December 24, 2025 11:50 am
The Powerball jackpot now stands at an estimated $1.7 billion and is one of the largest lottery prizes in U.S. history. The lottery group will be drawing the 4th-largest jackpot ever on Christmas Eve. The record U.S. jackpot is $2.04 billion from back in 2022. The odds of winning Wednesday’s jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. One math professor says those odds are equivalent to selecting one marked dollar bill from a stack 19 miles high. Those unfavorable odds are by design to help the lottery create billion-dollar jackpots. There are still other million-dollar prizes that players can win.
December 24, 2025 3:02 am
Governor Josh Shapiro announced that 54 transportation projects that total more than $47 million have received funding from the Multimodal Transportation Fund. The awards were made in 34 counties across Pennsylvania to enhance safety, connect communities and grow local economies. Local projects that were awarded funds were the Clark Road Bridge in Buffalo Township with $101,850, and Miller Road culvert replacements in Canton Township for $165,050. In Greene County, culvert reinforcement under Goslin Road in Jefferson Township received $176,056.
December 24, 2025 3:27 am
CLAIRTON, Pa.—(WPXI)-In August, two employees died and several others were injured during a battery explosion at Clairton Coke Works. Now, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board issued two safety recommendations for US Steel. They are to be implemented immediately. The CSB is recommending that U.S. Steel evaluate all buildings that could be occupied and assess any potential danger to workers based on where the buildings are located. The CSB said the occupied buildings in the area where the explosion happened were not capable of protecting workers from the blast. The agency also said that while US Steel has relocated the control rooms for battery 13/14 to another building 100 feet away, it’s not clear that it is a safe location for workers. The second recommendation is calling on U.S. Steel to address and reduce safety risks for its employees. The CSB is continuing its investigation.
December 24, 2025 11:47 am
BRISTOL, Pa. (AP) — Crews are using construction equipment to clear the rubble of a Pennsylvania nursing home after a powerful explosion killed two people and hospitalized 20 others. The blast happened Tuesday at the Bristol Health & Rehab Center, northeast of Philadelphia. Bristol Police Chief Charles Winik said Wednesday that searchers accounted for everyone who had been thought to be missing. Authorities say a utility crew was responding to reports of a gas odor when the explosion occurred. Investigators are examining whether a gas leak caused the blast. Emergency responders evacuated residents amid flames, a strong gas odor and a second explosion. On Wednesday, workers were clearing sections of collapsed roof and walls to help investigators gain better access.
December 23, 2025 11:48 pm
BRISTOL, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s governor says an explosion at a nursing home just outside Philadelphia killed at least two people. The explosion Tuesday collapsed a part of the building and happened just as a utility crew had been on site at Bristol Health & Rehab Center in Bristol Township looking for a gas leak. The extent of the casualties was unclear several hours later. Bucks County officials say a portion of the building collapsed. Fire officials said they were in “rescue mode” five hours later, with rescuers still digging by hand and using search dogs, earth-moving equipment and sonar to locate potential victims.
December 23, 2025 3:52 pm
Former Nebraska U.S. Senator Ben Sasse has announced his diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer. He shared the news on social media, revealing he learned of the disease last week. The 53-year-old Sasse resigned from the Senate in January 2023 to become the president of the University of Florida. He was a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump and one of seven Republican senators to vote for Trump’s conviction after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Sasse expressed determination to fight the disease, highlighting advancements in immunotherapy and other treatments as part of his hope.
December 23, 2025 8:50 am
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.
December 23, 2025 4:48 am
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.
December 23, 2025 4:54 am
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.
December 23, 2025 4:56 am
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.
