Top Stories category, Page 350
Pitt staff join United Steelworkers union
About 6,300 employees on the University of Pittsburgh’s main and branch campuses are joining the United Steelworkers union, officials confirmed Friday after votes were tallied in a monthlong, state-supervised election. The union will work to secure a collective bargaining agreement between those workers and Pitt, Western Pennsylvania’s largest university. Results...
‘Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh’ initiative calls on arts to shape more equitable futureVideo
The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh are giving artists an opportunity to create and define what an equitable Pittsburgh might look like with the second annual “Envisioning a Just Pittsburgh” initiative. “We wanted to focus on highlighting what a just and equitable...
Deacon who subdued North Braddock church gunman to receive Carnegie Hero Fund medal
A deacon who subdued a gunman in a North Braddock church May 5 will receive a Carnegie Medal, North America’s highest honor for civilian heroism. Clarence McCallister, 63, is included in a list of 18 new medal recipients released by the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. McCallister, who is a...
Pittsburgh man to serve 15-30 years for shooting North Versailles police officer and K-9
A Pittsburgh man will serve 15 to 30 years behind bars after pleading guilty in the shooting of a North Versailles police officer and K-9 last year. Ian Lamont Fields, 47, received the sentence as part of a plea deal this week in Allegheny County Court, according to online court...
Fire did not impact service from water treatment plant at Beaver Run Reservoir, spokesman says
A fire Thursday evening shut down a pump at a Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County water treatment plant in Bell Township, but a spokesman said there was no resulting interruption in service to customers. Spokesman Matt Junker said the fire affected a motor that operates a pump supplying treated water...
Authentic, transparent and timely school communication crucial during threats, expert says
Years ago, when there was an emergency at a school, the incident was addressed sequentially. The incident would occur, schools and law enforcement officials could investigate, handle the situation, and then communicate what happened to students’ families. Now, with the internet and social media, much of that has to happen...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Sept. 27-29
Spooky season is here! Enjoy the sounds, sights and scents of fall, if that’s your thing — or avoid it altogether if it isn’t — with events and activities around the area this weekend. Here are some suggestions. Prime Stage Theatre Cemetery Walk For the second year, Prime Stage Theatre...
Battle over proposed Unity solar panel farm continues
A Unity man told a township zoning panel this week he should have the right to use part of his property near the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport for an estimated $10.5 million solar power farm, despite strong opposition from some of his neighbors. “In the final analysis, this is a...
Helene weakens to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph over Georgia
CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane Helene weakened to a tropical storm over Georgia with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) early Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. Helene continues to weaken while moving farther inland over Georgia. The storm was about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Macon and...
Shapiro launches Board of Higher Education to get colleges, universities to ‘row in the same direction’
Minutes into its inaugural meeting Thursday, the panel now tasked with bringing order to Pennsylvania’s loosely regulated system of colleges and universities received a pointed reminder of what’s at stake. “Our costs are going up and our enrollment is going down. We’re not graduating enough students with the credentials we...
Dormont hit-and-run suspect charged with being in the U.S. illegally for a 2nd time
Federal officials have begun the process to deport a Mexican national charged with a fatal hit-and-run crash Sept. 21 in Dormont. Allegheny County Police charged Saul Rivera-Ramirez on Sunday with homicide by vehicle, accident involving death by an unlicensed driver and driving without a license, after they say he crashed...
Netanyahu vows to use ‘full force’ against Hezbollah as hopes dim for a cease-fireVideo
NEW YORK — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to carry out “full force” strikes against Hezbollah until it ceases firing rockets across the border, dimming hopes for a cease-fire proposal put forth by U.S. and European officials. Israel carried out a new strike in the Lebanese capital,...
Pa. Supreme Court won’t hear case involving ‘dead body interference’ after all
Six months ago, the state Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from a Verona woman attempting to sue the parents of her son’s killer after she claimed they concealed the murder weapon. The case, based on an unusual interpretation of Pennsylvania’s “Interference with Dead Bodies” tort, was scheduled for...
First Energy, Duquesne Light send manpower south for Hurricane Helene
First Energy is sending 200 of its workers south to help communities recover from Hurricane Helene. Todd Meyers, spokesperson for First Energy, said the 200 would be diverted from utilities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia and Maryland. While the majority of the workers will be line workers, vehicle mechanics...
Pitt approves $50M center to research arthritis, osteoporosis
University of Pittsburgh trustees on Thursday approved a $50 million center for musculoskeletal research, an ambitious science and treatment effort aided by tens of millions of dollars donated by the Greensburg founder of Hillandale Farms. The board of trustees’ unanimous vote green-lights a renovation on the 16th floor of the...
Voting technology firm Smartmatic, Newsmax reach settlement in 2020 election defamation case
WILMINGTON, Del. — A settlement has been reached in a defamation lawsuit pitting an electronic voting machine manufacturer targeted by allies of former President Donald Trump against a conservative news outlet that aired accusations of vote manipulation in the 2020 election. Newsmax on Thursday confirmed a deal had been reached...
Spotted lanternfly greets Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh
Vice President Kamala Harris received an unfriendly greeting from a spotted lanternfly after her plane landed in Pittsburgh this week. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato quickly neutralized the threat. She brushed the bug off of Harris’ pants suit and stomped on it. “I’ve done several tarmac greetings now, and most...
Nurses banned from caregiving after accusations of sharing patient photos at Westmoreland Hospital
Two registered nurses who are accused of taking and sharing photos and making recordings of Westmoreland Hospital patients without their permission are prohibited from holding caretaking jobs. District Judge Chris Flanigan made that part of the conditions of the $40,000 unsecured bail she set Thursday for Peter Castellano, 36, of...
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport a safe haven for planes escaping Hurricane Helene
The Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe became a safe haven for some expensive — make that very expensive — Gulfstream jets flown there from Georgia on Thursday to escape the high winds of Hurricane Helene, an airport official said. About 15 Gulfstream jets from Georgia, where Gulfstream Aerospace Corp....
Feds charge NYC mayor with selling his influence to foreign nationals. Eric Adams says he won’t resignVideo
NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors announced charges on Thursday against New York City Mayor Eric Adams accusing the former police captain of taking illegal campaign contributions and bribes from foreign nationals, including lavish overseas trips, in exchange for favors that included helping Turkish officials bypass a fire safety inspection for...
Rudy Giuliani disbarred in D.C. after pushing Trump’s false 2020 election claims
WASHINGTON — Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was disbarred in Washington on Thursday, months after he lost his law license in New York for pursuing false claims that then-President Donald Trump made about his 2020 presidential election loss. The brief ruling from Washington D.C.’s appeals court said Giuliani...
Woman shot in the face during alleged robbery attempt in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South
A Pittsburgh couple has been charged with attempted homicide following a shooting Wednesday in the city’s Homewood South neighborhood that left another woman hospitalized in guarded condition. Authorities said the victim, who they did not name, was shot in the face. She has been downgraded from critical condition at UPMC...
Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium named as FEMA-approved disaster shelter
Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore has been selected by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to become a safe haven during emergencies and disasters. In a statement, FEMA said the stadium will increase its public safety capabilities and become a location for safe storage and shelter for response and recovery...
Pittsburgh-area officials testify that communications problems plagued them during Trump rally shooting
As a congressional task force hearing Thursday dissected the security breakdowns that plagued Donald Trump’s July rally in Butler County, one member worried about the future. “We have (former) President Donald Trump going back to Butler in the next few days,” said U.S. Rep. Lou Correa, a California Democrat. “Are...
2 lost hikers found safe in Ligonier Township
Cellphone technology and knowledge of the area helped police and firefighters locate two hikers who had become lost Wednesday evening on Laurel Ridge, said Ligonier Valley Police Chief Mike Matrunics. The two hikers parked along Laurel Summit Road and headed onto the Wolf Rocks Trail, an approximately 5-mile trail that...
