No REAL ID Right Now? No Major Problem

May 6, 2025 3:28 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of Homeland Security says travelers who aren’t REAL ID compliant by the upcoming deadline this week will still be able to fly but should be prepared for extra scrutiny. Kristi Noem told a congressional panel that 81% of travelers already have IDs that comply with the REAL ID requirements. She says security checkpoints will also be accepting passports and tribal identification when the deadline hits Wednesday. She says those who still lack an identification that complies with the REAL ID law “may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step.” But they will still be allowed to fly.  (Photo:  AP)

Cardinals Wrap-Up Pre-Conclave Meetings

May 6, 2025 3:25 pm

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Cardinals have wrapped up their pre-conclave meetings before they enter the conclave to elect a new pope. They are trying to identify someone who could follow Pope Francis and make the 2,000-year-old Catholic Church credible and relevant today, especially to young people. The cardinals held their last day of pre-conclave meetings Tuesday morning during which Francis’ fisherman’s ring and his official seal were destroyed in one of the final formal rites of the transition of his pontificate to the next.  (Photo:  AP)

Trump & Canadian Prime Minister Face Off

May 6, 2025 3:21 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced off in the Oval Office on Tuesday and showed no signs of retreating from their gaping differences in an ongoing trade war that has shattered decades of trust between the two countries. The two kept it civil, but as for Trump’s calls to make Canada the 51st state, Carney insisted his nation was “not for sale” and Trump shot back, “time will tell.” Asked by a reporter if there was anything Carney could tell him to lift his tariffs of as much as 25% on Canada, Trump bluntly said: “No.” The U.S. president added for emphasis, “Just the way it is.”  (Photo:  AP)

Philadelphia Plane Crash Claims Eighth Victim

May 6, 2025 3:18 pm

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — City officials in Philadelphia say an eighth person has died from the crash of a medical transport plane in January. They say 34-year-old Dominique Goods-Burke died in a local hospital on April 27, months after her fiance died after their vehicle was hit by debris. The other six victims were all in the plane. They include a girl from Mexico who was traveling home after receiving medical treatment in Philadelphia. About two dozen people were injured on the ground and more than a dozen homes damaged when the plane crashed in the busy northeast Philadelphia neighborhood.  (Photo:  AP)

Hegseth Directs 20% Cut To Top Military Positions

May 6, 2025 5:03 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is directing the active duty military to shed 20% of its four-star general officers. The deep cuts are part of what the Trump administration says is an effort to promote efficiency but that critics worry could result in a more politicized force. Hegseth also is telling the National Guard to shed 20% of its top positions. In a memo dated Monday, he said the cuts will remove “redundant force structure to optimize and streamline leadership.” The Pentagon is under pressure to slash spending and personnel as part of the broader federal government cuts pushed by President Donald Trump and ally Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Drone Attacks Suspend Operations At Moscow Airports

May 6, 2025 5:00 am

Russia said it intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones fired at almost a dozen of its regions in an attack that forced all four airports around Moscow to temporarily suspend flights. The overnight assault came two days ahead of a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire in the more than three-year war announced by President Vladimir Putin to coincide with celebrations in Moscow marking Victory Day in World War II. The day celebrating Moscow’s defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945 is Russia’s biggest secular holiday when foreign dignitaries will gather in the Russian capital.

Rite Aid Returns To Bankruptcy Protection

May 6, 2025 4:57 am

Rite Aid is again seeking bankruptcy protection as the struggling drugstore chain says it will try to sell substantially all of its assets. The company said Monday that its stores will remain open as it starts Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Major drugstore chains and independent pharmacies have been closing stores and struggling with several challenges. Rite Aid initially filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2023, with plans to sell parts of its business and restructure. Rite Aid said then the voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization would help slash debt and resolve litigation.

Police Investigate Antisemitic Incident At Barstool Pub

May 6, 2025 4:55 am

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has retracted his offer to at least one of two customers to tour a former Nazi concentration camp after he says the person denied responsibility for antisemitic behavior at a Barstool pub in Philadelphia. A video posted online over the weekend shows a sign with an antisemitic message that had been ordered along with bottle service. Portnoy says he fired two servers who were involved. Portnoy, who is Jewish, said he had hoped to turn the event into a teachable moment but said the customer who initially took responsibility for the actions changed course Monday saying he had nothing to do with it. Police are investigating the incident.

Fan Who Fell At PNC Park Takes First Steps

May 6, 2025 4:51 am

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The 20-year-old man who fell from the top of a 21-foot-high wall onto the warning track at PNC Park during a Pittsburgh Pirates game last week has taken his first steps since the accident. Kavan Markwood still has a long way to go in his recovery after Monday’s steps. He slipped off a railing and onto the field during the seventh inning of Pittsburgh’s 4-3 win over the Chicago Cubs last Wednesday. Jennifer Phillips, the organizer of a GoFundMe page for Markwood, says seeing him up and moving lifted everyone’s spirits. She says he is dealing with a broken neck, clavicle and back.

Cecil Supervisors Concentrate On Fire Department

May 6, 2025 2:59 am

Cecil Township Supervisors spent a large part of their meeting considering actions that will help their Fire Department. Currently, the three volunteer fire departments are working on guidelines and bylaws to combine their efforts and become one unified department within the township with volunteer and paid firefighters working in unison. In Monday’s meeting, supervisors approved the creation of the Cecil Volunteer Fire Department 501(c)(3) organization. The organization will allow the current volunteer units to fundraise and write grants to help them acquire turnout gear and any other apparatus equipment that they need under one unified organization. In other related business, Supervisor Chairman Tom Casciola introduced the idea of reinstituting the Township Fire Tax. Currently, fire department expenses are paid as line items within the general budget. Casciola suggests that a flat fee, equal to what is currently spent by the township be introduced as, possibly a flat fee, so residents would pay an equal amount for fire department services and they would be cognizant of the amount of money being spent on the fire department. The idea is in its infancy and no decision is imminent. Additionally, the home security website Safewise recognized Cecil Township as the number one safest municipality in Pennsylvania for the year 2025.