January 31, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico are coming on Saturday. Trump also said he’ll “probably” decide on Thursday night whether to include oil from those countries as part of his import taxes. Trump says his decision will be based on whether the price of oil charged by the two trading partners is fair, although the basis of his threatened tariffs pertains to stopping illegal immigration and the smuggling of chemicals used for fentanyl.
January 31, 2025 4:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump administration changes have upended the U.S. agency charged with providing humanitarian aid overseas, with senior officials put on leave, contractors laid off and a sweeping freeze imposed on foreign assistance. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the pause, saying “the U.S. government is not a charity.” Current and former officials at the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development say they were invited to submit requests to exempt certain programs from the freeze, which President Donald Trump imposed Jan. 20 and the State Department detailed how to execute on Jan. 24. Three days later, at least 56 senior career USAID staffers were abruptly placed on administrative leave.
January 31, 2025 4:50 am
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — President Donald Trump’s abrupt freeze of U.S. foreign aid is sending shockwaves through Eastern Europe. It has left pro-democracy groups, independent media, civil society initiatives and local governments scrambling to make ends meet in a region often defined by rivalries between East and West. The U.S. State Department said the 90-day freeze aims to root out waste as Trump aggressively rolls out his “America First” agenda. But many in Eastern Europe fear that the cessation of U.S. funds could expose Washington’s allies and create a vacuum that its foes could gladly seek to fill.
January 30, 2025 2:13 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A former resident of Monessen, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 20 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, on his conviction of production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced on Thursday. United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Stefan Sweeney, 36. According to information presented to the Court, Sweeney produced a video depicting the sexual exploitation of a 13-year-old girl. In imposing the sentence, Judge Wiegand stated that a 20-year term of imprisonment reflected a balance between the defendant’s acceptance of responsibility and the serious nature of his crimes. Authorities say this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
January 31, 2025 4:45 am
FAIRCHANCE, Pa. — (WPXI) – A fire in an abandoned mine in Fairchance, Fayette County has been extinguished, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said crews should be finished with their restoration work by the end of the week. Neighbors were worried the fire was going to continue to grow and burn out of control, eventually going under North Morgantown Road toward the old Kyle Mine. The DEP told Channel 11 they found out about the fire burning in an abandoned mine in Fairchance on January 6. But, they believe the fire had been burning since September and had gone unreported. On January 17, they awarded an emergency contract to put out the fire. The DEP said the effort to dig, put the fire out, back fill the abandoned mine, and then plant grass and cover the ground with straw cost just less than $27,000. That money comes from the state’s Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program, which gets some of its funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that was passed during the Biden Administration.
January 30, 2025 5:18 pm
Police and SWAT responded to a shooting in Bethel Park Thursday afternoon on Chessbriar Drive near Thornwood Drive. In a social media post, Bethel Park police asked the public to avoid the area of Chessbriar Drive and Thornwood Drive, but said the incident is “contained” and there’s no threat to the public. Two nearby elementary schools went on lockdown for a brief period of time out of an “abundance of caution,” but were reopened a short time later.
January 30, 2025 1:32 pm
(WPXI) – Allegheny County police are investigating an officer-involved shooting at an apartment complex in Bethel Park late Wednesday. At 10 p.m., Bethel Park police were attempting to serve a warrant for William Adam, 45, at the Dorchester Apartment Complex. The warrant was in connection to a domestic incident that happened earlier in the day. When officers attempted to enter his apartment, the door was partially barricaded. Allegheny County police said when officers were able to see into the apartment, they saw Adam holding a gun and pointing it in the direction of them. Police said after officers pulled back, Adam entered the hallway of the apartment building multiple times while carrying the gun and was shot by an officer. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition. Allegheny County Police said after consultation with the district attorney’s office, charges including aggravated assault and resisting arrest have been filed against Adam. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
January 30, 2025 7:48 am
Two people were injured in a head-on collision early Thursday morning in Hopewell Township. Washington County 9-1-1 says it happened at 5:30 a.m in the 49-hundred block of Jefferson Avenue. Both drivers were transported to area hospitals by ambulance. Initial reports said one of the drivers was trapped and a medical helicopter was placed on stand-by but was then cancelled. There is no word on the identities or conditions of those injured. The roadway was blocked for some time but reopened by 7 a.m.
January 30, 2025 2:11 am
First responders and municipal officials gathered at the South Franklin Volunteer Fire Department Social Hall to hear a presentation about Washington County’s new Public Safety Radio System. Representatives from consultant Mission Critical Partners and manufacturer Motorola put on a two hour presentation delving into the technical aspects of the new system. Opinions varied after the meeting with some still skeptical whether their area will be able to be covered due to rugged terrain, all the way to excitement for the new system and the promised coverage improvements. Motorola is guaranteeing 95% coverage of the county when using mobile stations and 90% county coverage when using hand held radios. Fourteen towers are proposed around the county to carry the signal. Construction began in the fourth quarter of 2024. The anticipated completion is set for the fourth quarter of 2027.
January 30, 2025 4:59 am
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A midair collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight from Kansas killed all 67 people aboard the two aircraft. That was the word from authorities Thursday as they scrutinized the actions of the military pilot after the country’s worst aviation disaster in a generation. At least 28 bodies were pulled from the icy waters of the Potomac River after the helicopter apparently flew into the path of the jet late Wednesday while it was landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington. The plane carried 60 passengers and four crew. Three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.
