March 25, 2025 4:39 am
Voters in Allegheny County will help determine the makeup of the state House of Representatives. Democrat Dan Goughnour, Republican Chuck Davis and Libertarian Matt Mitta are on the ballot to replace former Representative Matt Gergely who suddenly passed away January 19. The 35th Legislative District is made up of 13 communities from Clairton and Duquesne, West Mifflin to White Oak. Representation at the state House of Representatives currently sits at 101 Democrats and 101 Republicans. Goughnour is a McKeesport Police Officer and member of the school board. Davis is a volunteer firefighter from White Oak and member of the White Oak Borough Council. White Oak resident Adam Kitta works for the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services of Western Pennsylvania. Polls for the Special Election open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. This seat is for Gergely’s unexpired term that expires at the end of the year.
March 25, 2025 2:52 am
The splash pad being built at Rolling Hills Park in Peters Township, took one more step in becoming a reality. Peters Township Council unanimously adopted a motion to set fees to enter the splash pad when it opens in early July of this year. Residents will be charged $2.50 for a single visit. An annual four person family pass is available for $25 and allows unlimited usage. In addition to the splash pad, shelter rentals for 30 guests is priced at $100 for a two hour period. An indoor party room is also available for 30 guests at $150 for two hours. All prices for non-residents is double the resident price. According to Township Manager Paul Lauer, construction is scheduled for completion in late June. It will take several days to get the area organized for public use. The splash pad will operate Monday through Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm. Sundays the pad is open from 12 pm to 7 pm. Once a full season gets underway next year, the schedule will be from Memorial Day through Labor Day and every weekend in September. Rules for residents to be aware of, children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult and payment is cashless. Guests can use their annual pass, a credit card or debit card for entrance to the venue.
March 25, 2025 2:00 am
Sports Facility, LLC, owners of the Washington Wild Things announced that Wild Things Park has a new naming rights sponsor. EQT, Corporation, the natural gas production company signed a three year agreement to have the ballpark named EQT Park. Toby Rice, President and CEO of EQT, Corporation spoke of how his company is operated with partnerships and he is proud of this partnership. He said he looks forward to help the community and their families create memories at the EQT Park. Chris Blaine is the CEO of Sports Facility, LLC. She said that this is a great day for the park. Their relationship with EQT has grown over the years as EQT had been a sponsor for the team for several years. She described EQT and the Wild Things as like minded organizations built on teamwork. Both described EQT Park as a community asset, as it has hosted a myriad of events and organizations over the years. Financial terms of the agreement were not released. The ball park debuted in 2002 as Falconi Field and later became CONSOL Energy Field in 2007. The ball park has been without a name since 2017. Opening Day at EQT Park will be May 13 against the Ottawa Titans.
March 24, 2025 5:52 pm
(WPXI) – High winds blew off a small portion of a Duquesne University building’s roof on Monday. A university spokesperson says the wind pushed a metal cap onto Mendel Hall, then the stucco facade fell onto the sidewalk and street below and exposing some of the building’s wood frame and insulation. No one was on the sidewalk when this happened, nor was anyone in the building. The sidewalk is now surrounded by caution tape. The spokesperson says the building was already slated for demolition in April. “Now the University is having its demolition contractor assess the structure for any other possible dangers before it is removed,” Ken Walters said.
March 24, 2025 5:49 pm
(AP) – Firefighters in North and South Carolina are battling multiple wind-driven wildfires. The fires are burning in rugged terrain that is complicating efforts to contain them. North Carolina State University forestry professor Robert Scheller says millions of trees knocked down by Hurricane Helene last fall have dried out and are helping fuel the blazes. Burn bans remain in effect in both Carolinas and mandatory evacuations continue in parts of North Carolina’s Polk County. Hundreds of miles north in New Jersey, the state Forest Fire Service says a wildfire in the Pinelands region was 100% contained on Monday morning.
March 24, 2025 5:46 pm
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Lawyers hired by the Venezuelan government have filed a legal action in El Salvador aimed at freeing 238 Venezuelans deported by the United States. They are being held in a Salvadoran maximum-security prison. Jaime Ortega, who says he represents 30 of the imprisoned Venezuelans, says they filed the habeas corpus petition with the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Chamber. He said that by extension they requested that it be applied to all Venezuelans detained in El Salvador. The maneuver essentially compels the government to prove someone’s detention was justified. The Salvadoran government has been silent about the status of the Venezuelan prisoners.
March 24, 2025 5:44 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top national security officials for President Donald Trump, including his defense secretary, texted war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic. This was reported by the magazine in a story posted online Monday. The National Security Council said the text chain “appears to be authentic.” Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg said the material in the text chain “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi-rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.” Just two hours after Goldberg received the details of the attack on March 15, the U.S. began launching a series of airstrikes.
March 24, 2025 5:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mass layoffs and resignations at the federal government are prompting concerns that a disgruntled former employee may seek to sell secrets to a foreign power. National security experts say that while the overwhelming majority of federal workers are conscientious patriots who would never sell out their country, it would only take one or two informants to cause a significant national security crisis. Counterespionage is a concern even when the federal workforce is stable. But in recent weeks President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have slashed thousands of jobs. National security and intelligence experts say Russia, China and other adversaries will seek to take advantage of the opportunity.
March 24, 2025 5:02 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. and Russian negotiators are holding talks in Saudi Arabia on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine, hours after a round of negotiations between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations. The state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies said the negotiations began in Riyadh Monday. The separate meetings are set to discuss details of a pause in long-range attacks against energy facilities and civilian infrastructure and a halt on attacks in the Black Sea to ensure safe commercial shipping. Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders, but the parties have offered different views of what targets would be off-limits to attack.
March 24, 2025 5:01 am
An animal shelter is warning the Westmoreland County community about a scam. Ninth Life Rescue Center said a scammer is sending requests for payment using their name. The shelter shared a photo of Venmo requests coming from an account reading “NinthLife RescueCenter.” They said this was not from them. The scam comes when the shelter is in need of help after rescuing 40 cats from a house in Ligonier. Ninth Life Rescue Center said it will never ask for money directly or target people for payments. “It’s a total shame that people are using our rescue animals to try to scam potential donors into sending them money,” Ninth Life Animal Rescue said.
