Top Stories category, Page 103
Age 62, 67 or 70? Here’s the best time to claim Social Security
Some older Americans, staring down potential Social Security benefit cuts, might look to access the program as soon as possible. Experts say that could be a mistake. Instead, potential beneficiaries should consider their health and life expectancy, what buckets of money they can pull from, if they’re done working for...
Mark Madden: Steelers’ prehistoric approach of 7 offensive linemen worked but has its flaws
The Pittsburgh Steelers were founded in 1933. Right now, they’re using an approach fit for 1933. Coach Mike Tomlin has become enamored with deploying, for all intents and purposes, seven offensive linemen. What’s next, the single wing? Spencer Anderson serves as an extra tackle. He played 19 snaps in the...
White House says Nobel Committee places ‘politics over peace’
The White House responded to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to a Venezuelan opposition activist María Corina Machado by saying the prize committee was playing politics by not giving it to President Donald Trump. “The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace,” White House Communications Director Steven...
Federal government shutdown: White House says mass layoffs of federal workers have begun
WASHINGTON – The federal government shutdown rolled on to Day 10 on Friday after senators the day before voted down dueling funding bills for the seventh time. With both sides not budging from their positions, it appears increasingly likely the shutdown will crash into the weekend and the next week....
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Venezuela’s opposition leader Machado
OSLO — Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for promoting democratic rights and fighting dictatorship, receiving the award despite President Donald Trump’s repeated statements he deserved it. Machado, a 58-year-old industrial engineer who lives in hiding, was blocked in 2024 by Venezuela’s courts...
‘There’s a blend there’: Penguins’ mix of youth and veterans showing instant success, not just symbolism
On Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, new Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Muse rolled out an opening night starting lineup of veterans Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, along with rookies Harrison Brunicke and Ben Kindel. The symbolism wasn’t lost on anyone. The torch wasn’t ready to be passed, but...
Redesign in the works for office, retail space along Route 28 in Harrison
A mixed-use development that could bring offices, restaurants and retail along Route 28 in Harrison is back on the drawing board. The project, known as Harrison Point, is moving forward despite sitting dormant for 11 years, according to Richard Gasperini Jr. of Genfor Real Estate. His group is soliciting development...
Westmoreland man, woman killed in crash near Washington, D.C.
A Westmoreland County couple who loved music were coming home after attending a concert in Washington, D.C., when they were killed Sunday in an accident near the nation’s capital. Alyssa Samantha-Dee Caldarelli, 22, of Adamsburg, and Ryan Dean, 26, of Murrysville were fatally injured in a crash along the George...
U.S. judge blocks Trump’s deployment of National Guard in Illinois
CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s deployment of hundreds of National Guard soldiers in Illinois, five days after another U.S. judge blocked a similar deployment in Portland, Oregon. U.S. District Judge April Perry said that permitting Guard troops in the state would...
Gainey’s affordable housing reform in jeopardy as talks break down with Pittsburgh council
In September 2024, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey set out to tackle a critical priority of his administration, what he called the “affordable housing crisis.” Unveiling a set of sweeping reforms, Gainey wanted developers across the city to set aside a portion of new construction for poor people to rent at...
Judge to decide appeal for ex-state trooper in 20-year-old Blairsville dentist’s murder
An appeal filed by a former state trooper in the murder of a Blairsville dentist is 10 years too late, state Deputy Attorney General William Stoycos argued Thursday. Plus, evidence the defense claims it recently obtained wouldn’t have any impact on the trial jury’s decision to convict Kevin J. Foley...
‘I’m cautiously optimistic’: Palestinians, Jews in Western Pa. share mixed emotions about peace deal
When Karim Alshurafa heard Thursday’s news of a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, he felt conflicted. Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, which could be the first step toward ending a 2-year-old war that has roiled the Middle East. Alshurafa, 42,...
Jurors see video of arrest at scene of Monroeville police shooting
Jamal Brooks told a jury Wednesday that video of a man blasting a Monroeville police sergeant with gunfire revealed nothing distinctive about the shooter. The person firing 16 times into the officer’s patrol vehicle, Brooks claimed, “could be anyone.” Anyone, that is, but him. On Thursday, video that night from...
Man accused in Salem lawnmower pipe bomb case now charged over 2nd explosive attempt
James Sever, the man accused of planting a pipe bomb in his former landlord’s lawnmower, was charged Thursday with putting a second bomb on a pickup truck being used by one of Sever’s relatives, state police said in court papers. The pickup was a loaner vehicle from a Rostraver car...
Shapiro joins states in legal action against Trump’s National Guard deployments
Pennsylvania has joined nearly two dozen states in taking legal action in an attempt to stop President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops to U.S. cities. The multistate amicus brief argues that the deployment of National Guard troops in Oregon was “unlawful, unconstitutional and undemocratic,” according to Gov. Josh...
Health Secretary Kennedy, Trump link circumcision to autism through TylenolVideo
WASHINGTON – Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expanded his crusade against using Tylenol with a cutting-edge warning: boys who were circumcised were twice as likely to be diagnosed with autism later. “There are two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism,” Kennedy...
Shutdown strikes federal workers in Pittsburgh with furloughs
About 250 federal workers represented by the National Treasury Employees Union in Western Pennsylvania were furloughed Wednesday, casualties of the ongoing federal government shutdown. The workers learned by email they should plan to stay home for the duration of the shutdown unless they hear otherwise. Things for the union started...
New York AG Letitia James criminally charged in Trump’s latest effort to punish rivalsVideo
New York Attorney General Letitia James, a longtime foe of President Donald Trump, was indicted on charges of lying on a mortgage application on Thursday, the Justice Department said, as the administration seeks to use government power against those who have pursued investigations into him or publicly resisted his agenda....
Federal law enforcement looking to open new offices in Pittsburgh, 19 other U.S. cities
The federal government is looking to expand its law enforcement presence in 20 U.S. cities, including Pittsburgh. A competitive lease proposal from Sept. 16 reveals that the federal government is seeking office space large enough for 70 workers “appropriate for law enforcement administrative operations” in each of 20 cities. This...
Fetterman breaks with Dems on reining in Trump’s strikes on alleged drug boats; approval rating up among Republicans
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman went against the Democratic grain again. Fetterman on Wednesday was the lone Democrat in the Senate to vote against a measure to prevent President Donald Trump from using military force against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean without congressional authorization. Even with the support of two...
A Democratic rep.-elect isn’t being sworn in. Is it because she’d force an Epstein vote?
A Democrat from Arizona who won a special election for a seat in Congress on Sept. 23 is still waiting to be sworn in to the House of Representatives. Adelita Grijalva says the first thing she’ll do is sign the paperwork that would let the House vote on a bill...
Duquesne hoops player could have assault charge reduced by completing domestic violence program
An assault charge against a Duquesne University basketball player accused of punching his then-girlfriend in August will be reduced to a non-traffic citation if he completes a domestic violence program. The deal was worked out between Maximus Edwards’ lawyer and the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, which said it reviewed...
Acrisure Stadium to get 22,000 new seats to replace ones in ‘really bad shape’
Acrisure Stadium is set to get thousands of new seats over the next four years in a multimillion-dollar upgrade. The Sports & Exhibition Authority board on Thursday unanimously agreed to pay over $6 million for the first phase of seat replacements, which will swap out more than 22,000 seats this...
RIP landline phones? If you don’t have one now, you may not be able to get one
When Andy Brady had his cable television service installed, a landline telephone number was part of the package deal. He’s never hooked a phone to it, though. That probably says something about the bleak future for landline phones, considering Brady is the market president for the Verizon Consumer Group’s Great...
Bell Acres resident Christina Cassotis leads Pittsburgh International Airport into a new era
During her job interview, Christina Cassotis made a bold statement to board members of the Allegheny County Airport Authority and the Allegheny County executive: “Hubs do not work in the Midwest.” The region will remember the 1992 Pittsburgh International Airport being designed to be a hub for US Airways. It...
