Top Stories category, Page 487
Westmoreland formally adopts jail policy on undocumented immigrants to shed sanctuary label
Westmoreland County’s Republican delegation used a news conference Thursday to assure residents the county is no place for undocumented immigrants in trouble with the law. The county prison board unanimously approved a new policy that formalized standard operating procedure related to undocumented immigrants held at the jail. Officials at the...
Judge rejects bid by Donald Trump to throw out classified documents case on constitutional grounds
FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A federal judge on Thursday rejected a bid by Donald Trump to throw out out his classified documents criminal case, and appeared skeptical during hours of arguments of a separate effort to scuttle the prosecution ahead of trial. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon issued a two-page...
DeMarco sues Innamorato over Allegheny County ballot drop-off locations
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato’s plan to add five locations to drop off mail-in ballots throughout the county is facing a legal challenge — but one that might be short-lived. County Councilman at-large Sam DeMarco, R-North Fayette, and four other plaintiffs sued Innamorato Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court,...
Pittsburgh Riverhounds want to triple Highmark Stadium seating in $75M expansion plan
Pittsburgh’s professional soccer team wants to super-size its stadium with a $75 million expansion meant to capitalize on record attendance and a passionate fan base. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds have applied for a $10 million state grant to help triple seating capacity at Highmark Stadium along the Monongahela River at Station...
TV Talk: Producers explain why ‘Young Sheldon’ is endingVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a weekly viewing tip. BURBANK, Calif. – “The Big Bang Theory” prequel series “Young Sheldon” (8 p.m. Thursdays, KDKA-TV) will end its seven-season run on CBS in May. Why now, aside from the economic realities that after a TV series hits its...
Pittsburgh Public Schools solicitor seeks OK to sue Allegheny County to spur reassessment
Pittsburgh Public Schools’ top lawyer warned the school board Wednesday that the district is facing a dire financial crisis caused by plummeting property values in the city and asked for permission to sue Allegheny County in an effort to compel a countywide property reassessment. Stoking fears of a coming disaster,...
Former Greensburg police chief, veteran cop expected to plead guilty to federal drug charges
Shawn Denning, the former police chief in Greensburg, and retired patrol Officer Regina McAtee are expected to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with drug investigations, court paperwork shows. Denning, 42, of Delmont was arrested by federal investigators in January 2023. Charges filed against him Wednesday included conspiracy to...
Westmoreland students employ modeling skills, sky-high concepts in airport design challenge
Officials are planning a major terminal expansion at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and gifted students from seven Westmoreland County school districts have created their own concepts for accommodating and attracting travelers. The students’ scaled-down models of what the terminal in Unity could look like took center stage this week in...
Biden opposes plan to sell US Steel to a Japanese firm, citing the need for ‘American steel workers’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden came out in opposition to the planned sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan, saying Thursday the U.S. needs to “maintain strong American steel companies powered by American steel workers.” In a statement, Biden added: “U.S. Steel has been an iconic American steel...
What’s Pi Day all about? Math, science, pies and more
Math enthusiasts around the world, from college kids to rocket scientists, celebrate Pi Day on Thursday, which is March 14 or 3/14 — the first three digits of an infinite number with many practical uses. Around the world many people will mark the day with a slice of pie —...
Morning Roundup: Fans rename Kennywood ride; couple free stuck deer in North Hills
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, March 14: Fans rename classic Kennywood ride Fans of Kennywood Park have spoken: The amusement park’s updated, Potato Patch-themed bumper car ride will be known as “Potato Smash.” Officials at the West Mifflin park announced the name received...
Friends, neighbors remember victims of Crescent Township house explosion
Even at age 89, David L. Mitchell Jr. kept active in local matters, serving on Crescent’s planning commission. A longtime civic leader and political mentor, Mitchell, along with his wife, Helen, were fixtures in the tiny township along the Ohio River. They once ran a plastics manufacturing company together, oversaw...
Georgia governor signs law reviving prosecutor sanctions panel. Democrats fear it’s aimed at Fani Willis
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law Wednesday that lets a state commission begin operating with powers to discipline and remove prosecutors, potentially disrupting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of former President Donald Trump. “This legislation will help us ensure rogue and incompetent prosecutors are held...
Plum School District budget projection shows tax increases for next 5 school years
Plum School District property taxes could increase every year for the next five school years as the district works to fund its operations, pay for a $30 million building project and bring back full-day kindergarten. District administrators still are working on the $74.1 million 2024-25 budget. The school board is...
Former Greensburg police officer faces federal drug conspiracy charges
A former Greensburg police officer is charged in federal court with conspiring to sell methamphetamine. Regina McAtee, who was suspended in late 2022 before retiring last year, was charged with a single count by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Wednesday. McAtee is represented by defense attorney Charles Porter, who said Wednesday...
Westmoreland juvenile detention center on track for March reopening
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center is expected to reopen this month after being largely closed since June because of staffing shortages and operational problems, officials said Wednesday. The 16-bed facility that houses juvenile criminal offenders closed following a series of state inspections. Those findings prompted county leaders to shutter the...
Ex-Bethel Park cop who illegally brought South American woman to U.S gets probation
Blake Babin led a stellar career as a Bethel Park police officer, rising to lieutenant over more than three decades. Friends and former colleagues said he acted as a mentor to others, organized community programs, participated in an annual food drive and was compassionate to those he served. But Babin,...
Misty Slavic resigns as Kiski Area superintendent
Kiski Area is the latest school district in Westmoreland County searching for a new superintendent, as Misty Slavic announced she will step aside after more than two years leading the district. School board members were informed Monday with a 90-day notice. In an email to TribLive, Slavic attributed her resignation...
NAACP calls for federal investigation into Jim Rogers death
The NAACP is calling for a federal investigation into the 2021 death of an unarmed Black man following an encounter with a Pittsburgh police officer who repeatedly shocked him with a Taser. The national civil rights organization told the U.S. Department of Justice in a letter that a “thorough investigation”...
Dollar Tree to close nearly 1,000 stores, posts surprise 4th quarter loss
Dollar Tree swung to a surprise fourth-quarter loss and will close nearly 1,000 stores after the discount retailer slashed the value of a rival chain it acquired almost a decade ago. Dollar Tree plans to close about 600 Family Dollar stores in the first half of this year and 370...
Meet Ciara, superstar wife of new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson will soon officially be the new quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 35-year-old set social media on fire on Monday with a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that played “Renegade” over clips of fans waving Terrible Towels. His wife, Ciara Wilson, reposted it with a series...
Judge dismisses some charges against Trump in the Georgia 2020 election interference case
ATLANTA — The judge overseeing the Georgia 2020 election interference case on Wednesday dismissed some of the charges against former President Donald Trump and others, but the rest of the sweeping racketeering indictment remains intact. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee quashed six counts in the indictment, including three...
Shapiro unveils plan to cut greenhouse gases, boost renewables in big energy producer
SCRANTON — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled a plan Wednesday to fight climate change, saying he will back legislation to make power plant owners in the nation’s third-biggest energy-producing state pay for their greenhouse gas emissions and require utilities to buy more electricity from renewable sources. Such legislation would make...
Glen’s Frozen Custard production facility to open soon in Lower Burrell; stands reopen Thursday
A new Glen’s Frozen Custard production facility in Lower Burrell soon will be churning out products. The facility at the location of the former Clementine’s Family Restaurant at 2604 Leechburg Road is set to be operational in a few weeks, said Eli Wilson, Glen’s president and fourth-generation owner. The building...
3 Pittsburgh high school students hospitalized after eating ‘unknown edible candy’
Three Pittsburgh Public Schools high school students have been released from the hospital after they fell ill when eating an “unknown edible candy,” authorities said Wednesday. A group of five students on Tuesday ingested the “unknown substance” but only three were taken to the hospital, school district spokeswoman Ebony Pugh...
