Top Stories category, Page 173
Judge bars deportations of Venezuelans from South Texas under Alien Enemies Act
A federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration from deporting any Venezuelans from South Texas under an 18th-century wartime law and said President Donald Trump’s invocation of it was “unlawful.” U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. is the first judge to rule that the Alien Enemies Act cannot...
Freeport Towers residents look back on harrowing 37 hours
Joe Bodick has never loved the smell of hot dogs more than he did Wednesday night. Bodick, president of Freeport Towers tenant association, was one of the more than 80 high-rise residents who went without power for 37 hours after Tuesday’s violent storms. With mostly seniors living in the high-rise,...
Power companies tap out-of-state help to restore power, give target restoration dates
Power company workers from multiple states are helping West Penn Power restore service to thousands of residents without electricity since Tuesday’s storms. The workers set up a base in the parking lot of the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. “We have more than 4,000 FirstEnergy crews and external resources, including...
Federal judge detains accused Hamas sympathizer from Moon
A former National Guard member accused of lying to the federal government, defacing Jewish religious property in Squirrel Hill and testing a pipe bomb in a State College forest will remain jailed pending trial because of concerns he might pose a threat. An FBI agent told a federal judge in...
Driver who killed 4 by smashing through an Illinois after-school camp may have had health emergency
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The driver of a car that barreled through a building used for a popular after-school camp in central Illinois, killing three children and a teenager, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have had a medical emergency, police said Thursday. No decisions have...
On-the-spot birth certificate pilot program launches in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is launching a pilot program that will provide on-the-spot birth certificates to help speed up the process for people seeking new jobs and other opportunities. The Pennsylvania Departments of Labor & Industry and Health announced the initiative this week. The service will be available at some CareerLink locations later...
Pirates fan who fell from above Clemente Wall identified, remains in critical condition
The man who fell 21 feet over the Clemente Wall onto the right-field warning track at PNC Park has been identified as Kavan Markwood. Markwood, 20, remained in critical condition Thursday after falling during the Pittsburgh Pirates-Chicago Cubs game the previous night. A South Allegheny School District official confirmed that...
Ex-Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning sentenced to 15 months in federal prison
Former Greensburg police Chief Shawn Denning was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in federal prison in a drug distribution conspiracy case that derailed the military veteran’s career and left the community in shock. U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon called Denning’s actions egregious. “You betrayed the duties of a police officer...
Whistleblower says ‘excuses,’ lack of documentation led her to alert police to pet cremation scandal
Tiffany Mantzouridis had a hunch that something was off with her employer, Patrick Vereb, owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorials. “He would throw away crematory tags and keep handwritten notes of where which pets should go, but he never could name the crematory he was using for...
Pet cremation scandal victims urged to honor pets on May 9
Tina Moore of Greensburg paid to have her cats — Pickle, Daisy and LaLa — cremated. She learned this week they may have been thrown into a landfill instead. “I’ve spent the past three days so angry and bitter,” Moore said. “I need to concentrate my energy on positivity rather...
Public should be told how arson attack at governor’s mansion occurred, top lawmaker says
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 — Pennsylvania State Police officials should at least make public how a brazen arson attack on the governor’s residence occurred, and whether there were...
Ligonier Country Market gets township OK of permit change, set to open 50th season
Ligonier Country Market will open its regular season as planned May 17, with the approval of Ligonier Township. Township Supervisors Dan Resenic, John Beaufort and John Fraser this week approved a modification of the market’s conditional-use permit, allowing the market to begin its season this year and going forward on...
Taco Bell manager sentenced to life for killing employee from Harrison
A Taco Bell manager who chased an employee off the Scott restaurant’s property and fatally shot him at a nearby business was sentenced Thursday to serve the rest of his life in prison with no chance for parole. Zairyre Simmons, 26, of Pittsburgh, apologized to the victim’s family and his...
Pittsburgh controller portrays city’s fiscal situation as serious but not dire
Pittsburgh is facing concerning but manageable financial challenges amid declining revenues, an end to federal pandemic relief money and broad economic uncertainty, city Controller Rachael Heisler said Thursday. “I am very concerned about where things are headed,” Heisler said as she released the 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, which outlines...
‘We hope the best for him’: Pirates praying for fan who fell over Clemente Wall to pull throughVideo
Andrew McCutchen had just hit a go-ahead double against the Chicago Cubs when the Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter reached second base and realized a fan had fallen over the Clemente Wall at PNC Park. McCutchen put his hands above his head as he stared at the scene at the right...
Real ID deadline looms: TSA to enforce at airports nationwide
In less than a week now, the federal Real ID requirement goes into effect and will be enforced by TSA agents at airports across the country. Starting May 7, anyone 18 years of age or older will need a Real ID or another acceptable form of identification like a passport...
Trump taps national security adviser Waltz for U.N. envoy in major national security team switch-up
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he’s nominating his national security adviser Mike Waltz to serve as United Nations ambassador in a major shake-up of his national security team. The president said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve simultaneously as acting national security adviser while maintaining his position...
For those without power, experts offer next steps after severe storms
As hundreds of thousands go without electricity after severe storms battered the region, officials and experts have begun weighing in with guidance about how to proceed. Though some customers have had their power restored since the storm, Duquesne Light said it could take five to seven days to fully restore...
Penn State faculty senate asks admin to pause campus closure decision
The Penn State faculty senate passed a positional report this week opposing the closure of commonwealth campuses and asked the university administration to pause the decision until an impact assessment can be conducted. Faculty senators have not shied away from expressing their concerns about closing campuses and how even before...
Some fear effort to aid developers in Pittsburgh will doom broader housing reform
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday advanced a bill to shrink the minimum size of lots for residential development, casting further doubt on the future of a broader housing reform package that has been stalled for months. The measure, sponsored by Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, would allow developers to build...
Tax diversion for Esplanade project approved by Pittsburgh Public Schools board
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board on Wednesday approved a tax diversion for the sprawling Esplanade development, which plans to bring a Ferris wheel, housing and other amenities to the city’s Chateau neighborhood. The developer, Cecil-based Piatt Companies, has now secured approval from the city and school district for the tax...
More storms expected in Western Pennsylvania
Another round of storms is expected to hit Western Pennsylvania on Thursday, even as communities are still reeling from severe weather that knocked down trees, ripped roofs from buildings and left thousands without power on Tuesday. A threat of thunderstorms — some severe — will return Thursday afternoon and evening,...
Fan in critical condition after falling from Clemente Wall during Pirates game
A fan fell over the Clemente Wall, a 21-foot drop onto the right-field warning track at PNC Park, halting play Wednesday night in the seventh inning of the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. Andrew McCutchen had just reached second base following an RBI double that ricocheted off...
School districts deal with lost power, cleanup
Schools throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley and well beyond were shuttered Wednesday, and maybe longer, after Tuesday’s fast-moving thunderstorms. Several trees, two power poles and a transformer were brought down by strong winds at New Kensington-Arnold’s Valley High School and a portable toilet was flipped upside down. The district canceled school...
Lawsuit blames bar for serving man who caused cousin’s death in DUI crash
A man who caused a drunk-driving crash last year in Pittsburgh that killed his cousin is being sued for negligence in her death along with the Mt. Washington bar where they were said to be drinking that night. Eonna Page, 25, was killed on March 2, 2024, in a crash...
