May 8, 2025 4:51 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was meeting recently with representatives from a teachers union when things quickly devolved. Fetterman began repeating himself, shouting and slamming his hands on a desk. That’s according to two people who were briefed about the meeting and were granted anonymity to discuss it. Fetterman said in a statement through his office that he and the officials “had a spirited conversation” and said he will always support teachers. The interaction adds to the questions being raised about the Democratic senator’s mental health and behavior barely three years after a he survived a stroke and two years after being treated for depression.
May 8, 2025 4:56 am
A deadly midair collision in January between a military helicopter and a commercial airliner, and several crashes since, have prompted officials to focus on fixing the nation’s outdated air traffic control system and hiring more controllers. They say doing so would help ensure safety and prevent the kind of problems that have plagued the Newark, New Jersey, airport since its radar system failed briefly last week. The Federal Aviation Administration is also working on a more immediate fix for the technology and staffing problems in Newark while a broader overhaul is in the works. A broader multibillion-dollar plan will be announced Thursday for long-overdue upgrades to the nation’s air traffic control system.
May 8, 2025 5:01 am
LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England is widely expected to cut interest rates on Thursday as a result of the potential shock to growth emanating from the tariff policies of the Trump administration. Most economists think it’s a near-certainty that the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee will sanction a quarter-point reduction in the bank’s main interest rate to 4.25%. There’s some speculation that some members may opt for an even bigger half-point cut. Economists are going to be particularly interested in the bank’s accompanying economic forecasts as they will be the first since U.S. President Donald Trump made his tariff announcement in early April. Though tariffs on U.K. goods have been paused, uncertainty remains high.
May 8, 2025 4:59 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — After three former Memphis police officers were acquitted in the beating death of Tyre Nichols, community and civil rights leaders are expressing outrage over another disappointment in the long push for police reform. Nichols’s death more than two years ago sparked nationwide protests and renewed calls for systemic change as the first post-George Floyd case that revealed the limits of an unprecedented reckoning over racial injustice in Black America. Now, Wednesday’s acquittals again show the need for reforms at the federal level, civil rights leaders say.
May 8, 2025 2:18 am
Community action agency Blueprints is celebrating 60 years of service, and community impact and empowerment. Over six decades they have enriched lives and strengthened communities by supporting families at every stage of their lives with childhood education, financial and career guidance, housing stability and services for older adults. To recognize Blueprints’ 60th anniversary and May being recognized as Community Action Month, Blueprints will be sponsoring open houses to allow the public to tour their headquarters and regional offices. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet staff and engage in hands on activities that showcase programs offered by Blueprints. The open houses will be on May 16 from 9 a.m. until noon. They will be held at their headquarters at 150 W. Beau St. Suite 304 in Washington. They will also be held in their field offices at 58 E. Greene St. in Waynesburg, 1000 Technology Drive, Suite 2150 in Fairmont, WV, and 103 Euclid Drive in Parkersburg, WV. Select Early Learning locations will also sponsor tours. Contact the location to learn if they are holding an open house.
May 7, 2025 6:09 pm
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Black smoke has poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church. The smoke billowed out at 9 p.m. Wednesday, some four hours after 133 cardinals solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel, took their oaths of secrecy and formally opened the centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church. With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the cardinals will retire for the night to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered. They return to the Sistine Chapel Thursday morning.
May 7, 2025 6:14 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday, brushing off President Donald Trump’s demands to lower borrowing costs, and said that the risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen. The Fed kept its rate at 4.3% for the third straight meeting, after cutting it three times in a row at the end of last year. Many economists and Wall Street investors still expect the Fed will reduce rates two or three times this year, but the sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump have injected a tremendous amount of uncertainty into the U.S. economy and the Fed’s policies.
May 7, 2025 6:12 pm
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis officers have been acquitted of all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop. An out-of-town jury from a majority-white county found Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith not guilty on all charges after a trial in Memphis state court. The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted last year of some federal charges and acquitted on others. Nichols fled a 2023 traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers who are also Black caught up with him and then fatally beat him.
May 7, 2025 2:16 am
PennDot has announced several bridge preservation projects in Washington County and virtual displays of the projects are available. PennDot is also requesting feedback on the projects. A link to view the virtual presentation of the projects and offer feedback is contained here in this link. Bridge rehabilitation will be divided into three categories. Three bridges will receive a latex overlay with expansion dam repairs. Those are the Barrett Hill Road Bridge over I-79 in Amwell Township, the Paris Colliers Road Bridge over Route 22 and the Laurel Road Bridge over Route 22, both in Hanover Township. A new asphalt overlay with joint repair will be done on the Old Brick Road Bridge over I-70 in Donegal Township. Epoxy overlays and joint repairs will be done on the Piersol Avenue Bridge crossing over Pigeon Creek in Bentleyville, the Main Street Bridge over I-70 in Donegal Township and on the Route 19 Bridge over Route 519 in North Strabane Township. Exact details of the work, timelines of the projects and any traffic disruptions or detours are detailed in the virtual display. Work is anticipated to begin in late August and continue through early November. Public feedback is invited through May 15.
May 7, 2025 4:44 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state Senate is backing a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels. However, the Republican-penned bill that passed Tuesday is unlikely to get a vote in the state’s Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. The bill passed, 32-18, marking the second time the GOP-controlled Senate has passed it. An earlier attempt, with a Republican-controlled House, met then-Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto in 2022. The bill applies to participation in girls’ and women’s sports that are sponsored by public schools, public universities and publicly chartered community colleges. This bill comes after President Donald Trump declared his intent to “keep men out of women’s sports.”
