Top Stories category, Page 589
Economy grew at a 4.9% pace last quarter, fastest since 2021Video
The U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace in nearly two years last quarter on a burst of consumer spending, which will be tested in coming months. Gross domestic product accelerated to a 4.9% annualized rate, more than double the second-quarter pace, according to the government’s preliminary estimate Thursday. The...
Aggravated assault while DUI charges filed in Unity crash
A Unity man was arraigned Thursday on aggravated assault while driving under the influence charges in connection with a July crash that left two people seriously injured. Gianni A. Gonzalez, 24, used marijuana and drank alcohol prior to the July 11 crash, according to court papers. He is free on...
Pro-Palestine graffiti in Squirrel Hill called ‘despicable’
Pro-Palestine graffiti was found Thursday morning at multiple Squirrel Hill locations, including a wall outside Allderdice High School and on yard signs near a Jewish private school. Officials said they don’t know who spray-painted “Free Palestine” on a brick wall at Allderdice or changed a yard sign reading “I Stand...
Maine passed a law to try to prevent mass shootings. Some say more is needed after Lewiston killings
PORTLAND, Maine — Barely four years before a gunman’s deadly rampage in Maine, a state that is staunchly protective of gun rights, the governor signed a law aimed at preventing a mass shooting like the one Wednesday night that claimed at least 18 lives. It was called a “yellow flag”...
Westmoreland County Community College president will resign in summer 2024
Westmoreland County Community College’s first female president announced her resignation at the college’s board of directors meeting Wednesday. Tuesday Stanley, 55, who joined WCCC in 2014, will remain in her position at the school near Youngwood through June 30. She will have served as president for exactly a decade. Stanley...
Pittsburgh to provide protection for renters experiencing domestic violence
Pittsburgh renters experiencing domestic violence will now be able to terminate leases early without penalty and request locks to be changed. Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation that requires landlords to permit domestic violence victims to exit leases early without penalty and requires them to change victims’ locks...
Heavily armed police surround home in search for suspect in the fatal shooting of 18 in Maine
LEWISTON, Maine — Heavily armed police surrounded a home Thursday as they searched for a U.S. Army reservist who authorities say killed 18 people and wounded 13 in a mass shooting at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine. “You need to come outside now with nothing in...
New Kensington shooting victim dies; police seek bicyclist seen in area
A man shot in New Kensington last week has died, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday. Troy Vickers Jr., 31, was pronounced dead Saturday at a Pittsburgh-area hospital. The hospital was not identified. Vickers was airlifted to a hospital after he was shot about 3:20 p.m. Oct. 19...
A list of mass killings in the United States since January
The latest mass killing in the U.S. happened Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine, when a man opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar, killing at least 16 people, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. Dozens of people were also wounded. The alert for Lewiston was made...
Bud Light to return as the UFC’s official beer next year as it recovers from a conservative backlash
NEW YORK — Bud Light is set to return as the official beer of the UFC in the U.S. next year as the brand tries to recover from a conservative backlash to a promotion with a transgender influencer. Under a new multiyear marketing deal between the promoter of mixed martial...
New U.S. House speaker tried to help overturn the 2020 election, raising concerns about the next one
The new leader of one of the chambers of Congress that will certify the winner of next year’s presidential election helped spearhead the attempt to overturn the last one, raising alarms that Republicans could try to subvert the will of the voters if they remain in power despite safeguards enacted...
Israeli troops carry out hourslong ground raid into Gaza before an expected wider incursion
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli troops and tanks launched an hourslong ground raid into northern Gaza overnight into Thursday, the military said, striking several militant targets in order to “prepare the battlefield” before a widely expected ground invasion after more than two weeks of devastating airstrikes. The raid came after...
Prospect of $4 million a year for trash collection leaves New Kensington seeking new bids
The prospect of paying nearly $4 million a year for curbside trash collection — more than four times what it currently costs — has New Kensington officials holding their noses. At a special meeting Tuesday, council members rejected a trash collection bid from County Hauling and authorized the city’s clerk...
Morning Roundup: Woman shot near PPG Paints Arena; fire at abandoned Braddock house
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Oct. 26: Woman shot near PPG Paints Arena A woman was in critical condition early Thursday morning after being shot in the chest near PPG Paints Arena in Uptown Pittsburgh, police said. The shooting outside 1605 Fifth Ave....
Ross police arrest suspect in shooting near Target store
A Wilkinsburg man was arrested Thursday for allegedly firing gunshots at a vehicle near a Target store Tuesday night in Pittsburgh’s North Hills, according to Ross Township police. The suspect, Kenneth Sharp-Haymon, 21, allegedly was involved in the shooting that occurred around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday near the Target store along...
North Allegheny School Board approves creation of school district police department with armed officers
The North Allegheny School Board voted unanimously Wednesday to create a school police department with armed officers headed by a chief of school police. “North Allegheny Police Officers will play an essential role by being the first line of defense in a potential critical violent incident, building strong and positive...
Fire that destroyed Eiler’s Hardware in Verona, displacing 5 people is not suspicious, fire marshal says
Five people are displaced and a longstanding Verona business was destroyed as a result of a fire Wednesday evening. Smoke and flames began to billow from the basement of the Masonic Building, a three-story structure along the 300 block of Center Avenue around 6:15 p.m., according to Verona fire Chief...
Autoworkers reach a deal with Ford, a breakthrough toward ending strikes against Detroit automakers
DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union said Wednesday it has reached a tentative contract agreement with Ford that could be a breakthrough toward ending the nearly 6-week-old strikes against Detroit automakers. The four-year deal, which still has to be approved by 57,000 union members at the company, could bring...
At least 16 dead in Maine mass killing; police hunt for shooterVideo
LEWISTON, Maine — A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes. A police bulletin identified...
Armstrong County hospital considers affiliation with Indiana, Punxsutawney hospitals
Armstrong County Memorial Hospital said Wednesday it is considering a possible affiliation with the hospitals in Indiana and Punxsutawney, in another sign of Western Pennsylvania’s hospitals banding together in a difficult time for community health care systems. The Kittanning-based hospital said Wednesday it signed a nonbinding letter of intent “to...
Pittsburgh man charged in Manchester homicide case
A Pittsburgh man has been accused of the fatal shooting of a man on Pittsburgh’s North Side on Sunday, city police said Wednesday. The suspect, Joshua James Short, 21, is accused of shooting Joseph Sees, 29, in Manchester, around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, police said. Officers found the victim inside a...
Putting an armed security officer in every school gains Pa. Senate panel’s support
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering requiring every public school building to have a trained armed security officer present during school hours. The Senate Education Committee on a party-line vote sent legislation to the full Senate for consideration that would impose this mandate, starting in 2024-25. Having an armed school police officer,...
Kenny Pickett: Steelers ‘moving in right direction’ despite slow starts to gamesVideo
Kenny Pickett can’t explain why he is so much better in the fourth quarter than he is in the first three. He’s just thankful his play in those 15 minutes has helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win back-to-back games and three of their past four. Pickett had the sixth winning drive...
Homeowners need protection from predatory property wholesalers, experts tell Pittsburgh City Council
Housing experts told Pittsburgh City Council members Wednesday that legislation is needed to protect vulnerable homeowners from predatory residential property wholesalers. Legislation introduced in August would require residential property wholesalers — corporations that buy up houses and sell, lease or use them for Airbnbs — to get an annual license....
Fayette motorcycle crash victims identified
The identities of two Fayette County residents killed in a motorcycle accident early Wednesday morning on the Mon-Fayette Expressway near Uniontown have been released by the Fayette County Coroner on Thursday. The driver, Adam R. Carney, 30, and his passenger, Savanah Stimmell, 33, both of Allison in Redstone Township, died...
