March 31, 2024 7:49 am
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has rallied from respiratory problems to lead some 30,000 people in Easter celebrations and make a strong appeal for a cease-fire in Gaza and a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine. Francis presided over Easter Sunday Mass in a flower-decked St. Peter’s Square. He then delivered a heartfelt prayer for peace in his annual roundup of global crises, delivered from the loggia overlooking the piazza. To applause from the wind-swept crowd below, Francis said that “peace is never made with weapons, but with outstretched hands and open hearts.”
March 31, 2024 7:50 am
LONDON (AP) — King Charles III is joining the queen and other members of the royal family for an Easter service at Windsor Castle in his most significant public appearance since he was diagnosed with cancer last month. The appearance of the 75-year-old monarch is seen as an effort to reassure the public after Charles stepped back from public duties following an announcement by Buckingham Palace in early February that he was undergoing treatment for an unspecified type of cancer. The Sunday service itself will be smaller than usual as Kate, the Princess of Wales, is also being treated for cancer and has paused public duties. The princess, her husband Prince William and their children did not attend.
March 31, 2024 7:51 am
MANGWE, Zimbabwe (AP) — A new drought has left millions facing hunger in southern Africa as they experience the effects of extreme weather that scientists say is becoming more frequent and more damaging. That’s especially the case for the world’s poorest countries and most vulnerable people. Just months ago, the region was drenched by deadly tropical storms and floods. Zambia and Malawi have declared national disasters over the drought, and Zimbabwe could be on the brink of doing the same. At a food distribution site deep in rural Zimbabwe, aid workers recently brought relief for around 2,000 desperate people. An estimated 20 million need help in the region and many simply won’t get it.
March 31, 2024 7:48 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Engineers in Maryland are working on the daunting task of removing the remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the Patapsco River. Crews on Saturday started to cut the first section of twisted steel so it can be loaded onto a barge. Seven floating cranes, 10 tugboats and nine barges have been tapped to help. Clearing the river will allow officials to reopen the economically vital Port of Baltimore. A massive cargo ship felled the span Tuesday after smashing into a pillar. The bodies of two of six workers missing after the collapse were recovered earlier this week. But four more have yet to be located and are presumed dead.
March 31, 2024 7:00 am
(AP) – Thousands of old bridges across the U.S. are awaiting replacement or repairs after inspectors found them in poor condition. About 167 million vehicles travel daily over about 42,000 bridges that are categorized as poor. An Associated Press analysis determined that four-fifths of those have problems with the substructures that hold them up or the superstructures that support their load. And more than 15,800 of those bridges also were in poor shape a decade ago. A recent federal infrastructure law is providing $40 billion for bridges over five years. But even that is far short of what’s needed to make all the repairs.
March 31, 2024 7:56 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $975 million after no one matched the six numbers drawn, continuing a nearly three-month stretch without a big winner. The numbers drawn Saturday night were: 12, 13, 33, 50, 52 and the red Powerball 23. No one has won Powerball’s top prize since New Year’s Day, amounting to 38 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The $975 million prize is for a sole winner who chooses an annuity paid over 30 years. A winner opting for cash would be paid $471.7 million. As the prizes grow, the drawings attract more ticket sales and the jackpots subsequently become harder to hit. The game’s long odds for Saturday’s drawing were 1 in 292.2 million. (Photo: AP)
March 31, 2024 7:00 am
A firefighter was injured while battling a brush fire in Fayette County on Friday. Fayette County dispatchers say emergency crews were called to the area of 3300 National Pike Wharton Township at around 1:39 p.m. on Friday. The firefighter had to be taken to a hospital to be treated for their injuries, a supervisor said. Their condition is also unknown at this time. Members of the Addison Volunteer Fire Company say they were called to assist with the fire but said the injured firefighter was not from their department.
March 30, 2024 5:03 am
SOUTH PARK TOWNSHIP, Pa. —(WPXI) – A person involved in an ATV crash on a hillside was rescued in South Park Township on Friday. Broughton Volunteer Fire Department said firefighters were called to the area of Green Mans Tunnel in the afternoon after Allegheny County dispatchers received a call about a person who had an ATV in an unstable position. The SHACOG Technical Rescue Team was also sent to the scene. When firefighters arrived they found an injured patient on a hillside. Rescuers used a UTV to get to the person. Paramedics began treating them and rescue teams used a rope to lower them off of the hillside. A medical helicopter was called to the scene but was later dismissed after the patient was ruled stable. The Library Volunteer Fire Company, South Park Township Police Department, Baldwin Emergency Medical Service and Peters Township EMS also helped in the rescue.
March 30, 2024 4:55 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge has overturned the convictions of three men imprisoned for decades in the 1997 slaying of a 70-year-old woman even though their DNA never matched what was found at the scene. They will remain in prison while a prosecutor decides whether to appeal. The Delaware County judge on Thursday ordered new trials for Derrick Chappell, who was 15 at the time of his arrest, and cousins Morton Johnson and Sam Grasty. The legal director of the nonprofit group Centurion says the three should have never been charged. A bail hearing is set for May.
March 30, 2024 5:06 am
BALTIMORE (AP) — Engineers in Maryland are focused on the daunting task of removing what had been the Francis Scott Key Bridge from the Patapsco River. A massive cargo ship felled the span Tuesday after striking one of its main supports. Salvage crews will want to break the broken bridge parts into even smaller pieces to lift them out of the water. The tools needed for that are coming into place. They include seven floating cranes, 10 tugboats and nine barges. Clearing the river will allow officials to reopen the economically vital Port of Baltimore.
