Military parade to celebrate Army’s 250th anniversary will be held on Trump’s birthday
WASHINGTON — The Army on Friday confirmed there will be a military parade on President Donald Trump’s birthday in June, as part of the celebrations around the service’s 250th birthday. Plans for the parade, as first detailed by the Associated Press on Thursday, call for about 6,600 soldiers to march...
Court says no rights violated when Michigan school told girl to remove hat with image of a gun
DURAND, Mich. — A Michigan school did not violate the free-speech rights of a third-grade student who was told to remove a hat that had an image of an AR-15-style rifle and the message “come and take it” in capital letters, a federal court said Friday. The principal at Kerr...
Tennessee police release video of Kilmar Abrego Garcia traffic stop in 2022
Authorities in Tennessee have released video of a 2022 traffic stop involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland construction worker who’s become the face of U.S. immigration policy after his erroneous deportation to El Salvador. Posted by various news organizations, the body-camera footage shows a calm and friendly exchange between officers...
Public broadcasting chiefs vow to fight Trump’s PBS, NPR cuts
The head of PBS said Friday that President Donald Trump’s executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to public broadcasting institutions PBS and NPR is blatantly unlawful. NPR’s chief also vowed to challenge the decision. Public Broadcasting Service CEO Paula Kerger said the Republican president’s order “threatens our ability to...
Consultant says security report into arson at Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro’s home won’t be made public
HARRISBURG — A consultant paid to review security at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro after it was firebombed by a late-night intruder said Friday that his team’s findings will not be made public. Retired state police Col. Jeffrey Miller said in a statement that the “sensitive nature”...
Man sentenced to 53 years in prison in hate-crime attack on Palestinian American boy, mother
JOLIET, Ill. — An Illinois landlord who killed a 6-year-old Muslim boy and severely injured the boy’s mother in a brutal hate-crime attack days after the war in Gaza began was sentenced Friday to 53 years in prison. Joseph Czuba, 73, was found guilty in February of murder, attempted murder...
CDC reports 216 child deaths this flu season, the most in 15 years
NEW YORK — More U.S. children have died this flu season than at any time since the swine flu pandemic 15 years ago, according to a federal report released Friday. The 216 pediatric deaths reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eclipse the 207 reported last year. It’s...
Trump signs executive order directing federal funding cuts to PBS and NPR
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aiming to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR as he alleged “bias” in the broadcasters’ reporting. The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and further...
Microsoft hikes Xbox prices worldwide as gaming industry faces tariff uncertainty
NEW YORK — As new tariffs continue to strain global supply chains, some gamers are already feeling price hikes. Microsoft raised recommended retailer pricing for its Xbox consoles and controllers around the world this week. Its Xbox Series S, for example, now starts at $379.99 in the U.S. — up...
7.4 magnitude quake strikes off the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina, no damage reported
SANTIAGO, Chile — A 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off the southern coasts of Chile and Argentina on Friday, the United States Geological Survey said. No damage or casualties have been initially reported. Chilean authorities issued an evacuation alert for the entire coastal section of the Strait of Magellan, in the...
A 4th person dies from Minneapolis mass shooting as suspect is charged with murder
MINNEAPOLIS — A fourth person has died as a result of a mass shooting in Minneapolis earlier this week in which investigators believe a fifth person was killed in retaliation hours later, police said Friday. The 28-year-old man had been hospitalized in grave condition since the shootings late Tuesday, and...
Prince Harry loses appeal to restore his U.K. government-funded security detail
LONDON — Prince Harry lost his appeal Friday challenging the U.K. government’s decision to strip him of his publicly funded security after he stepped away from royal family duties and moved to the U.S. The Court of Appeal ruled unanimously that a committee hadn’t treated Harry unfairly when it decided...
Trump re-ups his threat to strip Harvard University’s tax-exempt status
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday re-upped his threat to strip Harvard University of its tax-exempt status, escalating a showdown with the first major college that has defied the administration’s efforts to crack down on campus activism. “We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status,” Trump...
How to catch the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, debris of Halley’s comet
Halley’s comet swings near Earth every 75 years. But debris left by the comet leads to two major meteor showers every year including the Eta Aquarids. When this meteor shower lights up the night sky, “you’ll know that Earth is crossing the path of the most famous comet,” said Shauna...
Employers added a surprising 177K jobs as job market shows resilience
WASHINGTON — American employers added a better-than-expected 177,000 jobs in April as the job market showed resilience in the face of President Donald Trump’s trade wars. Hiring was down slightly from a revised 185,000 in March and came in above economists’ expectations for a modest 135,000. The unemployment rate remained...
Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza, organizers say
TEL AVIV, Israel — Drones attacked a vessel carrying aid to Gaza while it was in international waters off Malta on Friday, the group organizing the shipment said. A fire broke out but was brought under control, according to authorities. A nearby tugboat responded to a distress call from the...
White House will unveil Trump’s 2026 budget, his 1st since returning to power
WASHINGTON — The White House is planning on Friday to unveil President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget, a sweeping framework that is expected to propose steep reductions, if not a wholesale zeroing out, of various federal programs as part of his administration’s priorities. Budgets do not become law but serve as...
How long was the longest conclave? Facts about the secret voting to elect a pope
VATICAN CITY — “Conclave” the film may have introduced moviegoers to the spectacular ritual and drama of a modern conclave, but the periodic voting to elect a new pope has been going on for centuries and created a whole genre of historical trivia. Here are some facts about conclaves past,...
Vatican firefighters install a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel for the papal election
VATICAN CITY — Preparations for the conclave to find a new pope accelerated Friday with the installation of the chimney out of the Sistine Chapel that will signal the election of a successor to Pope Francis. Vatican firefighters were seen on the roof of the Sistine Chapel installing the chimney,...
Soviet-era spacecraft is set to plunge to Earth a half-century after its failed launch to Venus
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A Soviet-era spacecraft meant to land on Venus in the 1970s is expected to soon plunge uncontrolled back to Earth, possibly within the first two weeks of May. It’s too early to know where the half-ton mass of metal might come down or how much of...
Greensburg Community Development Corporation grows roots with new director, vision
After three years of frequent leadership turnover, the Greensburg Community Development Corporation has a new executive director who aims to guide the 50-year-old nonprofit through its new strategic plan and quest for business development funding. Hempfield resident Nancy Ligus takes the helm of the corporation from former board president Elsie...
Defense Department designates 2nd military zone on U.S. border, extending into Texas
EL PASO, Texas — The Defense Department said Thursday that it has designated a second stretch on the U.S. border with Mexico as a military zone to enforce immigration laws. The newest area is in Texas and is attached to the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso. Like the...
Army plans for a potential parade on Trump’s birthday call for 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters
WASHINGTON — Detailed Army plans for a potential military parade on President Donald Trump’s birthday in June call for more than 6,600 soldiers, at least 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands and possibly a couple thousand civilians, The Associated Press has learned. The planning documents, obtained by the AP, are...
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to strip legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelan migrants
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to strip temporary legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to being deported. The Justice Department asked the high court to put on hold a ruling from a federal judge in San Francisco that kept in place Temporary...
Trump says it’s Biden’s economy, but businesses, economists beg to differ
WASHINGTON — When the stock market was climbing in January 2024, Donald Trump knew exactly who deserved credit: Himself. Nearly a year before his return to the White House, he declared on his Truth Social platform that investors were celebrating his lead in the polls against President Joe Biden. When...
