Top Stories category, Page 179
Kennedy names 8 vaccine committee replacements, including covid shot critic
NEW YORK — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday named eight new vaccine policy advisers to replace the panel that he abruptly dismissed earlier this week. They include a scientist who researched mRNA vaccine technology and transformed into a conservative darling for his criticisms of covid-19 vaccines,...
Key Pa. senator says bipartisan energy bills on hold until contested climate program settled
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 group of bills aimed at boosting electricity production and regulating clean energy has rare, bipartisan support in Pennsylvania’s divided legislature. But a...
Former Crafton man who dealt drugs smuggled from Mexico gets 23 years in prison
A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a former Crafton man to serve 23 years in prison for his role in running a complex heroin and cocaine distribution operation in Western Pennsylvania. The sentencing concludes the long-running case against Andrew Beatty, 41, who was charged more than a decade ago. Beatty,...
Brian Wilson, Beach Boys visionary leader and summer’s poet laureate, dies at 82
Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys’ visionary and fragile leader whose genius for melody, arrangements and wide-eyed self-expression inspired “Good Vibrations,” “California Girls” and other summertime anthems and made him one of the world’s most influential recording artists, has died at 82. Wilson’s family posted news of his death to his...
Where and when Saturday’s No Kings protests will happen in Western Pa.
Cities across the United States will gather Saturday for a No Kings Day protest against the Trump administration — and Pittsburgh is no exception. On that day — President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday — thousands of people are expected to rally outside the City-County Building on Grant Street in demonstration...
Kennywood’s Steel Curtain stalls, stranding riders on hill
Kennywood’s Steel Curtain came to a complete stop with riders onboard Saturday after the roller coaster’s safety sensors were triggered mid-ride. Social media posts showed photos of 24 riders stuck on the lift hill as the coaster sat motionless on the tracks. Kennywood spokeswoman Lynsey Winters said the Steel Curtain...
McKeesport man pleads guilty to gun theft from North Huntingdon home
An Allegheny County man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to the theft of guns from a North Huntingdon home in 2021. John Steven Hudak, 49, of McKeesport was charged nearly three years ago with the theft and illegal possession and sales of 13 guns from a home safe while its owner...
Trump says U.S. gets rare earth minerals from China; tariffs on Chinese goods going to 55%
LONDON — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that the United States will get magnets and rare earth minerals from China under a new trade deal and that tariffs on Chinese goods will go to 55%. In return, Trump said the U.S. will provide China “what was agreed to,” including allowing...
Pittsburgh City Council expands paid sick leave requirements for businesses
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure that will mandate businesses provide additional paid sick days for workers. Under the city’s existing Paid Sick Days Act, which went into effect in March 2020, employers with 15 or more employees must give workers up to 40 hours of paid...
What is a Labubu? Viral monster dolls tough to find in Pittsburgh region
When Divina Rocco first heard of the viral Labubu plush dolls sold by the Chinese collectibles retailer Pop Mart, she admittedly thought they were “ridiculous.” Now, she owns seven of them. The monster-like creatures were created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung. He created “The Monsters” in 2015, first as...
Make sure to bring a healthy appetite to the U.S. OpenVideo
Should you be eating a Philly cheesesteak for breakfast? It’s a culinary debate for the ages. Dick Atzeni of Sligo, Clarion County, and his granddaughter, Hannah, certainly weren’t against it, as they chowed down on their sandwiches around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the U.S. Open in Oakmont. Atzeni has been...
U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted on federal charges from skirmish at New Jersey immigration center
TRENTON, N.J. — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted Tuesday on federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center while Newark’s mayor was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility. Acting U.S. Attorney for New...
Young fans give tips regarding the hunt for U.S. Open autographsVideo
To get an autograph at the U.S. Open, you must be assertive, pushy and, for the most part, you have to be a kid. On Tuesday, Oakmont Country Club was flooded with people and families coming from all over the country. Among the crowd, tiny hands gripped flags, posters, hats...
USGA prioritizes player, family experiences at Oakmont championship
As USGA’s director of player relations, Rosalyn Barnett deals with tasks as large as flying golfers’ families across the world to ones as small as helping locate their lost keys. It’s a busy but fun job, she said, where she deals with “anything and everything.” And it’s one she has...
Father of man killed in Penn Hills hookah lounge shooting files wrongful death lawsuit
The father of a man shot and killed last year at the Ballers Hookah Lounge and Cigar Bar in Penn Hills is suing the business and its operators. The plaintiffs — Nathaniel Smiley Sr., whose son, Nathaniel Smiley Jr., was killed, and Earon Chambers, who was wounded — filed the...
Among thousands of attendees, hundreds of kids attend U.S. Open for free
As 10-year-old Elsie Trombley walked into Oakmont County Club on Tuesday, she said she was excited for souvenirs, autographs and concessions at the U.S. Open. “And golf,” her father, Matt, reminded her. Visiting from Fox Chapel, Elsie was one of hundreds of children who are attending the U.S. Open for...
Aaron Rodgers signed with Steelers because they were right fit for his ‘soul’
Aaron Rodgers wasn’t thinking with his head when he ended what seemed like an interminable wait and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers over the weekend. He wasn’t necessarily thinking with his heart, either. Rodgers reached deeper and decided the Steelers were the best fit for this stage of his career...
Fetterman: Dems lose ‘moral high ground’ when they don’t condemn protest violence, vandalism
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman slammed fellow Democrats who have not condemned incidents of violence and vandalism that have marred protests in Los Angeles over the Trump administration’s immigration raids there. “I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations and immigration — but this is not that,” Fetterman, D-Braddock, said in...
Pa. state police exhume body of unidentified woman killed in Fayette County
Pennsylvania State Police this week exhumed the body of a woman killed in a Fayette County motor vehicle crash nearly 40 years ago, hoping to finally identify her through DNA. The woman was killed May 2, 1986, in a tractor-trailer rollover in Springhill Township, about 15 miles south of Uniontown....
Mayhem maker who tried to shoot Homestead cop gets stiff sentence
A man who tried to shoot a Homestead police officer in an alley two years ago after fleeing from a traffic stop was sentenced last week to serve 35 years in federal prison on gun and drug charges. Erik Addison, 29, formerly of Homestead pleaded guilty in February to four...
Police probe armed robberies of postal workers in South Hills
Mt. Lebanon police early Tuesday apprehended four people as part of an investigation into recent armed robberies of postal workers in the South Hills that left one injured. Authorities launched an investigation last week following two incidents in Upper St. Clair and Bridgeville, said Dave Gealey, a U.S. Postal Inspection...
Paul Skenes, Pirates teammates visit Oakmont for U.S. Open practice roundVideo
While the South Side was a buzz with an Aaron Rodgers sighting at Steelers mandatory minicamp Tuesday, another of Pittsburgh’s biggest sports celebrities was visiting Oakmont Country Club to take in a practice round at the 125th U.S. Open. All-Star pitcher Paul Skenes and several Pirates teammates were on hand...
Medical experts slam Kennedy’s dismissal of CDC vaccine advisers
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to remove every member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee has sparked major outcry among the health care community. Some medical experts, including doctors in Western Pennsylvania, say he has created a hostile environment for vaccines. On Monday,...
Aaron Rodgers takes part in 1st workout with Steelers as minicamp begins
For the second year in a row, the Pittsburgh Steelers opened minicamp with a Super Bowl-winning, future Hall of Fame quarterback wearing a black-and-gold uniform. This year, it is Aaron Rodgers, who worked out with his new team for the first time Tuesday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex to kick...
Did Allegheny County primary voter turnout beat expectations?
The Allegheny County Board of Elections on Monday certified the results of the May primary election, in which one of every four county voters cast their ballots. Dave Voye, the county’s elections division manager, told the board that Democrats saw a nearly 35% voter turnout, while Republican turnout was almost...
