Top Stories category, Page 528
TV Talk: WQED-TV GM looks ahead, plans station move from Oakland
It’s been six months since Jason Jedlinski took over as president of WQED Multimedia, so I wanted to check in on what he’s learned so far, where things stand regarding the station’s spate of technical hiccups and what’s on the horizon regarding local linear TV programming. But first, some news:...
How do superintendents make the call to cancel school in bad weather?
When the weather gets bad, Mike Porembka hops in his truck and hits the road at 4 a.m. The Greater Latrobe School District superintendent drives around the district — from downtown Latrobe to Unity — gathering information and assessing road conditions and temperatures. Ultimately, he must decide whether to cancel...
Greater Latrobe board to tour schools after pausing pricey plan to revitalize facilities
Greater Latrobe School Board members who last month halted plans for at least $182 million in proposed construction and renovations are scheduled to tour the district’s five schools Saturday to look at building needs. “I feel some of the board members just need to have the opportunity to walk through...
Westmoreland County workers reject contract offer, intend to strike
After months of failed contract negotiations, members of a union representing more than 500 Westmoreland County employees plan to notify the county Monday of their intent to go on strike in 10 days. Union members rejected the county’s latest proposal on Thursday, according to a news release from Service Employees...
Authorities identify man killed in crash on Pittsburgh’s South Side
Authorities have identified the man who was killed in a crash Thursday afternoon on Pittsburgh’s South Side. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Jeffrey Thomas Neel, 58, of California. Pittsburgh police said crashed on Pittsburgh’s South Side when he lost control of his vehicle and hit...
U.S. appeals court issues narrow win for gun advocates in Pa. case
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that adults between ages 18 and 20 in Pennsylvania may openly carry guns – but only during a state of emergency. The narrowly tailored 2-1 decision – prompted by a lawsuit filed by a group of plaintiffs that included a Verona woman — set...
Train hits disabled vehicle on tracks in Derry Township
A freight train hit a disabled vehicle early Thursday evening on the railroad tracks in Derry Township, a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor said. A woman, who was not identified, got out of the vehicle and was walking around when firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after the accident at...
Utility shut-off protections in Pa. would be expanded to summer months under bill
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. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers have until the end of 2024 to reauthorize a key area of state law that protects low-income utility customers from sudden...
Hunter Biden agrees to deposition with House Republican after months of defiance, committee says
WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden has agreed to appear before House Republicans for a private deposition next month, ending months of defiance from the president’s son, who had insisted on testifying publicly. The House Oversight Committee announced Thursday that the two parties have agreed for Hunter Biden to sit for a...
Icy blast gripping U.S. blamed for 14 deaths in Tennessee; Oregon braces for another round of coldVideo
NASHVILLE — At least 14 deaths in Tennessee have been linked to a storm system that blanketed the state in snow and sent temperatures plummeting, as bitterly cold weather kept an icy grip Thursday on a swath of the U.S. stretching from Oregon to the Northeast. Tennessee officials updated the...
Robinson launches reelection bid in pivotal Pa. Senate district
State Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville, on Thursday announced his reelection campaign in a pivotal Southwestern Pennsylvania district that could help determine which party controls the Senate. Robinson, a Marine veteran who served in the Gulf War following the September 11 attacks, said he is running for reelection in District 37...
Congress votes to avert a shutdown and keep the government funded through early March
WASHINGTON — Congress sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March. The House approved the measure by a vote of 314-108, with opposition coming mostly from the more conservative members of the Republican conference....
Pittsburgh braces for snowstorm, urges drivers to stay off roads Friday, closes HOV lanes
With a major snowstorm heading for the Pittsburgh region, city officials are urging residents to stay off the roads Friday as they prepare to clear streets with a depleted fleet of plows. The snowstorm is expected to start after midnight with flurries changing to mostly snow after 3 a.m., with...
Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell to reopen with late owner’s children at helm
Kelsie Magill plans to carry on in her late father’s footsteps. “My goal is to live up to what he believed in — and then some,” said Magill, 22. That includes reopening her father’s popular Lower Burrell bar and restaurant. Magill and her brother, Connor, two of David “Mogie” Magill’s...
Fern Hollow Bridge victims end records spat as deadline to sue looms
Months after attorneys asked the City of Pittsburgh to turn over voluminous records related to the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, they withdrew their request Wednesday, saying they’d received the documents from other sources. The fight for the records — bridge inspection reports and communications among engineers with the city, the...
Starbucks, Harbor Freight proposed for New Kensington’s Riverview Plaza
New Kensington won’t be getting another car wash, but it is in line to get a Starbucks cafe and Harbor Freight store instead. The discount tools store, nearly 16,000 square foot, and 2,500-square-foot coffee shop are proposed for Riverview Plaza off Tarentum Bridge Road. Harbor Freight would be built beside...
Faculty union, Pa. university system reach potential labor deal
The union representing 5,000 state university faculty across Pennsylvania has reached “an agreement in principle” with leaders of the State System of Higher Education, both parties confirmed Thursday. The agreement followed a full day and night of negotiating. It comes almost seven months after the existing agreement between the Association...
Feds slam Pittsburgh synagogue shooter’s push for new trial
Federal prosecutors say the man who killed 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue five years ago should not get a new trial and doesn’t even deserve a hearing on his request. In a 124-page response to a motion seeking a new trial filed by Robert Bowers in November, the...
$1.8 million winning lottery ticket sold in Murrysville
Pennsylvania Lottery officials will stop in Murrysville Friday morning to present a $1.8 million check to a recent Cash 5 winner. Highway foreman Dennis O’Neill, 55, of Monroeville, purchased the winning ticket on New Year’s Eve at the Murrysville Shop’n Save. O’Neill told lottery officials he plans to continue working...
Morning roundup: Snow’s coming; Butler butcher shop damaged by fire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Jan. 18: The Pittsburgh area could see a few inches of snow in the coming days, with a “winter weather advisory” in effect for most of southwestern Pennsylvania from 1 a.m. Friday to 10 a.m. Saturday, according to...
Editorial: Mike Tomlin should punt the pettiness and petulance
A coach is someone who gives instruction. Coaches train. They teach. They help make people better. The simple arithmetic of wins and losses shows the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin is a good coach. He joined the organization in 2007. In that time, he has amassed two Super Bowl appearances with...
Monroeville man charged with homicide in the slaying of Carrick man on New Year’s Eve
A Monroeville man has been charged with homicide and other crimes after he allegedly shot and killed a man on New Year’s Eve in Carrick. Timothy Debold, 43, also faces charges of burglary, carrying a firearm without a license and persons not to possess firearms in connection with the Dec....
‘We want to bring everybody in’: Hempfield aims to bring fire stations under township management
Hempfield will meet with its 11 fire departments to discuss having all of them being managed by the township. North Hempfield Fire Department became Hempfield’s first “nonchartered station” — managed entirely by the township — in 2021. That means all of its expenses are paid by the township. The township...
Pittsburgh police search for missing Brookline man
Pittsburgh police seek the public’s help in locating a missing man. Dino Cardamone, 61, of the city’s Brookline neighborhood, was heard from on Monday. He is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds with short brown hair and brown eyes. Public Safety officials said Cardamone may be wearing...
Power line falls on car during Oregon ice storm, killing 3 and injuring a baby, authorities sayVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — A power line fell on a parked car in northeast Portland, Oregon, on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring a baby during an ice storm that turned roads and mountain highways treacherous in the Pacific Northwest. Shortly before noon, dispatchers started receiving frantic calls about a downed...
