Top Stories category, Page 1051
Lower Burrell Cross on the Hill will continue to shine thanks to outpouring of support
All it took was a mention that the locally iconic Cross on the Hill needed repairs, and people across the country responded. “Donations are really rolling in,” said Karen Snair, executive director of the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches in Harrison, which owns the 34-foot landmark. “We’re overwhelmed by the...
Inbound lanes of Fort Duquesne Bridge reopen after crash
One person was taken to the hospital after a crash on the Fort Duquesne Bridge Wednesday morning, according to an Allegheny 911 shift commander. Crews responded to the lower deck of the bridge shortly before 4:40 a.m. for reports of the wreck that left a car leaning up against a...
Spotted lanternfly numbers skyrocket in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
The spotted lanternfly — a beautiful but invasive plant hopper from Asia — continues its invasion of the region with a 1,722% increase in reports in Allegheny County, a 351% increase in Westmoreland County and a 177% increase in Butler in the past year. The insect doesn’t harm people, but...
Tips for getting rid of the invasive lanternfly
To slow the scourge of the invasive lanternfly, state experts weigh in on the many ways to kill the nectar-loving, honeydew-dropping pests. “The only good spotted lanternfly is a dead one,” said Amy K. Korman, an entomologist for 40 years and a horticulture extension educator with the Penn State Extension...
Person taken to hospital after Baldwin fire
One person was taken to the hospital after a fire early Wednesday in Baldwin, according to an Allegheny County 911 shift commander. Crews responded to the fire on Curry Hollow Road around 12:30 a.m. The person escaped from the home but was hospitalized with unspecified injuries, according to Tribune-Review news...
Police: Person in stable condition after Perry South shooting
A person is in stable condition after a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood Tuesday night, officials said. Officers responded to a Shotspotter alert near the intersection of Maple and McIntyre avenues around 11 p.m., said Pittsburgh Public Safety Spokeswoman Amanda Mueller. A victim later walked into a hospital with...
Pennsylvania Senate backs bill to allow guns to be carried without permit
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Tuesday approved two veto-bound firearms bills, including one to allow people to carry a loaded gun openly or concealed, without a permit, and another to punish municipalities that impose firearms ordinances that are stricter than state law. Despite a certain veto from Gov. Tom...
Judge refuses Trump request to block Jan. 6 records
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday rejected former President Donald Trump’s request to block the release of documents to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan declined to issue a preliminary injunction sought by Trump’s lawyers. Chutkan said President Joe Biden was...
Brian Williams says he’s leaving NBC News after 28 years
NEW YORK — Brian Williams, who remade his career as an MSNBC host after losing his job as NBC “Nightly News” anchor for making false claims about a wartime story, is leaving the network after 28 years. Williams said in a note to colleagues that “following much reflection,” he had...
Penn Hills police to increase presence at high school Wednesday following social media threat
Penn Hills students will see an increased police presence at the senior high school on Wednesday, after the department worked with school officials to identify the source of a social media threat. “While Penn Hills Police Department does not view this threat as credible and have been able to identify...
Oklahoma court overturns $465M opioid ruling against J&J
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a $465 million opioid ruling against drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, finding that a lower court wrongly interpreted the state’s public nuisance law in the first case of its kind in the United States to go to trial. The ruling was...
White House rushes with infrastructure fixes for economy
BALTIMORE — The Biden administration is relying on infrastructure dollars to help fix the clogged ports and blanket the nation with internet access — but a series of initiatives rolled out on Tuesday show that the urgent pace might not be fast enough to address the immediate needs of an...
U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell denies abuse allegations, custody trial concludes
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sean Parnell on Tuesday vehemently denied that a photograph purporting to show a handprint-shaped welt on a child’s back was of his child. “That’s not a picture of my (child),” Parnell repeated twice. The testimony came during cross-examination Tuesday during his custody trial. Both he and...
Armstrong School District vows to punish student who attacked transgender teen
The Armstrong High School student involved in the attack of a transgender teen late last month will be disciplined by the district and could face criminal prosecution, according to a school board member. The Oct. 27 incident, which was videotaped and circulated on social media, shows 14-year-old Willow Andring being...
Top Pa. House Republican wants to greatly expand lawmakers’ power over governor, executive branch
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 top Republican in the state House wants to give the legislature the ability to block regulations or administrative...
House Jan. 6 panel subpoenas 10 former White House aides
WASHINGTON — House investigators have issued subpoenas to 10 more former officials who worked for Donald Trump at the end of his presidency, an effort to find out more about what the president was doing and saying as his supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a...
Pfizer asks FDA to OK covid-19 booster shots for all adults
Pfizer asked U.S. regulators Tuesday to allow boosters of its covid-19 vaccine for anyone 18 or older, a step that comes amid concern about increased spread of the coronavirus with holiday travel and gatherings. Older Americans and other groups particularly vulnerable to the virus have had access to a third...
5 things to know about potential expansion of booster shots
Pfizer on Tuesday asked the Food and Drug Administration to give the go-ahead on covid-19 booster shots for anyone 18 or older. According to the Associated Press, the company is submitting early results of a 10,000-person booster study to back up its request. The study suggested a booster shot could...
Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente Drive one step closer to being renamed to also honor icon’s late wife
Pittsburgh City Council advanced legislation to rename Oakland’s Roberto Clemente Drive to also honor his late wife Vera, and the proposal could be finalized as soon as next week. The street between South Bouquet Street and Schenley Drive, which passes what remains of the Forbes Field outfield wall, would be...
Unity man suspected in Gross case pleads guilty to unrelated gun charges
A Unity man suspected in the 2018 disappearance of Cassandra Gross pleaded guilty Tuesday to unrelated federal weapons violations. Thomas George Stanko, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts of illegally having guns because he is a convicted felon. His admission came in a video conference hearing from the Allegheny County...
Pittsburgh City Council weighs changes to parking code
Some Pittsburgh residents are skeptical of proposed changes to the city’s parking code that they say would do more harm than good. The proposed amendments would apply to the city’s 39 residential parking permit areas, most of which are near commercial areas, universities or hospitals. While officials say the amendments...
Students, staff at Greensburg Salem Middle School move to remote learning
Greensburg Salem middle schoolers are moving to remote learning for almost two weeks following a spike in covid-19 cases, district officials said. According to Kenneth Bissell, acting superintendent, the spike caused the 14 day total of positive cases to rise to about 5% of the total student and faculty body....
Sub shop opens in site of ‘The O’ in Oakland, tacos to come soon
It will take two eateries to fill the empty space of “The O.” The beloved Original Hot Dog Shop in the heart of Oakland has been replaced by Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, which started in Wilmington, Del., and is now headquartered in Las Vegas. It opened Monday on Forbes Avenue. Viva...
Sto-Rox senior, 18, identified in fatal shooting
A Sto-Rox high school student was shot and killed Monday afternoon, authorities said, prompting district officials to switch high school students to remote learning for the rest of the week. Hasson Shackelford, 18, was a senior at Sto-Rox Junior-Senior High School, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Shackelford was shot...
Allegheny 911: 2 people taken to hospital following Route 28 crash
Two people were taken to the hospital Tuesday morning following a multiple-vehicle crash on Route 28, according to an Allegheny County 911 shift commander. Crews responded to the crash in the southbound lanes of Route 28 near the Millvale exit around 7 a.m. The dispatcher said a school bus that...
