March 2, 2025 3:55 am
PennDot has extended a single lane restriction on northbound Rt. 28 indefinitely. The restriction on northbound Rt. 28 occurs just south of the I-279 North/East Ohio Street exit. Inspection crews found significant deterioration of a pier that carries the I-579 HOV lane over Rt. 28. Closure of the I-579 HOV lane is also necessary until a permanent repair can be made. Additional lane restrictions on southbound Rt. 28 may also occur.
March 2, 2025 12:27 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Back in November, three Pennsylvania Republicans won seats in Congress by tight margins. Today, the three find themselves navigating the delicate politics of a divided electorate once again as President Donald Trump makes economy-altering decisions early in his second term. That includes imposing tariffs on raw materials such as steel and aluminum, firing federal workers and pushing for votes on budget legislation that could require cuts to Medicaid. Those moves are already having an effect on the 2026 election. First-term Rep. Ryan Mackenzie has drawn a Democratic challenger. And there’s talk about challengers to another first-term GOP congressman in a nearby district, Rob Bresnahan.
March 1, 2025 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump berated Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting, then abruptly called off the signing of a minerals deal that Trump said would have moved that country closer to ending its war with Russia. The astonishing turn of events on Friday has the potential to scramble affairs in Europe and around the globe. During his visit with Trump, Zelenskyy had planned to sign a deal allowing the U.S. greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, then hold a joint news conference. Instead, Ukraine’s leader left the White House shortly after Trump shouted at him, showing open disdain.
March 1, 2025 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ongoing tariff threats from Washington and potentially sweeping government job cuts have darkened consumers’ mood and may be weighing on an otherwise mostly healthy economy. Data released Friday showed that consumers slashed their spending by the most since February 2021, even as their incomes rose. On a positive note, inflation cooled, but President Donald Trump’s threats to impose large import taxes on Canada, Mexico, and China — the United States’ top trading partners — will likely push prices higher, economists say. Some companies are already planning to raise prices in response.
March 1, 2025 4:09 am
President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States. That’s according to the White House. The order will allow government agencies and organizations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in language other than English, according to a fact sheet about the impending order. The executive will rescind a mandate from former President Bill Clinton that required the government and organizations that received federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers.
March 1, 2025 4:06 am
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is resting after an alarming setback in his two-week recovery from double pneumonia. The Vatican said doctors had to put him on noninvasive mechanical ventilation following a coughing fit in which he inhaled vomit that needed to then be extracted. Doctors said it would take a day or two to evaluate how and if the episode impacted Francis’ overall clinical condition. His prognosis remains guarded, meaning he isn’t out of danger.
February 28, 2025 2:56 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump berated Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for being “disrespectful” in an extraordinary Oval Office meeting on Friday, then abruptly called off signing a deal with the U.S. that he said would have moved that country closer to ending its war with Russia. The astonishing turn of events has the potential to potentially scramble international affairs in Europe and around the globe. During his visit with Trump, Zelenskyy had planned to attend sign a deal allowing the U.S. greater access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, then hold a joint news conference. Instead, Trump ordered Zelenskyy and his entourage to leave the White House.
February 28, 2025 8:47 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A key price gauge declined last month, a sign that inflation may be cooling though stiff tariffs threatened by the White House threaten that progress. Yet data released Friday by the Commerce Department also showed that Americans cut their spending last month 0.2% in January from the previous month, likely in part because of unseasonably cold weather. Still, the drop may raise alarms about whether Americans are growing more cautious amid widespread uncertainty about the economic outlook. Inflation declined to 2.5% in January compared with a year earlier, down from 2.6% in December, the government said. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices dropped to 2.6%, the lowest since June, from 2.8%.
February 28, 2025 5:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials are trying to tell if this year’s harsh flu season led to an increase in a rare but dangerous brain complication in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 19,000 people have died from the flu so far this winter including 86 children. The CDC says at least nine of those children experienced brain complications and has asked state health departments to help investigate if there are more. Experts say it’s not too late to get vaccinated, and CDC found this year’s shot do lower the risk of being hospitalized for the flu.
February 28, 2025 5:04 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A grassroots organization is encouraging U.S. residents not to spend any money on Friday. The People’s Union USA describes it as an act of “economic resistance” to protest what the group’s founder sees as the malign influence of billionaires, big corporations and both major political parties on the lives of working Americans. The group calls the 24 hours of spending abstinence set to start at midnight an “economic blackout,” a term that has since been shared and debated on social media. Other activists and faith-based leaders are organizing boycotts to protest companies that have scaled back their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and to oppose President Donald Trump’s moves to abolish all federal DEI programs and policies.
