Top Stories category, Page 127
State police cite former Jeannette mayoral candidate for attaching signs to utility poles
It’s hard to miss them on a drive around Jeannette — the yellow signs with black lettering seem to be everywhere. But the signs’ campaign-related message is about 50 days beyond relevance, and, according to state police, a potential danger from the dozens of metal tacks and staples used to...
Trump tariffs goods from Brazil at 50%, citing ‘witch hunt’ trial against Bolsonaro
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump singled out Brazil for import taxes of 50% on Wednesday for its treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, showing that personal grudges rather than simple economics are a driving force in the U.S. leader’s use of tariffs. Trump avoided his standard form letter with...
Westmoreland man charged with child sex assaults in Pa.’s Jehovah’s Witnesses probe
A Mt. Pleasant Township man and member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses was arrested Wednesday in connection with sex assault accusations involving two children decades ago in Unity, according to court papers. Timothy A. Willochell, 54, is accused of molesting the children on separate occasions between 1989 and 1997. The alleged...
Here’s the backstory to the tradition of The Fence at Carnegie Mellon
In the early hours before sunrise, a group of Carnegie Mellon University students once again gave a fresh coat of paint to The Fence, one of the campus’s most beloved and recognizable landmarks. The final brushstrokes served as the beginning of what is expected to be a long week for...
Supreme Court keeps hold on Florida immigration law aimed at people in the U.S. illegally
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow Florida to enforce an immigration law making it a crime for people who are living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state. The high court’s action will keep the law on hold while a legal challenge continues. The court...
The U.S. is having its worst year for measles in more than 3 decades
The United States is having its worst year for measles spread in more than three decades, with a total of 1,288 cases nationally and another six months to go in 2025. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that the national case count surpassed 2019, when there...
Pittsburgh officials bullish on police recruiting, but union stays skeptical
Pittsburgh officials on Wednesday struck a cautiously optimistic tone about police recruitment efforts after struggling for years to attract officers to a shrinking police force. “It’s a little too early to bring the champagne into the locker room,” Councilman Khari Mosley, D-Point Breeze said. “But by all indications, it seems...
Shapiro signs bill lifting ban on Sunday hunting
Hunters across the state soon could find themselves afield — legally — on almost any Sunday. Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday signed a bill that lifts the state’s age-old ban on Sunday hunting, opening the door for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to build hunting seasons that include Sundays. “The Pennsylvania...
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok goes on antisemitic spree
NEW YORK – Grok, the AI chatbot designed by Elon Musk’s xAI for social media, described itself as “MechaHitler” while making a string of antisemitic posts this week. The questionable responses follow Musk’s announcement last week of an update to the bot after he expressed frustration that it was too...
Pittsburgh man accused of stealing hundreds of identities to make Lowe’s, Giant Eagle purchases
A Pittsburgh man is charged with more than 200 counts of felony identity theft after authorities said he made $100,000 in unauthorized credit card purchases at area Lowe’s and Giant Eagle stores, then sold the merchandise. Cornelius P. Tucker, 33, of the city’s Hill District neighborhood, assumed the identities of...
GOP congressman opts not to run for Pa. governor, despite backing of Trump
In late May, Republican congressman Dan Meuser’s possible candidacy for governor appeared to get a boost from President Donald Trump. In an appearance at U.S. Steel’s Irvin Works in West Mifflin, Trump promised to support the fourth-term congressman from Luzerne County if he decided to seek the Republican nomination to...
Mark Madden: Steelers have no good reason to give in to T.J. Watt’s contract demands
The T.J. Watt contract extension saga seems stuck in neutral. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Steelers and Watt are “far apart.” It seems unlikely that negotiations are taking place, or that Watt is willing to negotiate. Watt wants to top what Myles Garrett gets from Cleveland, specifically more than $40...
How the Know-Nothings, Free Soilers and other third parties shaped U.S. politics
Elon Musk’s plan to create a new political party puts him in the company of a long line of business and political titans looking to upend the two-party system that has dominated U.S. politics since almost the beginning. From the Anti-Masonic Party in the early 1800s to last year’s ill-fated...
Trump caught off guard by Pentagon’s abrupt move to pause Ukraine weapons deliveries
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s decision to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine came after he privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing a pause in some deliveries last week — a move that he felt wasn’t properly coordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with...
Robert Haus appointed as Arnold officer-in-charge — again
What’s old is new again within the Arnold Police Department. Mayor Shannon Santucci on Tuesday appointed Robert Haus as officer-in-charge of the department. “We had to make a move,” Santucci said. “It’s the best resolution for the police department and the community at this time.” And it’s a move that’s...
Texas inspectors approved Camp Mystic’s disaster plan 2 days before deadly flood, records show
Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic’s emergency planning just two days before catastrophic flooding killed more than two dozen people at the all-girls Christian summer camp, most of them children. The Department of State Health Services released records Tuesday showing the camp complied with a host of state regulations...
North Side woman jailed for assaulting mother now faces homicide charge in her death
Police have charged a Reserve Township woman with delivering the bone-breaking punch that caused her 73-year-old mother’s death — just days after the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the mother’s death a homicide. Krystal Slepski, 43, punched Patricia Kachinko in the chest during a June 2 argument at Kachinko’s...
Trump administration looks to ban sale of U.S. farmland to Chinese buyers
The Trump administration is moving to ban the sale of American farmland to buyers from China and other countries deemed adversaries, citing national security concerns. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said during a news conference Tuesday that the administration also would work to “claw back what has already been purchased...
Police charge Carnegie man with leaving dogs to roast in scorching heat
A Carnegie man is facing a preliminary hearing after police accused him of leaving his three dogs outside during a sweltering week in June without food or water, leading one animal to suffer brain swelling and die. Carnegie police on Monday arrested James Brandon Lewis, 41, on three felony counts...
Police: Jeannette woman tried to hit trooper with her Jeep after fleeing traffic stop, kept going
A Jeannette woman was charged with a dozen counts of aggravated assault after state police said she fled a traffic stop, tried to drive into an officer and had to be forcibly removed from her vehicle. Amanda L. Nelson, 36, of Altman Road faces nearly 30 charges in connection with...
EQT buys Olympus for $1.8B, consolidates grip on Southwestern Pa. natural gas
Pittsburgh-based natural gas producer EQT Corp. has acquired local competitor Olympus Energy for $1.8 billion. The deal, which officially closed last week, consolidates EQT’s control over regional natural gas deposits at a time of rising demand. “This strategic transaction strengthens our position as the leading natural gas producer in the...
Palmer airport terminal expansion takes off with July arrival of steel beams
Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on Tuesday marked the first milestone in construction of a $28 million terminal expansion, with about a third of the project’s initial phase in place. Completion of the first of three phases is slated for April of next year, according to Scott Kunselman, engineer...
Turkey-raising ceases at Pounds Turkey Farm in Allegheny Township, market remains open
There are fewer mouths to feed this summer at Pounds Turkey Farm in Allegheny Township. About 3,000 fewer, as owners Tim, Beverly and Rick Pounds announced Tuesday their long-lamented decision to cease raising fresh turkeys annually on the family farm that has been in operation since 1935. Beverly Pounds and...
Passenger sues Allegheny County Police over incident at Pittsburgh airport
A New Jersey man said a decision by Allegheny County Police to detain him two years ago at Pittsburgh International Airport when he began asking questions after his flight was canceled violated his constitutional rights and “is an example of the systemic injustice routinely faced by Black men,” according to...
New book claims Gov. Shapiro’s Jewish faith was not why he lost out as VP pick
According to a new book, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Jewish faith was not a reason for former Vice President Kamala Harris spurning him as her running mate last year, contradicting accusations made by President Donald Trump. The Forward, a Jewish publication, obtained excerpts of “How Trump Retook the White House and...
