Top Stories category, Page 51
Arnold approves settlements with former police chiefs Josh Stanga, Eric Doutt
Arnold Council voted this week to approve financial settlements with two former police chiefs — Josh Stanga and his predecessor, Eric Doutt. Council agreed to a financial settlement that pays $12,000 to Stanga, whose resignation was accepted on Sept. 9. He was suspended in August 2024 after being arrested by...
It was sold in 1867, but some Russians want Alaska back from the U.S.
Way back in 1991, as the once-mighty Soviet Union disintegrated and Westerners cheered, Vladimir Putin’s favorite rock ‘n’ roll band released “Don’t Fool Around, America,” a patriotic hit about an even older lost cause — Russia’s 1867 sale of Alaska to the United States. This bouncy, accordion-driven single ignored the...
Ex-Trump adviser Bolton pleads not guilty to mishandling classified information charges
GREENBELT, Maryland — John Bolton, the national security hawk and former adviser to Donald Trump who has become one of the U.S. president’s biggest critics, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of mishandling classified information. Bolton, who was indicted on Thursday, is the third of Trump’s prominent critics to...
Verona man accused of tampering with sprinkler system at senior high-rise, displacing 56 residents
An 82-year-old man is facing charges after being accused of causing extensive damage to a seven-story senior high-rise and temporarily displacing nearly 60 residents Thursday night in Verona. Steven Speis, a building resident, is charged with a felony count of criminal mischief along with misdemeanors for allegedly tampering with a...
Iron City Distilling ready to release its first whiskey, in the making for 2 years
Matt Strickland knows how to time travel. It’s a feat the 44-year-old master distiller was able to accomplish with Iron City Distilling’s Bridge Batch, a creation born from a blend between a barrel of the distillery’s 7-year-old sourced bourbon and some of its own 2-year-old stock. Its release on Saturday,...
Preliminary report pinpoints location of deadly Clairton Coke Works blast
A new, independent investigation into a deadly explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works facility in August had similar findings to an earlier study done by an independent federal agency. Engineering Design and Testing Corp., retained by U.S. Steel, released preliminary findings this week that found the explosion took...
Social media influencer charged after jumping into Pittsburgh zoo enclosure
Police have charged an Ohio social media influencer with hopping a fence on his birthday last month at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium’s elephant enclosure, where he was nearly trampled twice by the animal. “Almost elephant food,” the man, 19-year-old Noah Thomas, captioned a video of the encounter posted to...
2 injured in Unity crash
Two people were taken to hospitals Friday after a crash on Route 30 in Unity shut down part of the highway, according to state police. Troopers said Robert W. Reed, 60, of Latrobe, turned from the middle lane of Route 30 east onto Wimmerton Boulevard around 6 a.m. when the...
Steelers vs. Bengals: What they’re saying in Cincinnati after Steelers’ loss
One headline that roared Friday morning in the Cincinnati Enquirer summarized most of what those in Ohio’s third-largest city were saying after the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers the night before at Paycor Stadium: How Joe Flacco saved the Bengals’ season in win over Steelers. “See, Cincinnati Bengals can...
Airing of Grievances: Lousy Steelers defense manifests Mike Tomlin’s fears about Joe Flacco
After the Cincinnati Bengals upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-31 on “Thursday Night Football,” Joe Flacco was conducting an interview on the field with the Prime Video network team. While Flacco was speaking, a large group of remaining fans started chanting “Thank-you, Cleve-land!” over and over again. As Steelers coach Mike...
Inside-out: Open space outside, privacy inside become homebuyer priorities in wake of pandemic
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series on real estate market trends in Western Pennsylvania. The pandemic may have ended, but its impact on how people live — and buy homes — hasn’t. Real estate agents say the once-coveted “open concept” is not as popular as buyers reshape...
Financial pain for many Pa. service providers will continue after budget impasse ends
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Schools and nonprofits that provide critical services to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable have not received billions in payments...
Joe Flacco, Bengals knock off Steelers with last-second field goal
CINCINNATI – Now, the rest of the country knows why Mike Tomlin was so upset about the Cleveland Browns trading Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Starting for the second time in five days for his new team — and less than 10 days after he was acquired in a...
Verona high-rise evacuated after police say man intentionally set off sprinklers
Authorities evacuated a seven-story senior high rise in Verona on Thursday night after police said a man intentionally set off sprinklers inside the building. The incident, reported just after 6 p.m., displaced nearly 60 residents of A.J. Demor Towers, according to Verona police Chief Tom Dessell. Dessell said the displaced...
In a first, strike in Caribbean leaves survivors, U.S. official says
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military carried out a new strike on Thursday against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, and in what is believed to be the first such case, there were survivors among the crew, a U.S. official told Reuters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity,...
Coroner’s ruling pending in Westmoreland jail inmate’s death
A female inmate was found dead in a jail cell this month, the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office said Thursday. Deputy Coroner Al Lonzo said Amber Knepshield, 32, was pronounced dead at 12:22 a.m. in a Westmoreland County prison cell Oct. 3. Lonzo said the office is awaiting results from an...
Leda Health, a Pittsburgh company that makes at-home rape kits, settles false claims lawsuit
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office on Thursday announced a settlement with a Pittsburgh company that sells at-home rape kits. Under the terms of the settlement, Leda Health must provide a written warning that its products do not meet the same standards as hospital-based evidence collection services. The state sued Leda...
Trump barred from deploying troops to Chicago, for now
CHICAGO — A federal appeals court won’t allow President Donald Trump to deploy — at least for now — troops to Illinois as part of his crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz, according to a decision published Oct. 16. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit based in...
Trump says he will meet Putin in Budapest, touting progress in Ukraine talks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Thursday to another summit to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a surprise move that came as Moscow feared fresh U.S. military support for Kyiv. Trump said he and Putin could meet within the next two weeks in...
Pitt trustee loses lawsuit claiming lack of access, retaliation
A longtime University of Pittsburgh trustee who sued during a bitter dispute with the board and its chairman has lost his case. John H. Pelusi Jr., who joined the board in 1994 and became an emeritus member last year, sued the board and its chairman, Jonathan J. Verbanac Sr., in...
Israel, Hamas trade blame over truce violations amid delay in return of dead hostages
CAIRO — Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of a U.S.-mediated ceasefire. A dispute over the return of hostages’ bodies held by...
In surprise move, head of U.S. military for Latin America to step down
WASHINGTON — The admiral who leads U.S. military forces in Latin America will step down at the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday, in a surprise move amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters...
Trump wants more U.S. babies. This is his plan to lower costs, expand access to IVF
WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump announced a plan aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization, seeking to fulfill a 2024 campaign promise by launching a new effort to lower IVF costs for families. Trump’s plan, which he unveiled Thursday in the Oval Office, also calls for eliminating red tape...
John Bolton, former Trump adviser, charged with sharing classified information
John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, was charged on Thursday in a sweeping indictment that accuses him of sharing sensitive government information with two of his relatives for possible use in a book he was writing. The indictment marked the third time in recent weeks the Justice...
Arnold man charged after kids test positive for cocaine
An Arnold man faces three counts of endangering the welfare of children after his 5-, 3- and 1-year-old each tested positive for cocaine. Westmoreland County detectives say they began investigating Josiah Hughes, 30, in May with a case involving child endangerment, according to the District Attorney’s Office. A ChildLine report...
