Top Stories category, Page 182
Team that resurrected dire wolf has Pitt, Penn State connectionsVideo
Some of the scientific groundwork that paved the way for a rebirth of the long-extinct dire wolf took place in Pennsylvania. With much fanfare, Texas company Colossal Biosciences announced April 7 that its scientists had returned the dire wolf, a species extinct for more than 10,000 years, “to its rightful...
Power tools: Robotics research at Carnegie Mellon aims to revolutionize everyday tasksVideo
At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s foremost tech conference, farming machinery giant Kubota introduced Flash, a vehicle-mounted camera that creates ultra-detailed images to help farmers care for their crops. It was an idea born in a Carnegie Mellon University robotics lab and another example of the revolutionary technology...
Building the Valley: Numa Yoga brings a calming presence to Freeport
It’s mid-morning on a Thursday in March, and Kristen Formaini is searching for “effortless.” The soft music, wafts of burning palo santo and three heaters set to a stuffy 85 degrees are all meant to help her and her students find it. “We repeat things all the time in this...
Anti-Trump protesters turn out to rallies in New York, Washington and other cities across country
NEW YORK — Opponents of President Donald Trump’s administration took to the streets of communities large and small across the U.S. on Saturday, decrying what they see as threats to the nation’s democratic ideals. The disparate events ranged from a march through midtown Manhattan and a rally in front of...
Pirates offer vouchers for fans who missed out on Paul Skenes Rookie of the Year bobblehead
Paul Skenes Bobblehead Day proved to be quite a draw for fans Saturday afternoon at PNC Park. So much so that the Pirates have decided to offer additional bobbleheads to those who weren’t among the first 20,000 to enter the ballpark. Fans lined the streets of the North Shore and...
Volunteers turn out to get New Ken mansion in order for reopening as restaurant, bed-and-breakfast
Robin Richards has been fascinated by the former Bloser Mansion in New Kensington since she was a little girl. She had always wanted to go inside but wasn’t even allowed on the property. “We were dirty looking little kids,” she said. Richards went inside the mansion for the first time...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: 10 things to expect for Penguins in 2025-26
Ten things that will happen before the end of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ next season: 1. Winger Ville Koivunen will be NHL Rookie of the Year. Good speed, great playmaker, plays the 10-foot game that Sidney Crosby prefers. He had seven assists in eight NHL games this season and only scratched...
Spring allergies are back. Here’s how to check pollen levels and keep from sneezing
ATLANTA — Allergy season can be miserable for tens of millions of Americans when trees, grass, and other pollens cause runny noses, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing. Where you live, what you’re allergic to and your lifestyle can make a big difference when it comes to the severity of your...
250 years after America went to war for independence, a divided nation battles over its legacy
LEXINGTON, Mass. — Thousands of people came to this Massachusetts town Saturday just before dawn to witness a reenactment of how the American Revolution began 250 years ago, with the blast of gunshot and a trail of colonial spin. Starting with Saturday’s anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord,...
Some Jan. 6 rioters pardoned by Trump are now embraced as heroes and candidates for office
JACKSON, Mich. — Ryan Kelley thought he had a good shot at becoming Michigan’s governor in 2022. That is, until he was charged with misdemeanors for participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. His campaign sputtered and he finished fourth out of five candidates in the Republican...
Man, juveniles convicted of poaching white-tailed deer in Somerset County, prohibited from hunting for decades
It will be decades before three people convicted of poaching 19 white-tailed deer in Somerset County over a two-month span in 2020 are allowed to hunt again, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Although authorities were able to tie 19 poached deer to the three suspects, they said they believe...
2 dead in Findlay Township house fire
Two people were found dead in an early morning fire Saturday in Findlay Township, according to Trib news partner WTAE. The blaze was reported on Poplar Street around 4:30 a.m. at a two-story home in the village of Imperial. Allegheny County police and fire marshal are investigating, the news outlet...
Latrobe fills new administrative slot, agrees to buy trash ‘toters’ for pending in-house collection
Latrobe is ramping up for its takeover of garbage hauling services in the city next year, with moves to fill a new administrative post and to strike a deal on used collection containers. City council this week promoted Melanie McGregor, an hourly sanitation department clerk, to the new salaried role...
Glitches, unproven tech in Pa.’s new financial aid system exacerbated delays for thousands of students
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. By October, the scale of the crisis was clear. State grants that thousands of students were counting on to pay for college were weeks behind...
Murrysville camera company livestreams nearby fox denVideo
“Sly as a fox” is not just a saying somebody made up. Foxes are cunning and wary. Just ask Bill Powers of Murrysville, who’s been trying to successfully train a wildlife camera on a wild fox den since 2016. “They’re so sensitive that, if they sense a human has been...
Pittsburgh police charge 3 in connection with August 2021 shooting death of city resident
Three Pittsburgh resident are charged with homicide and other crimes in connection with the shooting death of another man in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Ernest Adams, 39, was found dead in a home in the 1300 block of Malden Street on Aug. 17, 2021. Pittsburgh police on Tuesday filed homicide...
Listen to the 911 call Cody Balmer placed after allegedly setting fire to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansionVideo
PHILADELPHIA — In a roughly minute-long phone call to Dauphin County 911, the man accused of setting three fires in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official residence told dispatchers Pennsylvania’s chief executive needed to leave his family and friends alone. “Gov. Josh Shapiro needs to know that Cody Balmer will not take...
Former Pa. State Police commissioner hired to investigate security breach that led to governor’s mansion arson
PHILADELPHIA — A former commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police who later served as chief of security for the National Football League will conduct an independent security review of the arson attack on the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, the current head of the state police announced Friday. Jeffrey B. Miller,...
The arson at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion erupted within minutes. The effect lingers
HARRISBURG — The pounding of fists on the governor’s bedroom door was loud and urgent. The mansion was on fire, a state trooper yelled, and Pennsylvania’s first family needed to get out immediately. Gov. Josh Shapiro and his wife, Lori, jumped out of bed and rushed from room to room...
Greensburg Ministerium presents annual ‘Way of the Cross’
The Greensburg Ministerium, representing churches in the community, presented its annual “The Way of the Cross” depiction of the events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus. Actors portrayed events on Good Friday as depicted in the Bible as they made their way through downtown Greensburg. “We are not true...
U.S. has 800 measles cases and outbreaks in several states. Here’s what you should know
The U.S. has 800 cases of measles nationwide as of Friday, and two more states identified outbreaks this week. Texas is driving the high numbers, with an outbreak centered in West Texas that started nearly three months ago and is up to 597 cases. Two unvaccinated elementary school-aged children died...
Trump says Ukraine-Russia talks ‘coming to a head’ and ‘no one is playing’ him in push to end war
PARIS — President Donald Trump on Friday said negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding war. Trump spoke shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the U.S. may “move on”...
The people who represent you in D.C. and Harrisburg are allowed to keep their calendars secret
This story originally appeared in Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from the Spotlight PA State College bureau. Sign up at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. STATE COLLEGE — Since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, multiple protests have been held outside U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson’s...
No answers in Rostraver woman’s killing as family, friends, investigators release few details
A week has passed since Jennah Marie Seibert was found dead in the Rostraver home she shared with her fiancé, but authorities have not publicly revealed any new details surrounding her killing. The 24-year-old died from a gunshot wound April 11 in what the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office is...
A U.S. citizen was held for pickup by ICE even after proving he was born in the country
MIAMI — A U.S. citizen was arrested in Florida for allegedly being in the country illegally and held for pickup by immigration authorities even after his mother showed a judge her son’s birth certificate and the judge dismissed charges. The man was released after his case received widespread coverage. Juan...
