February 5, 2025 4:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The deadline for federal workers to receive financial incentives to quit is approaching. More than 2 million employees have until Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET to decide what to do. Administration officials have been increasing their pressure on workers to leave, saying that furloughs or layoffs could come next. They also said that workers would have fewer civil service protections and higher scrutiny if they remain. The attempt to downsize the federal workforce has been spearheaded by Elon Musk, and it’s part of President Donald Trump’s effort to overhaul Washington. Democrats and unions have warned against accepting the deal, saying workers could be stiffed.
February 5, 2025 4:38 am
(AP) – President Donald Trump has signed an executive order designed to prevent people who were biologically assigned male at birth from participating in women’s or girls’ sporting events. Wednesday’s order, which Trump signed the document during an afternoon ceremony, marking another aggressive shift by the president’s second administration in the way the federal government deals with transgender people and their rights. The president put out a sweeping order on his first day in office last month that called for the federal government to define sex as only male or female and for that to be reflected on official documents such as passports and in policies such as federal prison assignments.
February 5, 2025 2:49 am
A local attorney says they are waiting on a response from a Washington County judge regarding a lawsuit filed against him alleging that he fired an employee in a retaliatory move after she raised concerns about some of the decisions he made regarding defendants who appeared before him. Attorney Noah Geary says his client, Elizabeth Sullivan, filed the lawsuit this week against Washington County Judge John DiSalle and former court administrator Patrick Grimm, accusing them of eliminating her job overseeing DiSalle’s problem-solving court two years ago, when she told judicial officials that DiSalle denied many veterans in the specialty court, the right to have an attorney present and even sentenced some to serve jail time. Geary says DiSalle and Grimm have twenty days to respond to the suit. Geary says Sullivan took her concerns to the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC) who said they found the allegations credible and they had taken appropriate action. Geary claims that shortly after that notification, DiSalle announced that he was stepping down as President Judge, but would remain a judge. The suit claims that the AOPC directed DiSalle to step down from the President Judge’s position. The suit seeks sizeable compensation and a return of Sullivan to a job at the county. Calls to Judge DiSalle have not been returned and Grimm no longer works for the county.
February 5, 2025 2:41 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will seek more money for public schools and public transit in his new budget proposal to lawmakers. The Democrat’s proposal unveiled Tuesday also reprises his support for legalizing marijuana and introducing taxes on skill games. Shapiro’s spending proposal requests $51.5 billion for the 2025-2026 fiscal year beginning July 1, or 9% more. About $2 billion more would go to toward human services, including medical care for the poor, and another $1 billion more would go toward K-12 schools and higher ed. The proposal holds the line on personal income and sales tax rates, but uses about $4.5 billion in reserve cash to balance the budget. Passage will require legislative approval. Local lawmakers are responding to the Governor plan. Republican State Senator Camera Bartolotta called it ‘ludicrous’ and ‘insane’ saying “he was claiming numbers that no one knows where he came up with them”. Republican State Representative Tim O’Neal called it ‘more of the same’. O’Neal says ‘instead of tightening the reins for the coming fiscal year, the governor wants to increase spending by 7.5%. This makes no sense and is not sustainable”. Bud Cook, the Republican State Representative in the 50th Legislative District questioned the 7.5% increase but also called out the governor’s “trend of pushing harmful energy taxes that kill jobs here in Western Pennsylvania and could directly tax coal and natural gas power plants, which would force customers into higher energy bills”.
February 4, 2025 4:46 pm
(WPXI) – Colder air is back in place and will stay through Wednesday. Highs will be near average, in the mid- to upper 30’s. A Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 4 a.m. Thursday for Allegheny, Beaver, Lawrence, Allegheny, Westmoreland, and Washington counties. The advisory will last until 10 a.m. Thursday for Armstrong and Butler counties. An Ice Storm Warning is in effect from 7 p.m. Wednesday to noon Thursday for the ridges of Fayette, Indiana and Westmoreland counties. Up to an inch of snow is possible during this system before it changes to freezing rain which could lead to hazardous driving conditions, damage power lines and trees and lead to power outages, especially in the higher elevations. Ice accumulation in the areas under the advisory could receive one-tenth to two-tenths of an inch. This midweek system will move Wednesday evening, with the chance for a little snow in spots in the afternoon. More of a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain will develop Wednesday evening and continue through the overnight hours. This system will bring icy conditions to our area and impact travel from Wednesday evening into Thursday morning. Thunder is also possible early Thursday morning as freezing rain turns to rain with rising temperatures from the 30’s to the 40’s in the morning then to the 50’s by the afternoon. Areas not in the advisory could see a glaze of ice and this will impact travel. Make sure to use caution and check the forecast often ahead of this storm. (Photo: AP)
February 4, 2025 10:32 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cleared his first hurdle to become the nation’s top health official as the Senate finance committee voted to advance his nomination for a floor vote. After Tuesday’s committee vote, the nomination of the controversial environmental lawyer turned public health critic now goes before a full Senate vote. Kennedy critics have concerns about the work he’s done to sow doubts around vaccine safety and his potential to profit off lawsuits over drugmakers. Kennedy is a longtime Democrat who ran for president but withdrew to support Donald Trump in exchange for an influential job in his Republican administration. As secretary, Kennedy would oversee vaccine recommendations and public health campaigns.
February 4, 2025 7:00 am
Scott Becker, the long-time Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has announced his retirement, effective May 31st of this year. Becker has been with the Trolley Museum for nearly thirty-two-years. He will honored at the Museum’s Streetcar Soiree on May 16th, where he will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Becker will be succeeded by Jeanine DeBor, the current Deputy Executive Director. She’ll assume the role on June 1st. Becker says he plans to enjoy his retirement by spending more time with his family and travel with his wife. He says, though, he will remain an ambassador for the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum.
February 4, 2025 4:57 am
HONG KONG (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service said it was temporarily suspending inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong, effective Tuesday. The move comes a day after an additional 10% tariff on Chinese goods imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump came into effect. Canada and Mexico, which face 25% tariffs, managed to negotiate a month-long reprieve with the U.S. The USPS move will likely impact Chinese e-commerce companies like Shein and Temu, which have in recent years gained e-commerce market share in the U.S for selling affordable clothing and other goods mostly from China. Costs are kept low as these firms often ship products to consumers directly from China, using a “de minimis” exemption that allowed shipments to go tax-free if the value is under $800.
February 4, 2025 4:54 am
PITTSBURGH — A messy winter storm will bring a few light snow showers during the day Wednesday and the threat of freezing rain or sleet by early Thursday morning. Temperatures during the day Wednesday will climb above freezing, so any snow that falls will melt — leaving roads mainly wet. Colder temperatures after dark will set the stage for a wintry mix of light snow, freezing rain and possibly sleet around midnight. A light glaze of ice from I-70 north could develop by 5 a.m., leaving roads and sidewalks slick. It is also possible that some areas see a switch from freezing rain to rain over a short distance, so plan for quickly changing road conditions and hazardous travel.
February 4, 2025 4:51 am
TORONTO (AP) — One of the world’s most durable and amicable alliances is broken. Canadians are absorbing U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and his threats to make Canada the 51st state. Canadians are feeling a sense of betrayal after Trump declared a trade war against America’s northern neighbor and longtime ally. Trump keeps threatening Canada’s sovereignty and vowing to put sweeping 25% tariffs on Canadian products. The ties between the two countries are without parallel. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian, or US$2.5 billion, worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states and 77% of Canada’s exports go to the United States.
