Top Stories category, Page 643
DeSantis replaces campaign manager as he resets faltering 2024 presidential bid
NEW YORK — Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is replacing his campaign manager as the Florida governor resets his sluggish presidential campaign. DeSantis is bringing on James Uthmeier, his chief of staff from his state office, to serve as his campaign manager, replacing Generra Peck, who led DeSantis’ reelection campaign...
Lawrence County added to Pittsburgh metro area
Lawrence County, the birthplace of Donnie Iris, Chuck Tanner and Zambelli Fireworks, is now part of the Pittsburgh metro area thanks to a revised designation from the White House. The move gives the Pittsburgh metro area a population boost of nearly 85,000 people, increasing its total to 2,434,021, based on...
Father of starved Oakmont girl sentenced to 33 to 66 years in prison
An Oakmont man who was convicted in May of starving his 3-year-old daughter to death has been sentenced to 33 to 66 years in prison. Jose Salazar-Ortiz, 32, was sentenced Tuesday after being found guilty of third-degree murder in the 2020 starvation death of his daughter, Bella Seachrist. He also...
Supreme Court reinstates regulation of ghost guns
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is reinstating a regulation aimed at reining in the proliferation of ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers that have been turning up at crime scenes across the nation in increasing numbers. The court on Tuesday voted 5-4 to put on hold a ruling from a...
Biden makes Grand Canyon monument designation, citing Arizona tribal heritage, climate concernsVideo
TUSAYAN, Ariz. — Declaring it good “not only for Arizona but for the planet,” President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a national monument designation for the greater Grand Canyon, turning the decades-long visions of Native American tribes and environmentalists into reality. Coming as Biden is on a three-state Western trip,...
Allegheny County Jail Warden Orlando Harper announces retirement
Allegheny County Jail Warden Orlando Harper is retiring next month after 11 years as the jail’s top official, the county announced Tuesday. “I have been honored to serve in this role for over a decade and am announcing my retirement with mixed feelings,” Harper said in a statement. “When I...
Heinz Field makes comeback at ‘The Pit’ as Kraft Heinz donates $1.3M to Aliquippa School District
Members of the Aliquippa football team played more games at Heinz Field than just about anyone not wearing a Pitt or Steelers uniform over past decade-plus. Now, that tradition will continue closer to home. Kraft Heinz donated $1.3 million to Aliquippa School District and will have naming rights for Aliquippa’s...
Vehicle crashes onto Pa. home’s roof; police say it was intentional
Pennsylvania State Police said a crash on Sunday that ended with a car stuck into the roof of a house was intentional. The one-vehicle crash happened around 3:15 p.m. on Alfrata Road in Decatur Township in Mifflin County. Police have charged the driver 20-year-old driver Evan Miller with aggravated assault,...
$1.58 billion Mega Millions jackpot is the 3rd largest in U.S. history
Lottery players will have another shot Tuesday night at a massive Mega Millions prize that ranks as the third-largest jackpot in U.S. history. The estimated $1.58 billion prize has been gradually building for months thanks to 31 straight drawings without a jackpot winner. The last time someone won the game’s...
Police say Pa. woman took 220-mile Lyft ride to shoot couple fostering her biological daughter in Kennedy Township
Police say a Dauphin County woman took a three-and-a-half hour Lyft ride Monday to Kennedy Township and began shooting at a family there. She is facing a half-dozen counts each of aggravated assault, simple assault and reckless endangerment. Kennedy police were called to a home along Julia Lane just after...
Roundup: Master postal key stolen from Garfield mail carrier, police say
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Aug. 8: Master postal key stolen from Garfield mail carrier, police say A U.S. Postal Service letter carrier who was robbed Aug. 4 had one of the organization’s master keys stolen, according to Pittsburgh police. The carrier was...
Hempfield Area to review 1st round of high school renovation bids this week
Hempfield Area School Board members will discuss bids for the first phase of a $132 million high school revitalization project at a public meeting Wednesday. The special session will be at 3 p.m. in the administration board room at 4347 Route 136. In addition to identifying the lowest bidder, the...
Strong winds split massive park oak, topple other tree limbs in Greensburg
The worst of Monday’s windstorms bypassed Westmoreland County, but strong morning gusts brought down limbs and damaged trees at several locations in Greensburg. The winds sheared in half a massive pin oak toward the eastern end of the city’s St. Clair Park, temporarily blocking part of a paved walking path....
Trump asks for freedom to discuss evidence after lashing out at judge in Jan. 6 case
Former President Donald Trump asked a judge Monday to issue only a narrow order restricting what he can say about evidence and witnesses as he awaits trial on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election. Hours after trashing U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan and special counsel Jack Smith,...
Covid cases rise slightly but remain low compared to previous years in Western Pa.
Despite a slight increase in the number of covid-19 cases across the country, rates remain low, and they are far below the past few summers, both regionally and nationally. “Overall, we’ve had a pretty flat trajectory,” LuAnn Brink, chief epidemiologist for the Allegheny County Health Department, said Monday. “The changes...
State issues violations against closed Westmoreland juvenile detention center
State investigators issued multiple violations against Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center after two teens suffered injuries while incarcerated, officials confirmed Monday. Controller Jeffrey Balzer, who serves as chairman of the county’s Juvenile Detention Board, said the violations focused on staffing issues at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield. “It’s...
An Ohio election that revolves around abortion rights is fueled by national groups, money
COLUMBUS — Supporters of a ballot question in Ohio that would make it harder to change the state constitution and could determine the fate of abortion rights there say a yes vote will provide a “defense against out-of-state meddling.” Opponents argue that a yes vote would give “special interests the...
Property tax and rent rebate program will soon serve more older Pennsylvanians
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Thousands more older and disabled Pennsylvanians will qualify for help from a landmark state property tax rebate program, after...
Shoring work nearly complete on Route 28 bridge in Harmar
Additional work to fix a railroad bridge where rocks fell onto the Route 28 expressway last week is underway. Crews are adding shielding under the railroad structure, this time southbound, between Exit 11 (Harmar) and Exit 12 (Cheswick) with single-lane restrictions for travelers. Northbound Route 28 was closed early Friday...
Con Alma in Shadyside ends regular hours, to open for special music events
There will still be jazz music playing at Con Alma in Shadyside, just not on a regular basis. “We are unfortunately not going to be open regular hours,” said Aimee Marshall, one of the owners. “We will be open for special music events.” She didn’t want to elaborate more on...
Mega Millions jackpot soars to $1.55 billion, so here’s how hard it is to win
NEW YORK — There’s no shaking it. Your chances of winning the lottery are extremely slim. After no big winner Friday night, the Mega Millions jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.55 billion. If someone wins it all on Tuesday, when the next Mega Millions drawing takes place, the prize would...
Pitt notebook: Pat Narduzzi laments ‘money-driven’ realignment in college footballVideo
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi used the words “crazy” and “sad” when asked Monday morning about the current realignment trend in college football. With UCLA, USC, Oregon and Washington joining the Big Ten that is rooted in the midwest and east and future Big 12 members Arizona State, Arizona and Utah...
Respite from gas price increases may be brief on Saudi production cut, hurricane season
The pace of gasoline price increases appears to have peaked over the weekend and is beginning to gently fall, an industry analyst said Monday. “Average gasoline prices continued to move up last week thanks to a continued rise in oil and continued pressure from hot weather that impacted refineries,” said...
Just how many loose alligators are there around here anyway?Video
How many loose alligators do we have around here anyway? Alle-Kiski Valley residents with frontage along the Kiski River can breathe a little easier this week, after news that the alligator seen several times over the past week was caught by kayakers Sunday and turned over to humane officers. But...
Worst of severe thunderstorms likely to miss Western Pennsylvania
Monday morning may have been overcast and rainy in the Pittsburgh region, but National Weather Service alerts about possible severe thunderstorms with the potential for hail and isolated tornadoes are likely to miss the region, meteorologists said. “We have some thunderstorm activity northwest of Pittsburgh at the weather center office,...
