Top Stories category, Page 149
Morning Roundup: Driver escapes injury in turnpike fire; 2 injured in Penn Hills crash
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Thursday, July 24: Driver escapes injury in Turnpike fire A driver freed themselves from a tractor-trailer cab after a fire broke out inside of it Wednesday afternoon on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, authorities said. First responders from the Wexford Volunteer...
Pennsylvania Game Commission proposes 10 additional Sunday hunting dates for 2025
Hunters could get up to 10 additional Sundays to hunt this fall under a proposal going before the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s board of commissioners on Monday. The new dates are being proposed by the agency after Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a law earlier this month fully repealing the longstanding ban...
New mobile app could help save honeybee hives, protect $20 billion in agriculture
Honeybee colonies in the United States are projected to decline by up to 70% this year, entomologists say. And that could spell economic disaster. According to the American Beekeeping Federation, honeybees contribute about $20 billion to the value of crop production in the country. But master beekeeper Joe Zgurzynski of...
Lawmakers introduce legislation regulating pet cremation after local scandal
Pennsylvania legislators introduced identical bills in the state House and Senate that would regulate animal cremation services after a scandal involving a local funeral director. Patrick Vereb, 70, of Hazelwood was charged in April by the state Attorney General’s Office with taking money for pet cremations but instead disposing of...
Pa. electric bills to rise after grid manager ups payments to power plants
Electric bills in Pennsylvania could climb as much as 5% as rising rates paid to power plants trickle down the system. That’s according to PJM Interconnection, a regional body that ensures utilities have enough power to supply their customers during peak demand times, like a heat wave or cold snap....
4 more Hempfield fire stations take steps toward the township managing their affairs
Four Hempfield fire departments are taking additional steps toward dissolving their charters and moving under township management. The township’s Carbon and Hempfield No. 2 fire departments passed declarations of intent to dissolve in June. If approved by the Hempfield supervisors during the board’s meeting Monday, the departments will have taken...
Columbia University agrees to pay more than $220M in deal with Trump to restore federal funding
NEW YORK — Columbia University has reached a deal with the Trump administration to pay more than $220 million to the federal government to restore federal research money that was canceled in the name of combating antisemitism on campus, the university announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, the Ivy League school...
Pam Bondi facing Democratic calls to testify following report she told Trump he was in Epstein files
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Pam Bondi is facing Democratic calls to testify before Congress following a newspaper’s revelation that she told President Donald Trump that his name appeared in the files of the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Bondi told Trump his name was...
Close call! Passing train scuffs side view mirror of tractor-trailer rig parked next to tracks
A tragedy was barely averted Wednesday when a passing train scuffed the side-view mirror of a truck parked next to the train tracks in Natrona. Harrison police responded to the Vine Street railroad crossing after receiving a report that a train had clipped the side of a tractor-trailer. Police found...
5 things travelers can expect at the new Pittsburgh International Airport terminal
Coming back from a trip will have never felt so good — no more landing at the Pittsburgh International Airport after an incredible trip, only to be met by depressing carpeting and dated 1990s design. The airport is getting a $1.7 billion glow-up via a new terminal. Pittsburgh International Airport...
Fraud case dismissed against Leechburg contractor
A judge on Wednesday dismissed the criminal case against a Leechburg contractor charged with defrauding a Unity couple in connection with a $59,000 home improvement project they claimed was never completed. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger ruled prosecutors had insufficient evidence to prove that Dawayne W. Redmond,...
Summer Lee leads push to subpoena Epstein files
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee led an effort Wednesday to subpoena files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation — hours before the House was scheduled to go on break until September. In an 8-2 vote with bipartisan support, a House Oversight subcommittee passed a motion by Lee to subpoena...
Here’s what family members and friends told Idaho killer Bryan Kohberger in court
Family members and friends lashed out at killer Bryan Kohberger in court Wednesday as he was sentenced to life in prison for the stabbing deaths of four University of Idaho students. No motive has been offered and Kohberger, 30, chose not to speak at the hearing. He pleaded guilty earlier...
Supreme Court allows Trump to remove 3 Democrats on the Consumer Product Safety Commission
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed the Trump administration to remove three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who had been fired by President Donald Trump and then reinstated by a federal judge. The justices acted on an emergency appeal from the Justice Department, which argued...
Bacteria risks found at all Lake Erie beaches in Pennsylvania, report says
Health risks were found at all of Lake Erie’s Pennsylvania beaches last year, a new report says. The beaches tested in 2024 were found to be potentially unsafe for swimming on at least one day, according to the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center’s latest analysis of bacteria testing titled “Safe...
‘Call to action’: Pittsburgh controller warns of ‘precarious’ city finances
Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler on Wednesday warned that the city’s finances are “precarious” and urged officials to cut spending while growing the local economy. In the first half of the year, the city spent $24 million more than during the same period in 2024, Heisler said. That happened even though...
Community Supermarket in Harrison set to close
Harrison is losing one of its longest-standing grocery stores. Community Supermarket in Heights Plaza is set to close this fall. Richard Lubkin, asset manager of Heights Plaza Shopping Center, called the store a mainstay appreciated by thousands. “We are deeply disappointed that Giant Eagle affiliate, Community Market, has opted to...
Judge refuses to end lawsuit by U.S. Steel, Nippon against Cleveland-Cliffs
Despite the successful $14.9 billion merger of U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel, attorneys for both companies said Wednesday they plan to proceed with a lawsuit against steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs and the head of the United Steelworkers union for allegedly conspiring against them to try to block the deal. Cleveland-Cliffs had been...
Lawsuit claims West Mifflin school board retaliated against former athletic director
West Mifflin Area School District’s former longtime athletic director and boys basketball coach is suing the district and five board members, alleging retaliation after his contract was not renewed. The complaint, filed Tuesday by Scott Stephenson in federal court, claims the district eliminated his position after he spoke out against...
Emil Bove, Trump’s pick for federal appeals court, troubles former Pa. judges, prosecutors
The divisive nomination of Emil Bove, a zealous defender of President Donald Trump, to a lifetime seat on the federal appeals court that oversees cases in the commonwealth has generated intense reaction nationally and among former federal prosecutors and judges in Western Pennsylvania. Trump is a big fan of his...
State regulators: Lead in Laurel Highlands creek linked to shooting range
Spent shot from a sporting clays shooting range near Seven Springs Resort in Somerset County might be causing high lead levels in a Laurel Highlands stream, state environmental regulators said. State environmental investigators believe the lead pellets that fall to the ground after they’re fired at clay targets at Highlands...
Buffalo Township man dead after ATV accident in Armstrong County
A Buffalo Township man was pronounced dead by the Armstrong County coroner on Monday after a fatal ATV accident. Michael McGuire, 60, was last seen on Friday, July 18. The coroner said the ATV he was operating went over an embankment and rolled into a ditch near McGuire’s camp in...
Steelers training camp primer: Players, positional breakdowns, fan guide
Check out players on the hot seat, positional breakdowns, a fan guide and more in our Pittsburgh Steelers training camp preview. As he enters likely final NFL season, Aaron Rodgers wants to fit in as Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers brings to the Steelers a resume that is as thick as...
Trump announces trade deal with Japan that lowers threatened tariff to 15%
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with Japan on Tuesday, placing a 15% tax on goods imported from that nation. “This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that the United States...
Pittsburgh stands out as only U.S. city cheaper to buy than rent, report says
Pittsburgh came out on top in a new Realtor.com rental report as the only U.S. city where it’s cheaper to buy a home rather than rent. According to the report, renting saves over $900 per month compared to buying a home in 49 out of 50 of the largest cities...
