Jack Troy stories, Page 2
UPMC Altoona attack spurs demand for enhanced workplace safety
Pennsylvania’s top health care union launched a petition drive Wednesday for improved workplace safety after the beating of a worker at UPMC Altoona hospital last week. Service Employees International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania argues the assault of Travis Dunn should be the catalyst for UPMC and other health systems to invest...
Police charge Butler Township man in infant son’s death
A Butler Township father has been charged in connection with the death of his 2-month-old son after police found the infant’s bruised and lifeless body on a couch Saturday. Vincent Miceli, 32, was charged Monday with homicide, aggravated assault of a young child and endangering the welfare of children. An...
Costco looks to sell beer and wine at Cranberry store — a 1st in Pa.
Costco wants to break into the beer and wine business in Pennsylvania, starting with its Cranberry location. The bulk goods retailer has a pending application with the Pa. Liquor Control Board that, if successful, would enable it to sell limited amounts of alcohol. In states and stores where allowed, Costco...
16-year-old boy shot in the head in Monessen
A 16-year-old boy was shot in the head in Monessen on Tuesday evening, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. The shooting happened near the intersection of Linden Avenue and Rostraver Street, Monessen police Chief David Yuhasz told WTAE. Police found the injured boy conscious and alert. He was then flown...
Phages to the rescue? Pitt lab develops viruses to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Bacteria-killing viruses built from scratch in a University of Pittsburgh lab could be a breakthrough in the battle against fearsome antibiotic-resistant infections. Pitt biotechnology researcher Graham Hatfull spearheaded the development of the viruses made entirely of synthetic genetic material in a study set for publication this week in the Proceedings...
Misspelling fixed on Michael Keaton’s Pittsburgh Walk of Fame plaque
Michael Keaton’s Pittsburgh Walk of Fame star, unveiled last month, originally honored the value of proofreading as much as the Kennedy Township-born actor. But he’s “Micheal” no more. As of Sunday, the creators of the Strip District attraction had installed a new bronze-cast plaque that switched the “a” and “e”...
Steelers vs. Chargers: What they’re saying in Los Angeles after win
Pittsburgh Steelers faithful know quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been relatively dependable this season, even as he nears 42 years of age. But in a 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, Rodgers looked “every bit” of a football player hitting middle-age, wrote Chargers beat writer Sam Farmer...
Duolingo’s stock plunges after company eases push for paid subscribers
Duolingo’s stock price plunged nearly 30% after the Pittsburgh-based language learning app said Wednesday it’s prioritizing getting users in the door over making them paying customers. Shares of Duolingo on the Nasdaq stock exchange tumbled to $183 Thursday from $260 a day earlier. By market close Friday, the price made...
Nippon Steel projects long-term success for U.S. Steel despite current challenges
U.S. Steel is facing significant challenges in its early days under Nippon Steel, according to financial reports released Wednesday, but the Japanese firm remains confident its nearly $15 billion purchase will pay off. Nippon cited weak domestic demand in the U.S., market uncertainty and costs from the deadly Clairton Coke...
Allegheny County Council rejects restoring some leg shackle use at county jail
Allegheny County Council struck down a measure Wednesday night to partly reverse the ban on restraining prisoners with leg shackles. The ordinance, sent to council by Allegheny County Jail corrections officers through a citizens’ initiative process, would have allowed the use of leg shackles when incarcerated people leave the facility...
3 arrested after burglary, foot chase in Edgeworth, police say
Three suspects are in custody after a burglary and foot chase Thursday morning in Edgeworth, according to police. Around 8:40 a.m., the owner of a home on Oliver Road called police because she saw two masked men trying to break in through her back door, Edgeworth police Chief John Burlett...
CMU researchers find selfish traits in cutting-edge AI
Artificial intelligence can be oh so human. New research from Carnegie Mellon University shows AI systems meant to mimic human reasoning have selfish tendencies, compared to simpler models. Teacher-student duo Hirokazu Shirado, an associate professor at the university’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and doctoral candidate Yuxuan Li released their findings last...
Developer proposes Strip District apartments, grocery store on site of departing produce wholesaler
A proposed development in Pittsburgh’s Strip District follows a familiar pattern of replacing the neighborhood’s legacy industry, wholesale produce, with modern apartments and shops. New York City-based Midwood Investment and Development wants to take one of the Strip District’s last produce warehouses, tear it down and turn it into a...
Pitt lab launches $42M project to merge latest in wheelchair, robotic arm tech
A laboratory in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square is poised to make the next breakthrough in wheelchairs, a mostly stagnant industry with huge quality of life implications for millions of disabled Americans. Researchers at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a collaboration between the University of Pittsburgh and the U.S. Department of Veterans...
U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson works getting new hot strip mill
U.S. Steel announced Tuesday that its Edgar Thomson Works is getting a hot strip mill, part of a $14 billion investment package across all company facilities from new owner Nippon Steel. In a 17-page report on its integration with Japan’s largest steelmaker, U.S. Steel described the planned mill as “state...
Pittsburgh autonomous vehicle firm Aurora hits the gas on driverless truck rollout
Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation is accelerating the rollout of its driverless trucks as it looks to evolve from a promising experiment to a profitable enterprise. A new route that launched last week — the company’s second — runs from Fort Worth to El Paso in Texas. It spans about 600 miles....
Eye implant co-created by Pitt researcher helps the near-blind see again
A retinal implant the size of a strawberry seed co-created by a University of Pittsburgh researcher has helped partially restore vision for older people suffering from macular degeneration. The study was conducted in Europe and co-led by Dr. José-Alain Sahel, chair of Pitt’s ophthalmology department and director of the UPMC...
Rising health insurance costs are pinching business owners — and driving them to cheaper alternatives
It’s a never-ending battle for Rebecca Kasavich, owner of Copies at Carson, to fund health insurance for workers at her commercial print shop in Pittsburgh’s South Side. About 15 years ago, she made employees pay into their plans for the first time — a common move for businesses struggling with...
5 things to know about Obamacare open enrollment
Steep discounts for millions of Americans on Obamacare won’t expire until Dec. 31, but an exodus from the government health insurance program is expected to start Saturday when open enrollment kicks off for 2026. Nearly all people browsing Affordable Care Act plans will see higher prices than last year because...
Giant Eagle gives opening dates for standalone pharmacies in Mt. Washington, Sewickley
A former Rite Aid in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood will reopen Thursday morning as a standalone Giant Eagle Pharmacy. Much like the Rite Aid before it, the store at 211 Virginia Ave. will fill prescriptions and sell an assortment of health, beauty and wellness products. Where it will differ is...
Westinghouse strikes $80B deal with U.S. for nuclear reactors
Westinghouse Electric Co. announced Tuesday an $80 billion deal with the U.S. government to build nuclear reactors. It’s the latest push from the Trump administration to boost power production as artificial intelligence supercharges electricity demand, and yet another entry into the government’s growing portfolio of private-public partnerships. “This historic partnership...
Utility merger to fold Peoples Natural Gas into $63B conglomerate
American Water and Essential Utilities, two top players in the Pennsylvania utility market, have agreed to merge into a water, wastewater and natural gas conglomerate worth $63 billion. New Jersey-based American Water would absorb Essential in the $12 billion, all-stock transaction announced Monday, getting 69% control of the combined company...
United Steelworkers elects its 1st woman president
The United Steelworkers union, a Pittsburgh-based giant of organized labor, has selected its next leader. International Vice President Roxanne Brown secured the presidency in a unionwide election, the United Steelworkers announced Friday. Brown, a Black woman, is the 10th person to hold the top job — and the first who’s...
Pa. union organizer deems strike timing ideal for unionized Starbucks baristas
Starbucks Workers United is launching a strike authorization vote Friday amid stalled talks for a first contract between union baristas and the coffeehouse chain. Baristas are also planning 70 “practice pickets” in 60 cities as the vote unfolds to draw attention to their demands for better staffing, pay and working...
U.S. Steel to restart coke battery damaged in deadly blast
U.S. Steel is restarting one of two batteries damaged by a deadly explosion in August at its Clairton Coke Works. Battery No. 14 will go back online Thursday after about two months on hot idle, the company announced Wednesday. The battery needed substantial repairs after an Aug. 11 blast that...
