Top Stories category, Page 703
Teen dies from sand hole collapse in Outer Banks
NORFOLK, Va. — Authorities in coastal North Carolina are investigating the death of a teenager who became trapped in a hole that was dug in the sand, the latest fatality from the scourge of sand holes that continues to claim young people’s lives. The 17-year-old male died Saturday afternoon in...
Yellen: ‘No good options’ if Congress fails to act on debt
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that there are “no good options” for the United States to avoid an economic “calamity” if Congress fails to raise the nation’s borrowing limit of $31.381 trillion in the coming weeks. She did not rule out President Joe Biden bypassing lawmakers and...
Westmoreland students craft metal selfie frames at parks to mark county’s 250th
Visitors to five of Westmoreland’s parks can celebrate the county’s 250th anniversary with student-created selfie photo frames that are being installed by Memorial Day. Eleven juniors at Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center worked on the project for about two weeks. The metal frames are about 4 feet by 4...
Thousands run city’s bridges, hills and streets for the Pittsburgh Marathon
Thousands of runners toured Pittsburgh’s bridges, hills and streets Sunday morning, all as part of the 2023 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. To the tune of fireworks, the full 26.2-mile race and 13.1-mile half-marathon kicked off at 7 a.m. Downtown. A slight rain greeted runners as the race began but...
Ultra runners become more in tune with themselves by the mile
South Hills resident Timmy Morgan, 36, was introduced to the sport of ultra running the same way a character in a movie discovers a destined journey. It was a dark and stormy night. Morgan and a friend had decided to set up camp after hiking along the Pacific Crest Trail...
New Vietnamese Kitchen in Hempfield hits diners’ sweet spot
These days, Ten Fox is working seven days a week — but it’s by her own choice. Already the owner of a Unity salon bearing her name, she opened The Vietnamese Kitchen in Hempfield on Jan. 6. “I’m Vietnamese, I grew up eating Vietnamese food, and I always had this...
Former Vandergrift church transformed into new public venue
A former church sanctuary has been transformed into a public event center in Vandergrift. After years of sitting dormant, the worship area of the former Trinity United Presbyterian Church has been transformed by owner Chloe Kruse into a multipurpose rental venue. “There hasn’t been a congregation here in more than...
Jury selection is crucial and complex in death penalty cases, experts say
Jury selection might be a misnomer. In the case of the man accused of killing 11 people at a Squirrel Hill synagogue in 2018, experts say, the process might more aptly be called “jury deselection” or “jury rejection.” Picking the right jury in a capital case is more about taking...
Police: 8 killed in Texas mall shooting, gunman also dead
ALLEN, Texas — A gunman stepped out of a silver sedan and started shooting people at a Dallas-area outlet mall Saturday, killing eight and wounding seven others — three critically — before being killed by a police officer who happened to be nearby, authorities said. Authorities did not immediately provide...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: If the Steelers want a new stadium, they’ll get it
In 1997, 11 counties in Western Pennsylvania voted against new stadiums for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates being built via public funding. They were built anyway. Using public funding. The idea of a new stadium for the Steelers will be mooted sooner than you think. Three Rivers Stadium operated from...
King Charles III crowned in ancient rite at uncertain moment for British monarchyVideo
LONDON — King Charles III was crowned Saturday at Westminster Abbey, receiving the bejeweled St. Edward’s Crown in a ceremony built on ancient tradition at a time when the monarchy is striving to remain relevant in a fractured modern Britain. Trumpets sounded inside the medieval abbey and the congregation shouted...
Former Pa. state trooper pleads guilty to federal child porn charges
A former Pennsylvania state police trooper has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges. Sean Ryan McKenzie, 38, of Perryopolis, Fayette County, was arrested in March 2022 and charged in federal court last May. He pleaded guilty on Friday, May 5, 2023. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, McKenzie attempted to...
Westmoreland DA defends summary charges for trooper accused in fatal Salem crash
The Westmoreland County district attorney Friday defended a decision to charge a Pennsylvania State Police trooper with summary traffic offenses for his role in a fatal accident last year. Tyler Strini, 27, of Homer City pleaded guilty Friday to four traffic offenses — speeding, reckless driving, driving at an unsafe...
Proposal to update ailing Pa. rent, property tax rebate program would reverse decade of decline
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 — The number of people getting help from a state program that offsets some housing costs for older and disabled...
Amera Gilchrist sworn in as Pittsburgh’s 1st Black female EMS chief
Amera Gilchrist was sworn in Friday as the city’s first Black female EMS chief. Gilchrist, 49, has served on the city’s Bureau of EMS for nearly 24 years. She assumed the role of acting chief when former EMS Chief Ronald Romano retired. After 45 years of service, Romano’s last day...
Federal agents raid Ligonier Valley Police Department, officials say
The Ligonier Valley Police Department headquarters was raided this week by federal Department of Homeland Security agents, but local officials said they were kept in the dark as to the purpose of the raid or if anything was seized. Dan Resenic, chairman of the Ligonier Township supervisors, said he was...
Bill Cowher talks leadership, Steelers draft, Pickett at Duquesne graduation as he receives honorary degreeVideo
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and Crafton native Bill Cowher has a life full of accomplishments. He coached the Steelers for 15 seasons, leading them to two Super Bowls and winning one. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Since retiring from the Steelers, he has successfully...
Washington Township stable owner charged with animal cruelty
A Washington Township stable owner has been charged with animal cruelty and neglect, after animal control officers said she was filmed using a riding crop and two dogs to abuse a horse during a purported training session. A Humane Society officer began investigating Sandra Hobbs, owner of Victory Stables on...
CDC’s Rochelle Walensky resigns, citing pandemic transition
NEW YORK — Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, submitted her resignation Friday, saying the waning of the covid-19 pandemic was a good time to make a transition. Walensky’s last day will be June 30, CDC officials said, and an interim director wasn’t...
ATI sales top $1 billion for 3rd consecutive quarter
Sales at ATI, one of the Alle-Kiski Valley’s largest employers, exceeded $1 billion for the third quarter in a row, officials announced Thursday. Aerospace and defense sales in particular are driving strong year-over-year growth, spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie said. First-quarter results showed that products for aerospace and defense represent 56% of...
WHO downgrades covid pandemic, says it’s no longer emergency
GENEVA — The World Health Organization said Friday that covid-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed at least 7 million people worldwide. WHO first declared covid-19 to be an emergency more than...
Shaler Shop ‘n Save sells $3 million winning lottery ticket
The Shop ‘n Save in Shaler sold a $3 million winning lottery ticket. The lucky ticket was a My Three Million scratch-off, according to Pennsylvania Lottery officials. My Three Million is a $30 game that offers five top prizes of $3 million. The Shop ‘n Save on Babcock Boulevard will...
500 pounds of pasta illegally dumped in New Jersey woods
Illegal dumping usually consists of stuff like tires, old appliances and broken furniture. Well, residents in New Jersey discovered something out of the ordinary. Almost 500 pounds of pasta — spaghetti, macaroni, ziti and alphabet pasta — was found late last month near a creek in the woods near Old...
Early dismissal at Gateway High School following bomb threat
Gateway High School dismissed students early Friday morning after a bomb threat was reported, school officials said. The school received a Safe2Say Something alert Friday morning indicating that a threatening social media post has been circulating in Western Pennsylvania. The threat didn’t specify a school district or school, according to...
Mark Madden: Ke’Bryan Hayes is a brilliant fielder, but Pirates need more from his bat
Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates don’t stink for the first time in a while, it’s time to discuss them like a real baseball team. Weak links can be questioned and dissected. Is third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes a weak link? Hayes will keep playing even if that’s the case. He signed...
