Top Stories category, Page 823
Westmoreland voters not allowed to fix undated mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County election officials said voters who submit undated mail-in ballots will not be permitted to correct that error or other deficiencies before Election Day. That could result in their votes not being counted. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday barred county election offices from counting undated mail-in ballots and...
Homicide charges filed against UPMC doctor accused of causing wreck that killed fellow physician
Police accused an emergency room doctor of being drunk while driving nearly 130 mph in July when he lost control of his Tesla and crashed, killing the physician who was his passenger. Joseph Henry Yanta, 38, of the 2000 block of Reis Run Road in Franklin Park was charged by...
Hempfield plans to hold the line on taxes
Hempfield property owners will likely avoid a township tax increase for the 33rd consecutive year after supervisors approved a 2023 preliminary budget that holds the line on taxes. The budget, approved last week, keeps taxes at 3 mills — the rate at which they have remained since 1990. “Luckily we’ve...
Trial continues in stabbing death at Scott homeless encampment
Curtis Greenwalt was inside a tent along Creek Street in Scott nearly a year ago when he heard noises outside. Greenwalt testified Wednesday that he frequently hung out in the area called “Tent City” and had arrived at the homeless encampment along Chartiers Creek around 1 or 2 p.m. on...
Stocks fall after Fed says it’s too soon to pause rate hikes
Stocks fell sharply after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that interest rates will need to go even higher than previously thought in order to tame the worst inflation in decades. The Fed also raised its benchmark rate by three-quarters of a percentage point Wednesday, its fourth consecutive hike of...
Pitt moves ahead with plans for $255M campus recreation center, no parking included
The University of Pittsburgh is moving forward with plans to build a $255 million recreation center on its Oakland campus. Pittsburgh’s planning commission approved plans for the development on O’Hara Street at its meeting Tuesday. “This new, nine-story structure will house gymnasiums, squash courts, a swimming pool and areas dedicated...
Going to win $1.2B Powerball prize? Consider not taking cash
DES MOINES, Iowa — Think you’re a sure bet for Wednesday night’s estimated $1.2 billion Powerball jackpot? If so, you need to decide whether to take cash, which would actually pay out $596.7 million, or choose the $1.2 billion annuity option that is twice as large but is paid out...
Western Pa. campuses vow to stay diverse amid Supreme Court’s mulling of race-based admissions
If the U.S. Supreme Court prohibits universities from considering race in admissions, overturning four decades of legal precedent, campuses in Western Pennsylvania and across the country say they’ll still look for ways to make their enrollments diverse. “It will definitely have an effect on schools,” said Ann Schiavone, an associate...
Joan Jett to headline Light Up Night 2022 in Pittsburgh
For the second time in three months, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will be performing in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership announced at a press conference Wednesday that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will be the headline performers at Light Up Night on Nov. 19. Jett and her...
‘Grabbing cats’: Small rescues run on limited resources, volunteers
Despite being a three-person volunteer organization, members of the Jeannette nonprofit Furry Felines snapped immediately into action when they were alerted to an animal hoarding case, with more than 60 cats and kittens living in unsanitary conditions. “We had no time to prepare for the situation at all. We got...
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra paid $15K to take 2 Pa. lawmakers to Europe
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 — In the waning days of summer, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra embarked on a whirlwind, nine-city European tour — its...
Sewickley’s Tull Family Theater will be renamed next year
The Tull Family Theater, a Sewickley nonprofit, will be going by a new name for at least the next decade. It is being renamed The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center — or “The Lindsay,” for short — effective Jan. 1 ,2023. The change is part of a 10-year sponsorship by...
Editorial: Is a $1.5 billion daydream worth your $2?
Have you bought your ticket yet? It almost goes without saying that the ticket in question is not for a train, plane or concert. For the second time this year, the country is gripped in lottery fever. Saturday’s multi-state Powerball jackpot will top $1.5 billion and might climb even higher...
2 Pittsburgh men charged in connection with North Side shooting that left 3 dead
John Mehalic wants justice. The Latrobe man’s daughter Jacquelyn Mehalic, 33, was an innocent bystander killed Oct. 15 in a shooting near what police have called an open-air drug market on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Jaylone D. Hines, 21, of Pittsburgh, was charged Wednesday in connection with her murder and taken...
Seoul: North Korea fires more than 10 missiles after threat
SEOUL — Air raid sirens sounded in South Korea after the North fired about a dozen missiles in its direction Wednesday, at least one of them landing near the rivals’ tense sea border. The launches came hours after North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons to get the U.S. and...
Democratic candidate for governor Josh Shapiro focuses on protecting abortion, voting rights at Pittsburgh rally
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro held a rally in Pittsburgh on Tuesday and focused his speech on protecting rights for future generations, and his plan to improve education, public safety, and union rights for Pennsylvanians. In front of more than 300 supporters at a rally in front of Acrisure Stadium...
Butler County judge backs injunction against striking Post-Gazette workers; P-G contacts federal mediator
A Butler County judge on Tuesday backed an injunction against striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette union members and their supporters, limiting how they can picket at the Butler Eagle where the newspaper has been printed during the strike. The court order, which the Butler County Prothonotary posted online Tuesday afternoon, allows only...
Pennsylvania court: Ballots in undated envelopes won’t count
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania officials cannot count votes from mail-in or absentee ballots that lack accurate, handwritten dates on their return envelopes, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday, a week before tabulation will begin in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and the state Legislature. The court directed county boards...
Man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi held without bail
SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco judge on Tuesday ordered the man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home, beating her husband and seeking to kidnap her, to be held without bail. Adam Lipson, a lawyer for defendant David DePape, entered a not guilty plea on DePape’s behalf...
Supreme Court clears way for Lindsey Graham testimony in GeorgiaVideo
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Sen. Lindsey Graham’s testimony in a Georgia investigation of possible illegal interference in the 2020 election by then-President Donald Trump and his allies in the state. The court lifted a temporary hold on Graham’s appearance before a special grand...
Fayette County House candidate assaulted amid warnings about election-related threats
A candidate running for a state House seat on Monday morning called 911 after being assaulted at his Fayette County home in what would be the third time in two weeks he has had to call police to his residence. Democrat Richard Ringer said he was bloodied and knocked unconscious...
Fawn man wielding a gun shot by troopers after ignoring orders to drop weapon, police say
State police say a Fawn man was brandishing a gun and ignored repeated orders to put the weapon down before they fatally shot him early Monday. Zachary John Cervice, 50, was dead at the scene, said state Trooper Josh Black, public information officer for state police in Butler. According to...
Former Allegheny County Police officer sues over being denied religious exemption to vaccine mandate
A former Allegheny County Police officer who describes himself as a devout Catholic claimed in a federal lawsuit Monday that his employers discriminated against him by failing to grant him a religious exemption for the covid-19 vaccine mandate. The lawsuit, filed by Ronald J. Gaudelli, comes on the heels of...
Homicide arraignment held for Unity man accused of killing Cassandra Gross
Thomas G. Stanko was arraigned Tuesday in connection with the death of Cassandra Gross of Unity, the first of many court hearings her mother Kathe Gross plans to attend in the homicide case. “I’m going to every one,” Gross said outside the courtroom after Stanko, 52, of Unity, was denied...
Steelers trade Chase Claypool to Bears, add CB William Jackson from Commanders
One moment he was on the practice field at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex catching passes as the Pittsburgh Steelers went through their first workout of the bye week. The next, Chase Claypool was on his way to joining the Chicago Bears. About an hour after practice concluded early Tuesday afternoon,...
