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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Ex-Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning reports to prison June 10
Former Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning will begin serving his federal prison sentence in a drug distribution conspiracy case on June 10, according to a notice from the U.S. Marshals Service. Denning, 44, of Delmont, was ordered to report to a satellite camp at the Federal Correctional Institution in Schuylkill...
Crafton police seek man charged with kidnapping, stalking
Your browser does not support the video tag. Crafton police have charged a man with kidnapping, stalking and related charges, after they said he has been terrorizing a female victim in recent months. Police were called to the intersection of Fountain and Sycamore streets just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday night,...
Pet owners who used services of funeral director accused of mishandling remains gather for support
Rick and Terri Wagner traveled Sunday from their New Kensington home to Derry Township in search of closure. Their beloved spanador, Bailey, a mix of a cocker spaniel and a Labrador, was one of the thousands of pets authorities say Patrick Vereb mishandled through his cremation business, Eternity Pet Memorial....
Penn State clashes with its land-grant mission as it mulls branch campus closures
As the discussion continues over Penn State’s recommendation to shutter seven branch campuses, much of the debate has turned to whether the closures would allow Penn State to continue to fulfill its mission as a land-grant university. But what exactly is a land-grant university? In 1863, Penn State was designated...
Joe Biden has been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his office said Sunday. Biden was seen last week by doctors after urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule was found. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, with the cancer cells having spread to the bone. “While...
JD Vance gives Pope Leo XIV an invitation from Trump to visit U.S.
ROME — U.S. Vice President JD Vance extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit the United States during a meeting at the Vatican on Monday ahead of a flurry of U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to make progress on a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Vance gave the first...
Morning Roundup: No injuries in Home Depot fire in West Mifflin
Here are some news items for Monday, May 19: No injuries in Home Depot fire Pleasant Hills volunteer firefighters quickly knocked down a fire in the rear of the Home Depot in West Mifflin Sunday night. Crews were called to the store around 11:30 p.m. and discovered a fire in...
Despite economic concerns, Americans are set on getting away for Memorial Day weekend
DALLAS — Whether it’s a road trip to a nearby lake or jumping on a plane to explore a big city, Americans are expected to get away in record numbers over the long Memorial Day weekend even as economic and technical worries rattle the U.S. travel industry. Over 45 million...
South Buffalo voters to decide on expanded alcohol sales
South Buffalo voters will decide at the polls Tuesday whether the township should allow expanded alcohol sales. A referendum on the May 20 primary ballot is something of a do-over. A 2021 measure passed, but was ultimately voided by the state Liquor Control Board because it focused solely on the...
Donora boy drowns in Monongahela River
A search and rescue mission in Donora ended in sorrow Saturday with the discovery of a 12-year-old boy’s body on the bed of the Monongahela River. The Washington County Coroner’s Office identified the boy as Rontae Lester of Donora. According to the coroner’s report, Lester was swimming with friends Saturday...
Turnout for Western Pa. primaries gets bump from mail-ins, but still draw fewer than 1 in 3 voters
Fewer than one in three registered voters in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are expected to cast a ballot in this year’s primary. That may seem paltry, particularly compared with November’s hotly contested presidential election when voter turnouts in the two counties approached or exceeded 80%. But this year’s projected turnouts...
Authorities say suspect in California fertility clinic bombing left behind ‘anti-pro-life’ writings
A 25-year-old man the FBI believes was responsible for an explosion that ripped through a Southern California fertility clinic left behind “anti-pro-life” writings before carrying out an attack investigators are calling an act of terrorism, authorities said Sunday. Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, California, was identified by the FBI...
Trump’s tariffs may mean Walmart shoppers pay more, his treasury chief acknowledges 
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged Sunday that Walmart, the largest U.S. retailer, may pass along some of the costs from President Donald Trump’s tariffs to its shoppers through higher prices. Bessent described his call with the company’s CEO a day after Trump warned Walmart to avoid raising prices...
As Rite Aid collapses, customers and other pharmacies bear the impact
It takes Kathy Younkins just a few minutes to walk to her neighborhood Rite Aid. The 67-year-old has picked up her prescriptions at the company’s Harrison location since the 2000s. But now the Philadelphia-based pharmacy empire is crumbling. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this month, blaming “the...
Federal officials launch investigation into Mexican tall ship that struck Brooklyn Bridge
NEW YORK — Federal transportation officials have launched an investigation into why a Mexican navy tall ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge in a collision that snapped the vessel’s three masts, killed two crew members and left some sailors dangling from harnesses high in the air. The ship known as the...
Possible PSNK closure a blow to area school districts, but they’ll continue to promote the option
Nine students from last year’s graduating class from Kiski Area High School intended to attend Penn State New Kensington. But, so far, only two students from this year’s graduating class plan to do so. And Superintendent Jason Lohr can’t help but think that press coverage surrounding Penn State’s announcement of...
Hobbyists descend on Monroeville to meet sports icons and pad card collections
If a player so much as drops a baseball in the dirt during certain hours, it becomes game-used memorabilia. But the smudged, worn wooden bat in Tim Thoma’s hand really saw some action. From 1965 to 1968, it belonged to Roberto Clemente. The Pirates legend used the bat to help...
Severe weather leaves at least 27 dead, including 18 in Kentucky
LONDON, Ky. — At least 27 people have been killed by storms systems that swept across part of the U.S. Midwest and South, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announcing Saturday that 18 of the deaths came in his state and 10 others were hospitalized in critical condition. A devastating tornado...
Trump warns Walmart: Don’t raise prices due to my tariffs but do eat the costs from those taxes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Saturday ripped into Walmart, saying on social media that the retail giant should eat the additional costs created by his tariffs. As Trump has jacked up import taxes, he has tried to assure a skeptical public that foreign producers would pay for those taxes...
Springsteen, Trump, Kid Rock trade political barbs
Bruce Springsteen’s songs have chronicled the working American’s hopes and dreams for 50 years. In that time, The Boss’ political bent has never been buried. Sure, some Reaganites may have misunderstood “Born in the U.S.A” as a patriotic anthem, but “American Skin (41 Shots)” clearly details the fears some have...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Steelers will pay a price for waiting on Aaron Rodgers
I’m not one to predict the results of the Steelers’ season week-by-week when the schedule is released in May. That’s lazy media, and a lot can happen between now and when those games get played. But I will predict this: The Steelers will lose Week 1 at the New York...
Hempfield Big Lots store among locations in Western Pennsylvania slated to reopen
A few former Big Lots stores in the region are preparing for a rebirth under the same name. Locations in Hempfield, Ross, Penn Hills, Washington, Indiana, Rochester and Johnstown are on a list of 11 stores statewide reopening June 5 after their assets were transferred to a North Carolina-based discount...
Pa. lawmakers take aim at ‘big gap’ in laws regulating pet cremation
State lawmakers want to prevent a repeat of the recent scandal that saw a funeral director accused of charging for pet cremations but dumping the animals in landfills instead. A bipartisan caucus is pushing a bill that would ramp up industry standards for animal cremation and lay down stiffer penalties...
Cold temperatures to return to Western Pa. next week
While it might feel like summer today in Western Pennsylvania, a change is headed this way. Friday had the potential to reach 85 degrees, according to David Shallenberger, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon. After that, a cold front is moving into the area next week. Saturday will...
Some Bruceton jobs spared, but unions say HHS still pushing major cuts
Although some of the federal jobs at the Bruceton Research Center won’t be cut after all, the national unions representing the workers warned Friday that the Department of Health and Human Services is still moving forward with deep cuts to its workforce. Dozens of positions at the Bruceton center, located...


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