Top Stories category, Page 52
State-owned universities to recruit former students who never completed degrees
If you’re one of the 130,000 people who obtained course credits at one of the state system’s colleges but never finished your degree, you’ll be hearing from the university soon. Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education will be rolling out a program reconnecting with and recruiting former students who didn’t...
Roughly 46,000 troops won’t be paid during the government shutdown
Roughly 46,000 full-time U.S. military members are without pay during the federal government shutdown despite President Donald Trump’s push to pay active duty troops. The impacted service members, known as dual-status technicians, are full-time employees of the National Guard and other military reserve units who under federal law must wear...
Pittsburgh, Strip District merchants compromise to resolve bike lane brouhaha
Pittsburgh’s bike-lane battle appears to be over. The Strip District Business Association on Thursday struck a reluctant compromise with the City of Pittsburgh on plans to convert a portion of Penn Avenue to a one-lane road with a bike lane. The city initially wanted to add a protected bike lane...
Plans for future of Penn State’s closing campus properties to be set by 2027
A second round of meetings with Penn State leadership and communities where branch campuses are closing, and what the future holds for those properties, will soon be underway, university administration said Thursday. Seven branch campuses — New Kensington, Fayette, Shenango, Mont Alto, DuBois, Wilkes-Barre and York — will close at...
Research shows annoying sounds might not be in your ears, but in your brain
The sound of someone sniffling can be irritating, but that has almost nothing to do with the sound itself, new Carnegie Mellon University research shows. “It’s not the sound, it’s how I feel about the person sitting next to me, and how it’s rude to sniffle,” said Laurie Heller, a...
Report claims Heritage Valley Sewickley, St. Clair hospitals perform needless back surgeries
Two Pittsburgh-area hospitals and one near State College are being called out by a health care think tank for performing what it calls unnecessary back surgeries. A report released earlier this month by the Massachusetts-based Lown Institute says around 38% of spinal fusions performed at Heritage Valley Sewickley weren’t warranted,...
AHN signs deal to pull Heritage Valley hospitals into its network
Allegheny Health Network and the much smaller Heritage Valley Health System have signed a merger agreement, marking the latest push by the Pittsburgh region’s biggest hospital systems to expand their reach. Officials on Thursday announced the deal, which requires state and federal government approval. It would bring Heritage Valley hospitals...
1 injured in crash on I-79
One person was taken to the hospital after a wreck on I-79 in Kennedy Township Thursday morning. The crash was reported just after 7:15 a.m. on I-79 northbound at Forest Grove Road, according to an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher. The northbound lanes had been closed but reopened around 8:10 a.m.,...
Trump diverts anti-terror funds from Democratic strongholds to Republican states
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration plans to shift terrorism prevention funding from Democratic-led states toward those led by Republicans, government records show, as it overhauls a $1 billion program created after the 9/11 attacks. Twelve Democratic-led states are suing to block the cuts, alleging that the Trump administration is trying...
Suspect in Ross Park Mall shooting surrenders to police; 2 other juveniles charged
One teenager is being charged as an adult in connection with a shooting at Ross Park Mall last month, and two others face juvenile charges, according to Ross police. Myshawn Scott, 16, of Pittsburgh’s East Hills neighborhood is charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a minor and...
Morning Roundup: Pedestrians hit by car on sidewalk; students given possibly contaminated ice; Market Square detours
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Oct. 16: Pedestrians hit by car on sidewalk Two pedestrians on a sidewalk near Westinghouse Academy in Pittsburgh’s Homewood West neighborhood were struck by a car Wednesday. First responders were called to the crash around 3 p.m. at...
Steelers vs. Bengals: Get ready for 2025 Week 7 rivalry matchup
For the first time this season, the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1) will play under the lights when they visit Paycor Stadium to play the Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Prime Video, and simulcast locally on WTAE-TV, with Al Michaels...
Federal shutdown could affect deadline for Jeannette flood mitigation project
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County might not meet a state-imposed deadline to complete a program to install new sewer lines in Jeannette because of the federal government shutdown, agency officials said Wednesday. Construction on the $14 million flood mitigation project, which has been in the works since 2019, started...
Editorial: Death penalty decisions must be based on evidence
The death penalty is divisive. Support for and opposition to it is not as easy as political party or position. It is all over the map. There are people with firmly held convictions about crime and law enforcement who draw a line when it comes to capital punishment. There are...
Video of teen’s slaying in Homewood shows shooter with distinctive pants
A video that captured the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy at a Homewood intersection clearly shows a masked man, wearing distinctive black pants with large white decals across the front, raise his gun and fire. Dayvon Vickers, who was stopped at Frankstown and North Homewood avenues on his minibike,...
Pittsburgh fleet manager seeks steady funding source to fix city’s worn-out vehicles
The man in charge of Pittsburgh’s aging fleet of fire trucks, snowplows, police cars and ambulances said the city must find a steady source of revenue to address its increasingly desperate vehicle situation. “At the end of the day, fleet is how the city delivers,” Fleet Manager Firmin Maurice told...
Study questions value of beta-blockers for heart attack patients
Doctors are reassessing decades of standard treatment for patients who have had heart attacks after new research shows beta-blockers may be anywhere from useless to harmful in certain cases. The research was conducted in Spain and Italy and hit medical journals only in August, but it’s already started to impact...
Police arrest fugitive hiding in kitchen pantry in East Pittsburgh
A fugitive Turtle Creek man was arrested by Allegheny County Police on multiple charges on Wednesday after being on the run over the last three months. Detectives said they arrested 23-year-old Cameron Salmon at around 10 a.m. after learning he was hiding inside of a residence in Prospect Terrace in...
Aborted letter to Westmoreland DA, seeking outcome of raid on Ligonier Valley police station, angers officers
A proposed letter from the Ligonier Valley Police Commission to Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli is being called a “slap in the face” to the officers on the force. The police commission this week discussed sending the letter to ask whether local criminal charges are planned stemming from a...
Community Supermarket employees, customers bid farewell to Harrison store
Archie Nyga drove about a half-mile in his electric wheelchair Wednesday to Community Supermarket in Harrison to buy lottery tickets. The 75-year-old, a resident of nearby Sheldon Park, was too late. The grocery store was preparing to close its doors for good at 3 p.m. “It’s OK,” Nyga said. “If...
Gainey loses battle to reform affordable housing as council backs alternate plan
A divided Pittsburgh City Council narrowly voted on Wednesday to rewrite Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposed zoning reform bill, effectively dooming his vision of forcing developers to create more affordable housing. By a 5-4 vote, council members backed an amendment by Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, to give incentives to developers...
Monroeville man killed in crash on I-79 berm
A driver was killed and his passenger seriously injured in a three-vehicle crash early Wednesday on a berm along Interstate 79, state police said. Travis Brown, 37, of Monroeville was driving a Ford Explorer northbound on I-79 in South Fayette around 3:15 a.m. when his SUV hit a vehicle stopped...
A year after their union vote, Greco Steel workers continue contract struggle
Several dozen workers and supporters were met with locked doors at Greco Steel’s Springdale headquarters on Wednesday as some employees continued their yearlong struggle for a contract with the company. The nine workers won a narrow vote — 9-7 — to join the Iron Workers International Union last October. Still...
Sticker shock: Pennie expects Obamacare premiums to soar even more than first feared
The end of enhanced Obamacare subsidies could be even more costly than initially feared for Pennsylvanians who use the health insurance program. Pennie, the state’s Affordable Care Act health insurance exchange, now estimates the average enrollee will see premiums climb 102% if Congress lets the subsidies expire at the end...
Jury convicts Aliquippa man of shooting Monroeville police sergeant
A Beaver County man accused of shooting a Monroeville police sergeant last year was found guilty Wednesday on all counts. Jamal Brooks, 33, of Aliquippa, faces a mandatory 20 to 40 years in prison for assault of a law enforcement officer. The jury, which deliberated for less than three hours,...
