Top Stories category, Page 122
Education Department says it will release billions in remaining withheld grant money for schools
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is releasing billions of dollars in withheld grants for schools, the Education Department said Friday, ending weeks of uncertainty for educators around the country who rely on the money for English language instruction, adult literacy, and other programs. President Donald Trump’s administration had suspended more...
The challenges facing Pa.’s huge, old road system, and what it means for the budget
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Public transit is a key issue holding up Pennsylvania’s budget, but top Republicans have said they don’t want to spend more money on...
Rep. Mike Kelly reprimanded by House ethics panel over wife’s stock purchase tied to steel company
The House Ethics Committee issued a formal reproval Friday of Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., following a yearslong investigation into an insider-trading allegation over his wife’s purchase of stock in a steel company in his Butler-area congressional district. The panel also said Kelly and his wife, Victoria Kelly, should divest of...
Rep. Summer Lee questions use of masks in ICE raids
When federal agents use unmarked vehicles and wear masks during raids that are part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, it violates basic civil rights and contradicts democratic principles, two members of Congress wrote U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a letter released Friday. The letter was...
Police: New Alexandria man sought after former landlord’s lawnmower explodes
State police are looking for a New Alexandria man they believe injured his former landlord in an explosion in Salem Sunday. James M. Sever, 54, is charged with criminal attempt, aggravated assault and unlawful possession of weapons of mass destruction for allegedly placing a bomb underneath his former landlord’s lawnmower,...
Johnstown family sues companies over prosthetic arm fire that killed 2
A Cambria County family is suing multiple companies after their 14-year-old daughter and 22-year-old son died in a fire they contend was started by the batteries in a prosthetic arm. The family is suing several companies, including Union Orthotics & Prosthetics Co. LLC, located on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh, and...
Law student arrested in Pittsburgh amid allegations of child sexual abuse in Tonga
A Mormon missionary accused of sexually abusing at least 14 children in Tonga was arrested on Thursday in Pittsburgh. William James Purdy faces charges of sexual exploitation of children and transporting a minor with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct in federal court in Utah. Following a hearing on...
Woman sues Uniontown, Latrobe firms after husband electrocuted on the job
A Fayette County woman whose husband was electrocuted while working on an air conditioning unit for a company in Latrobe is suing his employer and the customer. Lauren McGalla, of Fairchance, filed the complaint on Thursday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against Technimark LLC in Latrobe and Hranec Corp....
Deportation flights from Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center have begun, DeSantis says
OCHOPEE, Fla. — Deportation flights from the remote Everglades immigration lockup known as ” Alligator Alcatraz ″ began in the past few days, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday. The flights operated by the Department of Homeland Security have transferred about 100 detainees from the immigration detention center to other...
1 killed in crash along Route 51 in Jefferson Hills
A person was killed in a multiple vehicle crash along Route 51 Friday morning in Jefferson Hills, police said. Allegheny County Police received the call about the crash a few minutes before 6:30 a.m. So far, medical examiners had confirmed one fatality, a couny police spokeswoman said. The identity of...
Heat, stored ammunition complicate Vandergrift fire response
About a dozen departments responded to a fire that tore through the upper floors of a Vandergrift home Friday morning. No one was injured in the blaze at 404 Emerson St., according to Vandergrift No. 1 VFD Chief Randy Dunmire. He said the numerous crews on site did a great...
McCormick and HUD secretary tour U.S. Steel’s Braddock facility, hint at housing plans
Federal officials hinted Friday morning at plans to build more housing near U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Works as the firm’s new owner, Nippon Steel, prepares to spend big on upgrades. “When you create jobs, there’s a housing need,” said Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner at a news conference...
A man is halted climbing the U.S.-Mexico border wall. Under new Trump rules, U.S. troops sound the alarm
NOGALES, Ariz. — Inside an armored vehicle, an Army scout uses a joystick to direct a long-range optical scope toward a man perched atop the U.S.-Mexico border wall cutting across the hills of this Arizona frontier community. The man lowers himself toward U.S. soil between coils of concertina wire. Shouts...
Child dies after incident in Hersheypark’s water park, CEO says
A 9-year-old died Thursday after an incident at the Boardwalk at Hersheypark, the theme park’s CEO said. Hersheypark lifeguards immediately performed life-saving efforts after finding the child who was in distress, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company CEO John Lawn said in a late-night statement Thursday. The child was taken to...
Derry native tackles big job as Steelers’ team dietitian
While the Pittsburgh Steelers are at training camp for the next three weeks, a nighttime snack before another hard day of practice might be a steak, chicken or salmon filet with potatoes, rice and vegetables. It’s not everyone’s go-to bedtime bite, but it is part of the nutrition plan mapped...
Trump, Jerome Powell bicker over Fed building renovations as president ratchets up pressure campaignVideo
WASHINGTON — After months of criticizing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, President Donald Trump took the fight to the Fed’s front door on Thursday, publicly scorning the central bank chief over the ballooning costs of a long-planned building project. Powell pushed back, challenging the president’s latest price tag as incorrect....
U.S. cuts short Gaza ceasefire talks and accuses Hamas of lacking ‘good faith’
WASHINGTON — The United States is cutting short Gaza ceasefire talks and bringing its negotiating team home from Qatar to discuss next steps after Hamas’ latest response “shows a lack of desire” to reach a truce, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said Thursday. “While the mediators have made...
Federal regulators approve Paramount’s $8 billion deal with Skydance, capping months of turmoil
NEW YORK — Federal regulators on Thursday approved Paramount’s $8 billion merger with Skydance, clearing the way to close a deal that combined Hollywood glitz with political intrigue. The stamp of approval from the Federal Communications Commission comes after months of turmoil revolving around President Donald Trump’s legal battle with...
Pittsburgh VA abruptly cancels town hall tour after just 1 stop
Without explanation, the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System has canceled a series of town halls in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. The agency broke the news in a bare-bones press release Thursday. What was supposed to be a regional tour where veterans could interact directly with leaders of the Pittsburgh...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: July 25-27
Festival season is in full swing! You can find an outdoor party to fit any mood or interest in our fair city. Get some fresh air and enjoy some tunes, food and fun with these events. Blues and Roots Festival Head over to Cheswick for this weekend of great music...
Pharmacies are disappearing across Pa. as operators blame a broken payment system
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Hundreds of pharmacies across Pennsylvania have gone out of business in recent years, data obtained by Spotlight PA show, and pharmacists say legislation...
Tarentum man arrested after standoff with police
A 28-year-old Tarentum man is accused of firing a gun in his backyard after an argument with his roommate. When police responded to reports about the gunshots about 2:20 p.m. Thursday, it started a standoff that lasted about three hours until Matthew Jones was arrested. Jones was charged with obstruction,...
Another grocer eyed to replace Community Supermarket in Harrison Heights plaza, owner says
Another grocery store is being sought to replace Community Supermarket in the Harrison Heights plaza, a spokesman for the owner of the plaza told TribLive. Benbrooke Development asset manager Richard Lubkin said his company will seek a grocery tenant to fill Community Supermarket’s location in the plaza. It’s the latest...
UPMC, GoHealth partner to run 81 urgent-care clinics in Pa., W.Va.
UPMC and MedExpress clinics recently got a makeover and a new name — UPMC-GoHealth Urgent Care — but services are staying mostly the same. In October, UPMC and national chain GoHealth Urgent Care partnered to rebrand and renovate 80 clinics across Pennsylvania and West Virginia, including 33 in the Pittsburgh...
Hulk Hogan, icon in professional wrestling, dies at age 71Video
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Hulk Hogan, the mustachioed, headscarf-wearing icon in the world of professional wrestling, has died at the age of 71, Florida police and WWE said Thursday. In Clearwater, Florida, authorities responded to a call Thursday morning about a cardiac arrest. Hogan was pronounced dead at a hospital, police...
