Top Stories category, Page 129
FBI investigating threatening letters sent to 3 Pittsburgh Jewish groups
The FBI and Pittsburgh police are investigating threatening letters sent by mail to three Jewish organizations in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, including the Tree of Life, since Friday. Shawn Brokos, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s community security director, on Wednesday confirmed the existence of the threats. Brokos said the...
Interest in Flight 93 memorial remains strong on 24th anniversary of 9/11 attacksVideo
As the Flight 93 memorial prepares for the 24th observance of the 9/11 attack, National Park Service leaders note interest in the site remains high. Between 2021 and 2024, the Somerset County memorial saw an average annual visitation of just under 375,000 people, according to National Park Service statistics. That’s...
What’s with all the orange around Downtown Pittsburgh?
Some of Pittsburgh’s Downtown businesses have been lit up in orange and more joined in on Tuesday evening for Hunger Action Day. The buildings will continue to illuminate orange throughout September, according to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. In addition to Acrisure Stadium, other buildings in the city include...
Solar canopy proposed at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are exploring a company’s proposal to add a canopy of solar panels above some of its parking spaces, to save on the Unity facility’s electric bills and to take advantage of related energy credits. Under the proposal from Veregy, which has an office in...
Advanced practitioners at UPMC’s Magee-Womens Hospital vote to unionize
A group of 60 advanced practitioners has voted to join hundreds of nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in forming a union. The advanced practitioners — including certified registered nurse practitioners, neonatal nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and other positions — voted to join SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, following about 800 nurses...
Sept. 11 events planned across the region
Several events are planned around the region to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in addition to the ceremonies planned at the National Flight 93 memorial in Somerset County. Connellsville Connellsville will host a remembrance ceremony at 7 p.m. Thursday at Veterans Plaza, 168 E. Crawford Ave. Pixel...
Harris says leaving reelection decision to Biden was ‘recklessness,’ but defends his abilities
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Kamala Harris says it was “recklessness” for Democrats to leave it to President Joe Biden to decide whether to continue seeking another term last year, but she defends his ability to do the job, according an excerpt of her new book. Harris, in an excerpt...
U.S. high school students lose ground in math and reading, continuing yearslong decline
WASHINGTON — A decade-long slide in high schoolers’ reading and math performance persisted during the covid-19 pandemic, with 12th graders’ scores dropping to their lowest level in more than 20 years, according to results released Tuesday from an exam known as the nation’s report card. Eighth-grade students also lost significant...
Westmoreland airport authority ‘strong about Spirit’ while staying in touch with other carriers
Westmoreland County Airport Authority officials say they’ll stick with Spirit for commercial flights at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport although the budget carrier is headed into cloudy skies with its second bankruptcy declaration in less than a year. Spirit initially sought bankruptcy protection in November and emerged from Chapter 11 in...
Missing man found dead in Ohio River near Rivers Casino
After searching for a missing man, Pittsburgh police confirmed he was found dead Tuesday morning in the Ohio River near Rivers Casino. TribLive news partner WTAE reported that the body pulled from the river was Stephen Williams, 42, who was last seen leaving the Downtown Wyndham on Friday night. According...
Court rules Lisa Cook can remain a Fed governor for now while fighting Trump’s attempt to fire her
WASHINGTON — A federal court ruled Tuesday that embattled Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her position while she fights President Donald Trump’s efforts to fire her. The ruling, which will almost certainly be appealed, is a blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to assert more control over...
Shaler accepts discipline of Undercliff firefighters accused of answering call while drunk
The Shaler commissioners have accepted disciplinary actions one of the township’s volunteer fire departments meted out in August following allegations some of its members responded to a call under the influence of alcohol. The Undercliff Volunteer Fire Co. on Aug. 19 suspended three of the five members involved in the...
Troopers testify they feared for their lives during 2024 East Huntingdon shootoutVideo
Two Pennsylvania State Police troopers testified Tuesday they feared for their life when they opened fire last year on an East Huntingdon man during what they called a routine neighborhood canvass after responding to a shots fired report earlier that night. “He refused to drop his weapon,” testified Tpr. Brandon...
Trio hurt in Downtown park stabbing tell police shifting stories
Three people who received minor injuries in a stabbing incident Sunday night near a Downtown Pittsburgh park knew each other through a “transactional history with drugs and money,” a Pittsburgh police spokeswoman said Tuesday. Kevin Jenkins, 51, of Pittsburgh remained in the Allegheny County Jail Tuesday on charges that he...
Chief Justice Roberts keeps in place Trump funding freeze that threatens billions in foreign aid
WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday temporarily kept in place the Trump administration’s decision to freeze nearly $5 billion in foreign aid. Roberts acted on the administration’s emergency appeal to the Supreme Court in a case involving billions of dollars in congressionally approved aid. President Donald Trump said...
Paper ballots now an Election Day option for Westmoreland voters
Westmoreland County voters in November will be given the option to use paper ballots on Election Day. Republican Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew on Tuesday, acting as the county’s Election Board, authorized an optional shift to paper ballots while also saying voters can still use the touch-screen voting machine...
Supreme Court to quickly consider if President Donald Trump has power to impose sweeping tariffs
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted an unusually quick hearing on whether President Donald Trump has the power to impose sweeping tariffs under federal law. The justices will hear arguments in November, lightning fast by the typical standards of the nation’s highest court. The small businesses and states...
RFK Jr.’s latest ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report calls for more scrutiny of vaccines, autism
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is imploring the nation’s public health agencies to prioritize investigations of vaccine injuries, prescription drug use and the cause of autism in a new “Make America Healthy Again” report focused on children released Tuesday. The 20-page report, overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert...
New Ken shooting victim in stable condition, did not know teen accused of shooting him
The man shot Monday in New Kensington’s Valley Royal Court was in stable condition Tuesday, according to Melanie Jones, spokeswoman for the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office. Jones said the man did not know Logan James King, 17, who is charged in connection with the shooting. King is charged with...
Pittsburgh’s $14M automated red light enforcement program cleared to roll out this winter
Drivers speeding through red lights in parts of Pittsburgh will soon receive tickets through an automated camera system to be installed this winter at several intersections. “This will change the way people drive in the city,” Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, said Tuesday, adding the new system is meant to...
Pittsburgh council overcomes transparency concerns to approve $1.7M in anti-violence grants
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to provide about $1.7 million in grants to community groups combating gun violence, despite concerns raised last week by one councilman about how officials picked the recipients. Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side, questioned why the grants didn’t go to the applicants who ranked...
National money starts flowing into critical Pa. Supreme Court retention races
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A national political group is spending tens of thousands of dollars to urge voters to reject new...
No Kings movement announces new wave of protests in Pittsburgh
The No Kings movement, outraged by President Trump’s deployment of military guards in U.S. cities, is planning a second wave of national protests, including a major gathering next month in Downtown Pittsburgh. “In recent weeks, President Trump has escalated his authoritarian agenda, threatening to deploy additional militarized forces into U.S....
Dick’s Sporting Goods takes over Foot Locker in $2.4B deal
Dick’s Sporting Goods has officially bought Foot Locker for $2.4 billion. Already one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the U.S., the Findlay-based company has gone global by adding about 2,400 Foot Locker locations in 20 countries. The deal was unveiled in May and finalized Monday. Foot Locker and...
Squirrel Hill apartment building ravaged by stubborn fireVideo
Dozens of Pittsburgh firefighters spent more than four hours Tuesday battling a stubborn blaze in a 30-unit apartment building in Squirrel Hill that displaced tenants and shot a massive tower of smoke into the sky that could be seen for miles. No injuries were reported from the fire, which collapsed...
