Top Stories category, Page 116
Harmar riverfront fire battle without hydrants closes Freeport Road, stops train traffic
When popping sounds from her neighbor’s burning home woke Holly Bills up early Saturday morning, her fire safety training kicked in. She knew to get out and away from her home along the Allegheny River in Harmar, but it wasn’t easy. “I had difficulty opening the door because the siding...
Jefferson Hills homicide by vehicle suspect turns himself in
The suspect in a vehicle homicide turned himself in Friday, according to the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office. William George Haughey surrendered shortly after 1 p.m. to deputies and was arrested. Haughey, 42, was charged by Jefferson Hills Police earlier in the week with numerous counts — including homicide by vehicle,...
2 women die in nearly head-on crash on Route 66 in Washington Township
Two women in their 60s died after a two-vehicle crash Saturday afternoon on Route 66 in Washington Township. The nearly head-on crash of two SUVs happened about 1 p.m. near Paradise Drive, township Police Sgt. Vincent Surace said. There were witnesses to the crash, he said. According to Surace, Janice...
Bucs Beat Q&A: Andy Bednar talks trade, memories of son David’s time as Pirates closer
David Bednar’s father, Andy, talks with TribLive for this week’s Bucs Beat Q&A: How hard was it to see David get traded after being able to enjoy watching him play for the Pirates? I think about this a lot. Originally, you’re happy that your kid is going to play college...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Even a salary cap couldn’t fix the Pirates
MLB needs a salary cap. The payroll imbalance is too great. Four layers of playoffs disguise and dilute the competitive imbalance by adding an element of randomness. But too many teams have zero chance going into a given season. Or, in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ case, a given decade. A salary...
What to know if you’re at risk of having your wages garnished over student loan debt
NEW YORK — Millions of student borrowers could begin having their wages garnished as soon as this summer, according to estimates from credit bureau TransUnion. The company predicts that by August roughly 3 million borrowers could move into default, meaning they’re 270 days past due on payments. At that point,...
It’s Trump’s economy now. The latest financial numbers offer some warning signs
WASHINGTON — For all of President Donald Trump’s promises of an economic “golden age,” a spate of weak indicators this week told a potentially worrisome story as the impacts of his policies are coming into focus. Job gains are dwindling. Inflation is ticking upward. Growth has slowed compared to last...
‘A quarterback’s best friend’: Desmond Reid enhances Pitt’s offense in multiple waysVideo
Desmond Reid already has proved he can hurt opposing defenses in a multitude of ways. His 962 rushing yards last year offered clear evidence of his abilities as a ball carrier. Reid also caught 52 passes for 579 yards, making him the Panthers’ top receiver from 2024, as well. And...
Arrests, ICE detention of Beaver County immigrants, spark protest; 2 observers charged
Advocates have expressed alarm about the arrests of at least 10 people Thursday evening in Ambridge in a roundup involving Ambridge police and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. In a statement released Friday, Casa San José — a Pittsburgh community center that advocates for Latinos — accused Ambridge...
Steelers fans at Latrobe festival enjoy close encounters with players, exotic critters
Visitors to this year’s Steelers Fest in Latrobe got to meet a member of the team’s 1970s Super Bowl dynasty and some members of the wild kingdom as well. Well over 100 people lined up at mid-afternoon Friday at the city’s Legion Keener Park to get an autograph from John...
500K in Pa. face soaring health care premiums as insurers seek rate hikes
Nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians could see their health insurance premiums spike next year. Insurers selling coverage on the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Pennie, want to raise premiums by an average of 19% for customers who buy their own insurance and 13% for small businesses, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department announced Friday....
Plum homeowners shocked to be named plaintiffs in Rustic Ridge explosion lawsuits
Several homeowners in Plum were shocked Friday to learn they were listed as plaintiffs in two lawsuits filed a day earlier by insurance companies in connection with a fatal 2023 house explosion in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood. The lawsuits, filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court on behalf of Erie...
Is Trump’s revival of fitness test ‘bold effort’ or ‘one more thing’ to add to students stress levels?
President Donald Trump is the latest occupant of the Oval Office to be dismayed by the physical fitness of American youth. Trump’s approach to the issue is to hearken back to the Cold War and revive the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition and the Presidential Fitness Award. He...
2 shot in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District, workers concerned about safety Downtown
When Thomas Lewis, a parking attendant at the lot on the corner of Penn Avenue and Ninth Street, heard gunshots Friday afternoon, his heart started racing. “I heard three shots and walked behind the booth of my job to get out of the line of sight of anything potential and...
Trump’s treason claim further erodes political discourse, experts say
President Donald Trump doubled down this week on an accusation that former President Barack Obama and members of his administration committed treason by misleading the public about Russian meddling in the 2016 election. While even Trump acknowledged that such a prosecution is unlikely, political analysts say the president’s explosive rhetoric...
Ex-Greensburg police chief set for Monday court appearance in county theft case
Former Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning is back in Westmoreland County. Denning, 44, of Delmont was transferred this week to the county jail to await a court appearance Monday, when he is expected to consider a possible guilty plea to misdemeanor charges in connection with allegations that he stole evidence...
Trump injects a new dose of uncertainty in tariffs as he pushes start date back to Aug. 7
WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Donald Trump was promising the world economy would change on Friday with his new tariffs in place. It was an ironclad deadline, administration officials assured the public. But when Trump signed the order Thursday night imposing new tariffs, the start date of the punishing import...
Corporation for Public Broadcasting to shut down after being defunded by Congress, targeted by Trump
WASHINGTON — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a cornerstone of American culture for three generations, announced Friday it would take steps toward its own closure after being defunded by Congress — marking the end of a nearly six-decade era in which it fueled the production of renowned educational programming, cultural...
Bedbug outbreak disrupts tenants at Jeannette high rise
Kristina Trent said Friday her father hasn’t been able to be at home much over the last two weeks amid another outbreak of bedbugs at a Jeannette high-rise apartment building. “My dad has to stay with me. He can’t go home to a house where he is still paying rent,”...
2 men arrested, 2 more sought in suspected drug, firearms trafficking ring
Four men are accused in what the state Attorney General’s Office described as a drug and firearms trafficking ring in Westmoreland County. Two of the suspects — Shelton Andrew Payne, 34, of Monongahela, and David Darryle Jeffries, 34, of Monessen — were arrested Thursday. Warrants were issued for two other...
Atria’s, Juniper Grill coming to Strip District
Just moments before taking the podium at a town hall for the State of the Strip 2025 report, Pamela Austin learned that two new restaurants would be opening in the first half of 2026 in the Cork Factory Lofts garage in the Strip District. Austin, president of Strip District Neighbors,...
Stinky mess: Gainey’s office, controller clash over Pittsburgh trash collection
The Gainey administration on Thursday blamed Pittsburgh’s controller for delays in garbage collection, leading to a squabble on Grant Street over why trash isn’t being picked up in some parts of the city. Olga George, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey, accused Controller Rachael Heisler of not paying the city’s...
Westmoreland County OKs drug lawsuit settlement
Westmoreland County has signed on to the settlement of a federal lawsuit with the makers of Oxycontin. The $7 billion overall resolution to the litigation filed against Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, was approved earlier this year. It is expected to result in $200 million earmarked for...
Hunters planning more time in the woods after addition of 10 Sundays to hunting season
After the Pennsylvania Game Commission added 10 new Sundays to this year’s hunting season on Monday, local sportsmen say they’re gearing up for more time in the woods come September. The commission voted to instruct its executive director to open up 10 Sundays for hunting starting Sept. 14 and ending...
TV Talk: 2 anchors laid off at KDKA-TV
Evening news anchor Kym Gable and morning news anchor Lindsay Ward were let go by KDKA-TV on Thursday. KDKA news director Shawn Hoder did not respond to a request for comment. E-mail sent to Julie Eisenman, who was hired as KDKA/WPKD general manager earlier this year, bounced back Thursday (email...
