Top Stories category, Page 101
Federal agents will be out 24/7 on patrol in Washington, White House says
WASHINGTON — As a wary Washington waited, the White House promised a ramp-up of National Guard troops and federal officers on the streets of the nation’s capital around the clock starting Wednesday, days after President Donald Trump’s unprecedented announcement that his administration would take over the city’s police department for...
Rustic Ridge neighbors file additional lawsuits ahead of house explosion anniversary
Neighbors have filed three new lawsuits against several companies just ahead of the two-year anniversary of a house explosion in Plum’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood that killed six and caused damage throughout the housing plan. The suits, filed throughout early August, come after family members of those killed in the blast...
GOP plans to address budget impasse, transit shot down in Democratic-led House committees
A pair of committees in the Democrat-led state House on Wednesday shot down proposals from the GOP-controlled state Senate to end Pennsylvania’s budget impasse and address funding problems at the state’s transit agencies. Now, with the budget impasse standing at 44 days and Pennsylvania’s largest transit agency preparing to begin...
Trump warns of ‘severe consequences’ if Putin does not agree to stop war after summit
BERLIN — President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that there will be “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war against Ukraine after the two leaders meet for a summit later this week in Alaska. Trump made the comment in response to a question...
Environmental concerns could halt construction at Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration jail
MIAMI — The fate of a makeshift immigrant detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “ Alligator Alcatraz ” hung in the balance on Wednesday as a federal judge considered whether building on sensitive wetlands violated environmental laws. Last week, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered a 14-day halt on...
A dream destroyed: Paralyzed shooting victim tells court he has no future
Four years ago, Kwaku Botwe-Asamoah was in the prime of his life. He worked as a software developer, played basketball and enjoyed traveling. But that all changed on July 31, 2021, while he was out celebrating his 30th birthday on Pittsburgh’s South Side. As he headed home that night, Botwe-Asamoah...
Driver faces DUI, but not homicide charges in Natrona girl’s death; family attorney reacts
Police said a Harrison man drank 12 beers before getting behind the wheel of a Jeep that struck and killed an 11-year-old girl in Natrona last summer. Allegheny County Police on Wednesday charged Jeffrey Glowatski, 65, with three counts of DUI and two counts of careless driving in connection with...
Over-the-counter soap recalled for ‘life-threatening sepsis’ risk
Over a dozen soap and sanitizer products are being recalled because they could cause health complications. DermaKleen lotion soaps, Perigiene antiseptic and KleenFoam soap are among those recalled, according to the Friday announcement by DermaRite Industries LLC, People reported. The products were sold nationwide and in Puerto Rico, the manufacturer...
Card skimmer found at New Kensington Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle says some of its customers who swiped a credit card at the New Kensington store in June might have fallen victim to a card skimmer. A legal notice, published by Giant Eagle this week, states a payment card skimmer was installed on a checkout lane’s PIN pad between...
Shaler’s Undercliff fire department suspends 5 members suspected of answering call impaired
Five volunteer firefighters in Shaler are accused of responding to a call under the influence of alcohol, officials with the township and Undercliff Volunteer Fire Company confirmed. The fire department suspended the five members on Aug. 8, Undercliff President John Klocko Sr. said. The department is accelerating its internal review...
Harvard and the Trump administration are nearing a settlement including a $500 million payment
WASHINGTON — Harvard University and the Trump administration are getting close to an agreement that would require the Ivy League university to pay $500 million to regain access to federal funding and to end investigations, according to a person familiar with the matter. The framework is still being sorted out...
Point Park University partners with hotel to house 90 freshmen off campus
Point Park University has signed a contract with Wyndham Grand hotel in Downtown that will place up to 90 freshmen in off-campus housing at the start of the upcoming semester. “The location of the Wyndham is really advantageous for us, as it’s only a 5- to 6-minute walk to campus,”...
Trump announces George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Kiss for Kennedy Center Honors; says he’ll host the awards show
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday named country music star George Strait, “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford among the first batch of Kennedy Center Honors nominees under his leadership as the center’s chairman and said he’ll host the awards...
Blue swirl in sky spurs sighting reports across Western Pa. and beyondVideo
National Weather Service staff at its Moon office got a few odd calls Tuesday night about a strange-looking blue swirl moving across the sky. “We had a couple of calls on the overnight shift,” said NWS Meteorologist Andrew Kienzle. The swirl was created by a SpaceX rocket launch, experts said....
French president says Trump wants to achieve ceasefire at Alaska summit; Zelenskyy says Putin ‘is bluffing’
BERLIN — President Donald Trump was “very clear” in a virtual meeting Wednesday with European leaders that the U.S. wants to achieve a ceasefire at the upcoming U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska, French President Emmanuel Macron said. In the same meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, he told the group that...
Editorial: Is it finally time for legal marijuana in Pennsylvania?
President Donald Trump is mulling a move on marijuana. The president said Monday his administration was considering rescheduling the substance, moving it from Schedule I to a Schedule III. Scheduled drugs are medications or other substances classified based on their impacts. Marijuana is a Schedule I drug, meaning it has...
Proposed laws, school policies target cellphone use in schools
Tony Aquilio is all in favor of using technology as an educational tool. But even Aquilio, Penn-Trafford High School’s principal, admits access to personal cellphones can be bad for learning while in school. This year, Penn-Trafford School District heads into the academic year with a new cellphone policy in place,...
Hold your horses: Danish zoo seeks domestic animals as fodder, but U.S. zoos eschew practice
The way lions, tigers, bears and eagles hunt, kill and ultimately eat their prey can be a grisly, brutal business that some humans prefer not to think about. When these animals are kept captive in zoos and animal parks, they aren’t exactly spoon-fed meals. In Denmark, people can donate their...
Penn State ramps up lobbying, but it’s difficult to tell who or what it’s trying to influence
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a daily newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
Woman’s body recovered from Monongahela River near Pittsburgh’s South Side Marina
First responders recovered the body of a woman from the Monongahela River on Tuesday evening near Pittsburgh’s South Side Marina. According to a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety, city police, firefighters, medics and River Rescue crews were dispatched to the 2600 block of South Water Street at about 6:30 p.m....
Man taken to hospital following vehicle, e-bike crash in Arnold
A man was taken to a hospital after he was riding his e-bike and was hit by a Jeep in Arnold on Tuesday night, police said. At around 9 p.m., first responders from Arnold and New Kensington responded to the intersection of Constitution Boulevard and Drey Street in Arnold, near...
GOP-controlled Pa. Senate advances budget, transit plans
The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate advanced proposals Tuesday to end the state’s budget impasse and address funding problems at transit agencies for the next two years. Both proposals passed along party lines, with all of the chamber’s 27 Republicans voting in favor and the 22 Democrats present opposing. For the measures...
Clairton Coke Works employees stay focused despite deadly blast
Richard Tikey stood by anxiously until every last one of his colleagues was accounted for after a deadly blast Monday morning at the Clairton Coke Works. He felt it was his duty as vice president of the plant’s union local to stay on scene, assist emergency responders and field concerns...
White House orders review of exhibits at Smithsonian museums ahead of nation’s 250th birthday
WASHINGTON — The White House is ordering a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions ahead of the country’s 250th birthday with a goal of aligning the institution’s content with President Donald Trump’s interpretation of American history. In a letter sent Tuesday to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III,...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee tours creek near Yukon hazardous waste landfill at request of concerned residents
It’s hard not to notice the bright yellow signs in nearly every yard while driving down Milbell Road in Yukon, South Huntingdon. “SAY NO TO MAX. NO HAZARDOUS WASTE LANDFILL EXPANSION,” they read. Past the Dzubak residence at the end of the rural road, long after pavement switches to gravel,...
