Top Stories category, Page 277
‘Busiest Thanksgiving ever’: How the TSA plans to handle record air travel
DALLAS — Just as there are good odds the turkey will taste dry, airports and highways are expected to be jam-packed during Thanksgiving week, a holiday period likely to end in another record day for air travel in the United States. The people responsible for keeping security lines, boarding areas...
Accident that tore off Clarion County man’s arm becomes life-changing journey
Seth Apel was 12 when his right arm was torn from his body in an unthinkable farming accident. Nine years later, he says the terrifying ordeal and the subsequent reattachment of his arm at a Pittsburgh hospital turned out to be one of the best days of his life. “My...
Ralph’s Army Surplus in Monroeville set to shut its doors
While much of Monroeville changed around it, Ralph’s Army Surplus store has been a mainstay on William Penn Highway for nearly seven decades. Founded by Ralph Bonn in 1955, the one-story building offers all manner of Army surplus gear including sleeping bags, canteens, hand warmers, camo gear, mess kits and...
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro secures $153 million for SEPTA, averting fare hike planned for 2025
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, in a moment suggestive of last year’s fast rebuild of a collapsed I-95 bridge, swooped into Philadelphia Friday to announce he was redirecting $153 million in federal highway funds to SEPTA, averting a significant fare increase planned for Jan. 1. The cash amounts to a fiscal...
Republicans push back against Democrats’ claims that Trump intelligence pick Gabbard is compromised
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Republican senators pushed back on Sunday against criticism from Democrats that Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s pick to lead U.S. intelligence services, is “compromised” by her comments supportive of Russia and secret meetings, as a congresswoman, with Syria’s president, a close ally of the Kremlin and Iran....
Forecasts warn of possible winter storms across U.S. during Thanksgiving week
WINDSOR, Calif. — Forecasters through the U.S. issued warnings that another round of winter weather could complicate travel leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, while California and Washington state continue to recover from storm damage and power outages. In California, where a person was found dead in a vehicle submerged...
Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83
NEW YORK — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about covid-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an...
‘I’m not going to continue what I’m doing forever’: Penn borough, township consider merger
When residents stumble upon a tree blocking a roadway in Penn Borough, Randy Dreistadt is the first person they call. He’s also the person who handles parking issues, clogged storm drains and rentals of the town’s park pavilion. When snow coats the borough’s roads in the winter, chances are Dreistadt...
Editorial: Let’s change the tone of elections in 2025
With the Thursday concession of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania’s 2024 election season effectively comes to a close. Republican businessman Dave McCormick has already gone to Washington for new-senator orientation. The sliver of difference between the two candidates — McCormick’s 48.8% to Casey’s 48.6% — triggered an automatic recount. Casey’s...
Western Pa. experts offer tips on navigating lingering election-related tensions over holidays
The events of the Nov. 5 presidential election divided states, demographics and, in many cases, families. President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters celebrated the Republican candidate’s victory, while many who championed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris fell into despair. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and other holidays following so closely on the heels...
Pittsburgh counts on Light Up Night to polish Downtown’s reputation
Light Up Night doesn’t just mark the beginning of the holiday season in Pittsburgh. Officials say it also draws visitors to Downtown businesses and helps the Golden Triangle burnish a sometimes less-than-stellar image. Fewer people have been commuting to Pittsburgh offices since the covid-19 epidemic spurred a widespread shift to...
Elderly man dies in Homestead house fire
A Homestead man died Saturday in the wake of a house fire on West 12th Avenue, officials said. According to Allegheny County Police, 79-year-old Ronald Jenkins was trapped on the second floor when first responders arrived at about 11:20 a.m. in the 100 block of West 12th Avenue. Firefighters got...
‘It’s a lot about family and community.’ Tradition brings crowds to fill A-K Valley streets for Christmas parade
Storm clouds and winter temperatures don’t faze Jamie Ganss. The power of tradition brings the Brackenridge woman every year to the corner of Corbet Street and Third Avenue in Tarentum to watch the Tarentum-Brackenridge Christmas Parade. Her annual ritual to kick off the holidays has generated a deeper meaning since...
A look at how some of Trump’s picks to lead health agencies could help carry out Kennedy’s overhaul
The team that President-elect Donald Trump has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration includes a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans’ health —...
East Deer woman charged with bringing unlicensed gun to airport
Allegheny County Police have charged an East Deer woman with bringing an unpermitted handgun to the main security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport. Lynda R. Lee, 61, of Creighton, East Deer, was going through the U.S. Transportation Security Administration checkpoint shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday morning when officers noticed the...
Fire volunteers from multiple towns respond to Logans Ferry Heights fire
A house fire Friday night on Zandona Street in Plum prompted a large response from fire companies in neighboring communities. The fire was reported shortly before 8 p.m. on the 700 block of Zandona in the borough’s Logans Ferry Heights neighborhood. Logans Ferry Heights Fire Chief Stephen Marsh said the...
New Kensington, surrounding fire companies undergo training drill at county housing apartments
Fire drills aren’t just for school students. For the men and women who fight fires on a regular basis, a drill is a chance to test out the logistics of their department’s response, to see what does and doesn’t work and to find out how to adjust emergency procedures. Members...
Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don’t lose weight
Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all...
U.S. customs officers seize 3,000 counterfeit Gibson guitarsVideo
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on Saturday announced the largest seizure ever of counterfeit Gibson electric guitars. Working with U.S. Homeland Security and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, agents recently seized more than 3,000 counterfeit guitars at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest seaport complex. The...
Filling the void: major mine subsidence project set for Belle Vernon area
When Tom Wilson was growing up in North Belle Vernon some 60 years ago, he and his friends would sometimes sneak into the opening of an abandoned mine, searching for fossils or some buried treasure. Fast forward six decades, and Wilson has signed up for a state project to fill...
Florida fire truck collector buys 1980 American LaFrance engine from New Kensington
A retired New Kensington fire truck was expected to leave the city before sunrise Saturday, beginning the first leg of a journey to its new home in Florida. Steve Vinson, 73, a retired pharmacist, bought the 1980 American LaFrance through an online auction with a bid of $6,800. He flew...
Services for 700 families at Tarentum center in jeopardy under Allegheny County budget talks
Harrison’s Ashley Griffin said she will be devastated if the Highlands Family Center in Tarentum is forced to cut programs. The East Fourth Avenue facility is a one-stop shop for children and adults, providing services that include a diaper bank, food pantry, financial counseling, story times and employment assistance. The...
Penn State trustees rarely discuss key issues in public before voting
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. When...
Greater Latrobe School Board divided over plans for roof, future of junior high
Some Greater Latrobe School Board members want to move forward with seeking proposals for replacing the junior high roof. Others first want to see an updated district facilities presentation from consultant SHP. It remains to be seen what opportunities the public may have to hear that presentation after it was...
17-year-old boy charged 2nd time for threats targeting Chartiers Valley School District, police say
Allegheny County Police have charged a 17-year-old boy who is accused of writing a threatening note that disrupted operations at Chartiers Valley School District on Friday. District officials reported on the Chartiers Valley website that students would learn remotely on Friday and that after-school activities were canceled “out of an...
