Top Stories category, Page 278
Trump chooses Bessent to be treasury secretary, Vought as budget chief, Chavez-DeRemer for Labor
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he’ll nominate hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Trump also said he would nominate Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, a position Vought held during Trump’s first...
Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad
A social-media tribute to Coptic Christians. A billboard in Amish country. A visit to a revered Jewish gravesite. While Donald Trump’s lock on the white evangelical vote is legendary, he and his campaign allies also wooed smaller religious groups, far from the mainstream. As it turned out, Trump won by...
Gaetz’s withdrawal highlights how incoming presidents often lose Cabinet nominees
MARTIN, Tenn. — Losing a Cabinet nominee to the confirmation process isn’t unheard of for incoming presidents — including for Donald Trump when he was elected the first time. Matt Gaetz’s decision to pull his name Thursday from consideration for attorney general — amid continued fallout over a federal sex...
Second electronic billboard going up in Tarentum
More than a year after it was approved, Tarentum’s second megawatt billboard is finally expected to light up the borough’s western side. Weleski Transfer along West Fourth Avenue got the go-ahead from council to erect an electronic sign, 14 feet tall by 48 feet wide. “We’re excited it’s moving along,...
Police: West Newton garage applied inspection stickers without examining vehicles
A West Newton auto shop is facing criminal charges after state police said employees there were putting inspection stickers on vehicles they didn’t actually inspect, according to court papers. When a state trooper visited Martinelli Auto Service in August for an audit, he reported seeing two vehicles with new inspection...
Pittsburgh to deploy more than 100 police officers Downtown for Light Up Night
Pittsburgh Public Safety will have a strong presence at the city’s Light Up Night celebration Downtown Saturday. More than 100 police officers will be deployed throughout the area, and the bomb squad will perform protective sweeps ahead of events, officials said Friday. The police bureau’s motorcycle and mounted units will...
Data Justice Project aims to improve lives of Black Pittsburghers
Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood is vibrant — but it also has the lowest life expectancy rate in the city at less than 65 years old. The statistics can stigmatize the neighborhood, according to data experts. While there is currently no explanation for the disparity in Larimer, causes will be investigated in...
Football Footnotes: Refs got the ‘illegal touching call’ in Cleveland right; Bengals LB predicting victory over Steelers
Usually, our Friday “Football Footnotes” post previews everything coming up on the local football scene. We’ll still do some of that on both the NFL and college levels this time. But with the Pittsburgh Steelers losing in Cleveland on Thursday night (again), this is more like a Friday “Football Fallout”...
Judge delays Trump hush money sentencing in order to decide where case should go now
NEW YORK — A judge confirmed Friday that President-elect Donald Trump won’t be sentenced this month in his hush money case, instead setting a schedule for prosecutors and his lawyers to expand on their ideas about what to do next. Amid a flurry of filings in the case since Trump’s...
Pa. halts statewide vote recount after Casey concedes Pa.’s U.S. Senate race
Pennsylvania’s automatic recount has ceased. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced Friday morning that a legally mandated recount in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race has been stopped after Democratic incumbent Bob Casey conceded the race Thursday evening. “Following Sen. Casey’s concession announcement yesterday afternoon, his campaign submitted a request to...
Latest plan for Pittsburgh pets would make dog spays, neuters free for low-income residents
Pittsburgh officials want to change the rules for a program that offers free spay and neuter services for cats and dogs. Only low-income residents would be eligible for free spay and neuter services for pet dogs, Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt said. Previously, there were no income limits on the...
Derry Township woman killed in Route 119 collision in Salem
A Derry Township woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash Friday morning on Route 119 in Salem. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson said Melissa S. Dustin, 37, of Torrance died of blunt force injuries in the collision. The crash was reported at 8:41 a.m. just south of the Route 22...
Mark Madden: Steelers defense is good until it has to be
So, do you still think the Pittsburgh Steelers are a legit Super Bowl contender? The AFC is generally weak. Even the conference’s good teams don’t look all that great. But there’s a lot to dislike about the Steelers despite their 8-3 record. Much of that was on display in Thursday...
Steelers vs. Browns: What they’re saying in Cleveland after the winVideo
As if the Steelers-Browns rivalry under the lights wasn’t enough — add some snow and sub-freezing temperatures. Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said it all made for a fun, unique “Thursday Night Football” atmosphere during which his team topped Pittsburgh, 24-19, at home. “Our fans were unbelievable,” Stefanski told reporters...
Jay Leno visited Hempfield restaurant after fall
The show must go on. And, so too, must lunch. Celebrity talk show host Jay Leno reportedly visited Hempfield’s The Boulevard restaurant after injuring himself in a fall last week. The Boulevard owner Bobbi Lynn Frye in an email told TribLive Leno had lunch at the restaurant after his fall...
Cheswick man sues Allegheny County, claims jail guards stood by while he was stabbed
Shawn Daniels had just attended Mass at the Allegheny County Jail and returned to his cell on Pod 3C the evening of June 5, when, he said, two other inmates entered his cell and attacked him. Daniels, of Cheswick, was stabbed nearly 40 times, police said, with an orange spork...
New Kensington’s The Feisty Goblin expanding again, preparing for Star Wars game event
After less than two years in business and two expansions already, a tabletop gaming store in downtown New Kensington again needs more space while preparing for a major Star Wars event. The Feisty Goblin, opened in April 2023 by Arnold couple Christine and Jim Radeshak, will move to a new...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 22-24
This Saturday is Light Up Night, and just a few days later we’ll officially usher in the holiday season with Thanksgiving. It’s time to embrace the cheer — or not — with festivities around Pittsburgh this weekend. Here are five ideas for things to do. Phipps Holiday Magic Embark on...
5 things to watch in H.S. football: WPIAL finals at Acrisure Stadium bring added excitement and sometimes new shoes
Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne wonders what the grass at Acrisure Stadium might look like when the WPIAL 5A final kicks off Saturday night. He’s not necessarily worried, just curious. The three WPIAL championship games LeDonne coached in previously were all played elsewhere on artificial turf. Peters Township’s T.J. Plack shares...
PUC OKs smaller West Penn Power, Columbia Gas rate hikes
Customers of West Penn Power Co. will be hit with a rate hike beginning next year, and Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania customers will see their natural gas bills rise starting Dec. 14. The price hikes, though, will be less than the region’s two utilities initially requested, according to the state...
Penn Hills sets tight rules for future hookah bar proposals, but existing lounges stay status quo
Hookah bars are now a conditional use in Penn Hills, months after a shooting at Ballers Hookah Lounge & Cigar Bar killed two, wounded seven and raised concerns about nuisance businesses in town. The zoning amendment, approved Nov. 18, only impacts future proposed hookah bars, defined as “any establishment that...
National Weather Service confirms tornado in Highland Park, Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar
A tornado passed through Pittsburgh’s Highland Park and Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar neighborhoods Wednesday evening, the National Weather Service confirmed Thursday. The EF0 tornado, the lowest level of tornado strength, touched down along Stanton Avenue in Highland Park around 5 p.m. Wednesday, continuing along Campania Avenue in Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar, the weather service said. The...
Greater Latrobe superintendent to step down, cites need to focus on health, family
Superintendent Mike Porembka is preparing to step away from Greater Latrobe, the school district where he has worked for more than 25 years. Porembka announced his plan to resign to school board members during an executive session after the board’s Tuesday meeting and followed that with a letter to the...
Police report reveals assault allegations against Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defense secretary
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Pete Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public late Wednesday. Hegseth, a former...
Trump chooses Pam Bondi for attorney general pick after Gaetz withdraws
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration. Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment...
