March 7, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has given the Trump administration until Monday to speed up payment toward some of nearly $2 billion owed to partners of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department. Thursday’s decision thaws the administration’s six-week funding freeze on all foreign assistance. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled in favor of nonprofit groups and businesses that sued over the funding freeze, which has forced organizations around the world to slash services and lay off thousands of workers. Ali issued his order a day after a divided Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s bid to freeze funding that flowed through USAID.
March 7, 2025 4:56 am
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has hit the three-week mark in his hospitalization for double pneumonia. The Vatican said the 88-year-old pope had a good night’s rest and woke up Friday morning just after 8 a.m. Doctors said they didn’t expect to give a new medical update until Saturday. Francis is in stable condition but offered a first public sign of just how weak he is on Thursday. He recorded an audio message that was broadcast to the faithful in St. Peter’s Square. In it, Francis thanked the people for their prayers. But his voice was barely discernible through his labored breaths.
March 7, 2025 4:53 am
Trinity Area School Board authorized awarding a bid proposal of $458,623 from Blueprints for developing and implementing a preschool program during the 2025-2026 school year. The program will be funded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a federal initiative for local education. The programs will be located in Trinity East and Trinity South Elementary Schools. Another adjustment which will be done at Trinity South is the baseball field of the school has had drainage problems during heavy rainstorms and will be leveled prior to the beginning of the season. In a separate motion, the board authorized the district’s administration to reset the bidding process on a new Visual Emergency Notification System. The district would like to acquire a system with additional features of digital signage, wireless screen mirroring, and general announcements capability. The new system will be merged into the district’s existing technology infrastructure, 280 Promethean ActivPanels and 40 display/televisions used for digital signage in six buildings. In other matters, the board also approved the purchase of a new Fusion Epilog Laser Engraver from Allegheny Educational Systems, Inc at the cost of $15,636.40. The machine is funded from General Funds of Pennsylvania Education Purchasing Program for Microcomputers and will be installed in Trinity Middle School.
March 7, 2025 2:57 am
Washington City Council hired their new city administrator. Richard Cleveland has been appointed to the position that is being vacated by Donn Henderson next month. Cleveland will begin work with the city on March 18 and his salary will be $74,000. According to Mayor JoJo Burgess, Cleveland brings a wealth of experience to the city from the private sector as he performed work for several municipalities in Washington and Greene Counties. There will be an approximate 30 day overlap with Henderson to allow Cleveland to get on his feet quickly. As anticipated council adopted changes to the property maintenance ordinance adopting the 2021 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code. They also adopted changes to the quality of life ordinance raising the $25 dollar fine to $50 to cover increased costs of enforcement. At the end of the meeting, Mayor JoJo Burgess made a statement that asks all residents to treat city employees with respect. He indicated that a recent event alarmed an employee when a resident became irate with them over a policy enacted by council. Burgess simply stated that if a resident has a complaint about policy or law, come to the mayor and council. City employees only perform the tasks assigned. The argument that you have belongs between the residents and council and employees are not to receive the thrust of frustration over something they had no control over implementing.
March 7, 2025 1:52 am
An addition to the agenda to the Washington County Commissioners voting meeting shortly after the scheduled agenda meeting has caused some confusion among the board. Commissioners voted 2-1 to cancel a maintenance contract with MRA Inc. That company is the vendor for the current emergency radio system in the county. According to Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman, the contract with MRA Inc was cancelled over cost and timeline regarding a move of an antenna from the Courthouse Square Building to the Crossroads Building to allow demolition of the Courthouse Square Building to begin. Cost was also an issue according to Sherman. Though no figures were disclosed, Sherman said that the new vendor, Capital Communications, can perform the work more quickly and at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars cheaper than MRA Inc. Sherman says that Capital Communications is already under contract with the county to work on the new emergency radio system installation. Sherman went on to say that Capitol Communications is fully capable of performing the work and maintenance of equipment that MRA Inc was contracted to perform. Commissioner Larry Maggi voted against the measure, stating that this contract was cancelled last August without proper vetting, only to be reinstated in October. He says that he has not seen any figures that Sherman reports and wonders why the contract was not put out for bid.
March 7, 2025 12:13 am
Incumbent Magisterial District Judge James Saieva Jr. has announced he will seek reelection. He has served in that capacity for the past five years for the Canonsburg area. He ran for office in 2019 after retiring from the Canonsburg Police Department after more than twenty-five years as a police officer. He also worked for both the Hanover Township and Houston Borough Police Departments. In his announcement, Saieva points to instituting a campaign promise and changing office hours to accommodate citizens when scheduling their hearings and extending office hours on Monday’s until 6 p.m. He is a graduate of Canon-McMillan High School and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Edinboro University. He also is a graduate of the Municipal Police Academy at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Saieva is a Republican but plans to cross-file.
March 6, 2025 1:52 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is postponing the 25% tariffs on most goods from Mexico for a month after a conversation with that country’s president. Trump’s announcement comes after his Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, said tariffs on both Canada and Mexico would “likely” be delayed. This is the second one-month postponement Trump has announced since first unveiling the import taxes in early February. The reprieve would apply to goods that are compliant with the trade agreement Trump negotiated with Canada and Mexico in his first term. “We are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl,” Trump said on Truth Social.
March 6, 2025 1:45 pm
(WPXI) – Seven students and a bus driver were taken to the hospital after a school bus for the Mars Area School District crashed into a tree in Butler County. The crash happened a little after 8 o’clock Thursday morning in the 1600 block of Three Degree Road in Adams Township. A mass-casualty incident was initially declared for crews to get enough EMS resources to the scene. Mars Area School District superintendent Dr. Mark Gross said the all students on the bus at the time of the crash were evaluated by medics, and their parents were contacted. UPMC says seven students were treated at various hospitals and one student remains hospitalized under observation. The bus driver’s condition is currently not known. That individual was taken to Allegheny General Hospital. Gross said students who were determined by medics to be “not injured” were placed on another bus to continue to school. When those students arrived, they were checked by the school nurse before going to class. Social workers and guidance counselors will be available for any students who need assistance on Friday even though it is an in-service day for students.
March 6, 2025 12:54 pm
Parents and Guardians in the Albert Gallatin School District in Uniontown received a letter this week informing them of reports of a suspicious vehicle and person near the Edenborn, Footedale and McClellandtown areas. Officials said schools in those areas along with the district’s bus contractor have been notified as well. They say state and local police have also been contacted and will increase their presence around those areas for the next few days. The vehicle involved is described as a grey Ford Focus with a Pennsylvania license plate with the number LTL 1956.
March 6, 2025 12:52 pm
Officials in the Ringgold School District sent a letter to parents and guardians informing them of a case of Whooping Cough at their South Elementary School. Officials said children may have been exposed to a person suffering from the highly contagious disease. It is spread through the air when an infected person sneezes or coughs. It begins with a cold and cough and worsens over one to two weeks. The letter included recommendations from the Pennsylvania Department of Health along with a phone number to call for questions or concerns.
