Top Stories category, Page 505
Blake Hinson’s historic night propels Pitt over Louisville
Dominant performances from Blake Hinson have not been rare since he joined Pitt as a transfer from Iowa State ahead of last season. In less than two full seasons, the 6-foot-8 senior firmly has established a reputation for big-time offensive contributions, solid rebounding and being a player who doesn’t often...
Delmont claims local American Legion improperly sold former post
Delmont Borough officials say their local American Legion improperly sold its former post to the next-door neighbor, and suggested the man should retain an attorney. Matthew Cunningham, 33, received a letter from borough Solicitor Dan Hewitt after agreeing to purchase the post’s property at 64 Freeport St. in November 2023....
Murrysville-based car club charged up about switch to electric cars
Jonathan Belak estimates it costs him about $3 per week to get around in his Tesla Model S. That’s based on the small fraction of his utility bill that results when the retiree plugs in the 2013 model electric vehicle to recharge at his Murrysville home. Belak is president of...
Trump pushes $399 branded shoes a day after $355 million ruling against him
PHILADELPHIA — As he closes in on the Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump made a highly unusual stop Saturday, hawking new Trump-branded sneakers at “Sneaker Con,” a gathering that bills itself as the “The Greatest Sneaker Show On Earth!” Trump was met with loud boos as well as...
Presidents Day: From George Washington’s modest birthdays to big sales and 3-day weekends
NORFOLK, Va. — Like the other Founding Fathers, George Washington was uneasy about the idea of publicly celebrating his life. He was the first leader of a new republic — not a tyrant. And yet the nation will once again commemorate the first U.S. president Monday, 292 years after he...
Jaromir Jagr dazzles the current Penguins in practiceVideo
Alex Nedeljkovic knows shots. After all, in his vocation as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ backup goaltender, he is something of an expert on the subject. So, when a figure in black surged down the slot and fired a Trident missile of a wrister by his glove which rang off the post...
Penn State president could get $1.5 million bonus if she stays through June 2032
Penn State University trustees on Friday showed they want to retain President Neeli Bendapudi long term by approving incentives including a $1.5 million bonus if she stays in office through June 30, 2032. The vote to amend her compensation package came as the state’s flagship public university confronts what some...
Saving democracy is central to Biden’s campaign messaging. Will it resonate with swing state voters?
BETHLEHEM — Just blocks from the shuttered Bethlehem Steel plant, the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley was bustling on a recent day with scores of older people eating lunch. Downstairs, out of sight, a constant stream of visitors was shopping in its massive food pantry. Over the past seven months, the...
Jaromir Jagr practices with Penguins in CranberryVideo
Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jaromir Jagr practiced with current members of the team in Cranberry on Saturday morning. His participation was part of a celebration of his career with the franchise leading up to his iconic No. 68 being retired by the team on Sunday. Jagr took to the ice...
Christian-nation idea fuels U.S. conservative causes, but historians say it misreads founders’ intent
The U.S. Constitution doesn’t mention Christianity or any specific religion. The Declaration of Independence famously proclaims that people’s rights come from a “Creator” and “Nature’s God” — but doesn’t specify who that is. Yet large numbers of Americans believe the founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation, and...
Winter storm dumps 6 or more inches of snow in parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania
Some areas of Southwestern Pennsylvania saw 6 or more inches of snow from Friday evening through Saturday morning, exceeding by a few inches what forecasters had predicted for the winter storm. The heaviest band of snow pushed through southern Allegheny County, after dumping up to 11 inches in areas of...
Drake and J. Cole wow old and new fans at PPG Paints Arena
Two legends can co-exist, and they did it Friday night as the Drake with J. Cole: It’s All A Blur Tour-Big As The What? hit the PPG Paints Arena stage for the first of two nights. It might have been snowy and cold outside, but Drake and J. Cole brought...
Shock value: Pirates’ rapid response saved Ernie Withers, inspired him to pay it forward
BRADENTON, Fla. — Ernie Withers stood in left-center field at Pirate City, where he almost died during a spring training workout a year ago, and reflected on how the Pittsburgh Pirates saved his life. And, by doing so, saved his wife. When Withers went into sudden cardiac arrest at the...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: How can the Pirates still have uncertainty with Henry Davis?
The Pittsburgh Pirates took catcher Henry Davis with the first pick of the 2021 MLB Draft. When you select a player 1/1, he should make big-league impact fairly quickly. You should have a clear plan in place for his progress. With Davis, the Pirates didn’t. If they did, it was...
Stipends help improve fire protection in Rostraver, Southwest Greensburg
Two Westmoreland County volunteer fire departments are looking at how they can continue offering a stipend to firefighters who staff the respective stations after grant funding runs out. Officials at both stations — Rostraver Central and Southwest Greensburg — said their response time has improved by a minute or more...
Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium to close Saturday after the deaths of 3 animals, will reopen Sunday
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium will be closed Saturday after the death of three animals this month. In a Facebook post, a zoo spokesperson said the one-day closure comes “out of respect for staff and recent animal losses” and offer the staff “time for grieving and healing.” The post said...
House lawmakers unveil $66 billion foreign aid, border plan
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of House lawmakers released a $66.3 billion foreign aid and border package Friday that, backers hope, will be an alternative to the Senate-passed national security supplemental. The newly unveiled legislation includes military-only assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan — a departure from the $95.3 billion...
‘No evidence’ Russia has decided what to do with emerging anti-satellite weapon, Biden says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Friday there was no sign Russia has decided to go ahead and deploy an emerging anti-satellite weapon, the disclosure of which has rattled Washington this week. The White House has confirmed that U.S. intelligence officials have information indicating Russia has obtained such a capability,...
Ukraine withdrawing from Avdiivka, where outnumbered defenders held out for 4 months
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s military chief said early Saturday that he’s withdrawing troops from the city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, where outnumbered defenders battled a Russian assault for four months. The timing is critical as Russia is looking for a morale boost ahead of the second anniversary Feb. 24...
A $355 million penalty and business ban: Takeaways from Trump’s New York civil fraud verdict
NEW YORK — Donald Trump suffered a big blow Friday as a New York judge ordered the former president and his companies to pay $355 million in penalties for what the judge described as a scheme to deceive banks and insurers by exaggerating Trump’s wealth on his annual financial statements....
Pa. high court to weigh if life without parole for felony murder is constitutional
The state Supreme Court on Friday said it will take up a Pittsburgh case challenging the constitutionality of Pennsylvania’s mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole for second-degree, or felony, murder. It is the first time Pennsylvania’s highest court will consider the issue — looking at it through the...
Hostile reaction greets Biden during East Palestine visit a year after train derailment
Just over a year after a fiery derailment shocked East Palestine, Ohio and the surrounding area, President Joe Biden visited the area for the first time Friday. He received a mostly hostile reaction from the predominantly anti-Biden crowd. Some people in the small town near the Pennsylvania border expressed skepticism...
Prosecution alleges conspiracy to kill Murrysville businessman who was found dead at Clarion County camp
A Butler County man testified in court Friday that he fatally shot a Murrysville man at the urging of his uncle because the uncle promised to get him a work truck. Braden N. Elliott, 20, of Chicora testified that his uncle, Jeremy T. Fisher asked Elliott on Dec. 26 to...
Pennsylvania high court takes up challenge to the state’s life-without-parole sentences
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court will consider if some automatic life sentences for those convicted of murder violate constitutional protections for defendants, the justices said Friday. The appeal being pursued by Derek Lee, convicted of a 2014 killing, argues the state’s life-without-parole law violates prohibitions in the Pennsylvania and U.S....
Federal prosecutors: East Hills felon ‘repeatedly endangered the community’ by firing machine gun in several incidents
A former East Hills man and convicted felon was sentenced to a decade in federal prison on Friday, after he was found in possession of a machine gun that prosecutors said was fired during multiple shooting incidents in Pittsburgh and Penn Hills. Oronde Shelton, 51, was sentenced following conviction on...
