March 15, 2025 9:47 am
More than a week after the disappearance of a University of Pittsburgh student in the Dominican Republic, her alleged companion has made a statement. Joshua Riibe, a college student from Minnesota, is reportedly the last person to see Sudiksha Konanki alive. He told investigators that he had just met Konanki the same evening she went missing. Riibe said they had been drinking with a group, but stayed behind on the beach. The two were embraced while in the ocean when a large wave reportedly slammed into them. Riibe said he thought he successfully brought Konanki back to shore before he passed out. He said he last saw her walking at an angle in knee deep water.
March 15, 2025 9:27 am
The Senate voted 54 to 46 to pass the bill. Friday evening, democrats voted with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to keep the funding bill moving forward, despite blowback from other members of their party. The bill funds the government through September 30, which now heads to the desk of President Trump. A government shutdown would have put millions of federal workers at risk of losing a paycheck – this as federal workers grapple with layoffs and the closure of federal agencies.
March 15, 2025 9:23 am
The nuns who operate the Vatican’s switchboard are fielding a growing number of calls. Many want to know how Pope Francis doing, and some ask to speak with him as the head of the Catholic Church remains hospitalized in Rome. The Vatican’s number is public, and the sisters of the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master order make sure all who call it get a real person instead of an automation. They also take pride in the fact that it’s a woman’s voice that answers the line, providing the mother church’s comfort and aid instead of simply patching through a call.
March 15, 2025 5:21 am
Hamas says it will only release an American-Israeli and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel implements the existing ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, calling it an “exceptional deal” aimed at getting the truce back on track. A senior Hamas official said Saturday that long-delayed talks over the ceasefire’s second phase would need to begin the day of the release and last no longer than 50 days. Israel would also need to stop barring the entry of humanitarian aid and withdraw from a strategic corridor along Gaza’s border with Egypt. Hamas would also demand the release of more Palestinian prisoners in exchange for hostages.
March 15, 2025 5:17 am
The replacements for NASA’s two stuck astronauts are on their way to the International Space Station. SpaceX launched the new crew from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Friday night. The four astronauts should reach the space station the next day. That will pave the way for next week’s return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The two have been living at the space station since June, ever since their Boeing Starliner capsule malfunctioned and had to leave without them. What should have been a weeklong test flight turned into a nine-month mission with a SpaceX ride home.
March 15, 2025 5:10 am
An appeals court has lifted a block on executive orders seeking to end government support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, handing the Trump administration a win after a string of setbacks defending President Donald Trump’s agenda against dozens of lawsuits. The decision from a three-judge panel allows the orders to be enforced as a lawsuit against them plays out. The judges halted a nationwide injunction from U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore. Two of the judges on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals acknowledged the anti-DEI orders could raise concerns about First Amendment rights, but said the judge’s sweeping block went too far. Abelson had found the orders violated free-speech rights and are unconstitutionally vague.
March 15, 2025 5:06 am
Senate Democrats were grim Friday as they left Washington after a brutal 10-week stretch that consistently showed the limits of their new minority and culminated with a deeply personal rupture over how to best counter President Donald Trump. Internal dissension burst into the open Thursday evening after Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced he would vote to move forward on the the Trump-backed spending measure. Schumer and Democrats in his caucus say they believe they will eventually gain more political ground as members of their party become more motivated, and as they unite around an economic message.
March 15, 2025 4:08 am
Authorities in Pittsburgh are still investigating and cleaning up Saturday after an incident where 16 people were injured when a porch roof collapsed during a St. Patrick’s Day party. According to our news partners at Channel 11, emergency crews were called to the 300 block of Semple Street just before 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The porch collapsed in the back of the building. A group of people were on top of it dancing and partying and a group was huddled below. Sixteen people were taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries. Three of those people had serious injuries but were in stable condition. The other 13 people had minor injuries. The worst of those injuries was a compound leg fracture. Police said as many as 500 people were at the party. The rear porch area has been condemned but the rest of the building was not. Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day weekend and further celebrations, police are encouraging partiers to drink responsibly and stay off of roofs.
March 15, 2025 4:48 am
A Beaver County man is facing charges after police said he made a series of disturbing confessions to them about his desire to kill and “dismember” a woman he was obsessed with. The Koppel Borough Police Department said a woman brought a note left on the door of her apartment to them in November. The note showed an attempt to contact the victim and had a phone number on it. Officers were not able to identify the owner of the phone number at that time. A second note was placed under a red brick outside the woman’s door in February. It had her first name written on it and detailed disturbing imagery. According to court documents, the person who sent the messages said they had killed 20 women. Police contacted the woman for her safety and brought in Beaver County Detectives for more help. Over the course of the investigation, police identified the suspect as Dylan Bish, 19, of Koppel Borough. Officers said he admitted to leaving the handwritten notes and texting the woman. He said he was obsessed with her and was not going to stop until she was dead. He is now being held at the Beaver County Jail with a bond of $1 million. Bish faces charges of terroristic threats, stalking and harassment.
March 15, 2025 4:28 am
A Westmoreland County man who has been missing for over a month has been found dead. Coroner Tim Carson said John Dofollo of Derry Township was found in a stream in the area of the 500 block of Westinghouse Road on Friday at around 11:42 a.m. He had been missing since Feb. 7. His vehicle was found unoccupied and unlocked along Westinghouse Road in Derry Township on Feb. 5. Dofollo’s cause and manner of death have not been released at this time. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating.
