Top Stories category, Page 374
Schools are competing with cellphones. Here’s how they think they could win
Isabella Pires first noticed what she calls the “gradual apathy pandemic” in eighth grade. Only a handful of classmates registered for service projects she helped organize at her Massachusetts school. Even fewer actually showed up. When she got to high school last fall, Isabella found the problem was even worse:...
Former Allegheny Valley Hospital CEO John R. England dies
When patients, employees and visitors walked the hallways of Allegheny Valley Hospital in the 1980s and ’90s, it wasn’t rare for them to run into Jack England, the hospital’s gregarious administrator. The bespectacled tall man in a suit that everyone knew as Mr. England routinely left his office in the...
Tim Walz’s exit from Minnesota National Guard left openings for critics to pounce on his military record
WASHINGTON — John Kolb, a retired Minnesota National Guard colonel, knew Tim Walz by reputation as an “excellent leader” who adroitly guided the enlisted troops in his field artillery battalion. But Kolb was stunned by what he saw when Walz left the military and entered politics. Walz retired from the...
Israel, Hezbollah trade their most intense fire in months and then pull back
JERUSALEM — Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded heavy fire early Sunday but backed off from sparking a widely feared all-out war, as both sides signaled their most intense exchange in months was over. The cross-border attacks came as high-level talks resumed in Egypt aimed at a cease-fire...
Behind the rhetoric, a presidential campaign is a competition about how to tell the American story
NEW YORK — Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic nomination “on behalf of everyone whose story could only be written in the greatest nation on Earth.” America, Barack Obama thundered, “is ready for a better story.” JD Vance insisted that the Biden administration “is not the end of our story,” and...
Car crashes into house in Natrona section of Harrison
A car crashed into a house in the Natrona section of Harrison late Saturday. The crash was reported along Federal Street just before 11 p.m. The driver was reportedly taken to a hospital. It was unclear if they or anyone in the house were hurt. Firefighters from several area departments...
Bigfoot is still huge in Western Pennsylvania
The cryptozoological phenomenon Bigfoot is normally associated with the Pacific Northwest, but Pennsylvania is an unlikely hotbed of sightings — so it makes sense that director of the Pennslyvania Bigfoot Society Eric Altman of West Hempfield Township can bring so many would-be fellow researchers to the area for the Pennsylvania...
Feats of Strength/Airing of Grievances: Starting offense improves, Nick Herbig shines, but Steelers drop preseason finale
If Pittsburgh Steelers fans know anything about me, I am nothing but a beacon of optimism. My glass is always half-full. My black-and-gold glasses are always on. I always can find a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. As a result, even though the Steelers dropped a 24-17 decision...
Entering Pirates Hall of Fame together made it ‘extra special’ for Barry Bonds, Jim Leyland
Being inducted into the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame with Barry Bonds made it “extra special” for Jim Leyland, even if their roles were reversed Saturday at PNC Park. Where the brash Bonds was humbled by the honor, the low-key Leyland got to gloat about another accolade after the former...
Banana-eating contest highlights Latrobe’s banana split celebrationVideo
Contestants got a heavy dose of potassium Saturday at the Dole Great American Banana Challenge in Latrobe. In its inaugural year, the banana-eating contest pitted participants against the clock — they had 125 seconds to see who could peel and eat the most bananas to win the Dole Banana Challenge...
Mother recounts the pain of her loss as residents of Arnold and New Kensington hold anti-drug march, outdoor forum
Roxanne White, a mother from Arnold, has taken steps to ensure no other parent has to experience what she did on Mother’s Day. In fact, she took many, many steps Saturday afternoon as she joined about 30 others in a March to Save Our Community effort up and down the...
Allegheny County prosecutors seek death penalty against woman left to care for a 6-week-old boy
Allegheny County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a woman accused in the June death of a weeks old Pittsburgh boy. They filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty this week against Nicole Virzi, 30, of San Diego, Calif., according to online court records. Virzi was...
Young tenders of their farm animals rake in cash at Westmoreland Fair auction
As a livestock auction got underway in a crowded barn at the Westmoreland Fair, 9-year-old Gunner Temple confidently approached potential bidders. He shook their hands, introduced himself and explained his goal — the Mt. Pleasant Township boy intended to donate half the proceeds earned through the auction of his steer,...
NASA decides to keep 2 astronauts in space until February, nixes return on troubled Boeing capsule
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA decided Saturday it’s too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing’s troubled new capsule, and they’ll have to wait until next year for a ride home with SpaceX. What should have been a weeklong test flight for the pair will now last...
Pregnant woman, 19, dies in the wake of Washington County house fire
A pregnant woman died after being pulled from a house fire early Friday in Washington County. Elrama Volunteer Fire Department said in a social media post that the woman was 23 weeks pregnant. Fire Chief Lenny Bailey identified her as Sabrina Boyle, 19, according to Trib news partner WTAE. The...
Government announces more covid-19 tests can be ordered through mail for no cost
WASHINGTON — On the heels of a summer wave of covid-19 cases, Americans will be able to get free virus test kits mailed to their homes, starting in late September. U.S. households will be able to order up to four covid-19 nasal swab tests when the federal program reopens, according...
A ‘flood of ads’: Pa. residents face barrage of political messaging
Political ads are back as an unavoidable part of everyday life in Pennsylvania. On television, they air in 30-second spots during sporting events, late night talk shows, newscasts, daytime soaps and nighttime dramas. While streaming shows or surfing the web, viewers see candidates from both major political parties and special...
Family and friends of Roxanne Bonnoni, 11, gather to honor her at vigil in Natrona
Heather Bonnoni is doing her best to remain strong amid family tragedy. Bonnoni helped to organize a family-hosted public vigil Friday night honoring her late niece, Roxanne Alexis Bonnoni. Roxanne was killed Tuesday evening when she was struck by a vehicle traveling on North Canal Street in Harrison’s Natrona neighborhood....
Iranian hackers targeted WhatsApp accounts of staffers in Biden, Trump administrations, Meta says
WASHINGTON — The same Iranian hacking group believed to have targeted both the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns tried to go after the WhatsApp accounts of staffers in the administrations of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, Meta Platforms said Friday. Meta said it discovered the network of...
Woman injured in Sen. John Fetterman crash has hired a lawyer, says she has ‘real injuries’
The Virginia woman whose vehicle was rear-ended by Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman in Maryland in June still is reportedly recuperating from the car crash that also sent Fetterman and his wife, Gisele, to the hospital. In a statement through her lawyer, Jennifer Campbell, 62, said she “seeks to maintain her...
Good Samaritan’s gesture ends in hail of bullets, long road to recovery
On Aug. 7, Paul Werder, described by his wife as an inveterate good Samaritan, approached a homeless man who appeared hurt along a road on Pittsburgh’s North Side. They stood about 2 feet apart. “Are you okay?” Werder, 73, asked. “Can I help you?” The answer came through the crack...
At least 5 Secret Service agents placed on modified duty after Trump assassination attempt
At least five Secret Service agents have been placed on modified duty after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in July, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. They include the special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office and three other agents assigned to that...
Cornel West can’t be on Pennsylvania’s presidential ballot, court decides
HARRISBURG — Independent presidential candidate Cornel West lost a legal challenge Friday in his bid to get on the ballot in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer, in a 15-page opinion, sided with the Secretary of State’s office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in rejecting...
Charges refiled against ex-Allegheny County detective accused of injecting son with testosterone
A former detective for the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office is once more charged with felony violations, accused of providing his minor son with testosterone and an amphetamine in Murrysville. Police allege Raymond Bonacci, 58, provided the drugs at the family home to enhance the boy’s athletic performance with the...
Venus Williams talks about being part of Carnegie Museum of Art podcast
Venus Williams is the narrator behind the Carnegie Museum of Art’s “Widening the Lens” podcast, a six-part series that explores the relationship between people, photography and the environment. That relationship is contextualized, discussed and analyzed by scholars, artists from diverse backgrounds and Williams herself. Some of the artists also appear...
