March 18, 2025 1:37 pm
(WPXI) – The National Weather Service has confirmed a fifth tornado touched down during Sunday’s storms across our area. NWS officials said they found damage consistent with an EF-1 tornado near Haddenville, Fayette County. They added that more information will be available after the survey team completes their assessment. On Tuesday, the NWS confirmed the other four EF-1 tornadoes that touched down on Sunday were near Donegal, Ligonier and Wilpen in Westmoreland County and near Josephine, in Indiana County. The four tornadoes confirmed Tuesday had estimated wind speeds of 100-105 mph, according to the NWS.
March 18, 2025 6:28 am
Washington County President Judge Gary Gilman is retiring. The 62-year old reportedly informed his staff and other judges Friday. He will officially retire July 7. The Observer-Reporter says Judge Valerie Costanzo will become the new President Judge. Gilman was elected to the bench back in 2011 and won retention a decade later. Gilman says he and his wife Senior Judge Katherine Emery would like to travel.
March 18, 2025 5:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to an immediate pause in strikes against energy infrastructure in the Ukraine war. The White House described it as the first step in a “movement to peace” that it hopes will eventually include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and a full and lasting end to the fighting. The White House said negotiations would begin immediately on those steps. But there’s no indication Putin has backed away from his conditions, fiercely opposed by Kyiv, to consider a broader peace deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that Ukraine is open to any proposals that lead to a sustainable and just peace, but stressed the need for full transparency in discussions.
March 18, 2025 5:08 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s two stuck astronauts are finally on their way home after more than nine months in space. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams left the International Space Station in a SpaceX capsule early Tuesday, checking out with two other astronauts. The capsule is due to splash down in the evening off the Florida coast, weather permitting. Their return will close out a dramatic marathon mission that began with a bungled test flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule last June. They expected to be gone just a week or so when they launched and eventually had to switch to SpaceX to get back.
March 18, 2025 5:07 am
A federal judge on Monday was incredulous at the contention by the Trump administration that his directive to turn around deportation flights wasn’t binding because it was made verbally. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg made the demand Saturday night as he temporarily halted deportations under wartime powers President Donald Trump had declared minutes earlier under a rarely used 18th century law. But planes were already en route to El Salvador. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit asked Boasberg to determine if the administration violated his order. But an administration lawyer on Monday wouldn’t answer many of the judge’s questions, saying the judge had no right to the information.
March 18, 2025 5:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is rejecting calls for impeaching federal judges after President Donald Trump demanded the removal of a judge who ruled against his deportation plans. “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in a rare statement. The flashpoint for the latest controversy was deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, which is being paid by the U.S. to imprison them. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg had issued an order blocking the deportation flights.
March 18, 2025 5:05 am
The Pentagon says internet pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner and Japanese American service members were mistakenly taken down. But it is staunchly defending its overall campaign to strip out content singling out the contributions by women and minority groups, which the Trump administration considers “DEI.” A Defense Department website honoring Black Medal of Honor recipient Army Maj. Gen. Charles Calvin Rogers was taken down last week. Another page that was removed featured the World War II Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Both were back online Monday, but thousands of pages have been taken down in efforts to delete material promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
March 18, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed on an immediate ceasefire for energy and infrastructure targets in the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine hasn’t responded yet. The White House described the move Tuesday as the first step in a “movement to peace” that it hopes will eventually include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and a full and lasting end to the fighting. The White House said negotiations would begin immediately on those steps. Trump and Putin held a call for more than an hour. There’s no indication Putin has backed away from his previous conditions, fiercely opposed by Kiev, to consider a broader ceasefire.
March 18, 2025 4:58 am
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel has launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says are “only the beginning” and “a necessary condition for freeing hostages.” The territory’s Health Ministry said the airstrikes killed at least 400 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Tuesday’s surprise bombardment shattered a ceasefire in place since January and threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war. Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas refused Israeli demands to change the ceasefire agreement. The White House said it had been consulted and voiced support for Israel’s actions. A senior Hamas official said Netanyahu’s decision to return to war amounts to a “death sentence” for the remaining hostages.
March 18, 2025 4:55 am
PUNTA CANA, Dominican Republic (AP) — The search for a U.S. college student who went missing in the Dominican Republic intensified on Monday after a man questioned by authorities visited the beach where she was last seen and spoke with officials. The 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki vanished before dawn on March 6 in the resort town of Punta Cana. Her parents are now asking officials in the Dominican Republic to officially declare her dead. Sources say the parents sent a letter to police acknowledging there is no evidence of foul play. Authorities are scouring waters in case she drowned. Minnesota student Joshua Riibe has not been named as a suspect but is believed to be the last person to see her. Konanki is an Indian citizen.
