Top Stories category, Page 263
Community rallies to save toy drive in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
The multi-purpose room at the Thelma Lovette YMCA in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood resembled Santa’s workshop on Wednesday. Elves — volunteers, actually — helped adults choose toys for their little ones. There were piles of games and books, Barbies and baby dolls and trucks, ready to be wrapped for Christmas...
House passes bill backed by Paris Hilton to reform youth treatment facilities
WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation Wednesday requiring more oversight of youth residential treatment facilities, a feat for hotel heiress Paris Hilton who has spent years lobbying lawmakers to regulate an industry marred by child abuse allegations. The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act gained overwhelming bipartisan support in the House...
Gov. Gavin Newsom declares emergency in California after CDC confirms severe case of bird flu in Louisiana
LOS ANGELES — Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency as the H5N1 bird flu virus moves from the Central valley to Southern California herds and federal officials confirmed flu in a Louisiana patient hospitalized with severe illness. This is the first case of severe illness caused by bird...
The Federal Reserve expects to cut rates more slowly in 2025, here’s what that could mean for you
NEW YORK — The Federal Reserve’s third interest rate cut of the year will likely have consequences for debt, savings, auto loans, mortgages and other forms of borrowing by consumers and businesses. But with inflation pressures still elevated and with concern that President-elect Donald Trump’s policies could fuel inflation, the...
Stocks fall sharply, Dow tumbles 1,100 points after Fed hints at just 2 rate cuts for 2025
NEW YORK — Stocks tumbled to one of their worst days of the year after the Federal Reserve hinted Wednesday it may deliver fewer shots of adrenaline for the U.S. economy in 2025 than earlier thought. The S&P 500 fell 2.9%, just shy of its biggest loss for the year,...
Government funding plan collapses as Trump makes new demands days before shutdownVideo
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump abruptly rejected a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a Christmastime government shutdown, instead telling House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans to essentially renegotiate — days before a deadline when federal funding runs out. Trump’s sudden entrance into the debate and new demands sent Congress spiraling...
Florida pursues charge against suspect in Trump assassination attempt for a crash after his arrest
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida authorities announced Wednesday that they’re pursuing a criminal case against a man accused of trying to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump for a car crash that occurred after law enforcement stopped traffic to catch him. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said she obtained an arrest warrant for...
Lawsuit accuses Washington County officials of holding infant’s decomposing body for months in death penalty case
A death penalty case against a Washington County man charged with killing his baby took a grisly turn last week when the father sued top county officials for not releasing his son’s body for seven months, delaying funeral arrangements even as the infant’s body decomposed. Jordan Clarke, the father, accused...
House Ethics Committee secretly voted to release Matt Gaetz ethics report, source says
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee voted in secret to release the long-awaited ethics report into ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz, raising the possibility that the allegations against the Florida Republican who was President-elect Donald Trump’s first choice for attorney general could be made public in the coming days. The decision by...
Plum School Board approves tax increase limit; advances building project, electric bus purchase
Plum School Board members say they will limit any potential tax increase next year while moving forward with a building project and the purchase of electric buses. The board this week voted unanimously to keep a property tax increase for the 2025-26 school year to within its state-imposed inflation limit...
Federal Reserve cuts key rate by a quarter-point but envisions fewer reductions next yearVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday by a quarter-point — its third cut this year — but also signaled that it expects to reduce rates more slowly next year than it previously envisioned, mostly because of still-elevated inflation. The Fed’s 19 policymakers projected that they...
Anchor Hocking workers could get $7 hourly raise, $500 bonus to move from Charleroi to Ohio
Anchor Hocking workers who agree to move from Charleroi to Ohio could get a $7 hourly pay raise and a $500 bonus as the company shifts its Corelle Brands operations away from the Mon Valley. The company is delaying closing its Charleroi plant from mid-February until April, said James Watt,...
Westmoreland County to offer $1.5K to $2.5K incentives for each new broadband installation
Westmoreland County is offering cash to broadband providers to connect homes and businesses to high-speed internet. County leaders announced an incentive program in which broadband companies could receive between $1,500 to $2,500 for each new customer they connect as part of the federally funded Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program,...
Police chief says motive for Wisconsin school shooting was a ‘combination of factors’
MADISON, Wis. — The motive for a shooting that killed a teacher and a student and wounded others at a Wisconsin school appears to be a “combination of factors,” a police chief said Tuesday as he appealed to the public to share what they might know about the 15-year-old girl...
Strip District restaurants to close: Cioppino and Osteria 2350
New Year’s Eve will be the last night for upscale Cioppino Restaurant & Cigar Bar as well as its less formal sister restaurant, Osteria 2350, in the Strip District. “Unfortunately, the pressures of running a fine-dining business have become increasingly untenable,” the owners said in a social media post. Cioppino...
17-year-old charged in shooting at Perry Traditional Academy
Pittsburgh police have identified the suspect in a shooting Tuesday at Perry Traditional Academy in the North Side. Micaiah Wheeler, 17, of Forest Hills was arraigned Wednesday morning on eight counts each of attempted homicide and aggravated assault as well as various firearm and endangerment charges. No one was hurt...
Pedestrian and her dog die after being hit by vehicle in McCandless
A woman and her dog died Tuesday after being hit by a vehicle while walking in McCandless, police told TribLive news partner WTAE. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office identified the woman Wednesday morning as Lara Kay Tebelius, 55, of McCandless. The crash happened at the intersection of Harmony Drive...
Becki Pellis to lead Greater Latrobe School District in interim as superintendent search begins
Greater Latrobe School District administrator Becki Pellis will take on the additional role of interim superintendent on Jan. 1, as the school board begins a search for the successor to retiring Superintendent Mike Porembka. Board members voted unanimously at a special meeting Tuesday to give Pellis the additional role and...
Congress unveils funding deal with more than $100 billion in disaster aid
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders have unveiled a stopgap spending bill that will keep the federal government funded through March 14 and provide more than $100 billion in emergency aid to help states and local communities recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton and other natural disasters. The measure would prevent a...
Woman found dead in Reserve Township identified
The woman found dead in Reserve Township on Tuesday has been identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office as 31-year-old Kelley Fleming. She was found over an embankment in the 4000 block of Spring Garden Road, according to a release from Allegheny County police. Dispatchers were alerted of the...
After investigating Jan. 6, House GOP sides with Trump and goes after Liz Cheney
WASHINGTON — Wrapping up their investigation on the Jan. 6 2021 Capitol attack, House Republicans have concluded it’s former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney who should be prosecuted for probing what happened when then-President Donald Trump sent his mob of supporters as Congress was certifying the 2020 election. The findings issued...
Highlands basketball coach resigns amid hazing allegations
The Highlands High School varsity boys basketball season will continue despite the resignation of its head coach, Bill Flow. Flow, hired this summer, submitted a letter of resignation Monday, citing personal reasons, school officials said. He remains a teacher at the high school. The departure comes on the heels of...
Vandalism does $50K in damage to Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy vehicles in Frick Park
A trio of vandalism incidents at the Frick Environmental Center in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park has put all but one of the Pittsburgh Park Conservancy’s vehicle fleet out of commission and caused more than $50,000 in damage. The vandalism took place overnight during the past two and a half weeks, with...
Prosecutors charge suspect with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO as an act of terrorismVideo
NEW YORK — The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism, prosecutors said Tuesday as they worked to bring him to a New York court from from a Pennsylvania jail. Luigi Mangione already was charged with murder in the Dec. 4...
What does Big Tech hope to gain from warming up to Trump?
NEW YORK — In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing...
