(File Photo: Source for Photo: Model homes and for sale signs line the streets as construction continues at a housing plan in Zelienople, Pa., Wednesday, March 18, 2020. U.S. home sales jumped in February to their highest level in 13 years, a trend that will almost certainly be reversed as the viral outbreak keeps more people at home. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

(Reported by Danielle Smith of Keystone News Service)

(Harrisburg, PA) Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget includes a 50 million dollar investment for repairs to older homes. A grassroots group supports the idea, but says the dollar amount falls short of the need. Pennsylvania Stands Up reports that more than half of rural homes and 73 percent of urban homes are over 50 years old, many in flood-prone areas. Mary Collier with the group says the funds would help residents make climate-resistant repairs and cut utility bills, but she notes a similar home repair program with 125-million dollars quickly ran out due to high demand. A housing study found that over a quarter of Pennsylvanians live in the state’s 48 rural counties, where they face major challenges with housing quality, affordability and mortgage access that would allow for homeownership and making repairs. The General Assembly must vote on the budget by June 30th.

(File Photo of the White House)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Washington, D.C.) The Department of Education announced Tuesday that close to half their workers will be cut as the Trump administration works on removing the agency. Staff affected by cuts will get benefits and full pay until June 9th and will be put on leave beginning on March 21st. Congressional approval is needed to shut down the Department of Education.

(File Photo of the United Way of Beaver County logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Beaver County, PA) The United Works initiative was announced by the United Way of Beaver County. This helps to gain opportunities of education to underprivileged households that have been affected by factors including cost. The organization is also partnering with Job Training for Beaver County to give underprivileged workers training to earn meaningful and financially stable jobs. The program was also assisted by the ALICE fund and a grant of $25,000 from Shell Polymers Monaca.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: Dave Sunday speaks to the audience in the Forum Auditorium across the street from the Capitol after taking the oath to become Pennsylvania’s next attorney general, Jan. 21, 2025, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday had his first interview in western Pennsylvania and emphasized the issues of homelessness and safety for the public. Sunday confirms that he wants to provide ways to assist in solving issues of mental health and homelessness because of their parts in crimes. This includes making more services for health involving behavior. Sunday also believes in the idea of people with various opinions working together for a purpose, also known as the team rivals concept proposed by the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

(File Photo of Gavel)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) Acting U.S. Attorney Troy Revetti announced Tuesday that a citizen from Turkey was indicted on a charge of illegal re-entry of a removed alien. Sixty-year-old Izzet Kurt was found in western Pennsylvania illegally around or on February 25th, 2025. Kurt was convicted in Pennsylvania’s Eastern District for bringing aliens to the United States for money. According to Revetti, Kurt could face a maximum of up to twenty years in jail, an up to a $250,000 fine or both, provided by the law.

(File Photo of New Brighton)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(New Brighton, PA) On Tuesday, April 1st, the Borough of New Brighton will undergo street sweeping again and will go through Monday, December 1st. Reminders for parking restriction will be posted on street sweeping signs in New Brighton starting on Monday, March 24th and will continue to be posted throughout the following two weeks. Yard debris and leaves are also not allowed on the street during sweeping. These items need to go in bags or next to the curb for leaf collections curbside beginning in the middle of October.

(File Photo of Police Lights)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Hopewell Township, PA) Pennsylvania State Police in Beaver report that a woman from Beaver was charged after a two-vehicle crash occurred in Hopewell Township on February 22nd, 2025. Seventy-four-year-old Christine Dougherty was driving towards the I-376 West ramp on Green Garden Road and did not yield. This caused fifty-four-year-old Shane Cavanaugh of Aliquippa to hit her car. According to police, Dougherty got her privileges to operate her vehicle suspended or revoked.

(File Photo of the Penn State Beaver logo)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(University Park, PA) State Representative Charity Krupa made three bills to respond against the planned closure of Penn State Beaver and eleven other Penn State campuses. The first makes certain that publicly funded state universities will not close a campus on its branch without public and legislative input. The second has a formal transition as a requirement and alternative options before closure. The third requires an independent study of the impact of workforce and economy before closure. Krupa also confirmed that the President of Penn State made an agreement to meet up and talk about the possible closures.

 

(File Photo: Source for Photo: FILE – A vial of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is on display at the Lubbock Health Department Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon, File)

(AP) Measles outbreaks in West Texas and New Mexico are now up to more than 250 cases, and two unvaccinated people have died from measles-related causes.

Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000.

Here’s what you need to know about measles in the U.S.

How many measles cases are there in Texas and New Mexico?

Texas state health officials said Tuesday there were 25 new cases of measles since the end of last week, bringing Texas’ total to 223. Twenty-nine people in Texas are hospitalized.

New Mexico health officials announced three new cases Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 33. The outbreak has spread from Lea County, which neighbors the West Texas communities at the epicenter of the outbreak, to include one case in Eddy County.

Oklahoma’s state health department reported two probable cases of measles Tuesday, saying they are “associated” with the West Texas and New Mexico outbreaks.

A school-age child died of measles in Texas last month, and New Mexico reported its first measles-related death in an adult last week.

Where else is measles showing up in the U.S.?

Measles cases have been reported in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an outbreak as three or more related cases — and there have been three clusters that qualified as outbreaks in 2025.

In the U.S., cases and outbreaks are generally traced to someone who caught the disease abroad. It can then spread, especially in communities with low vaccination rates.

Do you need an MMR booster?

The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.

People at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago may want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with an outbreak, said Scott Weaver with the Global Virus Network, an international coalition. Those may include family members living with someone who has measles or those especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions.

Adults with “presumptive evidence of immunity” generally don’t need measles shots now, the CDC said. Criteria include written documentation of adequate vaccination earlier in life, lab confirmation of past infection or being born before 1957, when most people were likely to be infected naturally.

A doctor can order a lab test called an MMR titer to check your levels of measles antibodies, but health experts don’t always recommend this route and insurance coverage can vary.

Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says.

People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. That also includes people who don’t know which type they got.

What are the symptoms of measles?

Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.

The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.

How can you treat measles?

There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.

Why do vaccination rates matter?

In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity.”

But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.

The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60. Five years earlier, measles cases were the worst in almost three decades in 2019.

(File Photo: Source for Photo: The flags of Canada and the United States fly outside a hotel in downtown Ottawa, on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump ‘s threat Tuesday to double his planned tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50% for Canada led the provincial government of Ontario to suspend its planned surcharges on electricity sold to the United States.

As a result, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said the U.S. president pulled back on his doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs, even as the federal government still plans to place a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports starting Wednesday.

The drama delivered a win for Trump but also amplified concerns about tariffs that have roiled the stock market and stirred recession risks. Tuesday’s escalation and cooling in the ongoing trade war between the United States and Canada only compounded the rising sense of uncertainty of how Trump’s tariff hikes will affect the economies of both countries.

Trump shocked markets Tuesday morning, saying the increase of the tariffs set to take effect Wednesday was a response to the 25% price hike that Ontario put on electricity sold to the United States.

“I have instructed my Secretary of Commerce to add an ADDITIONAL 25% Tariff, to 50%, on all STEEL and ALUMINUM COMING INTO THE UNITED STATES FROM CANADA, ONE OF THE HIGHEST TARIFFING NATIONS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday afternoon that U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick called him and Ford agreed to remove the surcharge. He said he was confident that the U.S. president would also stand down on his own plans for 50% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

“He has to bounce it off the president but I’m pretty confident he will pull back,” Ford said on Trump’s steel and aluminum tariff threat. “By no means are we just going to roll over. What we are going to do is have a constructive conversation.”

After a brutal stock market selloff Monday and further jitters Tuesday, Trump faces increased pressure to show he has a solid plan to grow the economy. So far the president is doubling down on tariffs and can point to Tuesday’s drama as evidence that taxes on imports are a valuable negotiating tool, even if they can generate turmoil in the stock market.

Trump suggested Tuesday that tariffs were critical for changing the U.S. economy, regardless of stock market gyrations.

The U.S. president has given a variety of explanations for his antagonism of Canada. He has said that his separate 25% tariffs on all imports from Canada, some of which are suspended for a month, are about fentanyl smuggling and objections to Canada putting high taxes on dairy imports that penalize U.S. farmers. He also continued to call for Canada to become part of the United States, which has infuriated Canadian leaders.

“The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State,” Trump posted Tuesday. “This would make all Tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear.”

Tensions between the United States and Canada

Incoming Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government will keep tariffs in place until Americans show respect and commit to free trade after Trump threatened historic financial devastation for his country.

Carney, who will be sworn in as Justin Trudeau’s replacement in coming days, said Trump’s latest tariffs are an attack on Canadian workers, families and businesses.

“My government will keep our tariffs on until the Americans show us respect and make credible, reliable commitments to free and fair trade,” Carney said in a statement.

Canadian officials are planning retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump’s specific steel and aluminum tariffs. Those are expected to be announced Wednesday.

Carney was referring to an initial $30 billion Canadian (US$21 billion) worth of retaliatory tariffs that have been applied on items like American orange juice, peanut butter, coffee, appliances, footwear, cosmetics, motorcycles and certain pulp and paper products.

Trump also has targeted Mexico with 25% tariffs because of his dissatisfaction over drug trafficking and illegal immigration, though he suspended the taxes on imports that are compliant with the 2020 USMCA trade pact for one month.

Asked if Mexico feared it could face the same 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as Canada, President Claudia Sheinbaum, said, “No, we are respectful.”

Trump participated in a question and answer session Tuesday afternoon with the Business Roundtable, a trade association of CEOs that he wooed during the 2024 campaign with the promise of lower corporate tax rates for domestic manufacturers. But his tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China — with plans for more to possibly come on Europe, Brazil, South Korea, pharmaceutical drugs, copper, lumber and computer chips — would amount to a massive tax hike.

The stock market’s vote of no confidence over the past two weeks puts the president in a bind between his enthusiasm for taxing imports and his brand as a politician who understands business based on his own experiences in real estate, media and marketing.

“The tariffs are having a tremendously positive impact — they will have, and they are having.” Trump told the gathering of CEOs, saying the import taxes would cause more factories to relocate to the United States.

Worries about a recession are growing

Harvard University economist Larry Summers, President Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary, has put the odds of a recession at 50-50. The investment bank Goldman Sachs revised down its growth forecast for this year to 1.7% from 2.2% previously. It modestly increased its recession probability to 20% “because the White House has the option to pull back policy changes if downside risks begin to look more serious.”

Trump has tried to assure the public that his tariffs would cause a bit of a “transition” to the economy, with the taxes prodding more companies to begin the yearslong process of relocating factories to the United States to avoid the tariffs. But he set off alarms in an interview broadcast Sunday in which he didn’t rule out a possible recession.

The stock market slide continues

The promise of great things ahead did not eliminate anxiety, with the S&P 500 stock index tumbling 2.7% on Monday in an unmistakable Trump slump that has erased the market gains that greeted his victory in November 2024. The S&P 500 index fell roughly 0.8% on Tuesday, paring some of the earlier losses after Ontario backed down on electricity surcharges.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 478 points, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%.

Trump has long relied on the stock market as an economic and political gauge to follow, only to look past it as he remains determined so far to impose tariffs. When he won the election last year, he proclaimed that he wanted his term to be considered to have started Nov. 6, 2024, on Election Day, rather than his Jan. 20, 2025, inauguration, so that he could be credited for post-election stock market gains.

Trump also repeatedly warned of an economic freefall if he lost the election.

“If I don’t win you will have a 1929 style depression. Enjoy it,” Trump said at an August rally in Pennsylvania.