Top Stories category, Page 319
Chartiers Valley teen accused of threat in custody
The student who authorities believe was behind a threat against Chartiers Valley schools is in custody, police and school district officials said. The threat closed schools in the district Monday, along with classes at the Parkway West Career and Technology Center. The district will be operating on a normal schedule...
McCormick to go to Washington for Senate orientation over Schumer objections
Republican Dave McCormick said Monday he is off to Washington, D.C. for freshman orientation at the U.S. Senate, even as the chamber’s Democratic leaders are withholding an invitation while waiting for the remaining votes to be counted in Pennsylvania. The Associated Press Friday declared McCormick the winner in an upset...
How did Pa. Dems keep the state House during a red wave? Meet Frank Burns
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania House Democrats have clung to their one-vote majority despite a statewide wave of GOP wins that...
Allegheny County manager warns council that rejecting proposed tax hike would be ‘catastrophic’
Allegheny County’s manager is warning County Council that failure to approve a property tax hike near the level proposed for next year could be disastrous. Council members, led by President Pat Catena, began pushing back immediately after County Executive Sara Innamorato in October proposed a 46.5% tax hike to help...
Trump names Lee Zeldin to lead EPA, Stephen Miller to be deputy chief of policy
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump on Monday named former Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency as he continues to build out his future administration with loyal supporters. Trump, in a statement, said Zeldin, who mounted a failed bid for governor of New York in 2022, would...
TV Talk: David Johnson retires from WPXI after 40 years
WPXI announced that veteran news anchor David Johnson, 67, will retire from Channel 11 effective Dec. 13. Johnson, who joined the station in January 1985, currently anchors the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on WPXI and the 6:30 and 10 p.m. news on WPGH-TV, Pittsburgh’s Fox affiliate. “As I...
Bethel Park U.S. Marine Corps Captain shares his story at Veterans Breakfast Club
Eric McElvenny was 132 miles into the 140.6 miles of the Ironman World Championships in beautiful Kona, Hawaii. Every bone, muscle and piece of skin on his body hurt. He couldn’t take one more step. “I am in physical pain,” McElvenny said as he described that moment to the room...
As Gainey prepares 2025 Pittsburgh budget address, some wonder how realistic his plan is
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday will formally present a budget proposal that curbs spending without reducing services or hiking taxes, even as the city’s revenues dip. While Gainey will likely use his annual budget address as an opportunity to paint a rosy picture of a spending plan that funds...
Mark Madden: Beating Ravens would legitimize Steelers’ hopes of AFC North title … and more
Refreshing sports notes, top of the league! Sports notes, top of the league! • Beating Washington on the road legitimizes the Steelers’ 7-2 record. Beating Baltimore at Acrisure Stadium this coming Sunday would legitimize their pursuit of the AFC North championship and their possibility of winning a playoff game. (Or...
Steelers vs. Commanders: What they’re saying in Washington after loss
The last-minute loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers stung badly for the Washington Commanders, said head coach Dan Quinn. But the Steelers’ 28-27 comeback victory provided a lot of lessons for his team. “Heading into this game, I thought it was going to be a hard fought game,” he said in...
Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has said he wouldn’t be a dictator — “except for Day 1.” According to his own statements, he’s got a lot to do on that first day in the White House. His list includes starting up the mass deportation of migrants, rolling back Biden administration policies...
5 things we learned in Steelers’ win over Commanders: Jayden Daniels isn’t Lamar Jackson
LANDOVER, Md. Five things we learned from Steelers 28, Commanders 27. 1. Daniels isn’t Jackson The Steelers improved to 26-6 against rookie quarterbacks under coach Mike Tomlin, who showed respect for Commanders dual-threat phenom Jayden Daniels with an aggressive game plan. Daniels completed a season-worst 50% of his passes (17...
Environmental groups appeal Slickville pipeline project permit
Two environmental groups are appealing the state’s approval for a nearly 14-mile natural gas pipeline through Bell, Loyalhanna and Salem townships, claiming the project would contaminate the environment and pose a hazard to wetlands. Protect PT of Penn Township and Three Rivers Waterkeeper of Pittsburgh filed a joint appeal last...
Receding from view: Aging veterans organizations struggle to draw fresh recruits
U.S. Army Reserve veteran Jim Reesman practically grew up around the American Legion post in Brackenridge. His grandfather was a sailor, his father a Marine. His grandmother and aunt were bartenders. Reesman, who lives in Tarentum, enlisted in 2012, did a tour in Iraq in 2017-18, and got out in...
1st female military pilots remembered
Growing up, John Marsh did not fully grasp the significance of his mother’s role as a pilot serving in the military during World War II. His mother, Marie Barrett Marsh, was one of about 1,800 women accepted into the Women Airforce Service Pilots program — created in 1942 to bolster...
Chartiers Valley schools to be remote Monday after threat made
All Chartiers Valley School District schools will be on a remote learning schedule Monday after a “credible threat” was made against one of its schools, district officials said. District officials and local law enforcement discovered the threat and, “out of an abundance of caution,” made the decision to close all...
Residents able to escape house fire in Shaler
Firefighers responded to a house fire in the 100 block of Wise Lane in Shaler on Sunday night. Emergency dispatch indicated at least two people in the home were able to escape. The call came in about 7:20 p.m. Firefighters from more than 12 companies in the North Hills responded....
Trump pressures candidates for Senate GOP leader to fill his Cabinet right away
WASHINGTON — Days before Senate Republicans pick their new leader, President-elect Donald Trump is pressuring the candidates to change the rules and empower him to appoint some nominees without a Senate vote. Republican Sens. John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida are running...
Feats of Strength: George Pickens, Russell Wilson, new additions come up huge as Steelers edge Commanders
It was a wild scene in Washington, D.C. Western Pennsylvania was very much in the spotlight. Lots of emotional swings. Plenty of ups and downs. A big comeback. Quite a few surprises. And I’m just talking about Tuesday during Election Day. They hadn’t even gotten to the football game between...
Steelers overcome 10-point deficit to hand Commanders their 1st home loss on late TD
LANDOVER, Md. — Mike Tomlin vowed to be aggressive in pursuit of victory, so he took ownership of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ shortcomings. The coach even joked he was a “degenerate” for taking calculated risks in critical moments. After surviving a failed fake punt in the first half and a fourth-quarter...
Service dogs provide comfort, strength to veterans
A service dog is a veteran’s best friend. These highly trained animals help those who served their country re-enter civilian life by being trusted companions. They can sense something before it happens. They can detect low blood sugar, an oncoming seizure and prevent a panic attack. “I still walk this...
‘The general wants to be heard:’ Restoration eyed for tomb of Samuel McCartney Jackson, Apollo’s most famous citizen
The open archway into Gen. Samuel McCartney Jackson’s mausoleum stares blankly over the hillside at Old Apollo Cemetery, battered by years of crude graffiti and neglect but still structurally sound. Only a few stones have fallen, including one with the Civil War hero’s year of death: 1907. “It still has...
Mt. Pleasant’s doughboy monument to mark 100 years after multiple collision comebacks
Monday will mark a century since Mt. Pleasant first had a doughboy memorial statue keeping watch high over Main Street — although the figure passersby see today is not quite that old. “We are on the fifth rendition of the statue,” said Rick Meason, president of the Mt. Pleasant Area...
Here’s how Trump’s 2nd term could impact Pennsylvanians
President-elect Donald Trump made many promises on the campaign trail. He said he would eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay, deport masses of undocumented immigrants and solve the conflict in the Middle East. His supporters have celebrated his victory Tuesday, hoping a second Trump administration will mean a better...
Frustrated Americans await economic changes they voted for with Trump
WASHINGTON — Fed up with high prices and unimpressed with an economy that by just about any measure is a healthy one, Americans demanded change when they voted for president. They could get it. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to topple many of the Biden administration’s economic policies. Trump campaigned...
