Top Stories category, Page 787
Southwest cuts 2,300 flights, schedule in sustained chaos
DALLAS — Southwest Airlines continued to extract itself from sustained scheduling chaos Thursday, canceling another 2,350 flights after a winter storm overwhelmed its operations days ago. The Dallas carrier acknowledged it has inadequate and outdated operations technology that can leave flight crews out of position when adverse weather strikes. Southwest...
Gov. Wolf ends term with strong ratings after tumultuous times
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf will wrap up eight years in office next month, having steered Pennsylvania through unpredictable times when the Democrat made life-and-death decisions in the ravaging covid-19 pandemic and managed the battleground state’s presidential election amid unprecedented Republican efforts to overturn it. Wolf, 74, leaves office with...
Brackenridge man accused of assaulting Butler County teen, sharing nude images of her
A Brackenridge man who worked as a security guard is accused of sexually assaulting a high school girl in Butler County and distributing nude and sexually explicit images of her. Jackson Township police first charged Matthew Alan Cowan, 24, of Pacific Avenue in October in connection with the assault they...
Russia launches massive missile barrage across Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — Multiple regions of Ukraine, including its capital, faced a massive Russian missile attack Thursday, the biggest wave of strikes in weeks targeting power stations and other critical infrastructure during freezing weather. Air raid sirens rang out across the country. Ukraine’s military chief, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said preliminary...
Authorities identify victim fatally shot Wednesday in Swissvale as Pittsburgh woman
A woman who was found fatally shot Wednesday night inside a car in Swissvale has been identified by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The victim has been identified as Chanel Palmer, 31, of Pittsburgh. Police said they found Palmer, and an unidentified man, shot in a car Wednesday at...
As Westmoreland’s suicide numbers rise, ‘we have to talk about it’
When Melissa Hughes’ son, Mason, died by suicide in November 2021, she didn’t know where to turn for help with the grief. The Derry Township woman eventually found local resources and now helps comfort others who experience the same devastation while keeping her son’s memory alive. “If I can save...
Looking for New Year’s plans? 5 Westmoreland County destinations to celebrate
Still looking for New Year’s plans? Here are five places you can celebrate from today to Monday, Dec. 29 to Jan. 1, in Westmoreland County. Champagne and dancing at Morelands at Waterworks The South Greensburg venue Morelands at Waterworks will host a New Year’s Eve party beginning at 9 p.m....
13 former Allegheny County employees sue over coronavirus vaccine mandate
Thirteen former Allegheny County employees are suing the county after it denied their requests for religious and medical exemptions to receive the coronavirus vaccine. In a federal lawsuit, the employees allege the county breached an employment contract and violated the First and Fourteenth amendments when it terminated unvaccinated employees after...
Police: Monroeville woman fraudulently rented Avis cars for heroin, cash
A former Avis Car Rental regional manager faces charges after police say she fraudulently rented the company’s cars in exchange for heroin and cash. Jackie Neubauer, 40, of Monroeville began fraudulently renting cars at the Monroeville location in October, police say. Neubauer, the manager of four regional Avis locations, was...
Unhealthy pollution levels expected in 5 southern Allegheny County communities
The state is advising young children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems to limit outdoor activities Thursday in certain parts of Allegheny County. Fine particulate matter — microscopic materials that can be inhaled and cause health problems — are anticipated in Clairton, Glassport, Liberty Borough, Lincoln and Port Vue....
U.S. will require covid-19 testing for travelers from China
The U.S. announced new covid-19 testing requirements Wednesday for all travelers from China, joining other nations imposing restrictions because of a surge of infections. The increase in cases across China follows the rollback of the nation’s strict anti-virus controls. China’s “zero covid” policies had kept China’s infection rate low but...
412 Blvd. of the Allies in Downtown Pittsburgh earns historic designation
A nine-story building at 412 Blvd. of the Allies in Downtown Pittsburgh has received a historic designation from the city. Pittsburgh City Council voted Wednesday to approve the historic nomination. The building, constructed in 1927, originally housed a hospital and then a pharmaceutical research, manufacturing and sales company, according to...
Mega Millions jackpot up to $640M after no big winner
DES MOINES, Iowa — A giant Mega Millions jackpot grew larger Wednesday to an estimated $640 million after another drawing without a winner. No one won the lottery game’s top prize Tuesday night, making it 21 straight drawings without anyone matching all six numbers. The next drawing will be Friday...
Khari Mosley announces candidacy for Pittsburgh City Council
A staple of Pittsburgh campaign circles is throwing his own hat into the ring for a Pittsburgh City Council race in the city’s East End. Khari Mosley is running for Pittsburgh City Council in District 9, which includes East Hills, East Liberty, Garfield, Homewood, Lincoln-Lemington, Stanton Heights and part of...
Pittsburgh’s First Night to kick off New Year with a bangVideo
New Year’s Eve will start with a bang in downtown Pittsburgh — and end the same way. Pyrotecnico Fireworks will bookend Highmark First Night Pittsburgh, with displays at 6 p.m. and midnight on Saturday. In the hours between, the free annual event will feature music, dance, theater, visual arts, comedy,...
Pat Toomey looks back at his years in the Senate, gives his thoughts on taxes, Trump, the filibuster and Fetterman
In his 12 years in the U.S. Senate, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Pat Toomey considers his part in getting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed his biggest accomplishment. The act was the first sweeping federal tax legislation since Ronald Reagan was president during the 1980s....
Could ‘stop, question and frisk’ drive down gun violence in Pittsburgh?
Increased gun violence in Pittsburgh has spurred city officials and residents to look for ways to combat the problem. A Carnegie Mellon University criminologist is recommending an approach that has generated controversy and debate elsewhere. Daniel Nagin, a professor of public policy and statistics at Carnegie Mellon, is calling for...
Vatican says retired pope Benedict XVI lucid, stable, but condition ‘serious’
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was lucid, conscious and stable, but that his condition remains serious a day after officials revealed that the 95-year-old’s health had deteriorated recently. A statement from Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said Pope Francis asks for continued prayers “to...
John Rooney, son of Steelers founder, dies at 83
John Rooney, son of Pittsburgh Steelers founder Arthur J. Rooney Sr., has died. The brother of former Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney, and a minority shareholder in the team, John Rooney was one of five children of Art, who founded the team in 1933. John Rooney was 83. Late Wednesday morning,...
Flooding not expected as Allegheny River ice thaws
Flooding is not anticipated along the Allegheny River as ice that formed during the recent record-setting cold snap begins to melt, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Tuesday. After setting a record low of 5 degrees below zero Friday, the high Wednesday is forecast to rise into the 40s, meteorologist...
TribLIVE’s top 50 photos of 2022
From the gun violence that continues to plague Pittsburgh to the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge to the midterm elections to Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the past year proved to be an eventful year for Western Pennsylvania. Here are the top 50 photos from 2022 from the TribLIVE’s visual journalists....
Man dies after falling down embankment while checking animal traps on Unity property
A Unity man died Tuesday night after falling down an embankment on his property while checking animal traps, the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office said. The coroner’s office identified the man as Paul Berger, 63. “It was icy and he fell down the side of the hill. It was a very...
U.S. Supreme Court keeps asylum limits in place for now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is keeping pandemic-era limits on asylum in place for now, dashing hopes of migrants who have been fleeing violence and inequality in Latin America and elsewhere to reach the United States. Tuesday’s ruling preserves a major Trump-era policy that was scheduled to expire under a...
Franco Harris’ family asks fans to donate to charities to honor the Steelers legend
In advance of Tuesday’s public visitation for Steelers legend Franco Harris at Acrisure Stadium, Harris’ family asked fans to make memorial donations to two charities — the Pittsburgh Promise and the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor — instead of sending flowers. Those who wish to donate can visit the charities’...
Hundreds turn out for public viewing for Steelers legend Franco Harris
Hundreds of fans of Pittsburgh Steelers legend Franco Harris braved the cold Tuesday afternoon to pay their respects to the Hall of Famer, who died last week. The Steelers hosted a viewing at Acrisure Stadium, where any member of the public could view Harris’ closed casket. The viewing inside the...
