February 24, 2025 4:56 am
YORK, Pa. (AP) — Investigators are trying to determine why a man targeted a Pennsylvania hospital, taking workers inside the intensive care unit hostage and holding one staff member at gunpoint as her hands were bound by zip ties. A police officer was killed and two other officers were wounded in a shootout that left the gunman dead Saturday. Officer Andrew Duarte (pictured) of the West York Borough Police Department died in a shootout with suspect Diogenes Archangel-Ortiz, 49, who police said was holding a female hospital worker at gunpoint when police opened fire. Officer Duarte was a 2016 graduate of PennWest California, university officials confirmed Sunday. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice.A doctor, nurse and custodian who suffered gunshot wounds in the chaos were reported in stable condition. Authorities released no new information Sunday about a possible motive for the attack. They had said that the man knew an individual who was recently in the hospital and that he specifically targeted the ICU.
February 23, 2025 5:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Confusion and chaos loom as hundreds of thousands of federal employees begin their workweek on Monday. They’re facing an 11:59 p.m. EST deadline from President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting chief, Elon Musk, to explain their recent accomplishments or risk losing their jobs. Musk’s unusual weekend demand faced resistance from key U.S. agencies led by the president’s loyalists that instructed their employees not to comply. Lawmakers in both parties said that Musk’s mandate may be illegal, while unions are threatening to sue. Trump over the weekend called for Musk to be more aggressive in his cost-cutting crusade through the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and posted a meme on social media mocking federal employees.
February 24, 2025 5:03 am
BUFFALO TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A driver was flown to a hospital after their vehicle crashed into a mobile home in Washington County Saturday afternoon. Washington County 911 dispatchers say the vehicle crashed into a building on State Route 40 between Club 40 and East Buffalo Church Rd in Buffalo Township just after 4 p.m. Photos posted by Bentleyville Fire-Rescue show the crash severely damaged the front of a home. First responders worked for two hours to stabilize the damaged structure. Dispatchers say no one was inside the home at the time of the crash. The driver was flown to a Pittsburgh hospital. Their current condition is not known. (PHOTO: Bentley Fire-Rescue)
February 24, 2025 4:59 am
ELRAMA, Pa. — Nearly three years after a devastating fire, a popular Washington County tavern has reopened. Elrama Tavern, which has been in business for decades, was destroyed by a fire in April 2022. Since then, the owners have been working to rebuild. Early Sunday morning, the long-anticipated announcement was made — Elrama Tavern will reopen its doors on Monday. The reopening comes less than a week after a “soft opening” with friends and family. “After a challenging journey following a fire in March 2022, we are thrilled to share our beautiful, cozy and inviting brand new space with you,” a statement on the tavern’s website says.
February 24, 2025 5:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration says it’s placing all but a fraction of staffers at the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave worldwide and eliminating at least 1,600 U.S.-based jobs. The notices were sent to USAID workers and viewed Sunday by The Associated Press. It comes after a federal judge on Friday allowed the administration to move forward with pulling thousands of USAID staffers off the job in the U.S. and around the world. The agency said in the notices to staffers that it’s starting to cut 2,000 U.S.-based jobs. A version of the notice posted later on USAID’s website put the number of positions to be eliminated lower, at 1,600. The administration gave no explanation for the discrepancy.
February 24, 2025 5:19 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk’s cost-cutting team is eliminating jobs at the vehicle safety agency that oversees Tesla and has launched investigations into deadly crashes involving his company’s cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has cut a “modest” amount of positions, according to a statement from the agency. Musk has accused NHTSA of holding back progress on self-driving technology with its investigations and recalls. Asked about whether the cuts would impact any probes into Tesla, the agency referred to a statement saying it will enforce the law on all automobile manufacturers.
February 24, 2025 5:13 am
ROME (AP) — The Vatican says Pope Francis remains in critical condition but has shown slight improvement in laboratory tests. He has resumed some work activities, including calling a parish in Gaza City that he has kept in touch with since the war there began. The Vatican’s evening bulletin was more upbeat than in recent days. It said the 88-year-old Francis. suffering from pneumonia in both lungs, hadn’t had any more respiratory crises. The slight kidney insufficiency detected on Sunday was of no concern. He is continuing to receive supplemental oxygen and doctors say his prognosis remains guarded. He received the Eucharist in the morning and resumed working in the afternoon.
February 24, 2025 5:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not shown it had suffered irreparable harm in the matter. But he urged the government to reconsider its two-week-old ban. He said that case law “is uniformly unhelpful to the White House.” U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden’s told attorneys for the Trump administration and the AP that the issue required more exploration before ruling. The AP filed a lawsuit Friday saying that its First and Amendment rights were being violated. President Donald Trump said it was punishment for the agency’s decision not to entirely follow his executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
February 24, 2025 5:08 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A pair of major public transit projects are underway, including the long-term closure of a key connection between South Hills Junction and Station Square Station. The work could be double trouble for people heading downtown during Monday morning’s commute. Over the next few days, riders should expect some delays and detours. The light rail tracks between Steel Plaza and Gateway stations remain closed heading into the week as one PRT project wraps up and another begins. The brief overlap means delays and detours for riders. The Wood Street Station is closed entirely, so riders will be shuttled between Steel Plaza and Gateway on buses. Riders can expect more detours, through October, during work on the Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel right next to Station Square Station. The tunnel will be closed for the next eight months to replace and repair more than 1,000 feet of light rail track, roadway, and overhead electric lines. During the closure, most trains and buses will be detoured through the Allentown neighborhood.
February 24, 2025 10:41 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Roberta Flack has died at 88. The Grammy-winning singer and pianist was known for her intimate vocal and musical style on “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and other hits. Her publicist said she died Monday, surrounded by her family. Flack became an overnight star in the early 1970s after Clint Eastwood used “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” in his film “Play Misty for Me.” Flack’s other hits included “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and a duet with former Howard University classmate Donny Hathaway, “Where is the Love?”
