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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Pittsburgh Planning Commission supports tiny houses for homeless
More than a year after the concept was first introduced, zoning changes that would pave the way for Pittsburgh to build tiny houses and other temporary managed communities for the homeless is advancing. Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously supported a zoning bill that would allow for interim housing. That...
Mutual Aid CEO resigns from post after less than 2 years
The CEO of Westmoreland County’s largest ambulance service resigned this week after less than two years on the job, according to a statement released by the service’s board of directors Tuesday. Gene Komondor was hired as CEO of Mutual Aid in April 2023. He served as North Huntingdon’s emergency management...
Cardinal Coffee opens cafe in Jeannette, continues legacy of owner’s deceased son
The past 15 years of Robert Zollinger’s life would undoubtedly look different if it weren’t for the dream of his son, Jason. Jason Zollinger envisioned running his own coffee roastery — a vision he put into motion through Cardinal Coffee Co. in 2010. Inviting his dad to join in on...
Judge throws out claim against Pittsburgh in Kopy’s Bar brawl as trial continues
A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a civil case against the City of Pittsburgh for failing to have a policy in place to prohibit off-duty officers from drinking on the job. Frank DeLuca’s civil trial on claims of malicious prosecution and excessive force against individual police officers involved in...
Consol merger with Arch: Well-positioned for global sales
Pennsylvania’s largest coal company on Tuesday completed its merger with the nation’s second-largest coal producer, creating an industry giant with 25 million tons of annual exporting capacity at a time when global coal use remains strong, according to industry observers. Consol Energy Inc. of Cecil and Arch Resources Inc. of...
Jeannette man accused in hatchet attack now faces rape charges
A Jeannette man accused of attacking another man with a hatchet last year is now facing rape allegations. Additional charges were filed last week against Kyle Joseph Bair, 32. State police said their investigation into rape accusations started in February after a man reported Bair raped him while he was...
Wegmans looks to open Cranberry location in late 2027, hints at further expansion in region 
Wegmans executives said they are eyeing late 2027 as the target date to open their recently announced Cranberry location and hinted there could be more stores coming to the Pittsburgh area. The store still has to get final approval from Cranberry Township and enter the permitting process for the proposed...
Pittsburghers mourn Iron City Beer sign on social media
Pittsburgh’s iconic Iron City Beer sign atop Mount Washington is no more. Instead, an ad for the law firm Pond Lehocky is going up in its place. Iron City used the prominent billboard from 1938 until the mid-1950s. The Lamar-managed advertising space was later occupied by advertisements for Alcoa, Bayer,...
Mike Tomlin to Steelers fans questioning his job: ‘I understand their frustration… I share it’ 
Mike Tomlin beamed with the self-assuredness of a man who will presumably put on a gold jacket one day as a Hall of Fame NFL head coach. Three days after another dispiriting playoff loss ended another underwhelming Pittsburgh Steelers season, Tomlin during his season wrap-up news conference Tuesday was asked...
O’Connor vows to support families, children if elected Pittsburgh mayor
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, campaigning to be Pittsburgh’s mayor, stood in front of Cowley Recreation Center in Troy Hill Tuesday, pointing out the broken windows and boarded-up doors. City officials had hoped to use federal covid-19 relief money to fund improvements to the center. That hasn’t happened. If he’s...
Civil lawsuits from families of former nurse Heather Pressdee’s victims continue to work through courts
Eight months after Heather Pressdee pleaded guilty to murdering at least three patients in nursing centers where she worked, wrongful death lawsuits against many of those centers continue to wind their way through the courts. Pressdee, 42, is serving three consecutive life terms without parole, plus an additional 380 to...
‘The labor shortage will only get worse:’ Trump deportation plans could hit Pa. agriculture hard
Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 155,000 undocumented migrants, according to the American Immigration Council. And around 30,000 of them may work in the state’s agricultural sector, according to estimates from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. With the state’s agriculture industry already facing a workforce shortage, President-elect Donald Trump’s promise...
Pine-Richland School Board rejects book during heated meeting
The Pine-Richland School Board voted against incorporating “Angel of Greenwood,” a novel set during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, into its ninth grade curriculum during an often hostile meeting Jan. 13 that stretched nearly to midnight. Board members, administrators and several public attendees traded barbs over the district’s ongoing controversy...
Stretch of snowy, cold weather pulls cross country ski lovers onto Laurel Highlands trails
Jean Thompson learned one thing Friday — don’t lean back. That tip made the Fairchance woman’s first time cross-country skiing alongside her friend, Kristin Dunham, a fun experience. Despite the cold air atop Laurel Ridge at the border of Fayette and Somerset counties, both women had smiles on their faces...
Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages, officials say
CAIRO — Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, two officials involved in the talks said Tuesday. Mediator Qatar said Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the “closest point” yet to sealing a deal that...
Pete Hegseth confronts allegations of misconduct as senators grill Trump’s choice for Pentagon chief
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, vowed Tuesday to foster a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon and confronted allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking and questions about his derisive views of women in combat during a heated Senate confirmation hearing. Hegseth repeatedly deflected the...
Mom, son sue Greensburg Salem district, claiming discrimination and mistreatment
A mother and her son filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Greensburg Salem School District, claiming officials there discriminated against the boy when he was mistreated in an elementary school special education classroom. The mother said in the suit that she repeatedly told officials at Robert. F. Nicely Elementary School...
Special counsel report says Trump would’ve been convicted for Jan. 6 ‘unprecedented criminal effort’
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith said his team “stood up for the rule of law” as it investigated President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, writing in a much-anticipated report released Tuesday that he stands fully behind his decision to bring criminal charges that...
Mondays mean volunteering at hospital for 99-year-old Greensburg woman
A maintenance worker at the former Jeannette District Memorial Hospital was confused when he saw Rosemary Kindelan’s familiar face in the building on a Friday. “He threw his hands up in the air and said, ‘Don’t tell me it’s Monday,’ ” Kindelan recalled. Kindelan, who turned 99 on Dec. 27,...
Prosecutor who investigated Hunter Biden defends probes, denounces president’s remarks in new report
WASHINGTON — The criminal charges against Hunter Biden “were the culmination of thorough, impartial investigations, not partisan politics,” the prosecutor who led the probes said in a report that sharply criticized President Joe Biden for having maligned the Justice Department when he pardoned his son. “Other presidents have pardoned family...
Civil trial begins in 2018 Kopy’s brawl between undercover Pittsburgh police and Pagans
In clip after clip, the video showed the bartender at Kopy’s on the South Side pouring double and triple shots of Jack Daniels. Over the course of four hours, based on the footage shown to the jury, Pittsburgh police undercover Det. David Honick had at least 20 shots. But, he...
‘A nightmare’: Ligonier native takes to skies to battle Los Angeles fires
Capt. RK Smithley has been one of about a dozen aerial firefighters battling the Los Angeles wildfires, which have killed at least 24 people. “This is kind of a historical event that we’re operating right now,” he said. “My gut reaction was it’s a nightmare.” A Ligonier native, Smithley, 65,...
Suspended Arnold police chief claims setup, seeks dismissal of criminal charges
Arnold’s suspended police chief on Monday claimed his arrest was a result of a setup orchestrated by his former wife. Joshua I. Stanga, 42, was charged with five misdemeanor counts including theft, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence and related offenses in connection with what state investigators described as a...
Judge rules appointment to Ligonier Valley Police Commission invalid
Ligonier Township resident Scott Gongaware’s recent reappointment as a citizen member of the Ligonier Valley Police Commission was invalid, according to Westmoreland County Judge Harry Smail Jr. Smail on Monday barred Gongaware from participating in Tuesday’s meeting of the regional police commission as the judge granted a preliminary injunction on...
Trump pronounces Sen. John Fetterman ‘impressive’ after Mar-a-Lago meeting
President-elect Donald Trump had several positive things to say about Sen. John Fetterman as a result of their meeting during the weekend at Mar-a-Lago, according to the Washington Examiner. Trump heaped praise on Pennsylvania’s senior senator calling him “impressive” and “fascinating.” “It was a totally fascinating meeting. He’s a fascinating...


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