Top Stories category, Page 1108
College voucher proposal draws fire from Pitt and Penn State
A Westmoreland County lawmaker’s attack on the state’s financial relationship with Pitt, Penn State and Temple is drawing blowback from the powerhouse public research universities and their supporters. State Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield, says he has “ethical” issues with the commonwealth spending about $580 million to support the three universities...
Fort Ligonier Days draws crowds for parade, crafts, food, historyVideo
Keith Hall lives in Wexford, and his family hails from the Derry area. But his heart belongs to Ligonier — at least during the latter town’s annual Fort Ligonier Days festival. Hall staked out a prominent spot along Saturday’s festival parade route. He sported a green-and-purple kilt, representing his Scottish...
TSA officers confiscate another gun at Pittsburgh International Airport
Transportation Security Administration officers confiscated a gun in a passenger’s purse at Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday. TSA officers found a loaded 9mm firearm in a purse belonging to a 39-year-old female passenger. The gun was located at an alternate security checkpoint, officials said. TSA officers alerted Allegheny County Police,...
Man killed, woman wounded in shootings in Pitcairn
A man was killed and a woman was wounded in a shooting in Pitcairn early Saturday afternoon. Allegheny County 911 was notified of a vehicle rollover and the sound of gunshots in the 300 block of Third Street in Pitcairn just after 1 p.m. Saturday. First responders found a one-car...
Woman shot in chest at West Mifflin gas station
A woman was shot at a gas station in West Mifflin early Saturday morning. West Mifflin police responded to a report of a shooting at the Speedway gas station in the 4300 block of Kennywood Boulevard in West Mifflin at around 2 a.m.. First responders found evidence of a shooting...
Duquesne shooting sends man to hospital
Allegheny County Police are investigating a shooting late on Friday that left a man injured in Duquesne. Just before 11:30 p.m., county 911 dispatchers were notified of shots fired in the 0 to 100 block of Miller Avenue . First responders learned shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday that an 18-year-old...
Jeannette ‘Mansion House’ that predates city is home to local history – and up for saleVideo
It needs a good bit of work, but someone interested in local history could find quite a lot of it within the walls of an old stone farm house in Jeannette’s Seneca Heights neighborhood. In the 100 block of Locust Street, a dark stone house predating the city sits near...
Ten years later, scholarships carry on Officer Derek Kotecki’s legacy
An industrial products salesman who is a firefighter. A corrections officer at a halfway house. A pharmacist in Baltimore. They never met Lower Burrell senior patrolman Derek Kotecki, but he touched their lives unexpectedly with an educational scholarship. Oct. 12 marks the 10th anniversary of when Kotecki, 40, was killed...
Bates Street on-ramp in Pittsburgh to close this weekend
The Bates Street on-ramp to eastbound I-376 in Pittsburgh will be closed this weekend, weather permitting. The closure is scheduled from 8 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Monday as crews from Allison Park Contractors conduct drainage installation work. Traffic will be detoured: • From Bates Street, take Second Avenue westbound...
Neville Island Bridge northbound closed this weekend
The final northbound closure on the I-79 Neville Island Bridge in Robinson and Neville townships and Glenfield is happening this weekend. A full closure was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Friday and last through 5 a.m. Monday. Crews are making bridge and roadway concrete repairs, patching the roadway, replacing...
McKees Rocks shooting victim identified
A man who died after being shot in McKees Rocks on Thursday afternoon has been identified. Brian Irby, 35, of McKees Rocks died of a gunshot would to the chest, according to an Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office report released Friday evening. The shooting occurred around 4:30 p.m. along Fair...
Country star Eric Church to perform without his band due to members catching covid
Country star Eric Church will be performing tonight at PPG Paints Arena without his band due to players having covid. The singer announced the change via his Facebook page. “Despite thorough safety protocols, a limited number of breakthrough covid-19 cases have occurred within the Eric Church Band,” the post reads....
Brentwood School District security guard arrested for alleged inappropriate communications with student
A Brentwood High School security guard was arrested Friday for allegedly sharing inappropriate images and communications with a student. Daniel Stiefvater, 23, of Brentwood is charged with institutional sexual assault and other felonies. Allegheny County Police said Stiefvater sent the student images and communicated with the student via phone, social...
Spate of fall Pittsburgh weddings forces Broncos to improvise hotel stay for visit
If you’ve ever had a wedding alter travel plans, you aren’t alone. NFL teams visiting Pittsburgh are this year, too. The Denver Broncos are traveling later Saturday than they typically do for their Sunday away games, and coach Vic Fangio said other teams have done the same when playing at...
TV Talk: Christian Bale, director Scott Cooper return to Pittsburgh for Netflix movie that’s seeking extras
Actor Christian Bale will make his third movie in Pittsburgh (after “Dark Knight Rises” and “Out of the Furnace”) and director Scott Cooper returns for his second (after directing “Out of the Furnace” in Western Pennsylvania) with Netflix’s “The Pale Blue Eye.” Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer confirmed production...
Beaver Falls man faces felony charge after TSA says he brought loaded revolver to Pittsburgh airport
Two days after federal and local law enforcement laid out new penalties for those who bring firearms to Pittsburgh International Airport security checkpoints, inadvertently or otherwise, a Beaver Falls man was arrested for carrying a firearm without a license after a gun was spotted in his carry-on bag. Randolph Copeland,...
Many Pa. school districts are passing up free coronavirus testing even after a rise in cases
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 — Even after covid-19 cases rose among children and district leaders worked to contain outbreaks among students, Pennsylvania schools have...
Boo-humbug: North Huntingdon haunted house shut down over zoning issues
A Halloween attraction in North Huntingdon that was set to open this weekend was halted because it would violate the township’s zoning ordinance. The Springwood Manor home haunt at 1738 Pickford St. was shut down Thursday because operating a haunted house — a commercial enterprise — would violate the township’s...
What pregnant women should know about covid vaccines
Pregnant women are considered to be at high risk of severe covid-19 infection, sparking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to again urge them to be vaccinated. They also are eligible for a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine, if they had received the Pfizer inoculation initially. “Although the...
Ex-Steelers WR Antonio Brown sells his home in Pine for $1.4 million
One of the greatest — and most controversial — wide receivers in Steelers history now has one less tie to Pittsburgh. Antonio Brown’s five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home at 103 Silver Pines Drive in Pine has sold for $1.4 million. That’s half a million less than the $1.9 million he bought it...
AG Shapiro: Florida father and son targeted elderly in ‘distraction’ thefts in Western Pa.
A father and son from Florida were arrested this week for committing multiple “distraction-style” burglaries throughout Western Pennsylvania, including in Butler, Indiana and Westmoreland counties, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced. Steve Nichols, 53, and Archie Marino, 34, both of Fort Lauderdale, were indicted by a statewide investigating grand jury this...
Rumor of threat against Plum High School unfounded, administration says
Rumors of a threat against the Plum Senior High School that spurred an investigation have no merit, a letter from administrators states. According to a letter from high school Principal Joe Fishell, several Safe2Say submissions and emails were received by the district regarding an alleged allegation that a student had...
Anti-vaccine chiropractors are rising force of misinformation
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The flashy postcard, covered with images of syringes, beckoned people to attend Vax-Con ‘21 to learn “the uncensored truth” about covid-19 vaccines. Participants traveled from around the country to a Wisconsin Dells resort for a sold-out convention that was, in fact, a sea of misinformation and conspiracy...
Stink bugs are back — and in greater numbers than recent years
They are pests in the truest sense of the word, and they are back. They are brown marmorated stink bugs and people love to hate them because of their annoying habit of invading homes and gardens. They have earned their name from the odor they produce from the glands on...
U.S. employers add a weak 194,000 jobs as delta maintains hold
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added just 194,000 jobs in September, a second straight tepid gain and evidence that the pandemic still has a grip on the economy with many companies struggling to fill millions of open jobs. Friday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate fell...
