February 18, 2025 4:07 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Justice Department lawyers and New York City Mayor Eric Adams are set to face a federal judge who is signaling that he’s unlikely to rubber stamp their request to drop corruption charges weeks before an April trial. Judge Dale E. Ho scheduled Wednesday’s afternoon hearing after three government lawyers from Washington made the dismissal request on Friday. Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor resigned after she refused an order to do so. Ho already indicated the hearing was unlikely to resolve the issue when he wrote in an order Tuesday that one subject on the agenda will be a discussion of “procedure for resolution of the motion.”
February 18, 2025 1:57 am
EIGHTY FOUR, Pa. – (WPXI) – The Washington Area Humane Society said it’s looking to find new homes for its animals as the shelter is at full capacity. Its executive director said that in the past month, they’ve taken in around 17 puppies. Nine of them were surrendered by someone facing eviction. Six of the puppies were found in a cardboard box along Chestnut Street. Some have already been adopted. You can view the shelter’s available animals online or in person during viewing hours. If you are interested in viewing in person, you must submit an application first. The shelter said all of the animals it adopts out are spay/neutered, up-to-date on vaccines, tested (Lyme, Heartworm, FIV/FELV, Giardia), microchipped and flea and tick treated.
February 18, 2025 12:55 am
A standing room only crowd of more than 50 people packed a courtroom to hear the sentencing of a Greek Orthodox priest that pleaded guilty to stealing funds from the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in North Strabane Township. Fr. George Athanasiou, 38, a preist at the church received a sentence of 5 years probation with one year on electronic home monitoring. He has already paid $155,000 in restitution to the church. Rev. Fr. Dimitrios Kyritsis was pleased with all the court took into account for the sentencing and said everyone is in a process of healing and particularly prayed for Fr. Athanasiou’s personal mental and spiritual health. Athanasiou said that he is looking forward to his healing from a gambling addiction and wants to help the community at large with gambling addictions. In addition to his probation and restitution, Athanasiou was ordered to perform 300 hours of community service.
February 17, 2025 3:51 pm
A badly injured child is among 19 people who were injured when a Delta Airlines plane flipped upon arrival at Toronto’s Pearson Airport. The airport confirmed on X that an “incident” occurred Monday with the Delta flight from Minneapolis and that all 80 passengers and crew are accounted for. Video from the scene shows the Mitsubishi CRJ-900LR upside down on the snowy tarmac as emergency workers hose it down. The plane was somewhat obscured by snow from a winter storm that hit Toronto over the weekend. Ornge air ambulance says it is transporting one pediatric patient to Toronto’s SickKids hospital and two adults with critical injuries to other hospitals in the city.
February 17, 2025 2:22 pm
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military says its forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon after Tuesday’s deadline for their withdrawal under a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Lebanon’s government has expressed frustration over another delay. A separate ceasefire in Gaza is also in doubt as the region marks 500 days of Israel’s war with Hamas. Israel and the United States have sent conflicting signals over whether they want the Gaza truce to continue. Talks are yet to start on the ceasefire’s second phase, which would release more hostages and see the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
February 17, 2025 2:18 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a fatal mid-air collision in Washington. Probationary workers were targeted in late night emails Friday notifying them they had been fired. That’s according to David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union. One air traffic controller told the Associated Press the fired workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance.
February 17, 2025 5:13 am
BEIJING (AP) — China’s Foreign Ministry has taken issue with a revised U.S. government fact sheet that removed a line on American opposition to independence for Taiwan. A ministry spokesperson said the U.S. has “gravely backpedaled” on its position on Taiwan and sent the wrong message to “separatist forces” on the island. Taiwan and China split in 1949 during the civil war that brought the communists to power in China. Taiwan has its own government and military but has never declared formal independence from China. The U.S. State Department removed the phrase “we do not support Taiwan independence” from the fact sheet last week.
February 17, 2025 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has halted the firings of hundreds of federal employees who were tasked with working on the nation’s nuclear weapons programs. It’s an about-face that has left workers confused and experts cautioning that DOGE’s blind cost cutting will put communities at risk. Three U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late Thursday. One of the hardest hit offices was the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas. Those employees have one of the most sensitive jobs across the nuclear weapons enterprise, reassembling warheads. By late Friday night, the agency’s acting director, Teresa Robbins, issued a memo rescinding the firings for all but 28.
February 17, 2025 5:08 am
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron has called leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom to his ornate Elysee Palace for an emergency meeting Monday. He wants to discuss how to deal with the Trump administration and step up plans to increase defense spending. The European leaders have been stunned by a weeklong diplomatic blitz on Ukraine from the Trump administration that seemed to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its age-old European allies. There were belligerent warnings ahead of Donald Trump’s reelection as U.S. president. But EU leaders publicly ignored the ominous forebodings and somehow hoped Trump would stand side by side with Europe.
February 17, 2025 5:07 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s military says its forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon after Tuesday’s deadline for their withdrawal under a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Lebanon’s government has expressed frustration over another delay. A separate ceasefire in Gaza is also in doubt as the region marks 500 days of Israel’s war with Hamas. Talks are yet to start on the ceasefire’s second phase, which would release more hostages and see the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory. An Israeli official says four bodies are expected to be returned to Israel on Thursday, with no details.
