Top Stories category, Page 129
Trump slams his own supporters as ‘weaklings’ for falling for what he now calls the Epstein ‘hoax’
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump is lashing out at his own supporters, accusing them of being duped by Democrats, as he tries to clamp down on criticism over his administration’s handling of much-hyped records in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation, which Trump now calls a “Hoax.” “Their new...
Time to fix Greensburg’s courthouse square clock — getting it back in sync on all 4 sides
Depending on which way you look, the clock at Greensburg’s courthouse square might have the right time. Or it might not. The four-sided clock is slated for repairs as the original timepiece appears to be broken, said Tom Bell, streets superintendent. Greensburg Council voted unanimously Monday to spend $5,600 on...
Former Latrobe man pleads guilty in friend’s overdose death
A former Latrobe man pleaded guilty to his role in the 2021 overdose death of his friend. Kevin. B. Shaffer, 52, faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in about three months after he pleaded guilty Monday to one felony count of drug delivery resulting in...
Trump joins McCormick at CMU to tout $90B energy and AI investment wave
As the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit drew to a close Tuesday at Carnegie Mellon University, event organizer U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick said the day could wind up being remembered as the start of an “economic renaissance” in Pennsylvania. That prediction came on the heels of nearly two dozen companies...
Editorial: The impact of Bella Seachrist’s death
Bella Seachrist never had a chance. Bella missed an opportunity for simply living. She was just 3 years old — almost 4 — when she died, slowly, of starvation. Poverty will do that to a child. That isn’t what happened to Bella. Her stepmother, Laura Ramriez, had a room in...
Tarentum man charged in connection with Halloween dog attacks
Editor’s note: This story was changed on Wednesday, July 15, to reflect that all charges against Brandon Baynes were dismissed in June. A Tarentum man is facing criminal charges, accused by police of letting pit bulls out of an apartment on Halloween that attacked and severely injured other residents. Shawn...
Penn State fraternity charged under hazing law named for victim
A Penn State University fraternity is facing criminal charges after police said its members subjected its pledges to physical and emotional abuse. The Lambda Lambda chapter of Phi Beta Sigma was charged last week with conspiracy organizational hazing by Ferguson Township police, according to StateCollege.com. The charge is a misdemeanor...
Ex-Beaver County cop who assaulted witness pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter
A former Beaver County police officer pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and other offenses just as his trial was set to begin, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office announced Tuesday. John J. Hawk, 38, was charged after assaulting Kenneth E. Vinyard, 48, of Industry at the scene of a shooting outside...
Pittsburgh aims to slash red tape for vendors ahead of NFL Draft
Pittsburgh officials want to make it easier for vendors to set up retail and food stands throughout the city. Food or retail vendors with mobile licenses are currently required to operate almost exclusively in metered parking spots and must move every four hours. Permanent vendors, who stay in one place,...
Trump administration says it is ending deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in LA
LOS ANGELES — The Pentagon said Tuesday it is ending the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, accounting for nearly half of the soldiers sent to the city to deal with protests over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Roughly 4,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 Marines have...
Armed drug dealer busted with 15,000 doses of fentanyl, heroin gets hard time
A Duquesne man will serve more than 20 years in federal prison after he was sentenced on Tuesday for drug and gun offenses. According to federal court records, Courtney Washington, 31, was found with 15,000 doses of fentanyl and heroin. He pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and opted for a...
Pittsburgh police use pepper spray on energy summit protesters
Pittsburgh police deployed pepper spray late Tuesday afternoon against roughly two dozen protesters outside the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University as the gathering was breaking up. Clad in riot gear, about 20 officers warned the protesters to clear the intersection of Forbes Avenue and South Craig...
Pittsburgh councilwoman wants to crack down on Airbnb, Vrbo rentals
Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Deb Gross on Tuesday introduced legislation that would create new regulations for short-term rentals, like those through Airbnb or Vrbo. The bill would permit short-term rental units solely for overnight accommodations for registered guests. People could not use them to host “public assemblies, recreational entertainment, or hospitality...
Here are the blockbuster deals unveiled at the Pa. Energy and Innovation Summit
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick said Tuesday during the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh that companies are planning to invest more than $90 billion in data centers, energy and power infrastructure, and workforce and AI training projects across Pennsylvania. Fifteen of the companies plan to invest at least $1...
Police charge Canon-McMillan high school teacher with having sex with student
A Washington County science teacher was arrested on Tuesday on charges he had a monthslong sexual relationship with one of his students at Canon-McMillan High School. Justin White, 48, of Canonsburg is charged by North Strabane police with 13 counts of institutional sexual assault and criminal use of a communication...
Pam Bondi dodges questions on Epstein and Dan Bongino amid Justice Department turmoil
ARLINGTON, Va. — Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested Tuesday that she has no plans to step down as she dodged questions about Jeffrey Epstein and her clash with a top FBI official, seeking to press ahead with a business-as-usual approach in the face of right-wing outrage that has plunged the...
Proposed Heinz History Center expansion clears Pittsburgh Planning Commission
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday approved plans to expand the Senator John Heinz History Center. The museum, located in the city’s Strip District, is tearing down four buildings on Penn Avenue to expand its facility. Additions include a new theater, exhibition space and classrooms. The history center owns the...
Pittsburgh’s Astrobotic snags NASA contract for solar array as it shoots again for moon landing
A leaky valve in January 2024 may have scuttled a Pittsburgh-based space company’s mission to become the first private enterprise to complete a lunar landing. But Astrobotic’s leaders made the most of its Peregrine mission despite the equipment failure. “So, we had a day that wasn’t quite what we wanted....
Natrona Heights woman tries to retract manslaughter plea at sentencing
Brook Lynn Lank pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on June 11 — admitting she shot her boyfriend three times before dumping his body in a McKees Rocks alley. In preparation for sentencing, she wrote a letter to the court acknowledging what she called her mistakes, and saying, “I take full...
Federal grand jury indicts man accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman
MINNEAPOLIS — A federal grand jury indicted a man Tuesday on charges that he fatally shot a prominent Minnesota state representative and her husband and seriously wounded a state senator and his wife while he was allegedly disguised as a police officer. The indictment handed up lists murder, stalking and...
Senate votes to move ahead with Trump’s request for $9 billion in spending cuts
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Tuesday advanced President Donald Trump’s request to cancel some $9 billion in previously approved spending, overcoming concerns from some lawmakers about what the rescissions could mean for impoverished people around the globe and for public radio and television stations in their home states. The Senate...
‘Unforgivable’: Final defendant gets life sentence in starvation death of Oakmont girl
Throughout her prosecution for killing a 3-year-old girl, Alexis Herrera blamed her actions — starving, assaulting and torturing the child — on her sister, Laura Ramriez. It was Ramriez who hated Bella Seachrist, a child born from her husband’s affair. It was Ramriez who first started abusing the child in...
Fence fight: CMU orders students’ anti-Trump message painted over ahead of president’s visit
Hours before President Donald Trump was scheduled to arrive at Carnegie Mellon University for an energy summit, the school administration early Tuesday ordered the painting over of a provocative anti-Trump message written by student Democrats on The Fence, a century-old campus landmark that serves as a free speech message board....
Motorcycle crash in Armstrong Tunnel kills teen rider
A 19-year-old man was killed in a motorcycle crash in the Armstrong Tunnel early Tuesday morning, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety. The crash occurred on the inbound side of the tunnel in the city’s Bluff neighborhood near Downtown just before 12:25 a.m., police said. The motorcyclist was taken in critical...
Pittsburgh expands limited archery season in various city parks
Pittsburgh officials are expanding a limited archery season to cull the deer population in various city parks. The city is selecting archers to hunt white-tailed deer in Frick, Riverview, Emerald View, Schenley, Highland and Southside parks, Hays Woods, Hazelwood Greenway and Seldom Seen Greenway. Nearly 200 deer were culled during...
