Top Stories category, Page 700
Carnegie Mellon artificial intelligence institute to receive $20M in federal funding
Carnegie Mellon University will use $20 million in federal funding to establish an artificial intelligence institute that will look for ways to use AI to deal with public health, disaster management and other societal needs. The AI Institute for Societal Decision Making will develop “human-centric AI tools” that can respond...
Pittsburgh’s URA says it spent $12.7M on affordable housing efforts last year
Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority said in its 2022 annual report that it created or preserved more than 500 affordable housing units in the city last year. The authority, which released its annual report this week, said it spent $12.7 million on housing creation and preservation last year, including more than...
West Mifflin man get 15 to 35 years for beating mother to death, leaving her to die
A West Mifflin man was sentenced Thursday to 15 to 35 years in prison for violently beating his 80-year-old mother and leaving her to die in their basement in 2019. Kenneth Burdick, 45, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to third-degree murder in the death of Dolores Burdick. Heath Leff, a...
Are sports a pass-fail proposition? Local coaches, just like Giannis Antetokounmpo, don’t think so
Sam Albert has experienced his fair share of wins and losses after 28 years coaching football. However, it might come as a surprise to learn that for Albert, who enters his seventh season at Kiski Area this fall, determining a successful year vs. one he deems substandard does not have...
Pittsburgh woman charged in fentanyl death of her 7-month-old granddaughter
Allegheny County police charged a second person in connection with the fatal fentanyl poisoning of a 7-month-old Penn Hills infant — the girl’s grandmother. Barbara Ann Dunlap-Toombs, 66, of Larimer, turned herself in to sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday. She is charged with involuntary manslaughter, endangering the welfare of children and...
2023 primary day election guide: Details on races, candidates, issues in Western Pa.
Primary day is today. Here’s a guide to the many local races through Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. The state has an online tool to let voters find their polling...
What to know about Trump’s CNN town hall: Lies about election and abortion, attacks on accuser
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s primetime return to CNN Wednesday for the first time since 2016 felt like a throwback: Trump with the long, twisting answers; the interviewer at times struggling to fact-check him or return his focus to the question at hand; and then, eventually, both talking over each...
‘Now or never’: Migrants rush to U.S. border ahead of Title 42 expiration
MATAMOROS, Mexico — Migrants rushed across the border hours before pandemic-related asylum restrictions were to expire Thursday, fearing that new policies would make it far more difficult to gain entry into the United States. In a move to clear out overwhelmed holding facilities, Border Patrol agents were told Wednesday to...
As public health emergency ends, pandemic-era support programs have already been fading away
WASHINGTON — The formal end of the national Public Health Emergency on Thursday is largely a symbolic and psychological step, representing the country’s formal emergence from the covid-19 pandemic. But behind the scenes, several core aspects of America’s pandemic-era emergency safety net are also coming to a close, from extra...
Morning Roundup: Man charged in shooting in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 11, 2023: Man charged in shooting in Pittsburgh’s Strip District A Pittsburgh man has been charged in a shooting that wounded two others last month in the city’s Strip District. Jaquan Steadman, 24, is charged with two...
‘I’m going to reach all of them:’ Pirates star Andrew McCutchen eyes milestone moments
For all the fanfare that surrounded his return to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Andrew McCutchen passed a major milestone in his baseball career this week with barely a written word or whisper of congratulations. If not for a daily milestone tracker kept by team historian Jim Trdinich as the five-time All-Star,...
Norfolk Southern train derails in New Castle; officials say no hazardous materials released
Crews worked Thursday morning to clear a Norfolk Southern train derailment that occurred late Wednesday in Lawrence County. The derailment was reported shortly before 11:30 p.m. near Montgomery Avenue and Lafayette Street in New Castle. The were no reports of hazardous materials being released, according to New Castle police. Norfolk...
Campaigns turn up heat in crowded Democratic primary race for Allegheny County executive
Allegheny County executive candidates — and groups aggressively campaigning on behalf of some of them — are making their closing arguments to voters with less than a week to go until Tuesday’s primary. State Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Lawrenceville, has appeared to gain some momentum, with a recent poll showing her...
Iranian man arrested in connection with bomb threat at Pittsburgh International Airport
Allegheny County Police have arrested an Iranian national in connection with a bomb threat at Pittsburgh International Airport on Wednesday. Officers were dispatched at 4:35 p.m. to gate B-30 for a report of a passenger making a bomb threat. Police said Hossein Dehnavifard, 37, was taken into custody. He is...
Florida teen dies after crashing motorcycle in Pittsburgh
State police are investigating a fatal crash Wednesday afternoon that took place along the Veterans Bridge on-ramp from Route 28. Officers were dispatched around 1 p.m. for the crash involving a motorcycle. The driver was transported from the scene via Pittsburgh EMS to UPMC Mercy hospital where he later died...
New Kensington, Arnold leaders offer encouragement to Valley High football players
Three leaders of the New Kensington and Arnold communities have put themselves at the service of players on the Valley High School football team. New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo, Arnold Mayor Joe Bia II and District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. spoke to members of the Vikings team on the...
Hallam, Fitzgerald spar over proposed Allegheny County minimum-wage bill
Two political rivals in Allegheny County government are sparring again, this time over a proposal to raise the minimum wage for county workers to $20 an hour. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald claims the county council bill is legally flawed. Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, one of the sponsors of...
Township lawsuit alleges zoning violation over revised use of golf clubhouse
Penn Township is accusing the owners of an event center and banquet hall of violating local zoning requirements by refusing to allow golfers access to a clubhouse, pro shop and social gathering space built for the links on the same property. The township, in a lawsuit filed Wednesday, contends The...
Tarentum beefs up security at water plant
Ahead of a possible $2 million upgrade at Tarentum’s water plant, cameras will be installed to boost security. Council on Tuesday approved about $11,500 for five security cameras that will be mounted at the plant, pump house and water tanks. Video feed will be collected from several locations, including parking...
Duquesne now allowed to recruit students to planned osteopathic medical school
Duquesne University is allowed to begin recruiting students to its planned college of osteopathic medicine, a significant step toward opening in the fall of 2024. The college rising along Forbes Avenue on the Bluff now has pre-accreditation status from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, campus officials said Wednesday. The...
After uttering anti-gay slur, WVU’s Bob Huggins will coach this season, but with a salary reduction, suspension
West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins will not lose his job, but he will pay a price for uttering an anti-gay slur Monday on a Cincinnati radio station. He will forfeit $1 million from his $4.2 million annual salary and face a three-game suspension, according to a statement released Wednesday...
PWSA files for 60% rate increases over next 3 years
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority filed for a proposed rate increase Tuesday that could raise water rates by nearly 60% for more than 300,000 customers in Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. PWSA said the proposed rate increases would pay for mandated infrastructure improvements, as well as bring water and sewer...
Pennsylvania GOP puts clout back on line in primary after losing ’22 Senate, governor races
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican Party is trying to learn from internal strife over last year’s failure to endorse in premier primary contests and, this year, it is putting its clout on the line by issuing endorsements ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. Republicans are now putting up big bucks to try...
Police pursuit following stabbing incident in Hempfield home prompts brief school lockdown
A Hempfield man accused in a stabbing at his home early Wednesday fled from state police attempting to arrest him, prompting a brief lockdown at some Hempfield Area schools. Dashon Miller, 21, was apprehended later in the morning on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and terroristic threats. Troopers said...
37 cats abandoned in field off Athena Drive in Salem
Two local animal rescues are caring for 37 cats, some of which were pregnant, that were found Friday dumped in a field. The felines were frightened but in decent health, said Jen Johnson, founder of Ninth Life Rescue Center, who is partnering with Wayward Whiskers Animal Rescue to get the...
