from eleven o’clock Monday night until nine o’clock Tuesday morning.  Lows will be in the upper twenties. If you have outdoor plants that can be brought in – better safe than sorry and if you have plants in the ground, it may be a good idea to cover them.  On the upside though, more sunshine and warmer temperatures are on the way this week.  Highs will return to near average temperatures in the 60s and warmer air is expected later this week with highs in the 70s and even low 80s by Friday.