Top Stories category, Page 181
Pittsburgh, Greensburg Catholic bishops, other faith leaders remember Francis as an empathetic shepherd
Pope Francis will be remembered for his empathy, humility and gentle leadership, Southwestern Pennsylvania religious leaders told TribLive Monday. Francis, 88, died about 7:30 a.m. Rome time — about 1:30 a.m. locally. His death came the day after Christians celebrated Easter, the highest holy day of faith. “I think all...
Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department saysVideo
WASHINGTON — The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday. Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans. The Trump administration ’s announcement marks an...
Former Vandergrift cop accused of having sex with underage girl waives charges to court
Former Vandergrift police Sgt. Anthony “Tony” Depanicis, who is accused of having sex with a minor about 100 times in the early to mid-1990s, waived his charges to court Monday. A criminal complaint filed by state police alleges he invited a 14-year-old girl to his Oklahoma Borough home for sex...
Shapiro reveals he spoke with Trump about arson attack, U.S. Steel
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro revealed Monday he spoke with President Donald Trump two days earlier, nearly a week after authorities said an arsonist set fire to the governor’s residence while Shapiro and his family were inside. Shapiro, appearing at the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department to unveil $30 million in grants...
Masses to be offered for Pope Francis as Pittsburgh area Catholics, including Bishop Zubik, mourn pontiff
Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Bishop David A. Zubik remembered Pope Francis as a merciful pastor Monday morning as he joined others around the world in mourning Francis, who died at 88. “He really had a beautiful way of respecting every single individual,” Zubik said. The pontiff will be remembered for the...
White House voices support for Hegseth as a new Signal chat revelation stirs fresh Pentagon turmoil
WASHINGTON — The White House expressed support Monday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following media reports that he shared sensitive military details in another Signal messaging chat, this time with his wife and brother. Neither the White House nor Hegseth denied that he had shared such information in a second...
Sharon Lokedi breaks Boston Marathon course record. John Korir joins his brother as a Boston winner
BOSTON — Sharon Lokedi broke the Boston Marathon course record, and fellow Kenyan John Korir joined his brother as a race champion on Monday as the city celebrated the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. Lokedi outran two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri over the final mile a...
Photo gallery: Pope Francis through the years
A look at Pope Francis through the years, a pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change. He was 88....
Federal cuts threaten to close Allegheny County lab that certifies N95s and other respirators in June
Most Americans learned what an N95 mask was during the covid-19 pandemic. But what many still don’t know is that every one of them was certified by a single, government-run lab in Bruceton, in Pittsburgh’s South Hills. It’s called the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory. The name N95 actually comes...
Which cardinals are seen as contenders to be the next pope?
VATICAN CITY — A popular saying in Vatican circles is that if you “enter a conclave as pope, you leave as a cardinal.” It implies the sacred and secretive process is no popularity contest or campaign, but rather the divinely inspired election of Christ’s Vicar on Earth by the princes...
Pope Francis changed church policy on the death penalty and nuclear weapons but upheld it on abortion
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church’s teaching in areas such as the death penalty and nuclear weapons, upheld it in others such as abortion, and made inroads with Muslims and believers who long felt marginalized. Where Francis, who died on Monday, stood on key issues: Abortion Francis...
‘Who am I to judge?’ Pope Francis had an informal, lighthearted speaking style
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who died on Monday, had an informal, lighthearted speaking style, and sometimes he even created words in a combination of his native Spanish with the Italian that he spoke as pope. Some of his memorable quotes: A simple, initial greeting “Brothers and sisters, good evening!”...
‘Very humble and very patient’: W. Pa. Catholics mourn Pope Francis
Meeting Pope Francis made for a memorable, albeit unusual, 25th wedding anniversary celebration for Nat and Melanie Pantalone. The Greensburg couple, about 20 priests and several others celebrating their anniversaries had a private Mass in April 2015 in Rome with the first Latin American pontiff. Nat Pantalone remembered being nervous...
Survey finds ignorance and fear surrounding nuclear cleanup in Parks Township
A report from a University of Pittsburgh public health graduate student has found lingering information gaps and distrust surrounding the Army Corps of Engineers’ planned cleanup of the Parks Township nuclear waste dump. “There is a very intense fear around the site, and people have stuck to that,” said Ariana...
What happens after the pope dies? Here’s how the next pope is elected
VATICAN CITY — The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual involving sacred oaths by the cardinals electing a successor, the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they’re counted, and then burning them to produce either the white or black smoke to signal if there’s a...
Pope Francis, 1st Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming, humble style, dies at 88
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He was 88. The Vatican said Francis died of a stroke that put him into...
Vehicle destroyed by fire on Route 28 in Armstrong County, no one hurt
No one was hurt in a vehicle fire Sunday morning on Route 28 in Armstrong County, according to Freeport Fire-EMS. The fire on northbound Route 28 just north of the Buffalo High Level Bridge in South Buffalo was reported around 9:30 a.m., according to Armstrong County 911. Freeport Fire-EMS was...
Hegseth had 2nd Signal chat where he shared details of Yemen strike, New York Times reports
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth created another Signal messaging chat that included his wife and brother where he shared similar details of a March military airstrike against Yemen’s Houthi militants that were sent in another chain with top Trump administration leaders, The New York Times reported. A person familiar...
Authorities searching for pit bull after attack on 2-year-old in Knoxville home
Authorities are searching for a dog that ran from a home in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood after seriously injuring a 2-year-old boy Sunday afternoon. The dog attack in the 200 block of Moore Avenue was reported just after 1:30 p.m. According to police, homeowners called 911 after their dog, a 2-year-old...
Police investigate shooting on subway platform that led to Harvard students sheltering in place
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Transit police in Boston were investigating a shooting on a subway platform at Harvard University on Sunday that prompted the school to issue a shelter-in-place order for students and staff. Authorities temporarily rerouted passengers on part of the city’s subway system to shuttle buses as officers from...
Tornado-producing storm deals deadly flooding and large hail to Oklahoma and TexasVideo
A slow-moving, active storm system brought heavy rain, large hail and tornadoes to parts of Texas and Oklahoma and left two people dead as severe weather warnings Sunday continue to threaten parts of the south-central and Midwest U.S. On Easter Sunday, communities in Texas and Oklahoma were beginning to assess...
Hempfield driver dies in head-on collision with tree
A Hempfield man died Saturday after the Ford pickup truck he was driving crashed, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Kenneth R. Altman, 68, was traveling on North Greengate Road in Hempfield around 4:15 p.m. when the pickup left the road and collided head-on with a tree. He was...
PennDOT sets open house for I-70 interchange project, plans paving, patching in Westmoreland
PennDOT is hosting an open house Tuesday in Rostraver to offer details on the construction timeline and related traffic changes for its update of the Arnold City interchange on Interstate 70. The meeting is set for 5 to 7 p.m. at the Rostraver Central fire hall, 1100 Fells Church Road....
After years of turmoil, Lower Valley Ambulance Service does ‘complete 180’
When Terry Anzaldi took over as EMS chief of Lower Valley Ambulance Service in October 2023, he said reordering the foundering service was like putting together pieces of a puzzle. In 2022, the service rang the alarm bells, saying it had entered a “financial crisis” and needed relief from local...
Editorial: Hunting for joy at Easter
Easter is about a joy that isn’t given. It is sought. On the Fourth of July, joy lights up the sky. On Halloween, we knock on doors and ask for it. On Thanksgiving, it is spread out on the table. On Christmas, it is wrapped up and tagged and placed...
