March 12, 2025 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed legislation to avert a partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies through September. The vote provides critical momentum for the measure, which now moves to the Senate, where bipartisan support will be needed to get it over the finish line. House Republicans needed overwhelming support from their members, and they got it in the 217-213 vote. It’s one of the biggest legislative tests so far of the President Donald Trump’s second term, prompting Vice President JD Vance to visit Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning to rally support.
March 12, 2025 4:55 am
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Police in the Dominican Republic say the FBI has joined the search for a 20-year-old University of Pittsburgh student who went missing nearly a week ago while on spring break. Police said Tuesday they are re-interviewing people who were with Sudiksha Konanki before she vanished in the predawn hours of March 6 at a beach in front of a hotel in the tourist town of Punta Cana. The hotel said her disappearance coincided with a power outage that prompted multiple guests to head to the beach. Dominican President Luis Abinader told reporters that he lamented the situation.
March 12, 2025 5:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department’s civil rights branch is losing nearly half its staff in the Trump administration’s layoffs, effectively gutting an office that already faced a backlog of thousands of complaints from students and families across the country. Among more than 1,300 layoffs announced Tuesday were roughly 240 in the department’s Office for Civil Rights. Seven out of 12 regional offices were entirely laid off. It leaves thousands of cases hanging in the air, including cases from families trying to get school services for students with disabilities, allegations of bias related to race or religion, and complaints over sexual violence on college campuses.
March 12, 2025 5:01 am
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — The Trump administration says it will immediately lift its suspension of military aid to Ukraine and intelligence sharing with Kyiv. The announcement came Tuesday, a week after the measures were imposed to push Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to enter talks to end the war with invading Russian forces. In a joint statement released following a lengthy day of talks between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia, Ukraine also said it was open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, subject to Kremlin agreement. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz both said the discussions in Jeddah had been positive.
March 11, 2025 2:48 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% for Canada, escalating a trade war with the United States’ northern neighbor and standing unmoved by recent stock market turmoil and rising recession risks. Trump said on social media that the increase of the tariffs set to take effect on Wednesday is a response to the price increases that the provincial government of Ontario put on electricity sold to the United States. After a brutal stock market selloff on Monday and further jitters Tuesday, Trump faces increased pressure to show he has a legitimate plan to grow the economy instead of perhaps pushing it into a recession. But so far the president is doubling down on the tariffs.
March 11, 2025 7:23 am
The State Police Fire Marshal is investigating a house fire in the City of Washington late Monday night. Washington County 9-1-1 says it broke out around 10 p.m in the 900-block of Bruce Street. Dispatchers say no injuries were reported.
March 10, 2025 2:34 am
A car chase that began in Fayette County and continued at high rates of speed ended with an arrest in the City of Washington. Pennsylvania State Police received information that Eric Johnson, 36 of Canonsburg, who was wanted on arrest warrants from Washington County for failure to appear at a hearing, was in Fayette County near State Rt. 119. According to Trooper Rocco Gagliardi, Public Information Officer for Pennsylvania State Police, troopers tried to pull Johnson over but he took off. The pursuit ran along Rt. 119, Interstate 70 and Rt. 40 before Johnson was apprehended in a parking lot Washington. Johnson was wanted for felony possession with intent to deliver, possession of firearms prohibited and firearms not to be carried without a license charges. Police expect to add at least a felony attempt to elude police charge. Johnson is being processed in the Washington County Jail.
March 11, 2025 2:08 am
Peters Township Council was alerted to proposed gas line work that will take place on Rt. 19. Columbia Gas alerted the township to a replacement project that will begin at the Allegheny County line and continue to Pleasant Drive. The work, that will be conducted in the center turning lane, is scheduled to be done in two phases with the first beginning in May. Phase one will be the section of road from the county line to Cagni Drive. It is unknown how long the first phase will take to complete. It is also unknown if phase two will begin this year. The project concerns township staff as PennDot alerted the township of its plans to repave that exact section of highway some time this year. If the gas line replacement project would continue into next year, township officials are concerned that PennDot may delay the repaving project. In a related matter, the township was awarded an Automated Red Light Enforcement Transportation Enhancements Grant. The money will be used to offset roughly half of the estimated $450,000 cost to reconstruct the intersection of Gallery Drive and Rt. 19.
March 11, 2025 4:58 am
The Canonsburg Borough Council has approved several measures to improve public safety, upgrade community spaces, and facilitate local events. Council passed an ordinance to prohibit parking at all times on the east side of Summit Avenue between Morgan Street and Taylor Alley due to traffic flow and safety concerns for emergency vehicles. The council also authorized a $125,000 grant application to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for park upgrades at Canonsburg Town Park. The project, totaling $250,000, includes adding three permanent concrete restrooms, a new pool liner, pavilion updates, upgraded camera systems, and an additional softball field, set to be used this season. In other matters, Canonsburg Council authorized Remington and Vernick Engineers to advertise the 2025 Road Project, which will pave Joseph Drive, John Drive, and Lucia Drive. The council also approved road closures for several community events, including the 4th of July Parade, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation marathon on September 13, Oktoberfest from September 19 to 21, and Canonsburg’s Old Fashioned Christmas from December 4 to 6. Additionally, Borough Council approved Canonsburg Fire Department’s roving road closure for Memorial Day. Council also approved the request of Dutch Man Britches LLC to hang Christmas lights between the Colaizzo building and Canon Corner from November 15, 2025 to January 26, 2026.
March 10, 2025 5:17 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is sinking further after President Donald Trump raised the stakes in his trade war, pulling Wall Street more than 9% below its record set just a month ago. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% Tuesday after Trump said he would raise tariffs on steel and aluminum coming from Canada, doubling them to 50%. The president said it was in direct response to moves Canada has made after Trump earlier began his trade war with one of the country’s most important business partners. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 517 points, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.9% lower.
