March 28, 2025 4:56 am
BELLE VERNON, Pa. — An increased police presence will be at the Rostraver Elementary School on Friday. Belle Vernorn Area School District Dr. Timothy Glasspool said school administrators learned that students in grades 2-5 were talking about weapons and fighting in their neighborhood. Glasspool said one student mentioned bringing a gun to school. The Rostraver Township Police Department has been notified and is investigating. An officer will be at the bus stop and the school. A school representative will also ride the bus for further supervision. “The safety of our students is our highest priority. We take all potential threats seriously and will continue to maintain open communication with families and law enforcement, provide a secure learning environment for all students, and respond promptly and throughout to all safety concerns. We encourage parents and guardians to talk openly with [their] children about school safety and remind students to report any concerning conversations or behaviors to a trusted adult,” Glasspool said in a statement. The parent of the student who was the target of the threats has been notified.
March 28, 2025 7:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee are requesting an investigation into how Trump national security officials used the Signal app to discuss military strikes. A federal judge also says he will order the preservation of the messages. Thursday’s action ensures some scrutiny on an episode President Donald Trump has dismissed as frivolous. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker and Democratic Sen. Jack Reed signed onto a letter to the acting inspector general at the Defense Department for an inquiry into the potential use of unclassified networks to discuss classified information. Contents of the Signal chat published by The Atlantic show Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listed weapons systems and a timeline for an attack on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
March 28, 2025 7:43 am
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance says Denmark has “underinvested” in Greenland’s security and demands Denmark change its approach as President Donald Trump continues to talk of taking over the Danish territory. The pointed remarks came Friday as Vance visited U.S. troops at Pituffik Space Base on the mineral-rich, strategically critical island. The Republican vice president says the Trump administration’s message to Denmark is very simple: “You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland.” Relations between the U.S. and the Nordic country have soured as Trump has repeatedly suggested the U.S. should control the territory.
March 28, 2025 7:46 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new AP-NORC poll finds that as America’s longtime allies reel over President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs, his hostility and — in some cases — open threats of invasion, his actions and his rhetoric may be shaping perceptions of which countries are viewed as friends and foes. Americans are now less likely to see Canada and the U.S. as close allies than they were less than two years ago, according to a new AP-NORC poll. Although most still see the countries’ relationship as at least “friendly,” slightly fewer than half of U.S. adults — just 45% — now consider the U.S. to be “close allies” with its neighbor to the north. That’s down from about 6 in 10 in a poll conducted in September 2023.
March 28, 2025 7:48 am
After decades of partnership with the U.S. government, American colleges are facing new doubts about the future of their federal funding. President Donald Trump’s administration has been using the funding spigot as a tool to seek compliance with his agenda. And universities across the country are navigating cuts to grants for research institutions. The squeeze on higher education underscores how much American colleges depend on the federal government. In fact, an Associated Press analysis found the government provides grants and contracts worth close to half the total revenue of some research universities.
March 28, 2025 7:50 am
SCHOENEICHE, Germany (AP) — The U.S. government is on a global egg hunt. It’s seeking exports from countries in Europe and elsewhere to ease a severe shortage that has caused egg prices at grocery stores to hit record highs. European industry groups say Denmark, Germany, Italy and Poland are among the nations the U.S. Department of Agriculture approached. Many officials in Europe say the import tariffs President Donald Trump has imposed or threatened to impose on his nation’s top trading partners wouldn’t preclude their sharing eggs. A bigger obstacle is U.S. food safety regulations that require fresh eggs to be sanitized before they reach shoppers. In the European Union, the standards call for Grade A eggs to be sold unwashed.
March 28, 2025 7:45 am
BANGKOK (AP) — A powerful earthquake has rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand, destroying buildings and bridges and killing at least 150 people, mostly in Myanmar. Officials in Bangkok say 10 people were killed and 101 were missing from three construction sites, including a high-rise that crumbled. Footage from two hard-hit cities in Myanmar, one of the world’s poorest countries, showed many collapsed buildings, and authorities said the death toll was likely to rise. The 7.7 magnitude quake was centered near Myanmar’s second-largest city of Mandalay. It struck Friday at midday and was followed by a strong aftershock. Amid images of buckled roads and reports of collapsed bridges in Myanmar, there were concerns about how rescuers would even reach some affected areas.
March 28, 2025 2:53 am
The Washington County Chamber of Commerce held their annual Municipal Leaders Panel Discussion and managers from five municipalities offered their views on challenges and opportunities that are presented to each of their areas. Chartiers, North Strabane, South Strabane and Peters Townships along with the Borough of Charleroi all weighed in. Jodi Noble from Chartiers Township says that her district tries to make sure they manage residential development and maintain the rural nature of Chartiers. Jeff Ziegler from South Strabane Township said that their township is really concentrating on the recreational aspect of the township by managing park development and private recreation sources such as the Epi-Center that is slated to be built at Tanger Outlets. Industrial commerce was also discussed. Joe Manning from Charleroi discussed the ongoing difficulties his borough is facing with the impending closure of the Corelle glass plant and the efforts in trying to re-purpose that site. On the other hand, Chartiers’ Jodi Noble told of the recent purchase of a decade old Allegheny Ludlum brownfield in her township by Alumicore, LLC as a second site to recycle aluminum. All five municipalities spoke of how important recreation is to their districts and their plans to enhance and expand on already existing recreation areas.
March 27, 2025 11:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will eliminate 10,000 jobs as part of a major restructuring plan. The agency made the announcement Thursday. The agency is responsible for monitoring infectious diseases, inspecting foods and hospitals and overseeing health insurance programs for nearly half the country. The agency says it will decrease its workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 positions. The cuts include layoffs, early retirements and voluntary separations, encouraged through buyout offers from the Trump administration. Layoffs are 10,000 workers, and the other 10,000 are early retirements and buyouts.
March 26, 2025 2:46 am
Members of the horse racing community gathered at Hollywood Casino and Racetrack at the Meadows Wednesday afternoon to honor 27-year-old Hunter Myers. Myers, an up and coming young harness racing driver suffered fatal injuries last week during a race in which six horses were involved in a multi-chain reaction crash. A tribute walk was held around noon and drivers, groomers, trainers, horse owners and caretakers, along with family and friends, walked the track and conducted a short ceremony. A moment of silence was also held in the Winner’s Circle. Myers leaves behind a fiance’ and young son.
