Top Stories category, Page 1141
She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at 53. But this Unity woman is not giving up.
The neurologist’s diagnosis sent Sara Belt’s family members into shock. Alzheimer’s disease? At just 53 years old? “I went numb,” her husband, Don Belt, said of that summer day three years ago at the Westmoreland County specialist’s office. The 74-year-old venture capitalist and former corporate marketing executive recalls feeling helpless...
Norwin grad realizes ‘lifelong dream’ by making Paralympic goalball teamVideo
A 2013 Norwin High School graduate will play for the U.S. goalball team in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in August. “It’s been a lifelong dream to be playing in the Paralympics. It’s exhilarating,” said Calahan Young, the North Huntingdon native now living in Fort Wayne, Ind., the training site...
New Pitt Lab to combat digital disinformation
The University of Pittsburgh is staking a claim in the battle against false narratives and conspiracy theories that spread online with the speed of light. Pitt officials said they hope to tap a new venture — the Pitt Disinformation Lab in the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security —...
Officials say cause of deadly Pride parade was accidental
WILTON MANORS, Fla. — The driver who slammed into spectators at the start of a Pride parade in South Florida, killing one person and seriously injuring another, did so accidentally, local officials and the leader of one of the groups involved in the parade said Sunday. Saturday’s crash at the...
Driver rams cyclists in Arizona race, critically injuring 6
SHOW LOW, Ariz. — A driver in a pickup truck plowed into bicyclists during a community road race in Arizona on Saturday, critically injuring several riders before police chased the driver and shot him outside a nearby hardware store, authorities said. Six people were taken to a hospital in critical...
Officer Brian Shaw scholarship awarded to police cadet from Kennedy Township
The Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship was awarded to a new cadet who graduated from the Allegheny County Police Academy on Friday. Shaw, of Lower Burrell, was a New Kensington police officer who was shot and killed after a traffic stop and foot chase in 2017. He was 25 years...
‘Protected them to death’: Elder-care covid rules under fire
Barbara and Christine Colucci long to remove their masks and kiss their 102-year-old mother, who has dementia and is in a nursing home in Rochester, New York. They would love to have more than two people in her room at a time so that relatives can be there too. “We...
Key Pennsylvania state senator backs Arizona-style election audit
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 Pennsylvania state senator in charge of a key election committee is backing an audit of the November presidential...
Donora man, 66, dies after jumping from Rostraver bridge
A man seen jumping from the Donora-Monessen bridge Friday afternoon died as a result of his injuries, according to the Washington County coroner. Thomas B. Matsick Jr., 66, of Donora was reportedle seen jumping from the eastbound side of the bridge, which carries traffic over the Monongahela River between Donora...
Pa. lawmakers threaten university funding over statute of limitations deadlock
A pair of state lawmakers who sponsored a bill to give adult survivors of child sexual abuse the right to sue their assailants beyond the statute of limitations say they will block state appropriations for Pennsylvania’s public research universities if Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward continues to stall a vote...
3 killed, 8 wounded in 9 shootings as the toll of Philadelphia’s bloody year grows
PHILADELPHIA — Three people were killed and eight others were wounded in nine shootings across the city Thursday, according to Philadelphia police, continuing a bloody year on pace to break records. The violence included a potential road rage killing in West Philadelphia, and it continued to push the city’s homicide...
Woman killed, husband injured by falling tree branch in Upper St. Clair park
A South Fayette woman died early Friday from injuries suffered when a tree branch fell on her in an Upper St. Clair park, officials said. Kara A. Leo, 40, was hiking with her husband Thursday evening in Boyce Mayview Park, according to officials and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. The...
Mystery note found in donated prom dress in Mt. Pleasant sparks viral TikTok search, new trend
As Jillian Nimick sorted through bags of prom dresses donated to Nimi Boutique in Mt. Pleasant, she didn’t expect to find anything out of the ordinary. But she did. Nimick, owner of the Main Street shop, has been accepting prom dress donations to give away since the spring. Sorting through...
U.S. Catholic bishops OK steps toward possible rebuke of Biden
U.S. Catholic bishops overwhelmingly approved the drafting of a “teaching document” that many of them hope will rebuke Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, for receiving Communion despite their support for abortion rights. The result of the vote — 168 in favor and 55 against — was announced Friday near...
Some vaccine experts having 2nd thoughts about rushing to inoculate kids
From the earliest days of the pandemic, doctors and public health officials have seen widespread vaccination as the most effective way to stop covid-19 in its tracks. But a growing contingent of medical experts is now questioning whether that conventional wisdom ought to apply to children. Their doubts are not...
Tight U.S. housing market uncoils with sellers ready to cash out
Prospective home sellers who sat tight as U.S. prices climbed higher and faster than ever during the pandemic are finally emerging to cash out, a step toward easing a dire shortage in the frenzied housing market. The number of U.S. homes for sale climbed 6.7% in early June from the...
Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh to ordain 1 priest, 2 deacons in June
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh will ordain Joseph S. Uzar Jr. as a priest on June 26, and two other men are joining the diocese as deacons this month. Uzar’s ceremony at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland will be the only ordination of a priest in the diocese this year....
Pitt to purchase 2 Oakland properties for $25 million, expanding campus footprint
The University of Pittsburgh is expanding its Oakland campus with the purchase of two properties for more than $25 million. The first property is at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Halket Street. The second consists of 12 parcels on Bates Street, the Boulevard of the Allies and Zulema Street...
‘Mask anxiety’ is a bare-faced fact for some people
It’s a common-enough dream — you’re at work, at school or in some other public place, when suddenly you realize you aren’t wearing any clothes. That doesn’t mean you’re a secret exhibitionist. Rather, dream analysts say, it hints at hidden insecurities and the fear of having them revealed to others....
Money, power, scandal: The Public School Employees’ Retirement System saga, explained
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. Pennsylvania’s largest pension fund is at the center of an equally large scandal, complete with an FBI investigation, a lawsuit, boardroom...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 18-20
Here are some happenings in Pittsburgh this weekend. Juneteenth WPA Juneteenth Pittsburgh-Allegheny Co. Freedom Days are Friday through Sunday at Point State Park. There will be food, vendors, and activities for children and live music. At 8 p.m. on Saturday, legendary hip-hop artist Rakimwill perform on the main stage. Other...
Back home: Biden has daunting to-do list after European tour
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is facing a formidable to-do list now that he’s back from his summit-filled trip to Europe, with pressing legislative challenges, foreign policy follow-up and a need to steer the country’s reopening as the coronavirus threat recedes. His overseas tour was meant to showcase the U.S....
GOP needs new health care target as ‘Obamacare’ survives again
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s latest rejection of a Republican effort to dismantle “Obamacare” signals anew that the GOP must look beyond repealing the law if it wants to hone the nation’s health care problems into a winning political issue. Thursday’s 7-2 ruling was the third time the court has...
Indiana County man’s body found in Kiski woods
A report of a suspicious vehicle at a Kiski car wash lead to the discovery of a man’s body Thursday afternoon, according to township police. Police said they got a call shortly after 7:30 a.m. about a vehicle left at the Apollo Car Wash on Route 56 just outside of...
Rivers Casino resumes construction of ‘Landing Hotel Pittsburgh’
It sat for a year, idled by the pandemic. But now, with an end to the covid-19 crisis seemingly in sight, construction on Rivers Casino Pittsburgh’s $60 million, “The Landing Hotel Pittsburgh” resumed this week. Cranes from local general contractor Massaro Corp. have returned to the site. Steel beam framing...
