Got to Category

Top Stories category, Page 113

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
New database tracks how tens of millions in opioid settlement dollars are being spent
HARRISBURG — A first-of-its-kind database from Spotlight PA will make it easier for the public to track how Pennsylvania counties decided to spend tens of millions of dollars from their first rounds of opioid settlement payments — and whether a powerful state oversight board ultimately approved those decisions. Pennsylvania expects...
4 formerly undecided Pennsylvanians explain how they voted
HARRISBURG — The 2024 presidential election is over. And after months at the center of the political universe, Pennsylvania voters have shown the nation how they feel politically: Most picked Donald Trump. Trump beat Kamala Harris in the commonwealth by a little less than 2 percentage points. It was a...
Police: New Stanton man called Westmoreland DA Ziccarelli 13 times in 9 minutes
A New Stanton man is facing a preliminary hearing Wednesday on state police accusations that he harassed his former attorney and the Westmoreland County district attorney. Troopers said Gerard Dorundo, 65, banged on the doors and windows of his former attorney’s office in Adamsburg for about 10 minutes Nov. 8...
Faces of the Valley: Leechburg man makes history with volunteer fire service
Paul Wright has been a volunteer firefighter with the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Company for 34 years. Involved since he was14, Wright views his service as a way of helping his community. “When I was a kid, my preacher always asked us what we would do to make a difference,” he...
Editorial: The high cost of running for office
The 2024 election season was expensive. AdImpact, a Virginia-based advertising analytics firm, reported the total cost of political advertising leading to this year’s general election at a staggering $11 billion. Most of that, obviously, went to the presidential races. The top of the ticket crossed $3 billion. That was more...
For many fire departments, merger may be the only way forward
When Sam Boak joined the Harmar Volunteer Fire Company in the 1990s, “you could show up any time of day and there would be six guys sitting there having a good time.” In a few short years, it became tough to get enough people to respond even when the sirens...
‘Maybe we were living in a silo’: Westmoreland Democratic leader reflects on failed election
Democratic Party leaders in Alle­gheny and Westmoreland counties experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks as they assessed what comes next in the wake of defeat and the threat of a red wave sweeping through the state. Anger, sadness and confusion marked the reactions to this month’s...
Steelers on Ravens RB Derrick Henry: ‘That’s what you call a unicorn’
As he stood in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room Friday, Nick Herbig widened his eyes and shook his head out of a combination of adulation and incredulity. “He’s different, man,” Herbig said of Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry. “That’s what you call a unicorn.” What Herbig did not...
Fire heavily damages Vandergrift home, but the resident, her pets, make it out safely
After Lisa Schrader heard a pop and then saw smoke, she grabbed her dog Chloe and cat Oreo and raced out of her Vandergrift home before it became consumed flames, according to her sister, Cindy Phillips of West Vandergrift. But as firefighters worked, Schrader agonized over whether her second cat,...
SUV goes off Route 356 in Allegheny Township, takes out utility pole 
A man was taken to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville by ambulance after crashing his vehicle on Route 356 in Allegheny Township Saturday afternoon, according to Westmoreland 911 and township police. The one-vehicle crash was reported at 2:30 p.m. just south of the Freeport Bridge, near the intersection of Crain...
Suspicious package found at church prompts police to shut down streets in Southwest Greensburg
A reported suspicious package found outside a Southwest Greensburg church on Saturday is under investigation. Firefighters on Saturday afternoon closed several blocks of Stanton Street, which is on the border of Greensburg and Southwest Greensburg, and other adjacent roads. The package was reportedly found in a food pantry box outside...
Tiny railcars pick up Christmas presents for 40 miles between East Huntingdon and Hempfield
The Toys for Tots box truck was filling up fast, before a caravan of railcars collecting toy donations even rolled through Hunker. Volunteers loaded, and unloaded, the truck Saturday to keep up with the deluge of new, unwrapped toys the operators of more than two dozen railcars picked up along...
13-month-old Plum boy suffers skull fracture, mother charged with abuse
A Plum woman is accused of abusing a 13-month-old boy after the child was diagnosed with a skull fracture. Borough police said Sofia Eve Udavcak, 19, at first claimed her son had suffered the injuries in a number of falls, but later admitted to not seeking medical attention for him...
Pittsburgh crews harvest city’s Christmas tree from Springdale
You’d believe a tree could fly in Springdale on Saturday morning. Crews from the City of Pittsburgh’s Forestry Division, with help from Carl’s Tree Service and a police escort, took down a 43-foot blue spruce from the grounds of the former St. Alphonsus Church in the borough. The tree was...
Investigation reveals Russian factory’s plan to mix decoys with a new deadly weapon in Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — A high-tech factory in central Russia has created a new, deadly force to attack Ukraine: a small number of highly destructive thermobaric drones surrounded by huge swarms of cheap foam decoys. The plan, which Russia dubbed Operation False Target, is intended to force Ukraine to expend scarce...
Steelers 4 Downs: Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry have opponents seeing red in red zone
1. Zone-ing in Rest assured that in advance of the AFC North showdown Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers are aware of the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive abilities once they get inside the 20-yard line. The Ravens lead the NFL by scoring touchdowns on 76.7% of red-zone possessions, and it should come as...
‘It’s inevitable:’ Residents mull what growth means for future of Buffalo Township
For all the consternation about a wave of residential development in Buffalo Township, Drew Klemens saw it coming 13 years ago, when he moved across from a cornfield now slated to become 627 units of upscale town homes and single-family houses. “Nobody is going to come out to this area...
Snowfall expected to be minimal in Western Pennsylvania this winter
Meteorologists are calling it: Western Pennsylvania’s winter wonderland might be more like a no-snow zone this year. Jared Rackley, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon, said temperatures will be above normal, but there’s really not a strong precipitation signal, meaning lots of snow is improbable. “If anything it’ll...
Ambulance authority inching forward to relieve Eureka, Citizens from financial burden
Local EMS funding issues could be on a path to health by early next year. A steering committee continues to inch forward with plans for an emergency medical services authority to serve East Deer, Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum. “All that has been approved at this point is the four communities...
Family of 4 gets new Greensburg home for the holidays, with help from Habitat for Humanity
Holly Kunicki is looking forward to gathering her three kids for a night of home entertainment now that they’re set to move into their own new home in Greensburg. “We’ll probably have a movie night in the living room. We have a three-bedroom apartment now, so this is a lot...
Suspect charged in shooting, robbery of 70-year-old man in Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood
Police have arrested a Pittsburgh man in a shooting that left an elderly man critically injured Wednesday in the city’s Larimer neighborhood. Rawvil Yamil Brito Chirinos, 25, is accused of shooting a 70-year-old man in the stomach and stealing his wedding ring and some cash outside Corner View Nursing and...
Mt. Pleasant woman charged as part of lawyer’s alleged theft scheme
A Mt. Pleasant woman was arrested Friday for her alleged role as an accomplice to a Latrobe attorney charged last week with swindling funds from a jailed client. Tina Curry, 50, was charged with six felony offenses including theft counts and conspiracy in connection with allegations she and lawyer J....
Covid outbreak hits Allegheny County’s Kane center in McKeesport
Allegheny County officials said Friday that a covid-19 outbreak has hit one of its senior centers in McKeesport, infecting 11% of the residents. The outbreak at Kane Community Living Center in McKeesport began Nov. 4. Those affected have mild symptoms, said Abigail Gardner, spokeswoman for Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato....
Free wedding services offered to LGBTQ couples in Pittsburgh until Trump inauguration
When photographer Kitty Paul learned that President-elect Donald Trump was headed back to Washington, she wanted to do anything she could to help LGBTQ couples getting married. “What does this mean for a lot of us?” asked Paul, 41, of Avalon, who is part of the Pittsburgh queer community. Queer...
No parking: Alco revokes passes from large Steelers tailgates
Alco Parking has been cracking down on football tailgaters in response to complaints that some large pre-game parties on the North Shore were getting out of hand, according to company president Merrill Stabile. Stabile said a small number of problematic tailgating organizers — he estimated maybe three or four —...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
More Editor's Picks >