March 8, 2025 5:03 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian strike on a town in Ukraine’s embattled Donetsk region has killed at least 11 people as a wave of heavy aerial attacks continued into the second night following a U.S. decision to stop sharing satellite images with Ukraine. Thirty people were also reported injured in multiple strikes late Friday that damaged eight apartment blocks in the town of Dobropillya. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least five children were among the injured. He called the attack “a vile and inhumane intimidation tactic to which the Russians often resort.”
March 8, 2025 4:42 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s flurry of tariffs, government layoffs and spending freezes may be doing more to harm the U.S. economy than to fix it. The labor market remains healthy with a 4.1% unemployment rate and 151,000 jobs added in February, along with investment commitments by some companies. But Friday’s employment report also showed the number of people stuck working part-time because of economic circumstances jumped by 460,000 last month. Sixteen thousand jobs were lost in the leisure and hospitality sectors, while the federal government reduced its payrolls by 10,000. Since January, the economic policy uncertainty index has spiked to a level that in the past signaled a recession.
March 8, 2025 4:40 am
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Forensic experts came to a simple but heartrending conclusion about the manner of death for 95-year-old actor Gene Hackman. He died of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease a full week after a rare, rodent-borne disease took the life of his wife at their Santa Fe home. Authorities revealed Friday that Hackman apparently died following Betsy Arakawa’s death from hantavirus. Chief medical investigator Dr. Heather Jarrell says both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes. Authorities initially ruled out foul play after the bodies were discovered Feb 26. Hantavirus is a rare but potentially fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.
March 8, 2025 4:38 am
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man has been executed by firing squad, becoming the first U.S. prisoner in 15 years to die by this method. Brad Sigmon was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m. Friday after being shot by three prison employee volunteers with rifles. Sigmon killed his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in their Greenville County home in 2001 in a botched plot to kidnap their daughter. The 67-year-old chose the firing squad because his lawyers said he considered it a better option than the electric chair or lethal injection. He is the first South Carolina prisoner to be executed by bullets.
March 8, 2025 4:33 am
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis is continuing his recovery from double pneumonia as the Vatican’s Holy Year is proceeding without him. In its morning update Saturday, the Vatican said the pope is resting after a quiet night. The 88-year-old, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, is entering his fourth week at Rome’s Gemelli hospital. His condition has stabilized following a few bouts of acute respiratory crises early in the week. This weekend, the Vatican is celebrating the Catholic Church’s volunteers.
March 9, 2025 3:34 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. —(WPXI)- A Washington & Jefferson College student is facing criminal charges after a threat was made against the campus on an anonymous social media app. A threatening post was made against the school on the app YikYak in February. It said, “No cap, how many people you think I can kill if I shoot the joint up” and then was followed by a response saying, “I’m thinking like 30-50.” Attendance to in-person classes was made optional as a result. Police got a search warrant and got user information from YikYak. They say the person who made the original post and response was Trevor Jon McDonald, 23. McDonald was suspended from Washington & Jefferson College before the post was made for an unrelated incident. Members of the FBI met him at his house in Chalfont and showed him a picture of the post. Police said he admitted to making it. McDonald faces a felony charge of terroristic threats causing the evacuation of a building and criminal use of a communication facility.
March 8, 2025 3:31 am
A man from Cecil Township will stand trial on several involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault of a minor charges. Ryan Wolstoncroft, 39 turned down a plea offer on a single involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years old charge that would have him serve 5-10 years in jail. When asked by the judge about the plea deal the district attorney said that the offer has been the same for approximately two years. The judge asked Wolstoncroft if he was sure that he wanted to go to trial knowing that he could be convicted of all 6 offenses that he faces and that jail terms could be served consecutively calling for a much longer possible jail sentence. Wolstoncroft was firm in his reply to stand trial. The trial is scheduled for September 8. Wolstoncroft remains free on $250,000 bond. Wolstoncroft is accused of assaulting a minor from 2020 until 2021 multiple times. He would offer to purchase in-game currency for a popular internet video game in exchange for silence about the assaults.
March 7, 2025 4:28 pm
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities revealed Friday that actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease and showed severe signs of Alzheimer’s disease a full week after his wife died of hantavirus in their home. Authorities initially ruled out foul play after the bodies were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Arakawa, 65, was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom counter. Authorities linked her death to hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hackman, 95, was found in the home’s entryway. His death was tied to heart disease with Alzheimer’s disease contributing. (Photo: AP)
March 7, 2025 10:34 am
SALEM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A school van driver is dead and a teenager injured after a multi-vehicle crash in Westmoreland County. The crash involving a school van, a tractor-trailer and an SUV happened around 7:15 a.m. near the intersection of Route 22 and Route 819 in Salem Township. Route 22 was closed in both directions but has since reopened. The school van driver, identified by state police as Renee Davis, 60, was killed in the crash. There were no students on board the school van at the time. A district spokesperson said the van was on a route for the Greensburg Salem School District. The driver of the tractor-trailer was not hurt. The district said the driver of the SUV was one of its high school students on their way to school. The 17-year-old student is OK but being evaluated at UPMC Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh. State police said that the tractor-trailer ran a red light and that sun glare may have played a factor in the crash.
March 7, 2025 8:47 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added solid 151,000 jobs last month, but the outlook is cloudy as President Donald threatens a trade war, purges the federal workforce and promises to deport millions of immigrants. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring was up from a revised 125,000 in January. The unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.1%. The job market has been remarkably resilient over the past year despite high interest rates.
