March 14, 2025 5:25 am
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is listing all the federal real estate leases it is ending, but new records obtained by The Associated Press show when those cancellations are expected to take effect. The documents from inside the General Services Administration, the U.S. government’s real estate manager, list dozens of federal office and building leases expected to end by June 30, with hundreds more slated over the coming months. The rapid pace of cancellations has raised alarms, with some agencies and lawmakers appealing to DOGE to exempt specific buildings. Several agencies are facing 20 or more lease cancellations in all, including the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Geological Survey.
March 14, 2025 5:14 am
Washington County Fire Chiefs are urging residents not to burn until conditions improve. Departments across the county have been responding to numerous brush fires that are threatening land, homes and public safety. They say there is an ‘extremely high fire danger in the region. Recent dry and breezy weather has created ideal conditions for fires to ignite and spread rapidly. A small backyard fire can quickly become uncontrollable. They are advising residents to; avoid open burning, properly dispose of smoking materials, grill with caution and be mindful of sparks. Residents are asked to check with their local fire department for any burning bans or restrictions. if you see an uncontrolled fire call 911 immediately.
March 14, 2025 5:08 am
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office says it is investigating reports of embezzlement within the largest youth football league in Pennsylvania. Initially, the complaint, by the Western Pennsylvania Youth Football League (WPYFL) was handed over to the Greene County Regional Police Force, but it has since been turned over to the district attorney. Officials say they began the investigation after financial discrepancies were noticed when they began receiving fraud alerts on their account. The league’s director, Bill Spencer, has stepped down, submitting his letter of resignation. While no charges have been filed yet, Spencer reportedly admitted to a mistake. According to records from an emergency meeting held this week, some representatives expected the account balance to be around $300,000, but suspect it might only hold between $170,000 and $200,000. The account was frozen, but the league says they have since gained access to it. Funds in the account, accumulated through team fundraising and game gate fees, are intended for organizing special games for children from kindergarten to sixth grade and covering referee costs. During the meeting, Jared Lowe was appointed as the acting director of the organization. A new treasurer was also appointed. Individual team accounts remain unaffected by the situation. The WPYFL currently consists of 44 member organizations, 138 teams that represent 43 different school districts in seven Southwestern Pennsylvania counties covering 3,061 square miles.
March 14, 2025 5:03 am
Canon-McMilllan School District is set to install a new crisis alert system for student and employee safety which will be funded by a grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). The system will be the first in Washington County and the second in the entire Western Pennsylvania region. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Scott Chambers states that all employees will wear badges that trigger immediate emergency alerts, including medical emergencies and intruder alerts. In other matters, the district has also opened kindergarten registration on their website for the 2025-2026 school year. According to Assistant Superintendent Dr. Mark Abbondanza, the webpage contains frequently asked questions, key facts regarding the kindergarten process, and downloadable registration forms. The district is also implementing an artificial intelligence curriculum incorporating robotics for 5th and 6th graders in Cecil Intermediate and North Strabane Intermediate Schools. The curriculum will allow students to design and code robots while learning about coding and AI offering two levels of difficulty: the uKit AI Beginner for 5th graders, featuring more than 350 building pieces, and the uKit AI Intermediate for 6th graders, with more than 550 building pieces. The pilot program will launch in April, with STEM teachers leading the effort.
March 13, 2025 3:15 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — American retailers say President Donald Trump’s threatened 200% tariff on European wine would harm consumers. Holly Seidewand owns First Fill Spirits in New York state and says a tariff war hurts importers, distributors and retailers but “consumers will bear the brunt.” Ronnie Sanders is CEO of Vine Street Imports in New Jersey and says customers aren’t prepared to pay two or three times more for wine. Trump on Thursday called the EU among “the most hostile and abusive taxing and tariffing authorities.” The Republican complains about the lack of U.S. auto sales in Europe and about lawsuits and fines against U.S. tech companies there. The European Commission says Europe wants to “negotiate to avoid tariffs.”
March 13, 2025 5:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate finds itself in a familiar position, working to avoid a partial government shutdown with just hours to spare. Democrats confront two painful options Friday as a midnight deadline looms. They can allow passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions. Or they can vote no and let funding lapse. The top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, said Democrats really didn’t have a choice because a shutdown would have far worse consequences for Americans. The legislation would fund the federal government through the end of September.
March 13, 2025 5:22 am
A sweeping storm system moving across the U.S. threatens to bring tornadoes, blizzards and possibly wildfires to different regions of the country. The National Weather Service says an outbreak of severe storms ramping up Friday afternoon could spawn tornadoes, with the greatest risk in Missouri and Illinois as well as portions of Iowa, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Heavy snow and high winds in the Great Plains could make travel treacherous in the Dakotas and parts of Minnesota. Forecasters say strong winds and warm, dry weather farther south pose a critical risk of wildfires in northwest Texas, Oklahoma and a portion of southeast Kansas. Severe weather threats are expected to persist into the weekend.
March 13, 2025 4:51 am
LA MALBAIE, Canada (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio may be walking into unusually unfriendly territory this week when he meets his counterparts from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies. The strong American allies have been stunned by President Donald Trump’s actions against them. Just hours after Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs kicked in against close U.S. partners, Rubio arrived in Canada for two days of talks with the top diplomats of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Rubio will likely be hearing a litany of complaints starting Thursday about Trump’s decisions from once-friendly, like-minded countries in the G7, notably host Canada. Still, Rubio can expect cautiously optimistic responses after Ukraine accepted a proposed 30-day ceasefire with Russia.
March 13, 2025 4:49 am
BRUSSELS (AP) — Canada and the European Union swiftly hit back at increased steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Canada matched Trump’s 25% increase on steel and aluminum and raised tariffs – that is, import taxes – on a slew of other U.S. goods. Across the Atlantic, the European Union will raise tariffs on American beef, poultry, bourbon and motorcycles, bourbon, peanut butter and jeans. Combined, the new taxes will cost American companies billions of dollars. Companies will either take the losses and earn fewer profits, or, more likely, pass costs along to consumers in the form of higher prices.
March 13, 2025 4:46 am
(AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said he agrees in principle with a U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. But he emphasized that the terms are yet to be worked out and noted that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace. Putin spoke Thursday at a news conference in Moscow. He said more discussions are needed with the U.S., including President Donald Trump. In Washington, Trump offered guarded optimism about Putin’s statement and reiterated that he stood ready to speak with him. The Russian leader made the remarks just hours after the arrival of Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow for talks.
