Top Stories category, Page 405
In ‘blue wall’ push, Biden defiantly says ‘I’m not going anywhere’ as he slams Trump, Project 2025
DETROIT — President Joe Biden on Friday forcefully defied the growing number of critics in his own party who have called on him to exit the race, pivoting to warnings about a second Donald Trump term and declaring he was “not done yet.” As a raucous Detroit crowd chanted...
Pittsburgh Zoo helps mammals stay cool during heatwave
Western Pennsylvanians are experiencing a sweltering hot summer. And so are most of the animals at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. But thanks to beat-the-heat animal enrichment items that include frozen ice treats, air-conditioned habitats, sprinklers and water pools, mammals at the zoo are managing to keep their cool despite...
Former Boat House Bar/Sisters Hotel in Natrona to be redeveloped as restaurant, possible entertainment spot
As a kid, Brianna Thorpe spent a lot of time visiting family in Natrona. “There was a bakery on the corner, and it was kind of awesome that you could walk around and hit different businesses,” she said of Harrison’s riverfront neighborhood. Now, the 27-year-old Springdale High School graduate from...
Traveler caught with over $36K in undeclared cash at Philadelphia airport
It wasn’t a loaded gun going through an airport checkpoint this time, but loaded luggage, according to Customs and Border Patrol. Officials reported seizing $36,834 from a Columbus, Ohio, man at Philadelphia International Airport recently after the man claimed to have $15,000. The man, a U.S. citizen, flew back into...
Morning Roundup: Aliquippa woman faces charges in 3-month-old daughter’s cocaine death
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, July 12: Aliquippa woman faces charges in 3-month-old daughter’s cocaine death An arrest warrant was issued for an Aliquippa woman whose 3-month-old daughter died from cocaine toxicity, according to Aliquippa police and Beaver County detectives. Rachel Dlubak, 40,...
Greensburg-based artist says he feels overlooked after Kennywood auction
Online bidding for pieces of an original Thunderbolt rollercoaster mural at Kennywood Park raised over $14,000 for charity last weekend. But the artist behind the original work believes it could have raised more — if he had been told about the auction. Raphael Pantalone, a mural artist and retired elementary...
Llamas are back at Derry Township fair, along with a new generation of handlers
This is the year for llamas and the local folks who love them. Count among them 2-year-old Rodeo and his handler, McKenna Gettemy, 15, of Unity. “I think he’s super-chill,” the teen said of her shaggy partner in local fair show rings. “He doesn’t kick when you touch his back...
A 2nd person has died in Vermont flooding from Hurricane Beryl’s remnants, officials sayVideo
PLAINFIELD, Vt. — A second person has died in Vermont in the flooding from Hurricane Beryl’s remnants, officials said Thursday. John Rice, 73, died when he drove his vehicle through a flooded street Thursday morning in Lyndonville, police Chief Jack Harris said. The floodwaters’ current swept the vehicle off the...
North Huntingdon will negotiate further on lease for proposed $30 million sports complex
Two North Huntingdon business partners will need to continue negotiating with the township on the specifics of a lease for a proposed $30 million sports complex on township-owned property off Route 30. At a work session Thursday evening, the business partners, David Ponsonby and Joshua Zugai, discussed the first draft...
Pennsylvania lawmakers approve sale of canned alcoholic drinks in grocery stores and more retailers
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians will be able to buy canned alcoholic drinks, called ready-to-drink cocktails, from a wider variety of retailers under legislation approved Thursday. The state Senate approved the bill, 32-17, and sent it to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. Under the bill, the approximately 12,000 restaurants, bars, beer distributors, grocery...
Watch: Biden speaks at press conference
President Joe Biden will hold a news conference Thursday, the key event in a monumental week during which the Democratic incumbent is fending off calls for him to step aside as the party’s presumptive nominee following a shaky debate performance. Biden is scheduled to take questions from the White House...
Trump lawyers press judge to overturn hush money conviction after Supreme Court immunity ruling
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s lawyers are urging the judge in his New York hush money case to overturn his conviction and dismiss the case in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. The former president’s lawyers wrote in papers made public Thursday that prosecutors rushed...
Defense seeks to bar testimony in appeal of decades-old Jeannette arson murder case
Attorneys for a former Jeannette man in prison for the deaths of his wife and two young children killed three decades ago in a house fire are seeking to bar new testimony about the origins of the fatal blaze. James Young, 57, was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder...
Pittsburgh police seek suspect in Downtown bus stop assault
Pittsburgh police are looking for a man in connection with a reported assault on July 1 at a bus stop Downtown. The suspect is described as being between 35 and 45 years old, 6 feet tall and 185 pounds, with short hair, glasses, and a beard. Police said the suspect,...
State bill guarding Pittsburghers from big property tax hikes heads to Shapiro
State legislation passed this week paves the way for Pittsburgh to exempt or defer tax increases for longtime homeowners whose property values have jumped since they purchased their houses. The goal is to protect longtime residents from being taxed out of their homes in developing neighborhoods where skyrocketing property values...
Pharmacy benefit manager bill headed to Pa. governor’s desk
A bill placing regulations on pharmacy benefit managers is headed to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. The bill, which began in the state House, passed overwhelmingly in the state Senate on Wednesday with some revisions. Those revisions were approved 172-30 in the House on Thursday. The bill sets restrictions on...
Pennsylvania lawmakers pass nearly $48B budget almost 2 weeks late
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers ground through a flurry of votes Thursday to approve a budget deal, nearly two weeks into the new fiscal year after being slowed by disagreements during closed-door negotiations over Democrats’ push for more public schools aid. The $47.6 billion plan for the fiscal year that started...
Mixed-use housing project at Bloomfield Community Market site likely dead
Plans for a new grocery store, public square, retail and hundreds of apartments in Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield neighborhood appear to be dead. Bloomfield Development Corporation said Thursday that the site at the corner of Liberty Avenue and the foot of the Bloomfield Bridge was transferred to Giant Eagle, which means that...
Study finds toxic metals detected in tampons
Toxic metals — including lead and arsenic — have been detected in tampons, according to a new study published in the Environment International scientific journal. The study analyzed 30 tampons from 14 tampon brands and 18 product lines and found they had “measurable concentrations” of one or more of the...
Convicted killer of Swissvale mom and young daughter refuses to leave jail cell for sentencing
Kareef Easington didn’t want to face justice, but there was no escaping it. Convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting death last year of a Swissvale woman and her 7-year-old daughter, Easington refused to leave his jail cell Thursday to attend his sentencing — and face his...
Here’s how to watch Biden’s news conference as he tries to quiet doubts after his poor debate
President Joe Biden will hold a news conference Thursday, the key event in a monumental week during which the Democratic incumbent is fending off calls for him to step aside as the party’s presumptive nominee following a shaky debate performance. It’s just the type of event that many political watchers...
2 state lawmakers call on Pirates to increase player payroll, citing economic impact
Two Pennsylvania lawmakers are calling on the Pittsburgh Pirates organization to increase spending on player salaries, which, in turn, they said, will result in millions more for the local economy. State Reps. Tim Bonner, R-Mercer/Butler and Jim Gregory, R-Blair, said a report released Wednesday by Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office showed...
State System of Higher Education hopes to keep in-state tuition freeze
The Board of Governors for Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education reaffirmed Thursday its desire to freeze in-state undergraduate tuition for the 2024-25 school year. If PASSHE receives the state funding increase it requested, tuition will stay frozen for the seventh consecutive year. The ongoing rate has been $7,716 per...
Biden says during news conference he’s going to ‘complete the job’ despite calls to bow outVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used his closely watched news conference Thursday to deliver a forceful defense of his foreign and domestic policies and batted away questions about his ability to serve another four years, declaring: “I’m not in this for my legacy. I’m in this to complete the job.”...
Frustration mounts over lack of information on Kiski Township police chief departure
Anyone who hoped to hear Kiski Township supervisors speak on the departure of former Chief Lee Bartolicius on Wednesday night left the township’s regular meeting sorely disappointed. Township Solicitor Ryan Fritz ruled out the prospect at the start of the meeting. “For anyone who is here simply for that purpose,...
