Top Stories category, Page 8
Sports betting websites to require valid ID in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania will soon require a valid government-issued ID for online sports betting. Lee Copello, director of iGaming compliance for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, said that by Feb. 28, all existing iGaming and online sports betting users will have to upload photos of the front and back of their ID...
Assistant chief in Allegheny County DA’s office resigns amid criminal charges
An assistant chief in the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office who is facing criminal charges has resigned. Richard McDonald, 56, of Oakdale submitted his resignation within the past several days, his attorney, Robert Del Greco Jr., confirmed Wednesday. McDonald, who started with the DA’s office in May 2018, received $125,723...
Justice Department can unseal records from Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case, judge says
NEW YORK — Secret grand jury transcripts from Jeffrey Epstein’s 2019 sex trafficking case can be made public, a judge ruled on Wednesday, joining two other judges in granting the Justice Department’s requests to unseal material from investigations into the late financier’s sexual abuse. U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman...
Man accused of stealing $13K worth of trading cards from New Kensington store
A Ford City man is accused of stealing more than $13,000 worth of trading cards from a New Kensington store. Police say Jeffrey James Spang, 48, stole from the Feisty Goblin store on Fifth Avenue in New Kensington on at least 12 occasions. The total reported loss was $13,118, according...
Dollar General ordered to pay $1.5M in penalties for overcharging customers
Discount chain Dollar General will pay $1.5 million in penalties for allegedly overcharging customers, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. Sunday announced he reached a settlement with Dollar General Corp. and its parent company, Dolgen Corp., after an investigation found customers were being charged higher prices than what was...
Trump’s speech in Pa. on combating inflation turns to grievances about immigrants from ‘filthy’ countries
MOUNT POCONO — On the road in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, President Donald Trump tried to emphasize his focus on combating inflation, yet the issue that has damaged his popularity couldn’t quite command his full attention. The president told the crowd gathered at a casino and resort in Mount Pocono that...
Western Pennsylvania faces mix of snow, rain and dropping temperatures
Western Pennsylvania could see heavy wet snowfall and rain throughout the day Wednesday, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Early Wednesday morning, the region could see wet snowflakes off and on, according to WTAE. From about 7 to 10 a.m., wet snow mixed with rain is expected, before changing over...
Penn State faculty file for union representation
Faculty at Pennsylvania State University soon could be part of a union. Members of the Penn State Faculty Alliance on Tuesday said they turned in thousands of union authorization cards to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board’s offices in Harrisburg. The alliance petitioned to represent all faculty, including at University Park,...
Editorial: A child wasn’t protected. The law must change
Renesmay Eutsey was supposed to be kept safe. That is why she was removed from the care of her mother, Christina Benedetto, in 2019 when she was 3. It’s why she was placed with Benedetto’s cousin, Sarah Shipley, and her biological father’s cousin, Kourtney Eutsey, and why she would eventually...
Police: Man shot during burglary attempt at his Wilkinsburg home
A man was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in Wilkinsburg on Tuesday night. Allegheny County Police said officers were notified of a shooting shortly before 8 p.m. along the 2200 block of McNary Boulevard. First responders found a man shot in the torso. Police said preliminary information shows...
Local vendors eye NFL Draft 2026 contract opportunities
After months of education and training, business members of the NFL’s 2026 Source Program got their first opportunity to meet face-to-face with potential buyers in the 2026 NFL Draft. On Tuesday, Pittsburgh vendors gathered at the Community College of Allegheny County Foerster Student Service Center in Pittsburgh’s North Side for...
Crews battle blaze at Wilkinsburg home
Several fire crews responded to a residential fire in Wilkinsburg on Tuesday night. Allegheny County 911 dispatchers said the blaze began around 7:40 p.m. on the 1000 block of North Avenue. No injuries were initially reported, according to dispatchers. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire provides fire protection in Wilkinsburg. The...
Springdale residents, environmental groups gather to oppose data center
About two dozen community members discussed concerns and penned letters to local officials Tuesday night about a proposed data center in Springdale. Hearings for the center have been ongoing for several months, but a final vote to approve or reject the project is expected Tuesday. Organized by local environmental groups...
‘Grim picture’: Pittsburgh council meets in private to hear options for tax hike, budget cuts
Pittsburgh City Council members met Tuesday behind closed doors to hear a presentation about ways to fix a gaping hole in the 2026 budget. Council Budget Director Peter McDevitt showed council options including tax increases at various levels, scaled-down pay raises for nonunion workers and cuts to the city’s workforce....
Greensburg pension commission returns $62K to ex-chief, hears appeal on benefits suspension
Greensburg will return nearly $62,000 in pension contributions made by its former police chief while the city’s police pension commission weighs an appeal by a retired officer whose benefits have been suspended. Both former cops — Regina McAtee, 52, of New Kensington and Shawn Denning, 44, of Delmont — are...
Robert Friedlander, longtime head of neurological surgery at UPMC, steps down
Dr. Robert Friedlander, longtime head of neurological surgery at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, has stepped down from his post, the hospital system confirmed Tuesday. A UPMC spokesperson offered no additional details about Friedlander’s abrupt departure from his position, which he’s held since 2010. Pitt referred TribLive to UPMC’s...
Arnold man cleared of assault on inmate during sheriff transport
A Westmoreland County jury on Tuesday acquitted an Arnold man of assaulting a female inmate while the two were being taken to jail in the back seat of a sheriff’s car. Jurors deliberated one hour before returning not-guilty verdicts on charges of aggravated harassment by a prisoner and indecent assault...
Shooting at Kentucky State University leaves 1 dead, 1 hurt and a suspect in custody, officials say
FRANKFORT, Ky. — One student was killed and another was critically wounded in a shooting at a residence hall at Kentucky State University on Tuesday, and a suspect who is not a student at the school has been arrested, officials said. The shooting happened around 3 p.m. and was an...
New Kensington police charge brother of man killed outside Elks Lodge with homicide
New Kensington police believe the man killed outside the Elks Lodge early Saturday was shot by his brother during an altercation with another person. They’ve charged Steffon Ballard, 38, with homicide, attempted homicide, possession of a firearm and aggravated assault in the death of Jeffrey Ballard, 46, who served as...
Expiring Obamacare subsidies prompt thousands to drop Pennie health insurance
For every new enrollment, two Pennsylvanians are dropping Obamacare coverage as steep government subsidies are set to expire at year’s end. About 38,000 people who have Affordable Care Act coverage through Pennie, the state’s health insurance exchange, have opted not to renew their plans for next year. That’s compared to...
Monzo to retire as head of Westmoreland airport authority
Gabe Monzo, who has seen plenty of takeoffs and landings during his more than four decades working for the Westmoreland County Airport Authority — including the last 17 as its executive director — announced Tuesday he will retire from that role at the end of April. “While the responsibilities seem...
Who are Pittsburgh Mayor-elect O’Connor’s latest picks for his administration?
Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey O’Connor this week announced his picks for more key posts in his administration. Sharon Werner — a former chief of staff to U.S. Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch — will be the city’s chief operating officer. Sophia Shapiro, the daughter of Gov. Josh Shapiro, will...
Planned $68M health sciences building at Duquesne University to open in fall 2028
Duquesne University officials say a new, $68 million health sciences facility will locate clinical services, consolidate programs and strengthen the college’s role in regional health care. Duquesne announced Tuesday that it plans to build a new, 80,000-square-foot health sciences facility at the corner of Forbes Avenue and Magee Street that...
Former teacher accused of sexual assault most recently taught at private Butler County school
A former Highlands School District teacher charged last week with sexual assault against children continued to teach after leaving the district in 2022. Sean Dicer, 53, of Brackenridge was most recently employed at Penn Christian Academy, a private school in Penn Township, Butler County. Dicer was arrested Thursday and charged...
False fire alarm fines begin in Greensburg with the new year; ordinance holds property owners accountable
New rules regarding false fire alarms in Greensburg are set to go into effect Jan. 1. Greensburg council on Monday unanimously approved updating an ordinance that holds property owners accountable for alarm malfunctions, particularly when firefighters repeatedly respond to the same building. Fire Chief Tom Bell said firefighters have been...
