Top Stories category, Page 248
Trump hits ‘pause’ on U.S. aid to Ukraine after Oval dustup, pressuring Zelenskyy on Russia talks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday directed a “pause” to U.S. assistance to Ukraine after a disastrous Oval Office meeting as he seeks to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in peace talks with Russia. A White House official said Trump is focused on reaching a peace deal...
Senate will vote on confirming Linda McMahon to lead an education agency Trump has vowed to close
WASHINGTON — The Senate is voting Monday on whether to confirm former wrestling executive Linda McMahon as the nation’s education chief, a role that would place her atop a department that President Donald Trump has vilified and vowed to dismantle. McMahon would face the competing tasks of winding down the...
Pitt-Greensburg reading initiative to focus on mental health as anxiety, loneliness remain high
It’s not uncommon for Sheila Confer to hear that her students at University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg are struggling with their mental health. An assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies and Academic Village director, Confer has noticed an uptick in mental health conversations with her students. It’s particularly the case during...
UPMC reports $339 million operating loss in 2024
UPMC lost $929,000 a day last year amid a spending spree on new and expanded facilities. In its end-of-year financial report, the hospital and health insurance giant placed its operating losses at $339 million, up 71% from the previous year, when losses hit $198 million in 2023. UPMC attributed $128...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust plan calls for expanded programs, theater, event suite upgrades
Benjamin Luczak estimates the Westmoreland Cultural Trust has invested more than $1 million recently in upgrades and repairs at The Palace Theatre. Luczak, CEO of the trust, expects it will make even more capital improvements at the Greensburg venue, as set forth in the nonprofit’s new three-year strategic plan. The...
How to watch the 1st joint address to Congress of Trump’s 2nd term
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday night will deliver the first joint congressional address of his second presidency. It’s not officially called the State of the Union, a title reserved for a president’s annual address to Congress during other years of an administration. But it is an opportunity for...
Morning Roundup: Man shot in Homewood North; 4 injured in Ross crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, March 3: Man shot in Homewood North Police said a man was shot late Saturday night in Pittsburgh’s Homewood North neighborhood after several blocks were hit with a barrage of gunfire. Officers were dispatched just before midnight to...
In wake of York shooting, security experts see no perfect cure for hospital violence
When Andy Armenta learned of the hostage situation unfolding at UPMC Memorial hospital in York County, he immediately thought of his brush with hospital violence 25 years ago in California. Armenta, a biomedical engineer, was on the first floor of West Anaheim Medical Center the morning of Sept. 15, 1999,...
CDC estimates flu vaccine effectiveness as cases slam the region
This year’s flu vaccine has been effective overall against the current strains of the virus, despite cases and hospitalizations surging in the region, according to the latest federal data. About 54.9% of the influenza A H3N2 strains — which is causing about half of all cases this season — is...
TV Talk: Winning host Conan O’Brien presides over niche Oscars
It was tough for the 97th annual Academy Awards telecast to put its best foot forward when so many viewers saw so few of the niche movies nominated for best picture, an award that ultimately went to “Anora,” which won five Oscars total. The best Oscar telecast producers could do...
Pa. GOP House members vote for measure that could cut Medicaid, threaten care for constituents
Pennsylvania faces billions in Medicaid and other health funding cuts, which could force tens of thousands out of programs, under a budget resolution approved by Congressional Republicans, according to opposition groups. The Center for American Progress (CAP) and Commonwealth Communications’ PA Accountability Hub, both left-leaning outfits, have criticized Republican U.S....
Strip club Cinderella story ‘Anora’ wins best picture at 97th Academy AwardsVideo
LOS ANGELES — “Anora,” a strip club Cinderella story without the fairy tale ending, was crowned best picture at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, handing Sean Baker’s gritty, Brooklyn-set screwball farce Hollywood’s top prize. In a stubbornly fluctuating Oscar season, “Anora,” the Palme d’Or-winner at the Cannes Film Festival,...
Francis didn’t need mechanical ventilation on Sunday after respiratory crisis Friday, Vatican says
ROME — Pope Francis remained in stable condition and didn’t need any mechanical ventilation on Sunday, the Vatican said. It was a sign that his respiratory function was improving as he continues his recovery from double pneumonia and a respiratory crisis. The 88-year-old pope did continue to receive high flow...
Starmer says Europe faces a ‘once in a generation moment’ as leaders discuss ending war in UkraineVideo
LONDON — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rallied his European counterparts Sunday to shore up their borders and throw their full weight behind Ukraine as he announced outlines of a plan to end Russia’s war. “Every nation must contribute to that in the best way that it can, bringing different...
Pitt freshman cornerback Mason Alexander dies in automobile crash
Pitt freshman football player Mason Alexander, 18, died Saturday night after a car crash in his hometown of Fishers, Ind. Alexander enrolled in January after early graduation from Hamilton Southeastern High School, near Indianapolis, and had been participating in winter drills in preparation for spring practice that begins this month....
Israel cuts off Gaza aid to pressure Hamas to accept a new ceasefire proposal
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip on Sunday and warned of “additional consequences” if Hamas doesn’t accept a new proposal to extend a fragile ceasefire, while key mediator Egypt accused Israel of using “starvation as a weapon.” Hamas accused...
On the mat: Female wrestling continues to grow at all levels
Wrestle. Like. A. Girl. Those four words inspire females dressed in the signature singlet to grapple and take down opponents, just like their male counterparts. In the past two years, the sport has grown by the largest percentage of mainstream high school sports including football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer...
Demolition of Springdale boiler house succeeds partway; 2nd attempt scheduledVideo
The boiler house at Springdale’s former Cheswick Generating Station isn’t going down without a fight. The pull-down demolition of the structure started at about 9:35 a.m. Sunday. But only 70% of the building collapsed amid billowing clouds of soot-gray dust that wafted down the Allegheny River. “It’s not exactly what...
Breakthrough treatments offer some sickle cell sufferers a cure, but barriers remainVideo
Esther Nkemakolam runs her fingers through kinetic sand and sings a “Moana” song as UPMC Children’s Hospital nurse Taylor Brennan gets to work drawing blood. Esther is back for her monthly blood transfusion. It’s a frigid February morning, but the routine is familiar for Esther, a bubbly 7-year-old first grader...
The Pentagon is sending about 3,000 more active-duty troops to the US-Mexico border
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is sending about 3,000 more active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border as President Donald Trump seeks to clamp down on illegal immigration and fulfill a central promise of his campaign, U.S. officials said Saturday. His defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has ordered elements of a Stryker brigade...
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo launches political comeback with a run for New York City mayor
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Saturday that he is running for mayor of New York City, relaunching his political career following a yearslong exile over a barrage of sexual harassment accusations. In a 17-minute video announcing his campaign, Cuomo pitched himself as an accomplished moderate...
Taking one for the team: Brave souls take a dip in frigid Buffalo Creek to aid Freeport Youth Baseball
For Nate Scott, the anticipation was the worst part. Scott gazed over Buffalo Creek in Freeport shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday, wondering just how cold it would feel when he and nearly 50 other Alle-Kiski Valley residents leaped into it to support a local fundraiser. The whole thing was over...
Tarentum man says Peace Corps still critical even after 64 years
Dennis Mialki enrolled in the Peace Corps in 1978 and found himself — at 22 — as the city engineer of Siguatepeque, Honduras, a farm town in the mountains of Central America. The Tarentum resident spent two years engineering roads, building kindergarten classrooms and establishing a building code. “I was...
From Cabinet secretary to doomsday president: What being a designated survivor is like
WASHINGTON — They start the day often as low-profile Cabinet secretaries. They end it that way, too, God willing. But, when the rest of the government is gathered together for a big event, like President Donald Trump ‘s joint congressional address Tuesday night, a designated survivor is kept away to...
Measles risk is real for those unvaccinated, experts say
A child’s death from a measles outbreak in West Texas has raised concerns about vaccination rates and the resurgence of preventable diseases. But about one in 1,000 cases of measles can be deadly or cause lasting harm, said Dr. Paul Offit, the Maurice R. Hilleman Chair of Vaccinology at the...
