February 26, 2025 4:49 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Three senior Ukrainian officials say that Ukraine and the U.S. have reached an agreement on a framework for a broad economic deal that would include access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. The officials, who were familiar with the matter, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. One of them said that Kyiv hopes that signing the agreement will ensure the continued flow of U.S. military support that the country urgently needs. President Trump called it “a very big deal,” adding that it could be worth a trillion dollars.
February 26, 2025 5:47 pm
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — A child who was not vaccinated has died from measles in West Texas. It’s the first death in an outbreak that began late last month and the first from measles in the U.S. since 2015. The Texas Department of State Health Services said Wednesday in a statement that the death was a “school-aged child who was not vaccinated” and had been hospitalized last week. Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office. There are 124 cases of measles across nine Texas counties.
February 26, 2025 4:57 am
CHICAGO (AP) — Pilots on a Southwest Airlines flight attempting to land at Chicago’s Midway Airport were forced to climb back into the sky to avoid another aircraft crossing the runway. Airport webcam video posted to X shows the Southwest plane approaching a runway just before 9 a.m. Tuesday before its nose abruptly pulls up. A smaller jet is seen crossing the runway that the passenger plane was set to use. Southwest Airlines says Flight 2504 from Omaha, Nebraska, safely landed after the crew performed a precautionary go-around to avoid a possible conflict with another aircraft that entered the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration says the second plane, a business jet, entered the runway without authorization.
February 26, 2025 1:44 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Michelle Trachtenberg, the actor known for “Gossip Girl,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Harriet the Spy” died Wednesday. She was 39. New York City police say they responded to a call at a residential high-rise building in Manhattan where they found Trachtenberg unresponsive and emergency medical services pronounced her dead at the scene. No criminal involvement is suspected and the investigation remains ongoing. Trachtenberg rose to fame at just 10, as the plucky titular snoop in the 1996 film “Harriet the Spy.” Representatives for Trachtenberg did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Photo: AP)
February 25, 2025 2:28 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Penn State’s president Neeli Bendapudi says declining enrollments, demographic shifts and financial pressures will require the school to close some of its 19 branch campuses. In a message posted to Penn State’s website, Bendapudi said the university’s seven largest branch campuses will remain open: Abington, Altoona, Behrend, Berks, Brandywine, Harrisburg, and Lehigh Valley. But she says she’ll decide this spring which of the other 12 to close. Bendapudi says Penn State can’t sustain a viable campus system without closing some campuses. About 23,000 students were enrolled at the campuses last fall. She says no campus will close before 2026-27 academic year ends.
February 25, 2025 3:25 pm
(WPXI) – A man was hit and killed along Route 28 in Etna after police said he jumped out of a moving car. Allegheny County Police said they were called to the scene at 6:49 a.m. Tuesday for a pedestrian hit near the Etna exit. First responders found the victim, later identified as Connell Nihei, 50, of Pittsburgh, dead when they arrived. Police said preliminary information shows that Nihei jumped from a moving vehicle before he was hit. Everyone involved in the crash remained on scene and is cooperating with the investigation, according to Allegheny County Police. The northbound lanes were shut down between the Etna and Sharpsburg exits for nearly 4 hours. Detectives continue to investigate.
February 25, 2025 10:29 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence plummeted in February, the biggest monthly decline in more than four years, a business research group said Tuesday. The Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index sank this month to 98.3 from 105.3 in January. That’s well below economists’ projections for a reading of 103. The seven-point drop was the biggest month-to-month decline since August of 2021. Markets on Wall Street immediately tumbled on the news. The S&P 500 fell 0.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 1.7%. Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity and is closely watched by economists for signs about how the American consumer is feeling.
February 25, 2025 4:44 am
A Pittsburgh man died in a tree-cutting accident in Burgettstown Monday evening. The Washington County Coroners office says 71 year old James Krapp was pronounced dead in the 500-block of Meadow Road just after 6:30 p.m. Investigators believe the accident occurred sometime between 9 a.m and 3:55 p.m. A cause and manner of death are pending. State Police are investigating.
February 24, 2025 2:12 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Belle Vernon pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of harboring illegal aliens for financial gain and failing to pay employment taxes, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Andy Ha, 28, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon. Ha was charged by a two-count Information filed with the Court on January 28, 2025. In connection with the guilty plea, the Court was advised that, from September 2022 to April 2024, Ha owned a temporary staffing agency called Prosperity Services, Inc., that provided workers to companies in the Charleroi, Pennsylvania, area. As part of his business, Ha paid for more than 25 workers who were not legally authorized to be in the United States to stay in a former hotel, and his business paid for vans to transport those workers to and from their work. In addition, Ha provided Prosperity’s tax return preparer with spreadsheets listing only workers who were legally authorized to be and work in the United States. That information, in turn, was reflected on the company’s quarterly employment tax returns, representing less than 10% of the actual total number of workers employed by Prosperity. Ha then also signed those returns, knowing them to be false and causing a tax loss of at least $3.1 million. “The defendant broke the law by harboring and employing individuals not authorized to be in the United States,” said Acting United States Attorney Rivetti. “In addition, defendant Ha cost the U.S. government millions of dollars through his failure to pay taxes related to his business. Our office and our law enforcement partners at all levels will continue to ensure that those who seek to profit from the employment of such workers, and who fail to pay taxes, face appropriate consequences under the law.” Judge Bissoon scheduled sentencing for July 22, 2025. The law provides for a total maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain from the offense, or both on the tax charge and up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gain from the offense, or both on the harboring charge. Under the federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
February 25, 2025 2:52 am
Peters Township Council approved a measure to operate a pilot program employing a Police Social Services Coordinator. Peters Township Manager Paul Lauer says that the licensed social worker will not only be dedicated to the Police department, but to any other departments that may need the intervention of an individual to help solve repeated incidents. The most common police issues are centered on domestic disturbances and substance use calls. Other departments experience calls dealing with matters such as trash and recycling questions and simple daily tasks. The goal of the coordinator is to solve the repetitive nature of the calls by having the people involved be guided to the appropriate agency to address their concerns. Washington County will be offsetting the cost of the program for the next five years by contributing $42,000 to the annual salary of the position. Lauer interviews are soon to begin and he hopes to have the position filled by May.
