March 27, 2023 4:21 am
NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. says it has agreed on the sale of troubled Silicon Valley Bank to North Carolina-based First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co. The sale involves the sale of all deposits and loans of SVB to First-Citizens. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank rattled the banking industry and led the FDIC and other regulators to act to protect depositors to prevent wider financial turmoil. The bank, based in Santa Clara, California, failed on March 10 after depositors rushed to withdraw money amid fears about the bank’s health. It was the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history.
March 27, 2023 4:19 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia residents are being told that they may want to drink only bottled water following a chemical spill into the Delaware River in neighboring Bucks County. Officials said Sunday that a leak late Friday evening at the Trinseo Altuglas chemical facility in Bristol Township spilled between 8,100 and 12,000 gallons of a non-toxic water-based latex finishing solution into the river. Officials said there had been no sign of contaminants in Philadelphia water and there is very low if any risk to health but officials wanted people to be aware so they could consider using bottled water to drink or cook with to further minimize any risk.
March 27, 2023 4:16 am
INDIANA, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a dozen people were injured in the collapse of a second-story floor inside an apartment complex near a western Pennsylvania over the weekend. State police told the Tribune-Review that seven people were taken to hospitals and five others were treated at the scene after the 11:50 p.m. Saturday collapse at Elm by Traverse Commons about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Trooper Cliff Greenfield said the victims had injuries ranging from serious to minor. He said it’s unclear how many people were inside the three-story building and how many of the victims were students or their guests.
March 27, 2023 4:14 am
WEST READING, Pa. (AP) — The governor Pennsylvania has ordered commonwealth flags flown at half-staff in honor of seven people whose bodies were recovered from the site of a powerful explosion at a chocolate factory. The announcement Monday came the morning after the remaining bodies were found at the R.M. Palmer Co. plant in West Reading. Mayor Samantha Kaag called it “a devastating loss.” The Berks County coroner’s office on Monday identified two of the victims as 49-year-old Amy Sandoe of Ephrata and 60-year-old Domingo Cruz of Reading and said more tests are needed to positively identify the other five victims. The blast happened about 5 p.m. Friday. The cause remains under investigation.
March 27, 2023 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH – West Penn Power crews have been working around the clock to restore power to thousands of people who were left in the dark after strong winds tore through western Pennsylvania Saturday. Winds reached over 50 mph, knocked trees down and broke utility poles. Here in Washington County there are now less than one-hundred customers without service and the numbers continue to go down in surrounding counties as crews remove trees and reconnect downed lines. The McGuffey Middle and Senior High School students had a Flexible Instruction Day on Monday because of power issues. Elementary School students were not affected and those buses ran on schedule.
March 27, 2023 2:40 am
An education campaign designed to educate Pennsylvanians about the important role Pennsylvania played in the founding of the United States stopped off at Borland Manor Elementary School in the Canon-McMillan School District. Notable figures from around the county and local sports team mascots helped bring students in grades kindergarten through four the knowledge that Pennsylvania was vital in the founding of the United States. The book “K is for Keystone” was read to students impressing upon them the history Pennsylvania shares in the 250th birthday of the United States coming up in 2026. Guest readers quizzed students on their knowledge of their home state. Common Pleas Court Judge and America 250 PA board member Brandon Neuman (pictured) was impressed with his kindergarten class’s knowledge of Pennsylvania, the flag and America. Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome remarked about how engaged his second grade class was and the questions asked by the students to make sure they understood Pennsylvania’s place in American history. At the end of each presentation, mascots from Penn West California, Waynesburg, The Wild Thing and Steely McBeam handed out backpacks to remind students of the event’s purpose. America 250 is a nationwide campaign. According to Executive Director Cassandra Coleman, Pennsylvania’s organization was created through bi-partisan legislation in 2018. Opportunities of all sorts are available to residents to celebrate Pennsylvania’s place in the birth of the United States. Information may be found at their website America250PA.org.
March 26, 2023 8:11 am
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. Putin said the move was a response to Britain’s decision this past week to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium. Speaking in an interview broadcast Saturday on Russian state television, Putin said Russia would maintain control over the tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus. He said storage facilities would be completed by July 1 but didn’t say how many weapons they would hold. He argued that Russia was following the lead of the United States, which has tactical nuclear weapons based in Europe. Such weapons are intended for battlefield use, unlike more powerful, longer-range strategic nuclear weapons.
March 26, 2023 8:09 am
LAKE CITY, S.C. (AP) — One of the two Americans gunned down three weeks ago by a Mexican cartel is being remembered as a sweet man who hoped to celebrate his birthday with a journey over the border. Over 100 people attended a Saturday funeral for Shaeed Woodard, whose was slain just days before he turned 34 during a tightknit friend group’s road trip. Since then, an attorney for the Woodards says the family has received an outpouring of support. Pastor Hugh Samuels shared words of consolation for the family shocked by the sudden loss. While grateful for the support, attorney Colin Ram wants to remind people that “what happened in Mexico was an act of terrorism that affected the lives of four Americans.”
March 26, 2023 8:08 am
ROLLING FORK, Miss. (AP) — Rescuers raced Saturday to search for survivors and help hundreds of people left homeless after a powerful tornado cut a devastating path through Mississippi, killing at least 25 people and injuring dozens. The tornado flattened entire blocks as it carved a path of destruction for more than an hour. Another person was killed in Alabama. The tornado flattened entire blocks of the small town of Rolling Fork, reducing homes to piles of rubble, flipping cars on their sides and toppling the town’s water tower. Residents hunkered down in bath tubs as the tornado struck and later broke into a John Deere store that they converted into a triage center for the wounded.
March 26, 2023 8:07 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn his nomination. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed the withdrawal of Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington in a tweet Saturday night. The setback for the administration comes after Washington appeared to lack enough support in the closely divided Senate. Republicans were united in opposition to Washington, calling him unqualified because of limited aviation experience. Democrats and allied independents still might have pushed the nomination through, but key senators on their side balked at supporting Biden’s pick. Buttigieg called Washington “an excellent nominee” and blamed undeserved and partisan attacks.
