Top Stories category, Page 307
House Speaker Mike Johnson stumps with Rob Mercuri, dismisses Dems’ strategy
The Pittsburgh area attracted another high-profile surrogate Friday as U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. visited Beaver County, where he exuded confidence that Republicans will sweep the national elections, belittled Democrats’ campaign strategy and downplayed the controversy over the 2020 election. Johnson stopped at PGT Trucking in Hopewell Township with...
Tarentum declines police dog gifted by singer Brian Kelley
Tarentum will have to wait for a police dog. Borough officials declined a surprise gift from country music star Brian Kelley of a police dog during an August benefit concert. Kelley donated an 18-month-old German shepherd, Ikon, during an Aug. 9 concert in West Deer that doubled as a fundraiser...
A couple’s passion for early childhood learning spawns hub at PennWest California
Giving children an early jump on learning is about to become a more visible endeavor on Pennsylvania Western University’s California campus thanks to the latest gift from a couple who has championed the cause. Tom Rutledge, a 1977 alumnus who headed Charter Communications, and his wife Karen Rutledge, announced a...
With bids for new Jeannette fire station at $4M, city looks to scale back plans
After construction bids came in higher than expected for Jeannette’s new fire station, officials are adjusting the scope while time is running out to spend grant money designated for the project. Four bids were opened Wednesday, but only two offered a price for the entire project. The lowest bid to...
Plan to track Westmoreland County-owned vehicles with GPS on hold because of sheriff’s lawsuit
Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Office vehicles won’t be tracked by GPS until a lawsuit challenging a policy requiring the devises on county vehicles is resolved, a judge ruled. The policy, enacted this summer by the commissioners but not yet put into practice, requires around-the-clock tracking of all county owned and leased...
UPMC names new president, CEO of health plan
Mary Beth L. Jenkins will be UPMC Health Plan’s next president and CEO starting Jan. 1, the health care provider announced Friday. She will also serve as president of UPMC Insurance Services Division and executive vice president of UPMC. “Mary Beth’s forward-thinking work within UPMC’s successful integrated health care delivery...
Cornel West to appeal after judge denies spot on Pa. presidential ballot
A federal judge on Thursday said third-party presidential candidate Cornel West cannot have his name placed on Pennsylvania’s ballot — despite the court’s concerns over how state election laws treat minor-party candidates. “Common sense tells the court that we are less than one month from a presidential general election,” wrote...
When can cops lie? Pittsburgh rape defendant asks Pa. high court to decide
When Pittsburgh police interviewed Keith Foster in 2020 about a rape, a detective told him he wasn’t a suspect. That was a lie. Detective Brian Sellers had already gotten a search warrant for Foster’s DNA. During the interview, Foster claimed he didn’t know the victim or have sex with her....
Firefighters encourage clean furnaces, air ducts as colder weather approaches
With October being Fire Prevention Month and as colder weather moves in, Upper Burrell firefighters are urging homeowners to clean their furnaces and chimneys — and make sure their smoke detectors are in working order. Firefighters put out a blaze earlier this week in the Lincoln Beach section of the...
North Huntingdon officials nix $30M sports complex that would have hosted Pittsburgh Riverhounds
A $30 million sports complex that was to include an indoor field operated by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer team won’t be built on municipal property in North Huntingdon. The township commissioners Thursday quashed the possibility of another round of talks on lease with developers NHT Investment Partners LLC, formed by...
Mark Madden: Steelers have themselves to blame for George Pickens situation
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a tradition of winning Super Bowls. It’s getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. They also have a tradition of crackpot wide receivers. That custom is alive and well. George Pickens is at the front of that line. The Steelers have no legit gripe. They...
The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into deep, turbulent waters, according to a military investigation into the January deaths....
Residents slog through flooded streets, pick up debris after Hurricane Milton tore through Florida
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida residents slogged through flooded streets, gathered up scattered debris and assessed damage to their homes on Friday after Hurricane Milton smashed through coastal communities and spawned a barrage of deadly tornadoes. At least nine people were dead, but many expressed relief that Milton wasn’t worse....
Photo gallery: Northern lights put on display over northern U.S., Europe
A stunning display of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, was seen across parts of Northern U.S, and Europe on Thursday night, Oct 10, 2024. Photos from Queens, N.Y., Michigan, Maine, Pennsylvania as well as England and Germany, show a brilliant night sky. Western Pennsylvania residents posted photos...
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Japanese organization of atomic bombing survivors Nihon Hidankyo
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded Friday to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of survivors of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, for its activism against nuclear weapons. Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the award was made as the “taboo against the use...
Morning Roundup: Landslide, water main break shuts down road in Polish Hill; hit-and-run in Richland
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning: Friday, Oct. 11: Landslide in Polish Hill A landslide impacted parts of Brereton Street, just past Haran Street, in Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill, early Friday morning. Pittsburgh Police responded to the landslide just before 3 a.m., where officers saw a...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Oct. 11-13
It’s getting chilly out there! For those who like a day in the brisk autumn air, there’s some great events for you this weekend. For those trying to keep toasty — and avoid turning on the furnace too early — we’ve got you covered, too. Here are some things to...
The (basically) secret list of campaign donations by no-bid contractors
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Every year, government agencies in Pennsylvania award contracts — sometimes worth millions of dollars — without going through the traditional bidding process meant to ensure...
At least 18 people killed in Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut. A strike on Gaza school kills 27
BEIRUT — Israeli airstrikes hit central Beirut on Thursday evening, killing at least 18 people and wounding dozens, Lebanon’s health ministry said, the latest in Israel’s broadening campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The Health Ministry said the strikes badly damaged a residential building and caused another to completely...
Point Park University unveils proposal for sports and recreation venue
When he was named Point Park University president last year, Chris Brussalis touted his school’s potential to spark a “Downtown Renaissance 3” with targeted development including a new venue for sports and recreation. On Thursday, Brussalis unveiled a sizable part of that vision for the Golden Triangle. He and the...
Obama urges Black men to get on board for Kamala Harris as he stops in PittsburghVideo
Former President Barack Obama addressed a touchy subject within the Black community at a campaign stop in Pittsburgh Thursday: Black men are voting at slowly dwindling rates for Democrats. At an afternoon stop at the Harris campaign office in East Liberty before his speech in Oakland, Obama spoke with a...
Charges withdrawn against 3 of 4 Blackburn Center staffers
Criminal charges were withdrawn Thursday afternoon against three of the four Blackburn Center staffers that police had said obstructed efforts by the state police to enforce an emergency custody order issued this month by a county judge. According to a statement issued by Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli, the...
‘Operation Ghoul Busters’ aims to crack down on Halloween DUI incidents
New Year’s Eve and Thanksgiving historically are known as big drinking holidays, with police stepping up DUI enforcement in an effort to curb drunken driving. PennDOT doesn’t consider Halloween a “holiday season,” so it doesn’t specifically track crashes and DUI incidents as it does for Christmas, the Fourth of July...
Westmoreland election bureau office extends hours; voters expected to get mail ballots this weekend
Westmoreland County voters will begin seeing mail-in ballots arrive at their homes as early as Saturday, election officials said. More than 42,000 mail-in ballots have been sent to voters this week. Those who have yet to apply can do so at the courthouse, which, since Monday, has started same-day voting....
$55M project will turn historic Pittsburgh government building into affordable housing
A historic former government office building in Downtown Pittsburgh is on track to be turned into affordable housing as part of a $55 million project. The 200 Ross Street site — formerly known as the John P. Robin Civic Building — will be revitalized to include 68 apartments, community space...
