Top Stories category, Page 165
End of universe sooner than once thought, research says
This just in: The end is near(er) than we thought. Turn back the ultimate doomsday clock by more than a thousand megaannum — that’s the millennium equivalent of 1 million years — so 1,000 megaannum would be 1 billion years. If research by Dutch scientists published this week meets muster,...
Mark Madden: What if Paul Skenes doesn’t pitch better?
Paul Skenes isn’t falling apart. But he’s not a phenom so far this season. He isn’t dominating. Look at Monday vs. the New York Mets, Skenes’ most recent start. He allowed six hits and one run in six innings. He walked three and struck out six. He had to pitch...
Westmoreland Democrats to hold town hall to address proposed Trump budget
Westmoreland County Democrats will convene a town hall meeting next week in Greensburg to address potential cuts in federal social service programs. The event, scheduled for 6 p.m. May 19 at Greensburg Hose Co. No. 1, will feature former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and Martin O’Malley, who served as commissioner...
Morning Roundup: West Homestead investigates employees; Route 65 reopens
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 14: West Homestead suspends employees for alleged misuse of funds During its Tuesday night meeting, West Homestead Borough Council placed two employees on paid administrative leave for alleged misuse of funds. The employees’ statuses will remain pending...
Asphalt company says Pittsburgh Mills owner never paid them for filling potholesVideo
Add an Eastern Pennsylvania-based asphalt company to the list of those frustrated by the owner of the Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer. Jessica Jones, president of Patch Management Inc., said mall owner Namdar Realty Group hasn’t paid a $21,000 bill for the hot asphalt spray applied in recent weeks. “We fulfilled...
TV Q&A: Alby Oxenreiter looks back while looking ahead
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: Does Alby Oxenreiter have any plans of returning to Channel 11? We have not seen him in almost two years. — Jon, via email Rob:...
Judge in Johnstown becomes 1st in U.S. to uphold use of Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans
A federal judge in Johnstown on Tuesday ruled the government may remove Venezuelan citizens thought to be members of a violent gang under the Alien Enemies Act — but only if they are given 21 days notice and “an opportunity to be heard.” The 43-page opinion, written by U.S. District...
A look inside nearly finished Pittsburgh International Airport terminal projectVideo
Pittsburgh International Airport opened its doors for a tour of the nearly 90% complete terminal modernization, offering a look at the nearly $1.7 billion transformation. The terminal is set to reach “substantial completion” by the end of June, according to project officials. The final touches will continue after the public...
Latest Pittsburgh mayoral debate focuses on GOP candidates vying to reverse 100-year-trend
Pittsburgh’s Republican candidates for mayor were grilled for a solid, commercial-free hour Tuesday night during a live debate on WTAE. Artificial intelligence, education, economic development, homelessness and public safety were some of the issues the candidates touched on as they explained why Pittsburgh needs to break from a century of...
Eddie Vedder has special connection to Pittsburgh’s Clemente Museum. Here’s why.
Iconic Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has described Pittsburgh’s Clemente Museum as one of his “top five places on the whole planet Earth.” Vedder — who returns to Pittsburgh this weekend for a pair of sold-out shows at PPG Paints Arena — isn’t just an admirer of the late baseball...
Report details Penn State New Kensington, Fayette’s plights as campuses recommended for closure
Penn State New Kensington has “struggled to maintain relevance and scale” in the Pittsburgh region’s competitive higher education environment. And Penn State Fayette has enrollment, demographic and operational challenges that make it unsustainable. That’s the reasoning behind the Penn State administration’s recommendation to close those two campuses — and seven...
Federal grand jury indicts Wisconsin judge in immigration case, allowing charges to continue
MADISON, Wis. — A federal grand jury on Tuesday indicted a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a man evade immigration authorities, allowing the case against her to continue. The arrest of Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan escalated a clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and local authorities over the...
Penn State president wants to close 7 campuses; internal records explain why
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 weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
Construction delays cause turbulence for Palmer airport expansion project
Delays have left construction of a $22 million new terminal building at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport at least three months behind schedule, officials confirmed Tuesday. Delivery of the domestic steel needed to erect the 32,000-square-foot expansion of the main terminal building was slated to arrive earlier this spring but now...
Democrats endorse set of changes to Pennsylvania election rules, sending bill to state Senate
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters would get more than a week of early voting and county election officials would have more time to start processing mail-in ballots under an election law proposal that advanced out of the state House on Tuesday by a single vote, with all Republicans opposed. The wide-ranging...
Down with Nazism, Zionism, Hindutva? CMU’s Fence briefly said so on commencement weekend
A message that included references to nationalist philosophies of Nazism, Zionism and Hindutva was placed on The Fence during graduation weekend at Carnegie Mellon University. It is unclear who placed the message, but it spurred a few people to make social media posts. “The Fence has long served as a...
Ex-treasurer of South Park BMX group charged with embezzling $120K
The former treasurer of the South Park BMX Track Association is accused of stealing more than $120,000 from the organization over the last six years — and then creating false bank account statements to cover it up. Jennifer Meares, 45, of Baldwin Borough is charged with three counts of theft,...
Judge reduces Menendez brothers’ murder sentences, putting them a step closer to freedom
LOS ANGELES — Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a new shot at freedom after 35 years behind bars for murdering their parents, a judge ruled Tuesday. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers’ sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. They’re now...
FDA, RFK Jr. aim to remove ingestible fluoride products used to protect kids’ teeth
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators announced an effort Tuesday to phase out ingestible fluoride supplements sometimes used to strengthen children’s teeth, opening a new front in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort against a mainstay of dental care. The Food and Drug Administration said it will conduct a scientific...
Bill to sell legal marijuana through Pa. state stores rejected by GOP-led panel
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania Senate panel has rejected a bill advanced by Democrats that would permit the sale of recreational cannabis to adults at state-owned...
Allegheny General Hospital emergency department preps for $43M expansion
Allegheny Health Network announced Tuesday a major expansion and renovations of the emergency department at its flagship Allegheny General Hospital on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The $43 million project will add 17 beds — bringing the total to 48 — and redesign much of the interior in five phases, bringing the...
Reports: Trump’s planned EPA overhaul jeopardizes Energy Star appliance program
Any budget-aware, environmentally conscious consumer scouting out new appliances knows to look for the Energy Star label. The familiar blue-and-white logo – stuck on refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, heat pumps, washers, dryers, water heaters and air conditioners – signifies cost savings and efficiency. But the program, run by the U.S. Environmental...
U.S. egg prices fall for 1st time in months but remain near record highs
U.S. retail egg prices fell in April from the record-high prices they hit earlier this year, according to government data released Tuesday. The average price for a dozen Grade A eggs declined to $5.12 last month after reaching a record $6.23 in March, according to the Consumer Price Index. It...
Penn State disappointed but doesn’t refute report on narrowed campus closure list
Penn State officials expressed disappointment over — but failed to refute — a report that disclosed seven commonwealth campuses are slated to be eliminated as part of a university austerity plan. The Fayette and New Kensington campuses in Southwestern Pennsylvania were among the seven. “It is regrettable that our communities...
Former UPMC doctor accused of trying to kill his wife on Hawaii hiking trail denied bail
A judge on Tuesday denied a Maui doctor’s request to be released on bail while he fights an attempted murder charge on allegations that he tried to kill his wife on a Honolulu hiking trail. Gerhardt Konig previously pleaded not guilty. His wife wrote in a petition for a temporary...
