Latest News - WFMZ-TV 69News (2024)

Indiana County Sheriff Robert E. Fyock and his K-9 partner Kort presented a certificate of appreciation to Lisa Shirley, the store manager of Tractor Supply Company of Indiana. Read moreSheriff commends Tractor Supply

A summit of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations has opened in Italy. Premier Giorgia Meloni has welcomed the G7 leaders and formally begun their closed-door talks on Thursday. Meloni in her opening remarks likened the bloc to the Puglia region's famed olive trees, with strong roots and branches pointing toward the future. Negotiators reached agreement hours before the official opening of the summit on a U.S. proposal to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets as collateral. Read moreG7 summit opens with deal to use Russian assets for Ukraine as EU's traditional powers recalibrate

Fox Sports has acquired the rights to broadcast IndyCar starting in 2025. The move gives the network two of the biggest races in the world, the Indianapolis 500 and NASCAR’s Daytona 500. Fox Sports already broadcasts the first half of the NASCAR schedule. Terms of the deal between IndyCar and Fox Sports were not revealed but Fox promised all the races would receive network broadcasts, as well as qualifying for the Indy 500. NBC had held the rights to IndyCar since 2009. Fox Sports says all races with be on Fox and the Fox Sports app, while Fox Deportes will carry Spanish-language coverage. Read moreIndyCar moves to Fox Sports in 2025 after 16 seasons with NBC. Fox now has Daytona 500 and Indy 500

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unanimously to preserve access to the abortion pill mifepristone, a pill used in the most common way to end a pregnancy. The medication was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the United States last year. Thursday's ruling is the court’s first abortion decision since conservative justices overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. The justices ruled that abortion opponents lacked the legal right to sue over the federal Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the medication — mifepristone — and the FDA’s subsequent actions to ease access to it. The case had threatened to restrict access to mifepristone across the country, including in states where abortion remains legal. Read moreThe Latest | The US Supreme Court rules to preserve access to the abortion pill mifepristone

The Atlanta Falcons were stripped of a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft on Thursday for violating the NFL’s anti-tampering rules prior to signing quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Falcons and Cousins agreed on a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million guaranteed shortly after the league’s 52-hour legal tampering window opened. It’s normal for teams and players to reach agreements quickly and there were other players who agreed to deals even before Cousins. But Cousins’ comments at his introductory news conference raised questions that led to the NFL’s investigation. Read moreAtlanta Falcons forfeit fifth-round pick, fined for tampering with Kirk Cousins

Scientists say a large number of whales is visiting the waters off New England, and the group includes an unusually high number of an endangered species. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday that a research flight made 161 sightings of seven different species of whale on May 25 south of Martha’s Vineyard and southeast of Nantucket. The agency says the sightings included 93 of sei whales, and that is one of the highest concentrations of the rare whale during a single flight. Other highlights included two orcas, an uncommon sight off New England. Read moreLarge number of whale sightings off New England, including dozens of endangered sei whales

The Ukraine men’s soccer team was made to feel at home for its first practice in Germany for the European Championship. Patriotic songs were broadcast and thousands of exiled Ukrainians watching in the stadium at Wiesbaden on Thursday. There was a vivid reminder of the war at home that is a uniting force for this Ukraine squad. Each player had a ball to give to a fan and Oleksandr Zinchenko presented his to a military veteran who had prosthetic legs below each knee. Near the stadium is the United States military headquarters in Germany that's coordinating delivery of military aid from Ukraine's allies. Read moreUkraine arrives at Euro 2024 to a patriotic welcome and vivid reminder of the war at home

The Supreme Court has preserved access to a medication used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year. It’s the court’s first abortion decision since conservative justices overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. The justices ruled Thursday abortion opponents lacked the legal right to sue over the federal Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the medication, mifepristone, and the FDA’s subsequent actions to ease access to it. The case had threatened to restrict access to mifepristone across the country, including in states where abortion remains legal. The Biden administration and New York-based manufacturer Danco Laboratories argued mifepristone is among the safest drugs the FDA has ever approved. Read moreUnanimous Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion medication

The leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy democracies have agreed to set in motion a $50 billion loan to help Ukraine. Interest earned on profits from Russia’s frozen central bank assets would be used as collateral. Details of the deal are being hashed out by G7 leaders at their summit in Italy. The money could reach Kyiv before the end of the year, according to U.S. and French officials who confirmed the agreement before a formal announcement. The plan is to use profits from Russia’s roughly $260 billion in frozen central bank assets as collateral. Read moreG7 leaders agree to lend Ukraine billions backed by Russia's frozen assets. Here's how it will work

A unanimous Supreme Court ruling means the abortion pill mifepristone remains available in the United States, even through mail. The court said Thursday that anti-abortion doctors didn’t have the right to sue the Food and Drug Administration over the drug’s safety or the changes that have made it more widely available. Legal experts warn other groups or states might bring their own lawsuits challenging the drug. Access to the drug still depends on where patients live. States have passed a patchwork of laws impacting mifepristone. Read moreAbortion pill access is unchanged after the Supreme Court's decision. Here's what you need to know

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan has pushed back against assertions that Israel isn’t fully committed to the cease-fire proposal with Hamas that President Joe Biden outlined in late May at the White House. “Israel has supplied this proposal. It has been sitting on the table for some time. Israel has not contradicted or walked that back,” Sullivan said Thursday in Italy, where Biden was set to attend the annual Group of Seven leaders’ summit. “To this day they stand behind the proposal.” Sullivan reiterated that Hamas had responded by offering an amended proposal and he said the goal is “to figure out how we work to bridge the remaining gaps and get to a deal.” Read moreThe Latest | Israel stands behind Gaza cease-fire proposal, says US national security adviser

Greek authorities have closed down the Acropolis for much of the afternoon for a second day as the country swelters under unseasonably high temperatures. The Culture Ministry says the hilltop citadel was closed from midday to 5 p.m. (0900-1400 GMT) on Thursday. All other archaeological sites in the Greek capital were also shut during the same hours. People who have booked visits for that period can use their tickets later in the day. Temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday in much of central and southern Greece. Read moreHeat forces Greek authorities to shut down Acropolis during afternoon hours for a second day

South African health authorities say two people have died this week after contracting mpox, and it appears there is local transmission of the disease. The health minister says the two deaths were among six recent confirmed cases of mpox in South Africa, all of them men in their 30s. None had travel history to countries with current outbreaks. Mpox is a rare disease caused by infection with a virus that’s in the same family as the one that causes smallpox. It was not known to spread easily among people until the World Health Organization identified an expanding global outbreak in 2022. Read moreSouth Africa's health authorities report 2 deaths from mpox this week and warn of local transmission

Most U.S. stocks are falling following mixed data on the economy, but hopes for coming cuts to interest rates and Wall Street’s continued frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology is keeping indexes near their records. The S&P 500 slipped 0.1% Thursday, a day after jumping to an all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 257 points, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.3% to its own all-time high. Treasury yields fell again in the bond market as conviction built that inflation is slowing enough to convince the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates later this year. Read moreStock market today: Most of Wall Street falls, but hopes for AI and rates keep indexes near records

The United States and European countries have agreed to lock up sanctioned Russian assets until Moscow pays reparations for its invasion of Ukraine. That word comes from a senior U.S. official on Thursday. The move clears the way for leaders to announce a $50 billion loan package for Kyiv at the Group of Seven summit in Italy. The highly anticipated agreement will leverage interest and income from the more than $260 billion in frozen Russian assets that are largely held in Europe, to secure a $50 billion loan from the U.S. and additional loans from other partners. The first disbursem*nts will be made this year. Read moreUS, Europe clear way to $50B Ukraine loan in deal to tie up Russian assets until Moscow pays for war

Middle and high school students across the United States are taking ownership of their history educations through a nonprofit that encourages young people to rigorously examine the past. National History Day has been championing historical research projects in secondary education for 50 years now. But participants say the work is more necessary now than ever. Executive Director Cathy Gorn says National History Day does not “promote a particular agenda” but instead teaches students skills like navigating primary sources and annotating bibliographies. Students find those skills are vital for navigating online misinformation. And acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns says their work fills him with optimism for the future of American democracy. Read moreAt age 50, National History Day keeps pushing students to seek difficult truths through research