March 24, 2025 5:52 pm
(WPXI) – High winds blew off a small portion of a Duquesne University building’s roof on Monday. A university spokesperson says the wind pushed a metal cap onto Mendel Hall, then the stucco facade fell onto the sidewalk and street below and exposing some of the building’s wood frame and insulation. No one was on the sidewalk when this happened, nor was anyone in the building. The sidewalk is now surrounded by caution tape. The spokesperson says the building was already slated for demolition in April. “Now the University is having its demolition contractor assess the structure for any other possible dangers before it is removed,” Ken Walters said.
March 24, 2025 5:49 pm
(AP) – Firefighters in North and South Carolina are battling multiple wind-driven wildfires. The fires are burning in rugged terrain that is complicating efforts to contain them. North Carolina State University forestry professor Robert Scheller says millions of trees knocked down by Hurricane Helene last fall have dried out and are helping fuel the blazes. Burn bans remain in effect in both Carolinas and mandatory evacuations continue in parts of North Carolina’s Polk County. Hundreds of miles north in New Jersey, the state Forest Fire Service says a wildfire in the Pinelands region was 100% contained on Monday morning.
March 24, 2025 5:46 pm
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Lawyers hired by the Venezuelan government have filed a legal action in El Salvador aimed at freeing 238 Venezuelans deported by the United States. They are being held in a Salvadoran maximum-security prison. Jaime Ortega, who says he represents 30 of the imprisoned Venezuelans, says they filed the habeas corpus petition with the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Chamber. He said that by extension they requested that it be applied to all Venezuelans detained in El Salvador. The maneuver essentially compels the government to prove someone’s detention was justified. The Salvadoran government has been silent about the status of the Venezuelan prisoners.
March 24, 2025 5:44 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top national security officials for President Donald Trump, including his defense secretary, texted war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic. This was reported by the magazine in a story posted online Monday. The National Security Council said the text chain “appears to be authentic.” Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg said the material in the text chain “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi-rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.” Just two hours after Goldberg received the details of the attack on March 15, the U.S. began launching a series of airstrikes.
March 24, 2025 5:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mass layoffs and resignations at the federal government are prompting concerns that a disgruntled former employee may seek to sell secrets to a foreign power. National security experts say that while the overwhelming majority of federal workers are conscientious patriots who would never sell out their country, it would only take one or two informants to cause a significant national security crisis. Counterespionage is a concern even when the federal workforce is stable. But in recent weeks President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have slashed thousands of jobs. National security and intelligence experts say Russia, China and other adversaries will seek to take advantage of the opportunity.
March 24, 2025 5:02 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. and Russian negotiators are holding talks in Saudi Arabia on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine, hours after a round of negotiations between U.S. and Ukrainian delegations. The state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies said the negotiations began in Riyadh Monday. The separate meetings are set to discuss details of a pause in long-range attacks against energy facilities and civilian infrastructure and a halt on attacks in the Black Sea to ensure safe commercial shipping. Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders, but the parties have offered different views of what targets would be off-limits to attack.
March 24, 2025 5:01 am
An animal shelter is warning the Westmoreland County community about a scam. Ninth Life Rescue Center said a scammer is sending requests for payment using their name. The shelter shared a photo of Venmo requests coming from an account reading “NinthLife RescueCenter.” They said this was not from them. The scam comes when the shelter is in need of help after rescuing 40 cats from a house in Ligonier. Ninth Life Rescue Center said it will never ask for money directly or target people for payments. “It’s a total shame that people are using our rescue animals to try to scam potential donors into sending them money,” Ninth Life Animal Rescue said.
March 24, 2025 4:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top national security officials for President Donald Trump, including his defense secretary, texted war plans for upcoming military strikes in Yemen to a group chat in a secure messaging app that included the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic. This was reported by the magazine in a story posted online Monday. The National Security Council said the text chain “appears to be authentic.” Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg said the material in the text chain “contained operational details of forthcoming strikes on Iran-backed Houthi-rebels in Yemen, including information about targets, weapons the U.S. would be deploying, and attack sequencing.” Just two hours after Goldberg received the details of the attack on March 15, the U.S. began launching a series of airstrikes.
March 24, 2025 4:46 am
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A teen is dead after a motorcycle crash in Fayette County. The crash happened on Jim Mountain Road at 4:17 p.m. on Sunday. Coroner Dr. Bob Barker said Nicholas Herman, 17, of Springfield Township, was pronounced dead at the scene. The motorcycle was the only vehicle involved in the crash.
March 24, 2025 2:28 am
SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. — Power has been restored to all customers in South Strabane Township after a crash early Sunday morning. South Strabane Fire Chief Jordan Cramer says it happened around 3 a.m. when a vehicle crashed into a utility pole, an unoccupied vehicle and the porch of a home. The damaged power lines also caused a minor fire in a tree. West Penn Power worked to restore service to some 40 customers along Locust Avenue and Country Club Road. Cramer said the home was to be evaluated on Sunday, but he doesn’t believe there’s any major structural damage. The occupants of the home were unharmed in the crash. An investigation into the crash continues. A short time after the crash, crews were called to the 16-hundred block of North Main Street were a vehicle struck a home. No significant injuries were reported in that crash. (PHOTO; South Stabane Fire Department Facebook)
