Top Stories category, Page 329
Looking back at another 7-0 Pitt team and how its star-crossed season ended on a cold, rainy day in Texas
New Year’s Day morning, 1983, dawned cold and rainy in Dallas, but Tom Flynn had seen worse. He grew up in Western Pennsylvania and had played in similar conditions at Penn Hills High School and Pitt. Later, he played in snowstorms with the Green Bay Packers. Truth be told, the...
As walking pneumonia cases rise nationally, how does Western Pa. fare?
With cold and flu season heating up, cases of walking pneumonia are increasing across the United States. But is the illness on the rise in Western Pennsylvania as well? Local health care experts shared mixed thoughts. What is it? Walking pneumonia is a mild lung infection that can be caused...
206-year-old bridge a sight to see for visitors to depleted Yough River Lake
Karen Wolfe did something this week that few others have done over the past 80 years. She walked the main street of Somerfield and its 206-year-old Great Crossings Bridge, landmarks that are normally about 50 feet underwater at Youghiogheny River Lake in southwestern Somerset County. “We had to come up...
‘It was just too special’ son says of Model T McKee family donated to Lincoln Highway Experience
The 1927 Model T Touring chugged to life, just like David McKee remembered. After the car slowly was backed out of his late father’s Ligonier Borough garage Friday afternoon, it was time for some fun on a sunny fall day. “This is my last ride, so I’m going to …...
Israel launches strikes on targets in Iran risking escalation in Mideast wars
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel pounded Iran with airstrikes early Saturday, saying it was targeting military targets in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired upon Israel earlier this month. Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, though there was no immediate information...
Lancaster County says 2,500 voter registrations being investigated for possible fraud
HARRISBURG — A criminal investigation is underway in the crucial presidential battleground of Pennsylvania after election workers in one county flagged about 2,500 voter registration forms for potential fraud. Two other counties were alerted to look for similar problems. The forms arrived at the Lancaster County elections office shortly before...
Nuns push back after GOP political activist casts doubt on their Pennsylvania voting registration
ERIE — A group of Pennsylvania nuns says a conservative political organizer posted “false and misleading information” about them by claiming no one lives at their home in Erie and making vague threats to consult his lawyers about them. The Benedictine Sisters of Erie put out a news release this...
Preeti’s Pitt homicide case ends with mistrial
The trial for a Pittsburgh man accused of killing a North Hills honors student at a Strip District restaurant ended in a mistrial on Thursday after a police officer referenced the defendant’s previous criminal record. A new trial date for Howard Hawkins is scheduled for Jan. 13 before Allegheny County...
Poplawski, on death row for killing 3 Pittsburgh cops, raises new questions about jury’s conduct
Richard Poplawski, convicted of killing three Pittsburgh police officers 15 years ago, claimed in a recent court filing that the jurors who sentenced him to death may have been unduly influenced during a field trip they took during an off day in the trial. Poplawski, 38, is asking an Allegheny...
AP sources: Chinese hackers targeted phones of Trump, Vance, people associated with Harris campaign
WASHINGTON — Chinese hackers engaged in a broader espionage operation targeted cellphones used by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, his running mate, JD Vance, and people associated with the Democratic campaign of Kamala Harris, people familiar with the matter said Friday. It was not immediately clear what data, if any,...
Eastbound Route 30 reopens following North Huntingdon crash
The eastbound side of Route 30 reopened shortly before 8:30 p.m. in North Huntingdon following a motorcycle crash Friday evening. Westmoreland 911 officials said the crash, between a motorcycle and another vehicle, was reported just before 5:15 p.m. on Route 30 near Colonial Manor Road. Information on injuries from the...
Chartiers Valley appoints Woodland Hills’ Dan Castagna as superintendent
Chartiers Valley School District has appointed a new superintendent with a base salary of $250,000. The school board Thursday evening voted 6-3 to appoint Dan Castagna, who is currently superintendent of the Woodland Hills School District, as its leader for the next five years. His contract will run from Jan....
Phil Lesh, founding member of Grateful Dead and influential bassist, dies at 84
LOS ANGELES — Phil Lesh, a classically trained violinist and jazz trumpeter who found his true calling reinventing the role of rock bass guitar as a founding member of the Grateful Dead, died Friday at 84. Lesh’s death was announced on his Instagram account. Lesh was the oldest and one...
Police raid 2 vape shops, convenience store in Lower Burrell
It was Round 2 of raids against vape shops in Westmoreland County on Friday morning — this time, in Lower Burrell. Police seized items from three city businesses: Burrell Tobacco and Vape at 3087 Leechburg Road; Discount Vape in the Hillcrest Shopping Center; and a convenience store at 2700 Leechburg...
What the presidential candidates are up to todayVideo
It’s Friday, but this close to Election Day, the campaigns aren’t taking a weekend break. Here’s a peek at what’s been going on 11 days before the election. Where is everyone? For the two presidential candidates, everything is bigger in Texas today. Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris will...
Giant poop emoji statue arrives in Washington
A giant poop emoji statue has arrived on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. And, yes, you read that sentence correctly. The satirical statue is meant to “honor” Jan. 6 insurrectionists, and it will be on the Mall until Wednesday, the Washington Post reported. “This memorial honors the brave men...
Pittsburgh police Chief Scirotto to step down amid refereeing controversy
Pittsburgh police Chief Larry Scirotto is resigning Nov. 1, capping more than a week of controversy over his decision to return to part-time refereeing at NCAA basketball games. Scirotto sent an email just after 10 a.m. Friday to the 751-member Pittsburgh Bureau of Police notifying the force of his decision....
Proposal floated to double property tax bills to cover rising fire department costs in Hempfield
Hempfield may double its property tax millage rate to support the expenses of its 10 fire departments. It would be the first tax increase in more than three decades. Township supervisors discussed a $17 million preliminary budget this week that included a 3-mill property tax. The tax levy has remained...
‘We can do big things’: Shapiro unveils $600M makeover for Downtown Pittsburgh
Buoyed by nearly $600 million of investments, a new plan for Downtown Pittsburgh unveiled Friday by Gov. Josh Shapiro includes nearly 1,000 new housing units, improvements to public spaces in the Golden Triangle and increased public safety efforts. “To have a strong and vibrant commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you have to...
To fight misinformation, news outlets are putting plans in place to combat false election night stories
NEW YORK — As news outlets get ready for election night, they’re not only focusing on what happens. They’re keeping watch over what doesn’t. Several plans to combat misinformation are in place across newsrooms that will follow the climax of a hard-fought campaign on Nov. 5. The Associated Press and...
Aliquippa youth football teams ousted from league following violent incident
There will be no more football for kids in the Aliquippa Little Quips. The youth teams were removed Wednesday from the Beaver County Youth Football League. Team officials and parents told TribLive news partner WTAE they are distraught over the decision, which came by a 6-3 vote and just days...
West Hempfield elementary school site could be home to new fire station
About five months after Adamsburg fire station crews expressed interest in turning management of its service over to the township, Hempfield is considering building the firefighters a station on Hempfield Area School District property. Over the past several years, the township has invited its 10 fire stations to become “nonchartered”...
After Obama’s push for Harris, Black men still seem divided on how they’ll vote
When James Hill considers the weight of his singular vote on Nov. 5, he can’t help but think of his grandmother. Hill, 30, of Pittsburgh’s North Side said his grandmother grew up in the rural South and never dreamed possible that a Black woman would run for president. “Moments like...
Audit of Scirotto’s refereeing while Florida police chief raises concerns among officials in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh police Chief Larry Scirotto keeps dribbling his way into controversy over his side hustle as an NCAA basketball referee. Three years ago, he was the subject of an audit about his officiating while running Fort Lauderdale, Fla.’s police department. The auditor alleged that Scirotto was double dipping — being...
Police dogs working to sniff out potential threats mailed with ballots at Westmoreland courthouse
Police dogs are being used in the Westmoreland County Election Bureau and other courthouse offices to sniff out potential threats including drugs or explosives that could arrive among the thousands of mail-in ballots and other items arriving daily. “There were reports across the nation of elected officials receiving fentanyl-laced mail,”...
