Top Stories category, Page 175
No flow: The Point’s iconic fountain to stay dry in 2025 amid upgrades
Don’t expect to see the waterworks anytime soon at Point State Park. The majestic fountain that marks the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three iconic rivers won’t be turned on until 2026, due to a bevy of planned upgrades, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said Tuesday. State officials plan...
White House and Amazon go back and forth over tariff pricing on website
White House officials have blasted a reported proposal by Amazon — which the company has denied — to begin including information on its website about the amount of tariffs being applied to goods it sells. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who stepped in to respond to a question directed...
Calls to Western Pa. vets ‘off the charts’ as pet owners reel from cremation fraud case
The phones at K Vet Animal Care in Hempfield rang almost constantly Tuesday as concerned pet owners wondered whether they actually have the ashed of their former companions. “Our phones and emails have been pinging off the charts since the news broke,” practice manager Beth Zaccari said. “Our team is...
Andy Warhol print probably discarded by accident in the Netherlands
One fewer of Pittsburgh-born pop artist Andy Warhol’s works is accounted for after a Dutch town hall admitted to probably throwing it out. The 1980s silkscreen print of then-reigning Queen Beatrix is one of 46 artworks misplaced by Maashorst municipality, according to the BBC. It seems the paintings were improperly...
UPS to cut 20,000 jobs, close some facilities as it reduces amount of Amazon shipments it handles
UPS is looking to slash about 20,000 jobs and close more than 70 facilities as it drastically reduces the amount of Amazon shipments it handles. The package delivery company said Tuesday that it anticipates making the job cuts this year. It anticipates closing 73 leased and owned buildings by the...
Social Security to roll out new digital card feature
The Social Security Administration is making a major upgrade to its online services. People who access their benefits via their My Social Security account will now have one less thing to carry around with them, as the administration is rolling out a new, digital Social Security Number (SSN) feature. In...
2 Murrysville homes damaged by fire
Two Murrysville residents escaped their homes Tuesday morning in a senior living community after a fire broke out at one and spread to the second. Laura Thomson raced to The Village of Clover Ridge after her mother texted her that there was a fire next door and she heard explosions,...
Hail, wind and tornadoes possible in Western Pa.
The National Weather Service warned of potentially severe storms throughout the Western Pennsylvania region Tuesday, with a threat of large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. Pittsburgh’s National Weather Service office predicted the greatest threat for severe storms would be across eastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania, with the worst hazards...
Editorial: What can Pittsburgh learn from Green Bay and the NFL Draft?
Hosting a large sporting event can be a shiny brass ring that cities are eager to grasp. Sometimes it’s scored by merit. If your baseball team makes it to October, your city could be home to the World Series. Check off opponents along the way, and the puck could drop...
Pa. educators push for additional dollars to equitably fund schools
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Chris Sefcheck is grateful for the unprecedented funding that was granted to Pennsylvania’s public schools this academic year. But, as education experts continue to note inadequate funding among the majority of the state’s K-12 schools, Sefcheck knows there is still a long way to go in properly...
Westmoreland jail population nears limit; juvenile detention center expansion plan progresses
The inmate population at Westmoreland County Prison has swelled to its highest numbers this decade, prompting officials to watch for signs of overcrowding. Meanwhile, local leaders said they want to increase the number of teens housed next door at the county’s juvenile detention center in Hempfield. The jail on Monday...
Washington, Pa. man dies after shooting; no injuries reported at nearby school
A Washington, Pa., man died after he was shot in the city on Monday morning. Nasstylejah Wilkerson, 28, was pronounced dead in the emergency department of UPMC Washington Hospital following the shooting reported at about 11:45 a.m. near the intersection of West Walnut and North Franklin streets, according to Washington...
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals win election upended by Trump
TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won Canada’s federal election Monday, capping a stunning turnaround in fortunes fueled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and trade war. The Liberals are projected to win more of Parliament’s 343 seats than the Conservatives, though it wasn’t clear yet whether...
Prosecutors bite back over motion seeking to dismiss Luigi Mangione’s Pa. charges
Prosecutors are telling a judge not to bother dropping some of the charges related to a Pennsylvania state case against Luigi Mangione. Mangione, 26, is accused of killing UnitedHealth CEO Brian Thompson outside a New York City hotel last December. The filing, submitted by the Blair County District Attorney’s Office,...
Vehicle smashes through Illinois building, killing 4 children and injuring others
CHATHAM, Ill. — A car smashed through a building Monday afternoon, killing four children and injuring several others during an after-school program in a small city outside of Springfield, Illinois, police said. Officers responded at about 3:20 p.m. to calls about a vehicle ramming through the building, fatally hitting four...
Posters of immigrant arrests line White House driveway
Posters of immigrant arrestees’ mugshots now line the driveway of the White House — a President Donald Trump administration move to promote its recent crackdown. The dozens of posters appeared on Monday, showing the faces of men with the words “Illegal Alien” and alleged crimes such as “Sexual contact with...
Trump China tariffs set to unleash supply shock on U.S. economy
President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught has roiled Washington and Wall Street for nearly a month. If the trade war persists, the next upheaval will hit much closer to home. Since the U.S. raised levies on China to 145% in early April, cargo shipments have plummeted, perhaps by as much as...
Tim Benz: For Penguins, ‘moving forward’ with Mike Sullivan would’ve meant staying stagnant
To use one of Mike Sullivan’s favorite verbal crutches, he and the Penguins will both be “moving forward.” They just won’t be doing so together. That’s the right decision. Frankly, it’s overdue. Kyle Dubas, the Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager, announced Monday that Sullivan and the team...
South Fayette man pleads guilty to filming sex with 14-year-old girl
A South Fayette man has pleaded guilty in federal court to filming himself having sex with a 14-year-old girl, then sending her photos and a video of the encounter. Matthew Trax, 25, used “multiple iPhones” to record sex acts with the teen in November 2023, authorities said. Trax pleaded guilty...
Hazelwood, Harrison funeral director accused of pocketing $650K for pet cremations, burials that didn’t happen
Funeral director Patrick Vereb is facing multiple felony charges, accused of improperly disposing of thousands of dogs and cats after owners had paid for pet burials or cremations. Vereb, 70, of Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood owns and operates funeral homes in Hazelwood and Harrison and Eternity Pet Memorial, which provides funerals,...
Leon Ford: Pittsburgh’s political divide shouldn’t break our bonds — a call for collaborative leadership
As Pittsburgh’s mayoral race heats up, a growing divide is surfacing — not just between candidates, but between neighbors, friends and even longtime community collaborators. We’re witnessing respected leaders fall out, meaningful partnerships dissolve and years of trust unravel over political affiliation. This isn’t new. We’ve seen it before —...
Duquesne receives record number of applications for class of 2029
Duquesne University has received a record number of applications for the class of 2029. More than 13,000 first-year students applied to Duquesne’s undergraduate programs, the university announced Monday. From those applicants, Duquesne expects to enroll a class of approximately 1,500 first-year students and 200 transfer students, as the pool is...
Upper Burrell data center to use natural gas for more than 2 gigawatts of power generation
A data center planned at the former Alcoa Research Center in Upper Burrell plans to produce much of its own electricity via natural gas wells on the property, a company spokeswoman confirmed Monday. “Our goal is to not heavily pull from the grid, it’s to provide our own,” said Melissa...
Conclave to elect a new pope will start on May 7 as cardinals get to know one another
VATICAN CITY — Catholic cardinals on Monday set May 7 as the start date for the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor, delaying the secret voting for two days so they can get to know one another better and find consensus on a candidate before they are sequestered in the...
Trump made big promises and moved at frenetic speed. 100 days in, here’s what he’s done and not done
WASHINGTON — The weeks since President Donald Trump returned to office have been a whirlwind of activity to show Americans that his administration is relentlessly pursuing his promises. With a compliant Republican-controlled Congress, Trump has had a free hand to begin overhauling the federal government and upending foreign policy. As...
