May 8, 2025 4:47 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — The Washington County Coroner has a preliminary identification on the human remains found in a wooded area next to Interstate 70. Coroner Tim Warco is reassuring the public that there’s nothing to be concerned about regarding this case, after receiving multiple calls. “I want to reassure the community there is no danger of an actor out there hurting anyone,” said Warco. “The skeletal remains have been there for a number of years, just haphazardly found by a walker, a passerby, who got lost, and came across what I’m sure was very earth-shattering to her.” The coroner’s office is working with an anthropologist and the team from Mercyhurst, who carefully collected and removed the remains. While early forensic reports don’t know show anything suspicious, Warco says it will still be hard to determine the exact cause of death. “We probably will never know the cause of death, simply because of the advanced age of the skeletal remains found in the woods,” said Warco. Warco believes the body may be that of a person who was reported missing during what he called, ‘the Covid period.’ And they have contacted a family member. However, he won’t be making an official identification until a lengthy and thorough investigation.
May 8, 2025 4:41 am
Pennsylvania State Police troopers gathered with community members Tuesday morning for a solemn memorial service honoring fallen officers at the Fraternal Order of Police National Lodge 47 in Eighty Four. Troopers from surrounding barracks, including Uniontown and Washington, joined together to commemorate their fellow officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. The ceremony served as a powerful reminder of the risks law enforcement officers face daily and the deep sense of solidarity among them. “I hope people take a moment to realize that police officers lay down their lives every day,” said Lieutenant Michael Irwin of the Uniontown barracks. “We took an oath and we hold to that oath year in and year out.” Seventeen fallen officers were recognized during the service. Their names were read aloud, each one echoing through the crowd, followed by the traditional playing of “Taps.” A ceremonial gun salute was also held, with troopers firing blanks in a time-honored tribute to the fallen. Local officials and residents joined in the ceremony which emphasized the unity between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The event was hosted as part of an annual ongoing commitment to honor the legacy of those who served with dedication and bravery.
May 8, 2025 2:18 am
Community action agency Blueprints is celebrating 60 years of service, and community impact and empowerment. Over six decades they have enriched lives and strengthened communities by supporting families at every stage of their lives with childhood education, financial and career guidance, housing stability and services for older adults. To recognize Blueprints’ 60th anniversary and May being recognized as Community Action Month, Blueprints will be sponsoring open houses to allow the public to tour their headquarters and regional offices. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet staff and engage in hands on activities that showcase programs offered by Blueprints. The open houses will be on May 16 from 9 a.m. until noon. They will be held at their headquarters at 150 W. Beau St. Suite 304 in Washington. They will also be held in their field offices at 58 E. Greene St. in Waynesburg, 1000 Technology Drive, Suite 2150 in Fairmont, WV, and 103 Euclid Drive in Parkersburg, WV. Select Early Learning locations will also sponsor tours. Contact the location to learn if they are holding an open house.
May 7, 2025 6:14 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday, brushing off President Donald Trump’s demands to lower borrowing costs, and said that the risks of higher unemployment and higher inflation have risen. The Fed kept its rate at 4.3% for the third straight meeting, after cutting it three times in a row at the end of last year. Many economists and Wall Street investors still expect the Fed will reduce rates two or three times this year, but the sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump have injected a tremendous amount of uncertainty into the U.S. economy and the Fed’s policies.
May 7, 2025 6:12 pm
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Three former Memphis officers have been acquitted of all state charges, including second-degree murder, in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop. An out-of-town jury from a majority-white county found Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith not guilty on all charges after a trial in Memphis state court. The three defendants still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted last year of some federal charges and acquitted on others. Nichols fled a 2023 traffic stop after he was yanked out of his car, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. Five officers who are also Black caught up with him and then fatally beat him.
May 7, 2025 6:09 pm
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Black smoke has poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church. The smoke billowed out at 9 p.m. Wednesday, some four hours after 133 cardinals solemnly entered the Sistine Chapel, took their oaths of secrecy and formally opened the centuries-old ritual to elect a successor to Pope Francis to lead the 1.4 billion-member church. With no one securing the necessary two-thirds majority, or 89 votes, the cardinals will retire for the night to the Vatican residences where they are being sequestered. They return to the Sistine Chapel Thursday morning.
May 7, 2025 5:03 am
ISLAMABAD (AP) — India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least 26 people including a child, in what Pakistan’s leader called an act of war. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir. Pakistan claimed it shot down several Indian fighter jets in retaliation as two planes fell onto villages in India-controlled Kashmir. At least seven civilians were also killed in the region by Pakistani shelling, the Indian army said in a statement. Tensions have soared between the nuclear-armed neighbors since the attack, which India has blamed Pakistan for backing. Islamabad has denied the accusation.
May 7, 2025 5:02 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four former housekeepers of Smokey Robinson allege in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the Motown music luminary repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped them while they worked for him. The suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks at least $50 million in damages over the alleged assaults, which the women say took place between 2007 and 2024, A message seeking comment from a representative for the 85-year-old Robinson was not immediately returned. The four women each say that Robinson would wait until he was alone with them in his Los Angeles house then sexually assault and rape them over their objections and protests.
May 7, 2025 5:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to announce next week that the U.S. will refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia. That’s according to two U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia next week. Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf. The White House and National Security Council didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
May 7, 2025 4:59 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Top U.S. officials are set to meet with a high-level Chinese delegation this weekend in Switzerland. The administration on Tuesday announced the first major talks between the two nations since President Donald Trump sparked a trade war with stiff tariffs on imports. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their counterparts in Geneva in the most-senior known conversations between the two countries in months. The Chinese Commerce Ministry confirmed the meeting, saying they agreed to have contact “after fully considering global expectations, Chinese interests and calls from U.S. businesses and consumers.” It comes amid growing U.S. market worry over the impact of the tariffs.
