July 11, 2025 3:00 pm
SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq (AP) — Fighters with a Kurdish separatist militant group that has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey have begun laying down their weapons. About 30 fighters took part in a symbolic ceremony Friday in northern Iraq. The move was the first concrete step toward a promised disarmament as part of a peace process. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, announced in May it would disband and renounce armed conflict to end four decades of hostilities. The move came after PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan urged his group in February to convene a congress and formally disband and disarm. Öcalan has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999.
July 11, 2025 9:32 am
Officials have announced that the beach at Raccoon Creek State Park has been closed for swimming after an elevated level of E. coli was detected in the water. It is closed until further notice. The park uses Department of Health standards and they monitor sample results and notify the park when a closure is required. The swimming area will remain closed until levels drop, but the beach will remain open.
July 11, 2025 8:54 am
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The State Department is firing over 1,300 employees in line with a dramatic reorganization plan initiated by the Trump administration earlier this year. A senior State Department official said Friday the department is sending layoff notices to 1,107 civil servants and 246 foreign service officers with domestic assignments in the United States. While lauded by President Donald Trump’s administration as overdue and necessary to make the department leaner and more efficient, the cuts have been roundly criticized by current and former diplomats who say they will weaken U.S. influence and its ability to counter existing and emerging threats abroad.
July 11, 2025 5:02 am
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says he will impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States if President Donald Trump follows through on a pledge to boost import taxes by 50%. Lula’s comments raise the risk of a tariffs war erupting between the two countries, similar to what has happened between the U.S. and China. Trump has vowed to respond forcefully if countries seek to punish the U.S. The letter that Trump sent to Brazil on Wednesday railing against the “witch hunt” trial against former President Jair Bolsonaro opened up a new front in his trade wars.
July 11, 2025 5:01 am
President Donald Trump has announced in a letter on social media that Canadian goods will be subject to a 35% tariff rate starting Aug. 1. It marks an aggressive increase to the 25% tariff first announced by Trump in February. Trump justified the tariffs as necessary to manage America’s opioid crisis, which he said was partially due to fentanyl being smuggled into the U.S. via Canada. Trump closed the letter by suggesting if Canada assists the U.S. in preventing fentanyl from entering the country, then he would “perhaps” consider adjusting the tariff rates.
July 11, 2025 4:59 am
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) — President Donald Trump is visiting Texas to assess catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 120 people. Despite his past calls to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Republican president has praised the federal response to the disaster. Trump plans to tour affected areas by air, meet first responders and speak with victims’ families. Top members of Trump’s administration have also shifted focus from reducing federal disaster management efforts to addressing the tragedy’s human impact. Before Trump left on Friday, his director of the Office of Management and Budget suggested FEMA needs reform but didn’t answer questions about whether the agency should be shuttered. (Photo: AP)
July 11, 2025 4:57 am
PITTSBURGH — The Pirates have announced plans to install permanent bronze plaques at PNC Park, showcasing fan messages from the Bucco Bricks program. Final plans were submitted to the Pittsburgh Sports Exhibition Authority, which approved the installation of 60 bronze plaques on the ballpark’s facade. These plaques will display over 10,000 messages originally engraved on bricks around PNC Park. “We know how important these messages and memories are to our fans,” said Pirates President Travis Williams. “This plan accomplishes our stated goal of improving upon the permanence of the display while maintaining the essence of the original program.” The bronze plaques, designed by architect Janet Marie-Smith and The Canopy Team, will be placed along West General Robinson Street and Mazeroski Way. Each plaque will be approximately 5 feet tall and 6 feet in length, holding nearly 170 messages. The park said the updated vertical design will allow fans to locate their messages more easily. The installation is scheduled to be completed by Opening Day 2026. (Photo: Pittsburgh Pirates)
July 11, 2025 4:49 am
City Council unanimously approved the installation of “No Parking” signs along Locust Avenue from Murtland Avenue to Wilson Avenue, a stretch Mayor JoJo Burgess described as a high-accident area. “This area has seen far too many accidents,” Burgess said. In related parking matters, council authorized the addition of one new handicap parking space on North Franklin Street and one on Broad Street. However, one existing handicap space on Broad Street will be removed as part of the adjustment. The city also announced several new personnel decisions. Two new firefighters, Ryan Hess and Ryan Kmetz, were officially hired to join the Washington Fire Department. The city also conditionally hired Jennifer Winters as the Police Department’s new Data Entry/Clerk, pending the completion of a pre-employment screening process. Additionally, City Administrator Rich Cleveland was appointed as the city’s liaison to the Pennsylvania Legislative League.
July 11, 2025 2:53 am
State police said they’ve arrested two men, including the victim’s ex-boyfriend, in the deadly shooting of a mother during a home invasion in Washington County last month. Police said Renee Gill, 37, was shot and killed in June after confronting two masked men who broke into her home overnight. According to investigators, the suspects, identified as Michael “Coury” Pyles and Walter Winland, planned to burglarize her home but ended up shooting Gill and her son, who tried to intervene. Gill died at the scene. Her son was shot in the hand and survived. Detectives say Walter Winland had recently moved out of Gill’s home, and they’d been in a relationship. According to police, the situation escalated quickly once Gill confronted the intruders, who were reportedly there to steal drugs. Both Pyles and Winland remain in custody, facing charges including homicide, attempted homicide, burglary, conspiracy and more. (Photo: WPXI)
July 10, 2025 4:52 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Ford is recalling more than 850,000 of its cars across the U.S. because the low-pressure fuel pump inside the vehicles may fail — and potentially cause an engine stall while driving, increasing crash risks. The recall covers a wide range of Ford and Lincoln-branded vehicles made in recent model years. That includes certain Ford Broncos, Explorers and F-150s, as well as Lincoln Aviators and Navigators, documents published this week by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration note. Ford plans to send out notification letters to affected owners starting July 14, to warn of safety risks related to this potential fuel pump failure. But recall documents note that a remedy is still under development. Ford isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries related to these recalled cars.
