May 30, 2025 4:52 am
(AP) – The White House says Israel has accepted a new U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump submitted a ceasefire proposal that Israel has “backed and supported.” Hamas officials gave the Israeli-approved draft a cool response, but said they wanted to study the proposal more closely before giving a formal answer.
May 30, 2025 12:56 pm
CALICO ROCK, Ark. — (AP) — Arkansas authorities are looking at whether a job in the prison kitchen played a role in the weekend escape of a convicted former police chief known as the “Devil in the Ozarks.”Grant Hardin, 56, was housed in a maximum-security wing of the medium-security Calico Rock prison, where he also held a job in the kitchen, Arkansas Department of Corrections spokesperson Rand Champion said Thursday. Authorities have said Hardin escaped Sunday by donning an outfit designed to look like a law enforcement uniform. “His job assignment was in the kitchen, so just looking to see if that played a part in it as well,” Champion told The Associated Press. The kitchen is divided into two shifts of about 25 workers each, according to a 2021 accreditation report that involved an extensive review of the prison. In the kitchen, “tools and utensils were stored on shadow boards with proper controls for sign out/in of all tools,” the report states. “A check of the inventory control sheets found them to be accurate and up to date.” The kitchen is in one of 16 buildings on over 700 acres (280 hectares) of prison land. The sprawling grounds include a garden, two greenhouses, and extensive pasture lands where a herd of more than 100 horses is raised and trained by staff and inmates. Hardin, the former police chief in the small town of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was serving lengthy sentences for murder and rape. He was the subject of the TV documentary “Devil in the Ozarks.”
May 30, 2025 11:38 am
(WPXI) – A new sedative used in veterinary medicine is showing up in street drugs, leading to severe health complications and frequent intensive care unit admissions, local emergency physicians warn. Medetomidine is the latest drug to be found mixed into opioids sold on the street. “Almost never would we have to admit or hospitalize someone for the treatment of opioid withdrawal prior to October 2024,” said Dr. Simon Ostrowski, an emergency medicine physician with UPMC. “Since then, we are regularly hospitalizing people for opioid withdrawal treatment — and not just hospitalizing them, but in the intensive care unit.” UPMC is currently admitting multiple patients to the ICU daily as a result of withdrawal symptoms. Physicians note that Narcan, a common opioid overdose reversal medication, is largely ineffective against the sedative — similar to the challenges faced with xylazine. “It’s very difficult to reverse,” said Dr. Brent Rau, ER medical director at Allegheny General Hospital. “Like in the case of xylazine there were severe skin reactions, severe wounds that can develop, that can cause amputations and other issues. It does feel like every year it’s something new.” There is currently no rapid test available in hospitals to detect medetomidine, which makes diagnosis and treatment more challenging.
May 29, 2025 12:52 pm
(WPXI) INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. — Pennsylvania State Police say scammers are impersonating the DMV in text messages. Troopers said several Indiana County residents reported receiving suspicious texts from someone claiming to be the “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Motor Vehicles (DMV).” The texts allege they are a “final notice” before “enforcement penalties begin on May 31.” A link is included in the email that is alleged to lead people who open it to a place where they can make a payment on an “outstanding traffic ticket” to avoid penalties. Police say the entire message is a scam and say no one should click on any links in the message. They encourage people to report these messages to their service providers and to delete the message. Troopers are not aware of any financial losses caused by the scam at this time. To prevent the scam from spreading, residents are asked to spread the word and discuss scam risks with family members and friends. Police said a good rule of thumb is to ignore calls, emails or texts that seem suspicious and to contact a family member or local police for more guidance.
May 29, 2025 12:29 pm
(WPXI) BUTLER, Pa. — Police are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in Butler County. Butler City Police Chief Bob O’Neill says police did a welfare check at 3:44 p.m. on Wednesday in the 100 block of Cottage Hill Avenue. Inside, they found two deceased people: A 66-year-old white woman and a 66-year-old white man, both from Butler. Detectives believe this was a murder-suicide, based on preliminary investigations. The individuals’ next of kin have not yet been located, O’Neill says. The investigation is ongoing, and more information will be released as deemed prudent.
May 30, 2025 11:43 am
(WPXI) PITTSBURGH — Giant Eagle Pharmacy Inc. has announced an agreement to transfer customer prescriptions from 78 Rite Aid Locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. A Giant Eagle spokesperson says the prescriptions will be transferred to the Giant Eagle Pharmacy location most convenient for customers. Closing on the purchase of the prescriptions is expected to come in waves during June. Giant Eagle will assume operations of two Rite Aid pharmacy locations immediately after Rite Aid departs, with no planned interruptions, officials said. The agreement is subject to applicable regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, officials said. Additional details are expected as the closing dates approach. Officials say Giant Eagle and Rite Aid are working closely to ensure a smooth and seamless transition for patients, with Giant Eagle reaching out to inform affected Rite Aid customers. “We’re excited to welcome new patients to our Giant Eagle Pharmacy,” said Bill Artman, president and CEO of Giant Eagle. “
May 30, 2025 11:36 am
(WPXI) PITTSBURGH — Port Authority Police are investigating an attempted robbery on a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus. Per a PRT spokesperson, initial reports indicate a “few juveniles” tried to rob an elderly man while they were all riding on a bus around 9 p.m. at the intersection of Carson and 26th streets in Pittsburgh’s South Side. The spokesperson says one of the juveniles dropped a handgun onto the bus floor. The juveniles fled, and the victim picked up the gun and held it until police arrived. Officials say the victim was not injured.
May 30, 2025 2:29 am
The PA Trolley Museum partnered with the Penn Environment Research and Policy Center to promote the use of solar energy and how it has particularly benefitted the trolley museum. Wanda Wilson from Penn Environment said that her organization is touring Pennsylvania, educating businesses, non-profits and churches on how the use of solar energy can redirect funds spent on electricity to other needs in their organizations. Scott Becker, Executive Director and CEO of the PA Trolley Museum spoke of how the savings have benefitted the museum. All of the trolleys that run rider tours are powered by electricity. The education center, display center and maintenance shop are all powered by solar electricity. The solar program began in 2009 when approximately 35 solar panels were installed. A Pennsylvania Energy Harvest Grant and Swanson Family Grant have now allowed the museum to install 937 solar panels on the rooftops of the education center and display center. According to Becker, the solar energy program allowed the museum to pay just $850 in electrical bills last year. He said that it was a savings of $70,000.
May 30, 2025 11:16 am
(WPXI) WEST HOMESTEAD — Sandcastle Waterpark has postponed its opening for the second time this year due to weather. The waterpark in West Homestead announced over social media that its opening has been pushed back to Sunday, June 1, because of “unseasonably chilly temperatures.” Originally set for May 24, the park’s 2025 season kickoff was delayed to Saturday, May 31, due to inclement weather. Sandcastle now says the park will be closed on Saturday. However, all 2025 Sandcastle passholders can visit Kennywood for free on Saturday. “We know, Mother Nature has not been cooperating… but we’re getting there,” the park stated on social media. Sandcastle also announced it has extended its opening sale.
May 29, 2025 11:30 am
SAO PAULO — (AP) — Videos featuring emotional moments with hyper-realistic baby dolls have sparked both online fascination and political debate in Brazil, with lawmakers even bringing the lifelike dolls into legislatures. Influencers have staged situations such as birth simulations and strolls in shopping malls with the hand-crafted baby figures, known as “reborn” dolls, creating videos that have gone viral. In Rio de Janeiro, the city council has passed a bill honoring those who make the lifelike dolls, pending Mayor Eduardo Paes’ signature. Meanwhile, legislators elsewhere across the country have debated fines for those seeking medical help for such dolls, following a video allegedly showing a woman taking one to a hospital. Lawmakers have brought the dolls into legislative chambers. On Tuesday, Joao Luiz, a state lawmaker from Amazonas, appeared with a doll at the State House to announce plans to ban reborn dolls from receiving care in the state’s public health system. However, local media reported that health authorities had never recorded any such cases.
