November 24, 2025 4:55 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The federal agency that oversees the security of election systems was largely absent from planning before elections this month in several states. That’s leading many state election officials to be concerned about how engaged the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will be for next year’s midterms. Officials are citing the shifting priorities of the Trump administration, as well as staffing reductions and budget cuts. Some officials say they’ve begun scrambling to fill the anticipated gaps. But representatives of the federal agency say it’s ready to provide election expertise if asked and that future organizational plans will be announced “at the appropriate time.”
November 24, 2025 2:41 am
Tina Walker, superintendent of the State Correctional Institution at Fayette says an inmate, 42-year-old Fredderick Hall Junior, who was found unresponsive in his cell on Tuesday, November 18th, has died. She say prison staff immediately responded and provided life-saving measures until facility medical personnel arrived. Brownsville EMS arrived and advanced life support measures were continued as he was transferred to UPMC Presbyterian. Inmate Hall was pronounced dead on November 22nd. Hall was serving a 5-to-11-year sentence for Possession of a Firearm Prohibited from Dauphin County. He had been at SCI Fayette since September 11, 2025. In accordance with state policy, the Pennsylvania State Police were notified and will conduct an investigation. The official cause of death will be determined by the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.
November 24, 2025 2:34 am
PennDot is warning motorists of single lane restrictions planned on Interstate 79 for patching and crack sealing work. The restrictions will occur in the southbound lanes between Exit 45 (Canonsburg) and Exit 43 (Houston/Eighty Four). Restrictions took place on Monday, November 24th and will wrap up on Tuesday, November 25th. Start time is 8:00 a.m. and the work will wrap-up at at 1:30 p.m. Back-ups of at least twenty miles were reported on Monday due to the work. Motorists are asked to use caution, remain alert, avoid distractions and practice patience while traveling through the work zone.
November 24, 2025 2:28 am
PennDot is announcing extended closures on two bridge replacement projects. Beallsville Road and Sunset Drive will remain closed until late December. PennDot is replacing existing structures with pre-cast box culvert structures. They are also working on widening the approaches. Detours are posted. Beallsville Road is closed between Sunset Drive and Oak Road. The detour is Rt. 917, Rt. 40, and Beallsville Road. Sunset Drive is closed between Beallsville Road and Hickory Road. The detour is Richeyville Road, Rt. 40, Beallsville Road and Sunset Drive.
November 23, 2025 5:51 am
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — U.S. senators critical of President Donald Trump’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war say they spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio who told them that the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is a “wish list” of the Russians and not the actual U.S. plan. The 28-point peace plan was crafted by the Trump administration and the Kremlin without Ukraine’s involvement. It acquiesces to many Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has categorically rejected, including giving up large pieces of territory. The State Department called the senators’ account “false,” and the White House insisted the plan was authored by the U.S. Rubio subsequently posted similar comments, saying the plan “was authored by the U.S.”
November 23, 2025 5:48 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s Western allies have rallied around the country as they push to revise a U.S. peace plan seen as favoring Moscow. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed Ukrainians “will always defend” their home. A Ukrainian delegation, joined by France, Germany, and the U.K., is preparing for talks with Washington in Switzerland on Sunday. The U.S. plan suggests Ukraine hand over territory to Russia, which Kyiv has ruled out. European leaders have expressed concerns about the plan, emphasizing that borders must not be changed by force. They insist on being consulted in peace efforts, warning against rushing a deal. Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, President Donald Trump said the U.S. proposal was not his “final offer.”
November 23, 2025 5:45 am
President Donald Trump has pledged to end temporary legal protections for Somalis in Minnesota, sparking fear in the state’s immigrant community. In a Truth Social post, Trump said he would strip Somali residents of their Temporary Protected Status, which protects immigrants from deportation. Experts and state leaders have criticized the move as legally questionable and divisive. Most Somali residents in Minnesota would not be affected, as only 705 nationwide are covered by the program. Advocates warn the decision could fuel hate against the community, which has deep roots in the U.S.
November 23, 2025 5:41 am
At least five families say their babies were treated for infant botulism after consuming ByHeart formula months before a current outbreak was detected. More than 30 babies have been treated for the rare and life-threatening disease in an outbreak that started in August. But parents have reported that babies who drank the formula may have been sickened as early as December 2024. Federal health officials are aware of earlier cases but have not included them or expanded the definition of the outbreak. ByHeart recalled all of its products nationwide on Nov. 11.
November 23, 2025 5:08 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago has entered what many consider an uneasy phase of a Trump administration immigration crackdown that has already led to thousands of arrests. While a U.S. Border Patrol commander known for leading intense and controversial surges moved on to North Carolina, federal agents are still arresting immigrants across the nation’s third-largest city and suburbs. A growing number of lawsuits stemming from the crackdown are winding through the courts. Authorities are investigating agents’ actions, including a fatal shooting. Activists say they are not letting their guard down in case things ramp up, while many residents in the Democratic stronghold where few welcomed the crackdown remain anxious.
November 23, 2025 2:20 am
The South Strabane Township Fire Department was recently honored as a Gold Helmet Department through the National Firefighter Registry for Cancer (NFR) initiative powered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Firefighter Wesley Attwood was the driving force behind enrolling more than 50% of his colleagues at the department for taking proactive steps to improving the understanding of occupational cancer risks in fire service. By enrolling, firefighters in the NFR, contribute critical data to help protect future generations of emergency responders. Attwood says that his participation is personal as his grandfather, a firefighter in Punxutawney, PA died of esophageal cancer caused by fumes breathed in during his career. South Strabane Fire Department is one of 76 fire departments across the United States and only three in Pennsylvania to earn the award. The other Pennsylvania departments are the Fox Chapel Fire Department and the Taylorstown Fire Department, also in Washington County.
