Top Stories category, Page 318
Could Springdale Church’s donated Pittsburgh Christmas tree be the last from the property?
A reliable supply of towering Christmas trees for Pittsburgh’s annual display may come to an end Saturday after crews cut down two more evergreens from an old church in Springdale. The city has sourced the centerpiece of its Light Up Night festivities from the former St. Alphonsus Church, owned by...
Trump’s defense choice stuns the Pentagon and raises questions about the Fox News host’s experience
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump stunned the Pentagon and the broader defense world by nominating Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary, tapping someone largely inexperienced and untested on the global stage to take over the world’s largest and most powerful military. The news was met...
Morning Roundup: McKeesport teacher’s aide charged with assaulting special-needs student
Here are some news items for Wednesday, Nov. 13. McKeesport teacher’s aide charged with assault A teacher’s aide at Francis McClure Elementary School in White Oak has been charged with assaulting a 5-year-old special-needs student. Allegheny County Police were assigned to investigate a ChildLine report about an incident that allegedly...
Driest summer since 2002 leads to increase in brush fires
Southwestern Pennsylvania set an April record for rainfall this year, racking up nearly 8 inches, according to the National Weather Service. But over the past six months, the region has experienced drought-like conditions that have left Western Pennsylvania at a 3-inch rainfall deficit. This has created ideal conditions for brush...
Trump says Musk, Ramaswamy will form outside group to advise White House on government efficiency
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said in a...
Trump builds out national security team with picks of Pete Hegseth for Pentagon, Kristi Noem for DHS
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump moved to build out his national security team Tuesday, announcing he is nominating Fox News host and Army veteran Pete Hegseth to serve as his defense secretary and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. In...
Pittsburgh eyes extending controversial purple curb parking program
Pittsburgh may indefinitely extend a controversial program that aims to discourage drivers from monopolizing much-needed parking spots in certain busy areas. Marked by purple curbs and matching signage, smart loading zones are areas where a graduated payment system encourages drivers to get in and out of parking spots quickly, freeing...
GOP asks Pa. Supreme Court to reject mail-in ballots with handwritten date errors
The Republican Party is calling on the state Supreme Court to discount mail-in ballots that arrive on time but lack written dates. On Tuesday, the Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Pennsylvania filed a petition asking the court to reverse a decision last month by the state’s Commonwealth Court....
North Shore’s Esplanade development gets green light, giant Ferris wheel and all
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the master plan for a riverfront development that intends to bring a nearly 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel, housing, entertainment and shopping to the city’s North Shore. Dubbed Esplanade, the development would revitalize a roughly 15-acre brownfield along the Ohio River in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood. Canonsburg-based...
Judge rejects former Ligonier Valley police chief’s bid to dismiss sexual assault charges
A former police chief accused of sexually assaulting a patient at an addiction treatment facility will be tried on the charges, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Tuesday. Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik-DeFazio rejected a defense claim that the case against former Ligonier Valley police Chief John Berger was defective. The...
Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira sentenced to 15 years in prison by a federal judge
BOSTON — A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Massachusetts Air National Guard member to 15 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents about the war in Ukraine. Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty earlier this year to six counts of willful retention and transmission of...
Man jailed after bringing flash-bang grenade to Pittsburgh airport, police say
Security at Pittsburgh International Airport Tuesday morning caught a West Virginia man they said was trying to carry a live flash-bang grenade onto a flight. Allegheny County Police said they arrested Zachary Velling, 25, of Morgantown, after the Transportation Security Administration officers found the device in a passenger bag at...
FAA prohibits U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti and U.N. suspends flights after plane was shot by gangsVideo
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it will prohibit U.S. airlines from flying to Haiti for 30 days after gangs shot a Spirit Airlines flight and the United Nations said it will suspend flights, “obviously limiting the flow of humanitarian aid and humanitarian personnel into the...
Pittsburgh officials want to resume free spay, neuter services for cats, dogs
Pittsburgh City Council will consider resuming a program offering free spay and neuter services for pet cats and dogs as well as stray cats. Proposals introduced Tuesday would expand contracts for Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh to perform the work from 2025 through 2027. Contracts for spay and neuter services...
Federal judge hears evidence on blocking Pyrex plant closure in Charleroi
A federal judge will decide by the end of Thursday whether to block the closure of a Pyrex-making glassware plant in Charleroi that is a major employer in the Mon Valley. The Pennsylvania Attorney General is seeking a preliminary injunction to prohibit Centre Lane Partners, a private equity firm working...
‘Mission remains the same’: Gainey focuses 2025 budget on boosting core services
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday used his annual budget address to applaud his administration’s efforts to improve core city services, make bridges safer, respond faster to snowstorms and revitalize a Downtown that has seen increasing vacancies since the covid-19 pandemic. The mayor told City Council his proposed budget for...
23andMe users could be eligible for data breach settlement
After a data breach affected around half of its customers, family ancestry company 23andMe has agreed to a $30 million settlement — and users could be eligible to receive a payout in the future. 23andMe is a DNA testing company that provides users with ancestry, genetics and health information. Users...
Holiday Krampus event booted from Market Square, new venue announced
The 2024 Krampus celebration in Pittsburgh has been booted from Market Square and will relocate this year, according to the event organizer. Pittsburgh’s 10th annual Krampusnacht celebration is moving to Penn Brewery in response to an email sent to organizer Mark Menold last December by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership’s Special...
Schumer invites McCormick to Senate orientation
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has reversed course and invited Pennsylvania Republican Dave McCormick to the chamber’s orientation for new senators following an initial snub because of uncounted ballots in McCormick’s race. McCormick was declared the winner Friday by The Associated Press in an upset victory, but Democratic incumbent...
Biden funded new factories and infrastructure projects, but Trump might get to cut the ribbons
WASHINGTON — All that’s left is for President-elect Donald Trump to put his name on it — if he wants. Trump won the White House in large part because of voters’ frustration with high prices and a sense that the United States needs major changes. But when he enters office...
Hoarding disorder can drive families and communities apart. An Irwin nonprofit can help
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. Sign up for free here. Cindy’s home has so much stuff that she can’t use certain areas. Boxes form...
Democrat Ruben Gallego wins Arizona U.S. Senate race against Republican Kari Lake
PHOENIX — Democrat Ruben Gallego has been elected Arizona’s first Latino U.S. senator, defeating Republican Kari Lake and preventing Republicans from further padding their Senate majority. Gallego’s victory continues a string of Democratic successes in a state that was reliably Republican until Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. Arizona...
Trump planning to choose Marco Rubio to lead State Department in historic first
President-elect Donald Trump plans to tap U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio as his secretary of state, making him the first Latino to helm the State Department, according to a source familiar with the plans. Trump’s selection of Rubio, born in Miami to Cuban parents, is expected to assuage fears among GOP...
Norwin football stadium project could cost more than $25M
It could cost more than $25 million to demolish Norwin stadium and design and build its replacement, an architect told school officials Monday. The stadium’s concrete grandstand would be replaced with aluminum bleachers, a new press box, expanded restrooms and new turf. It will cost about $21.8 million for the...
‘You have to catch it while you can’: People flock to Great Crossings Bridge despite safety risks
People aren’t heeding a warning that it isn’t safe to walk atop the Great Crossings Bridge at Youghiogheny River Lake. The 206-year-old bridge is exposed because of the dry spell, and there’s been a steady stream of sightseers who flocked to — and past — the bridge’s Somerset County entrance...
