Top Stories category, Page 178
Ukraine says another Russian drone attack kills 3 after Trump rebuked Putin
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian drone struck an apartment building in a southeastern Ukraine city, killing three people and injuring 10 others, officials said Friday, a day after President Donald Trump rebuked Russia’s leader for a deadly missile and drone attack on Kyiv while Washington is endeavoring to stop the...
Frazer could see luxury senior living near Pittsburgh Mills
A proposal to bring what’s billed as luxury living for older adults is creeping forward in Frazer. Described as the “Pittsburgh Mills Active Adult” community, it would target those 55 and older in a five-parcel area along Butler-Logan Road adjacent to the Pittsburgh Mills mall. Foxlane Homes at Pittsburgh LLC...
Long-awaited Route 356 widening project has some property owners in limbo
On warm afternoons, James Buchanan likes to turn on the radio, crack a beer and watch the cars go by from his garage where Route 356 and Bear Creek Road meet. The entertainment amps up around rush hour, when shoppers and commuters pour onto the highway cutting through Buffalo Township...
5 things to know about Supercross in Pittsburgh
Off-road motorcycle riders are set to compete in the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Saturday inside Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium. The elite riders — including Jett Lawrence, Cooper Webb and Haiden Deegan — will vie for the title of Supercross Champion. Beaver County’s Brian ‘JR’ Saunier, a Hopewell Area High...
What might the Steelers do on Day 2 of the draft?
Two years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the proverbial pick of the litter to contemplate over the roughly 20-hour break before the start of the second round of the draft. This year, they have only a vague idea of who will be available when they’re next scheduled to pick. Unlike...
Steelers select Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in 1st round of NFL Draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance to take a highly rated quarterback in the NFL Draft when their turn came up Thursday night. They opted to fix a leaky defensive line instead. The Steelers stuck with conventional wisdom and selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon rather than take a chance...
Suspect in Pa. Governor’s Residence arson moved to prison with psychiatric treatment
The man who police say firebombed the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence using two Heineken bottles filled with gasoline has been moved to a state prison known for providing intensive psychiatric treatment to incarcerated people. Cody Balmer, 38, was moved Thursday morning to SCI Waymart in Wayne County, according to Pennsylvania Department...
Judge halts parts of Trump’s overhaul of elections, including proof-of-citizenship requirement
NEW YORK — A judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form. The decision is a setback for President Donald Trump, who has argued the requirement is needed to...
Judge blocks Trump push to cut funding to public schools over diversity programs
CONCORD, N.H. — A federal judge on Thursday blocked Trump administration directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union, which accused the Republican administration...
Pete Hegseth had unsecured internet line set up in his office to connect to Signal
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press. The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the...
Pittsburgh official’s ‘horrible’ social media posts raise ire of police union ahead of contract talks
The union representing most Pittsburgh police officers says it will not negotiate a new contract with a top city official who has posted on social media comments about defunding the police. In a letter dated Wednesday, union President Bob Swartzwelder told Mayor Ed Gainey he should appoint someone else to...
Was O’Connor’s debate story true about ambulance breakdown?
As the ambulance climbed hilly Madeline Street last week in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood, racing to a man in cardiac arrest, a dashboard coolant light blinked on. The driver for Medic 12 requested a backup ambulance out of an “abundance of caution,” according to Emily Bourne, a Pittsburgh public safety spokesperson....
Troopers find 13 pounds of cocaine hidden in SUV after traffic stop on Pa. Turnpike
State police reported finding on Wednesday 13 pounds of suspected cocaine hidden in an SUV while it was traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike through Westmoreland County. Troopers estimated the street value of the drugs at $150,000. A trooper who was monitoring westbound traffic in Mt. Pleasant Township around 1 p.m....
‘Vladimir, STOP!’: Trump calls out Putin, but will Russian leader hear it?Video
WASHINGTON — Even in the realm of Donald Trump’s long-preferred style of punch-through-the-static communication, this was quite something. On Thursday morning, a post on his Truth Social account exhorted Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end military strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. “Vladimir, STOP!” Or, as the entire post...
Pittsburgh man accused of burning girlfriend with hot iron
A Pittsburgh man who police say attacked his girlfriend with a hot iron, burning her over about 60% of her body, was arrested Thursday morning. Burton L. Byrd, 55, of Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood, is charged with various crimes including aggravated assault, kidnapping, intimidation of witnesses or victims and unlawful...
Fetterman calls for Trump to attack Iran: ‘Waste that (expletive)’
Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman said President Donald Trump should forget about engaging in talks with Iran and pursue military strikes against the country’s nuclear facilities instead. In an interview Wednesday with the Washington Free Beacon, Fetterman made it clear he preferred the U.S. pursue force over diplomacy when it came...
Demolition of former SCI Greensburg prison begins
Now that demolition at the former SCI Greensburg prison is getting underway, Hempfield officials are ready to look at the property’s future. Township supervisors could begin discussions this summer on how to reuse the 96-acre site off Route 119 between Greensburg and Youngwood. “We need to start that,” said Supervisor...
Police blame Hempfield Route 30 crash on wrong-way driver
A crash that injured two people Wednesday on Route 30 in Hempfield was the result of a wrong-way driver, said state police Trooper Steve Limani. Troopers are still investigating how the driver got onto the eastbound lanes of the divided highway going west, but think they may have entered at...
Pittsburgh’s Lou Astorino designed Vatican chapel used by Pope Francis
Pittsburgh’s connection to the Vatican was spotlighted for all the world to see this week. Pope Francis’ initial resting spot in death was the chapel of the Holy Spirit. It’s the work of Louis Astorino, the Pittsburgh architect who also designed PNC Park, PPG Paints Arena, UPMC Children’s Hospital of...
Hot enough for ya? Temperatures move above typical April in Western Pa.
Surprised by this week’s rise in temperatures? According to the National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh office in Moon, there is some validity to that reaction. Temperatures are forecast to reach into the low 80s on Thursday, with a 30% chance of going above 82 degrees, said meteorologist Liana Lupo. Late April...
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 12 in biggest attack on Ukrainian capital since last summer
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia pounded Kyiv with an hourslong barrage of missiles and drones Thursday, killing at least 12 people in its deadliest assault on the Ukrainian capital since July and drawing a rare rebuke of Moscow from U.S. President Donald Trump just as peace efforts were coming to a...
2nd rally planned to support Penn State New Kensington
Another rally supporting Penn State New Kensington is planned this week as a decision on the Upper Burrell campus’s fate is anticipated to be made in less than a month. The “Too Fast, Too Final” rally will be at Penn State New Kensington’s main parking lot in Upper Burrell, 3550...
Public health officials in Pa. won’t say how they’d handle a $500M cut sought by Trump admin
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. Pennsylvania health officials are facing down a potential $500 million loss of federal funding, but are tight-lipped about which...
Tariffs spark fireworks order cancellations as America’s 250th looms
Steve Kubrick believes he might have dodged a bullet for buying his fireworks for an Independence Day display in New Kensington last year before the U.S. tariffs on China came in. “I bought mine last year,” said Kubrick, owner of the AK Valley Park in New Kensington. “That might have...
Aliquippa man sentenced to 15 years for making, selling fake drugs on the darknet
An Aliquippa man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison in connection with a sweeping drug distribution scheme in which he manufactured counterfeit Oxycodone, Adderall and Xanax pills to sell. Jacob Blair, 27, pleaded guilty in December before U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to a charge...
