Top Stories category, Page 824
Northeast bucks trend of falling gas prices on tight supply, analyst says
While the national average price of gasoline has come down for a third straight week, the Northeast, including the Pittsburgh region, is bucking the trend because of tight supply, an industry analyst said. The national average fell about 5 cents per gallon in the past week and was averaging $3.72...
Obama will rally with Fetterman in Pittsburgh
Former President Barack Obama is coming to Pittsburgh this weekend to hold a rally for Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman. According to the Fetterman campaign, Obama will “rally voters, encouraging them to turn out and vote for Fetterman and Democrats up and down the ballot.” Details about specifics had not...
Jeannette blaze deemed suspicious by state police fire marshal
A fire that left several Jeannette residents homeless Monday was deemed suspicious. Jeannette police Chief Donald Johnston Jr. said that determination was made by a state police fire marshal. “We are conducting follow-up investigations with witnesses and neighbors,” Johnston said. The blaze swept through two Division Street homes Monday afternoon...
2 gunshot victims seek help at Pittsburgh hospital, EMS headquarters
Two men sought help early Tuesday at a Pittsburgh hospital and Pittsburgh EMS headquarters after being shot outside of the city, according to police. A 21-year-old man was dropped off at the Filbert Street EMS station in Shadyside around 3:30 a.m. Police said he had a gunshot wound to the...
Could Powerball jackpot top $1.58 billion record?
DES MOINES, Iowa — The fourth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history could soar to the largest ever if no one wins the top prize in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing. The jackpot climbed to $1.2 billion after no one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot. That makes 38 consecutive...
Pittsburgh Police investigating shooting that hurt 14-year-old boy
A 14-year-old boy was hospitalized Monday evening after Pittsburgh Police said he was shot in the ankle. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the 1200 block of Mohler Street near the Homewood North neighborhood around 8:50 p.m. Police said they weren’t able to find evidence of a crime scene...
WPXI reporter tapped as spokesperson for Westmoreland County DA
WPXI reporter Melanie Gillespie Jones will leave her post at the Pittsburgh television station to become the spokesperson for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. Jones, 34, of Somerset County is the station’s Westmoreland County Bureau chief and will begin work with the county Nov. 14. “Melanie will launch our...
Westmoreland judge: Shetler must remain in jail pending trial
A New Florence man acquitted of killing a police officer in 2015 will remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges that he assaulted a law enforcement official as police attempted to take him into custody on an outstanding warrant. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Megan Bilik-DeFazio on Monday...
Judge dismisses Wilkinsburg annexation petition
An Allegheny County judge on Friday dismissed a petition that sought to initiate annexation proceedings for Wilkinsburg to be incorporated into the City of Pittsburgh. The petition, filed on Sept. 29, was dismissed in a two-page order by Senior Common Pleas Judge Joe James. In the order, James wrote that...
Allegheny County addresses minor mail-in ballot issues as Election Day approaches
The Allegheny County Elections Division is addressing what it called minor problems with mail-in ballots in response to concerns raised by the ACLU of Pennsylvania. In a letter sent to the county last week, the ACLU said some mail-in ballots were sent out without declaration envelopes. Those are the outer...
Pittsburgh’s Urban League receives $6M from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh received a record-breaking gift Monday from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Scott, who divorced billionaire Jeff Bezos in 2019, gave $6 million to the Urban League. The nonprofit’s mission is to help African Americans achieve economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. Scott has donated billions...
Why are undated mail ballots such a big deal in Pennsylvania?
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 — Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court is expected to soon rule on a case that could decide whether undated mail ballots can...
Mosites breaks ground on Allegheny Shores, ‘the Sharpsburg Riviera’
A groundbreaking along the Sharpsburg riverfront Monday marked the beginning of a project to reshape the land and reconnect it to the community. The Mosites Co., best known for its redevelopment of the East Liberty commercial corridor, celebrated the launch of a project formerly dubbed R47 and now called Allegheny...
7 apartment tenants lose homes in Jeannette fire
Seven apartment tenants lost their homes Monday afternoon when a fire swept through two homes in Jeannette and damaged a third. The cause of the blaze is under investigation by a state police fire marshal and Jeannette police, a city fire official said. No one was reported injured in the...
Musk floats paid Twitter verification, fires board
Billionaire Elon Musk is already floating major changes for Twitter — and faces major hurdles as he begins his first week as owner of the social-media platform. Twitter’s new owner fired the company’s board of directors and made himself the board’s sole member, according to a company filing Monday with...
Crews battle fire in Southwest Greensburg
Crews battled a house fire in Southwest Greensburg Monday afternoon, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The Southwest Greensburg Fire Department and South Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department responded to the 700 block of Green Street around 1:30 p.m. According to a Facebook post from the South Greensburg VFD, firefighters prevented...
$1 billion Powerball jackpot up for grabs tonight
DES MOINES, Iowa — People showed up at convenience stores, groceries and gas stations across the country to snatch up lottery tickets for a chance at Monday night’s massive $1 billion Powerball jackpot. The jackpot soared after no one matched all six numbers in Saturday night’s drawing. It’s the fifth-largest...
Steelers vs. Eagles: What they’re saying in Philadelphia
As the old country song by Jerry Reed goes, “When you’re hot, you’re hot. And when you’re not, you’re not.” That was the case for the Philadelphia Eagles (the “hot” part) in their 35-13 rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers (the “not” part). The Eagles remained the only undefeated NFL team,...
AP source: Biden to float windfall tax on energy producers
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday will raise the possibility of imposing a “windfall tax” on energy companies, as his administration aims to combat high gas prices just days before the midterm elections. The White House said Biden will deliver remarks to respond “to reports over recent days of...
Mark Madden: Now do you believe the Steelers stink?
Do you believe the Pittsburgh Steelers stink? Are you convinced yet? Philadelphia subbed out a lot of starters in the fourth quarter. The Eagles’ center, Jason Kelce, wore a Batman mask on the sideline. The Steelers got beat bad and treated like a joke. Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett isn’t improving....
Super-sized spookiness: Halloween displays go big for fun, and for charity
Considering how many Halloween decorations Susie and Delbert Long of Latrobe have already put up, you could forgive Delbert for thinking he could sneak a werewolf past his wife — even if it is a dozen feet tall. “That’s Zeke,” he said with a laugh, waving his arms to get...
Confident GOP unifies behind candidates once seen as risky
ATKINSON, N.H. — New Hampshire’s Republican governor described Don Bolduc as a “conspiracy theory extremist” just two months ago. But now, a week before Election Day, Gov. Chris Sununu is vowing to support him. And the leader of the GOP’s campaign to retake the U.S. Senate stood at Bolduc’s side...
Armed person dies in Fawn after interaction with state police
A 50-year-old Fawn man died Monday morning after an interaction with state police, according to authorities. What police deemed an “officer involved shooting” was reported on Shamrock Lane, where troopers said they encountered an armed person, after responding to an incident there. Police said the armed person — later identified...
Poll workers train for conflict: ‘A little nervous? I am.’
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s top election official surveyed about 20 poll workers gathered in a classroom in a city building stuffed with election supplies, then spoke frankly about the tense environment they may face next week when the city expects more people watching their work than ever before. “So who is...
Trump Organization faces criminal tax fraud trial over perks
NEW YORK — For years, as Donald Trump was soaring from reality TV star to the White House, his real estate empire was bankrolling big perks for some of his most trusted senior executives, including apartments and luxury cars. Now Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, is on trial this week...
