May 9, 2025 4:57 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. — (WPXI) – Kennywood’s record-setting rollercoaster, the Steel Curtain, is set to reopen at the end of this month. The park made the big announcement on Thursday morning, saying the work is officially complete and that test runs have already begun. The Steel Curtain will reopen on Saturday, May 24, at 11 a.m. The coaster has been closed since April of last year, before the 2024 season started. The park called it an extensive modification project “to increase ride reliability and longevity” as the reason for closing. The Steel Curtain was introduced to Kennywood in 2019 and quickly became a flagship attraction.
May 9, 2025 4:49 am
A missing boy has been found safe. The South Strabane Fire Department had posted on social media that they were looking for the boy at Community Park just before 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The boy’s name and age were not released. No other details are available.
May 8, 2025 2:32 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has agreed to cut tariffs on British autos, steel and aluminum in a planned trade deal. But the Republican on Thursday played down the possibility of other nations receiving similarly favorable terms on his import taxes, which are roiling the global economy. The announcement provides a political victory for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a degree of validation for Trump’s claims his turbulent approach on trade may be able to rebalance the global economy on his preferred terms. Terms of the deal have yet to be completed so it can be signed. Trump says the agreement would lead to more beef and ethanol exports to the U.K.
May 8, 2025 2:27 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow it to end humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from four countries. The emergency appeal filed Thursday asks the justices to halt a lower-court order keeping in place legal protections for more than 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The Republican administration argues the decision wrongly intrudes on the Department of Homeland Security’s authority. The order from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston blocked the administration from putting an early end to the immigrants’ temporary legal status.
May 8, 2025 1:37 pm
Pope Leo XIV, the American Robert Prevost, said “Peace be with you” in his first words as pope, offering a message of peace and dialogue “without fear.” From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, history’s first American pope recalled he was an Augustinian priest, but that he was above all a Christian above all and a bishop, “So we can all walk together.” He spoke in Italian and then switched to Spanish, recalling his many years spent as a missionary and then archbishop of Chiclayo, Peru. The crowd in St. Peter’s Square erupted in cheers, priests made the sign of the cross and nuns wept as the crowd shouted “Viva il papa!” after the white smoke wafted into the sky.
May 8, 2025 5:01 am
LONDON (AP) — The Bank of England is widely expected to cut interest rates on Thursday as a result of the potential shock to growth emanating from the tariff policies of the Trump administration. Most economists think it’s a near-certainty that the nine-member Monetary Policy Committee will sanction a quarter-point reduction in the bank’s main interest rate to 4.25%. There’s some speculation that some members may opt for an even bigger half-point cut. Economists are going to be particularly interested in the bank’s accompanying economic forecasts as they will be the first since U.S. President Donald Trump made his tariff announcement in early April. Though tariffs on U.K. goods have been paused, uncertainty remains high.
May 8, 2025 4:59 am
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — After three former Memphis police officers were acquitted in the beating death of Tyre Nichols, community and civil rights leaders are expressing outrage over another disappointment in the long push for police reform. Nichols’s death more than two years ago sparked nationwide protests and renewed calls for systemic change as the first post-George Floyd case that revealed the limits of an unprecedented reckoning over racial injustice in Black America. Now, Wednesday’s acquittals again show the need for reforms at the federal level, civil rights leaders say.
May 8, 2025 4:56 am
A deadly midair collision in January between a military helicopter and a commercial airliner, and several crashes since, have prompted officials to focus on fixing the nation’s outdated air traffic control system and hiring more controllers. They say doing so would help ensure safety and prevent the kind of problems that have plagued the Newark, New Jersey, airport since its radar system failed briefly last week. The Federal Aviation Administration is also working on a more immediate fix for the technology and staffing problems in Newark while a broader overhaul is in the works. A broader multibillion-dollar plan will be announced Thursday for long-overdue upgrades to the nation’s air traffic control system.
May 8, 2025 4:53 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvanians 21 or older would be allowed to legally purchase and use marijuana under a bill that has passed the state House on Wednesday. It is the first time a recreational cannabis proposal has been approved by either legislative chamber. All Republicans voted no, but the bill was advanced from the Democratic majority to the Senate by a single vote. Democratic supporters say the proposal will create jobs, ensure a safe product and maintain affordable prices for consumers. But Republican opponents counter that legalization will increase marijuana usage, cause health issues and create safety problems at workplaces. The bill seems likely to see changes if senators decide to act on it.
May 8, 2025 4:51 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was meeting recently with representatives from a teachers union when things quickly devolved. Fetterman began repeating himself, shouting and slamming his hands on a desk. That’s according to two people who were briefed about the meeting and were granted anonymity to discuss it. Fetterman said in a statement through his office that he and the officials “had a spirited conversation” and said he will always support teachers. The interaction adds to the questions being raised about the Democratic senator’s mental health and behavior barely three years after a he survived a stroke and two years after being treated for depression.
