February 25, 2025 4:52 am
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In a dramatic shift in transatlantic relations under President Donald Trump, the United States has split with its European allies by refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in votes on three U.N. resolutions seeking an end to the three-year war. In the U.N. General Assembly, the U.S. joined Russia in voting against a Europe-backed Ukrainian resolution that calls out Moscow’s aggression and demands an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops. The U.S. then abstained from voting on its own competing resolution after Europeans. led by France, succeeded in amending it to make clear Russia was the aggressor. The voting was taking place as Trump was hosting French President Emmanuel Macron in Washington. A third vote took place in the U.N. Security Council.
February 25, 2025 4:51 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new federal lawsuit in Maryland is challenging a Trump administration memo giving the nation’s schools and universities two weeks to eliminate “race-based” practices of any kind or risk losing their federal money. The lawsuit was filed by the American Federation of Teachers union and the American Sociological Association. They groups say the Education Department’s Feb. 14 memo violates the First and Fifth Amendments. They say forcing schools to teach only the views supported by the federal government amounts to a violation of free speech, and the directive is so vague that schools don’t know what practices cross the line.
February 25, 2025 4:51 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Thousands of people have gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for an ailing Pope Francis, expressing sorrow for his suffering, hope for his recovery and gratitude for his efforts to steer the Catholic Church in new directions. The 88-year-old Francis has pneumonia in both lungs and remains in critical condition despite showing a slight improvement after 11 days in the hospital. Still, the mood was mostly grim in the monumental square on Monday evening, with many understanding they may be in Rome for Francis’ final days. Crowds sat under umbrellas on folding chairs or stood by the vast colonnades as they reflected fondly on the pontiff’s legacy.
February 25, 2025 4:49 am
Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that the Trump administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save any money. The Department of Government Efficiency run by Elon Musk published last week an initial list of 1,125 contracts that it terminated in recent weeks across the federal government. Data published on DOGE’s “Wall of Receipts” shows that more than one-third of the contract cancellations, 417 in all, are expected to yield no savings. That’s usually because the government has a legal requirement to spend the funds for the goods or services it purchased and in many cases has already done so.
February 25, 2025 4:44 am
A Pittsburgh man died in a tree-cutting accident in Burgettstown Monday evening. The Washington County Coroners office says 71 year old James Krapp was pronounced dead in the 500-block of Meadow Road just after 6:30 p.m. Investigators believe the accident occurred sometime between 9 a.m and 3:55 p.m. A cause and manner of death are pending. State Police are investigating.
February 25, 2025 4:41 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says President Donald Trump’s administration has freed up billions in federal aid that the Democrat had accused it of withholding unconstitutionally. Shapiro said in a news conference Monday that more than $2 billion that his administration had identified as either frozen or held up by an unspecified review was now accessible to state agencies. Shapiro sued in federal court on Feb. 13. That was after federal courts had repeatedly rejected the Trump administration’s sweeping pause on federal funding. Trump administration lawyers have argued that the government’s move to freeze funds was legal and characterized it as a “pause” to consider how best to use federal funds.
February 25, 2025 4:38 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A funeral service will be held later this week for a Pennsylvania police officer who was killed last weekend while responding to a gunman inside a hospital intensive care unit. West York Patrolman Andrew Duarte was shot on Saturday at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York. Authorities say the gunman had shot and wounded three hospital employees and taken staff members hostage before responding officers shot and killed him. Duarte’s funeral is to be held Friday at a church in Red Lion, Pennsylvania. An autopsy on Monday concluded that Duarte died from being shot in the torso.
February 25, 2025 2:52 am
Peters Township Council approved a measure to operate a pilot program employing a Police Social Services Coordinator. Peters Township Manager Paul Lauer says that the licensed social worker will not only be dedicated to the Police department, but to any other departments that may need the intervention of an individual to help solve repeated incidents. The most common police issues are centered on domestic disturbances and substance use calls. Other departments experience calls dealing with matters such as trash and recycling questions and simple daily tasks. The goal of the coordinator is to solve the repetitive nature of the calls by having the people involved be guided to the appropriate agency to address their concerns. Washington County will be offsetting the cost of the program for the next five years by contributing $42,000 to the annual salary of the position. Lauer interviews are soon to begin and he hopes to have the position filled by May.
February 25, 2025 2:28 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Penn State’s president Neeli Bendapudi says declining enrollments, demographic shifts and financial pressures will require the school to close some of its 19 branch campuses. In a message posted to Penn State’s website, Bendapudi said the university’s seven largest branch campuses will remain open: Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, Harrisburg, and Lehigh Valley. But she says she’ll decide this spring which of the other 12 to close. Bendapudi says Penn State can’t sustain a viable campus system without closing some campuses. About 23,000 students were enrolled at the campuses last fall. She says no campus will close before 2026-27 academic year ends.
February 24, 2025 5:46 pm
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine is marking the bleakest anniversary yet of its war against the Russia invasion. The country’s forces are under severe pressure on the battlefield, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration apparently embracing the Kremlin in a reversal of U.S. policy. The three-year milestone drew more than a dozen Western leaders to Kyiv for commemorative events in a conspicuous show of support. Hours after the anniversary observances, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential deal to end the war. Separately, Putin suggested that European countries could be part of a settlement, but he also said that he has not discussed resolving the conflict in detail with Trump.
