Inmate suspected of homicide escapes from a Pennsylvania jail using bed sheetsVideo
WARREN — Authorities from local, state and federal agencies were searching Saturday for an inmate described by police as “very dangerous” who escaped from a jail in northwestern Pennsylvania using bed sheets, officials said. Michael Burham, 34, escaped from a jail in Warren by climbing on exercise equipment and using...
9 shot in downtown Cleveland, one man seriously wounded as police search for suspectVideo
CLEVELAND — An early morning shooting in a nightclub area of downtown Cleveland sent nine people to the hospital, but no fatalities were reported, authorities said. Police said preliminary information indicated someone opened fire toward a group of people in the Warehouse District shortly before 2:30 a.m. Sunday as the...
6 killed when small plane crashes, bursts into flames in field near Southern California airportVideo
MURRIETA, Calif. — Six people were killed when a small plane crashed in a field and burst into flames during the second of two landing attempts in fog just before dawn Saturday at a Southern California airport, authorities said. The crash of the Cessna C550 business jet occurred around 4:15...
The FDA is being asked to look into Logan Paul’s energy drink, which has the caffeine of 6 Coke cans
NEW YORK — An influencer-backed energy drink that has earned viral popularity among children is facing scrutiny from lawmakers and health experts over its potentially dangerous levels of caffeine. On Sunday, Sen. Charles Schumer called on the Food and Drug Administration to investigate PRIME, a beverage brand founded by the...
Outgoing Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher reflects on tenure filled with challenges, growth
When Patrick Gallagher became chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh in 2014, higher education institutions already were staring down falling enrollments and growing questions about the worth of a college degree. Then the covid-19 pandemic hit, shutting down campuses for months. Now, with Gallagher’s tenure in its final days, Gallagher...
Springdale Community Day brings out hundreds for second-year event
Lincoln Avenue in Springdale was packed with residents and people from nearby towns on Saturday for the borough’s second-ever Springdale Community Day. Hundreds attended the street festival, which shut down the 800 block of Lincoln Avenue. The street was filled with dozens of local vendors, food trucks, a face painting...
Second annual Westmoreland motorcycle ride benefits nonprofit Amanda’s Heart Foundation
Cavitt Street in Trafford was filled with sounds of laughter and the roar of motorcycles as guests prepared for the second annual Amanda’s Heart Foundation motorcycle charity run. Riders gathered in front of the Trafford American Legion Riders Post 331 and greeted each other. Each participant was welcomed either by...
Iowa GOP schedules leadoff presidential caucuses for Martin Luther King Day
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa Republicans have scheduled the party’s presidential nominating caucuses for Jan. 15, 2024, putting the first votes of the next election a little more than six months away. The Iowa Republican Party’s state central committee voted unanimously Saturday to hold the leadoff contests on the third...
Solar storm on Thursday expected to make Northern Lights visible in 17 states
A solar storm forecast for Thursday is expected to give skygazers in 17 American states a chance to glimpse the Northern Lights, the colorful sky show that happens when solar wind hits the atmosphere. Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, are most often seen in Alaska, Canada and Scandinavia,...
Texas prepares to deploy Rio Grande buoys in governor’s latest effort to curb border crossings
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Texas began rolling out what is set to become a new floating barrier on the Rio Grande on Friday in the latest escalation of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s multibillion-dollar effort to secure the U.S. border with Mexico, which already has included bussing migrants to liberal states...
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations involving Trump have cost more than $9 million
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations of former President Donald Trump’s retention of classified records and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election have cost more than $9 million over the first several months, according to documents released Friday. The special counsel’s office spent more than $5.4 million on...
Tennessee can enforce ban on transgender care for minors, court says
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth can go into effect — at least for now — after a federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily reversed a lower court ruling. Last month, a district court judge in Tennessee found that the state’s new law banning...
Route 30, Route 22 lane restrictions, Cook Township road closure to begin Monday
Various PennDOT road projects beginning Monday are set to trigger nighttime single-lane restrictions on sections of Route 30 in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties and on Route 22 in Murrysville, as well as closure of part of Four Mile Run Road in Cook Township. • Lane restrictions will be in place...
Pa. attorney general charges 5 Jehovah’s Witnesses with rape, sexual abuse of childrenVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Five Jehovah’s Witnesses have been charged with raping and exploiting children as part of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation into the organization’s handling of sexual abuse cases. State Attorney General Michelle Henry announced the charges Friday and said the cases were connected to Witness congregations across the state,...
Judge: Lawyers can gather evidence for $40M lawsuit filed by teacher who was shot by 6-year-old
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Lawyers for a teacher who was shot by her 6-year-old student in Virginia can start the process of interviewing eyewitnesses, reviewing the boy’s disciplinary files and accessing other records for a $40 million lawsuit against the school system, a judge ruled Friday. But the judge is...
Braddock hydropower project beset by permitting delays
A state-backed hydroelectric plant is on track to come to the former steel town of Braddock, but permitting delays have slowed the project and driven up costs. The Thursday meeting of the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, an independent public financing entity that funds “clean, advanced energy projects,” featured upbeat officials...
Authorities charge 5 more in probe of child sexual abuse among Jehovah’s Witnesses in PennsylvaniaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania grand jury investigating child sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community has charged another five people with raping or molesting children as young as 4, the latest developments in an ongoing probe that has identified 14 suspects. Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry, at a Friday news...
Is Pa. primed to legalize weed? 2 lawmakers introduce bill to allow recreational use
Two Senate lawmakers are making a new run at legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania. Sens. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie County) and Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) introduced a bill Thursday that would allow those 21 and older to use recreational marijuana in the state. The measure would include provisions for enforcement of DUI and...
Texas gunman in Walmart shooting that killed 23 gets 90 consecutive life sentences
EL PASO, Texas — A white gunman who killed 23 people in a racist attack on Hispanic shoppers at a Walmart in a Texas border city was sentenced Friday to 90 consecutive life sentences but could still face more punishment, including the death penalty. Patrick Crusius, 24, pleaded guilty earlier...
Photos: Russia’s war in Ukraine reaches the 500-day mark
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s war in Ukraine is set to reach the 500-day mark this weekend, a grim milestone for a conflict that rages with no end in sight. While the fighting had fallen largely into a stalemate, Ukraine’s government and its Western supporters hope a broad counteroffensive launched last...
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ousted from far right Freedom Caucus after fight with Lauren Boebert
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been kicked out of the biggest conservative club in Congress over her nasty feud with fellow MAGA stalwart Rep. Lauren Boebert. The right-wing House Freedom Caucus ousted Greene in large part for calling Boebert a “little b——” in a quarrel that erupted on the House...
Pennsylvania governor calls on divided Legislature to finalize budget past deadline
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro called on the Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday to return to the Pennsylvania Capitol to finalize a state spending plan, as the state government neared a week without full spending authority. He disputed Republican accusations that he went back on his word about the $45...
OceanGate suspends operations after its Titan submersible imploded on its way to the TitanicVideo
The company that owned a submersible that imploded on its way to explore the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five onboard, said Thursday it has suspended operations. OceanGate announced the action in a brief statement posted atop its website. Contacted for additional information, a spokesperson declined to comment further....
Trump valet Walt Nauta pleads not guilty in classified documents caseVideo
MIAMI — Donald Trump’s valet, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he helped the former president hide classified documents from federal authorities, appearing with a new Florida-based lawyer to represent him as the case moves forward. Nauta was charged alongside Trump in June in a 38-count indictment...
Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi has full FDA approval now and that means Medicare will pay for it
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials granted full approval to a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug on Thursday, clearing the way for Medicare and other insurance plans to begin covering the treatment for people with the brain-robbing disease. The Food and Drug Administration endorsed the IV drug, Leqembi, for patients with mild dementia...
