Top Stories category, Page 13
2 guards injured in attack at Westmoreland jail
Two guards at the Westmoreland County Prison were hurt after authorities said they were attacked by a man being booked into the facility on terroristic threats charges filed by Greensburg police, according to court papers. Javaun M.A. Miller, 26, of Greensburg was arrested Sunday after witnesses at an East Pittsburgh...
Police: Bradenville man shot, killed as he ate New Year’s Eve dinner at Hempfield home
It appeared to be a first date — James Thomas picked up Chinese food on New Year’s Eve and took it to a Hempfield home where he planned to hang out with the woman living there. State police said Thomas, 47, was eating his meal when Robert D. Naugle Jr.,...
How to maximize PTO in 2026
Workers in Western Pennsylvania scheduling days off for 2026 might get some help from the calendar. Most federal holidays this year fall either on or close to a weekend, allowing for more maximization of paid time off than usual. Days off can be tacked onto federal holidays and weekends to...
Suspected deadly mountain lion attack in Colorado is not the first such harrowing encounter
A solo hiker who authorities believe was killed by a mountain lion on a remote Colorado trail on New Year’s Day was not the first person to encounter a big cat in the area in recent weeks. Gary Messina said he was running along the same trail on a dark...
Taxes, rent, ballots: What the new rule on postmarks means for your mail
People relying on the U.S. Postal Service to mail time-sensitive documents may need to take additional steps to make sure postmarks aren’t late if they’re cutting it close to key deadlines. A new federal rule that took effect last week clarifies the postmark — the stamp that provides proof the...
What to know about the Swiss Alpine bar fire that killed 40
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Swiss investigators believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles started a fire in a bar at an Alpine ski resort that left 40 people dead and another 119 injured during a New Year’s celebration. Most injuries, many of them serious, occurred when the blaze swept through the crowded...
Pittsburgh’s Grant Street closed for tree removal
Part of Grant Street in Downtown Pittsburgh will be closed until Friday afternoon as the city removes its Christmas tree and wreaths from the City-County Building, according to the mayor’s office. Grant will be closed between its intersections with Third and Fifth avenues until 2 p.m., the mayor’s office said...
Police charge woman after Facebook feud triggers stabbing in Shaler
A Shaler woman accused of stabbing another woman Thursday afternoon has been charged, according to Allegheny County Police. Shannon M. Jennings, 38, is charged with aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangerment of another person and harassment, according to court records. Police were dispatched to the 200 block of Hugel Drive...
O’Connor to be sworn in as Pittsburgh’s 62nd mayor in ceremony at Carnegie Music Hall
Corey O’Connor will be sworn in as Pittsburgh’s 62nd mayor Monday afternoon in a ceremony at Carnegie Music Hall in the city’s Oakland neighborhood. O’Connor, who previously served on Pittsburgh City Council for a decade before becoming Allegheny County controller, defeated outgoing Mayor Ed Gainey in the Democratic primary. He...
1850 Victorian home boasts original turret in historic Saltsburg
The next homeowner of an authentic Saltsburg Victorian residence built in 1850 will have something most homes don’t — an original turret. A three-story brick home requiring some TLC is a new listing by Howard Hanna Mt. Lebanon Realtor Santino Merante for $175,000. “This home needs some love, but the...
Faces of the Valley: 6-year-old BMX racer from Tarentum climbs to No. 1 national ranking
Not long after she began to walk, Elliana Zimmerman learned to pedal. The Tarentum youngster, now 6, went from a Fred Flinstone-style balance bike to pedaling — quickly — around a bumpy BMX track, according to her mother, Alexis. “When she was little, it made me nervous,” Alexis said. “She...
Irwin family welcomes first New Year’s baby born at Allegheny Health Network
Rachel Solis was due to deliver a baby Jan. 5. She had experienced a few labor pains of late and had the family car packed and ready to go, just in case. Her family visited relatives for a New Year’s Eve dinner, but Rachel never finished her meal. Halfway through...
Temps in the teens? No problem for Connellsville Polar Bear Plunge participantsVideo
Everyone has their own strategy for the Connellsville Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day. For Dale Kooser and Geoffrey Bittner, it’s get in and get out. “My rule, though, is it doesn’t count if you don’t dunk your head. You’ve got to go underwater,” Bittner said, decked out head-to-toe in...
Hempfield man charged with fatal shooting on New Year’s Eve
A Hempfield man is charged with criminal homicide after police said he shot and killed a man late Wednesday night. Shortly before 8:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Westmoreland 911 officials received a call from a man identifying himself as Robert D. Naugle Jr., 30, of Hempfield. Naugle told emergency...
Polar plunge draws the brave to Mon Wharf for New Year’s Day jump into Monongahela River
Brave participants jumped into the Monongahela River along the Mon Wharf in Pittsburgh Thursday morning at the annual Pittsburgh Polar Bear Plunge. Proceeds from T-shirt and other sales at the event benefited WTAE’s Project Bundle-Up....
Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes
NEW YORK — Enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight, cementing higher health costs for millions of Americans at the start of the new year. Democrats forced a 43-day government shutdown over the issue....
Zohran Mamdani promises to govern ‘expansively and audaciously’ in inaugural speech as NYC mayor
NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City on Thursday, taking over one of the most unrelenting jobs in American politics with a promise to transform government on behalf of the city’s striving, struggling working class. Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in at a decommissioned subway station...
About 40 people dead and 115 injured in fire at Swiss Alpine bar during New Year’s celebration
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — About 40 people were killed and another 115 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire ripped through a bar’s New Year celebration in a Swiss Alpine resort less than two hours after midnight Thursday, police said. Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the...
Snowstorm drops up to 5 inches of snow across region
The new year rang in with high winds and heavy snow overnight that put a damper on the First Night turnout in Pittsburgh and left a fresh blanket of white across the region. Pittsburgh police said there were no issues during the First Night celebration as there were light crowds,...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Jan. 2-4
Welcome to 2026! Time for new beginning, new goals and new experiences all over Pittsburgh. Here are a few ideas for new things to do this weekend to get your year started right. Laser shows at Buhl Planetarium For fans of blockbuster Netflix show “Stranger Things” or pop superstar Taylor...
Cosmic chaos: Supermoon, meteor shower to grace Western Pa. skies Saturday
Two astronomical phenomena — a supermoon and a meteor shower — will collide in Western Pennsylvania skies Saturday. Supermoons occur between three and four times per year and meteor showers grace skies about six times annually, said Daniel Vanden Berk, director of Saint Vincent College’s Angelo J. Taiani Planetarium. But...
In photos: Pittsburgh’s Cultural District helps bring in the new year with First Night eventVideo
Despite a snowy and cold New Year’s Eve in the Pittsburgh region on Wednesday night, a crowd of revelers gathered Downtown for the 32nd annual Highmark First Night, hosted by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The five-hour long event that spanned several blocks in downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District ends with the...
Pittsburgh rings in new year with First Night festivitiesVideo
Levi Griffith-Esposito’s New Year’s resolution is to be more creative and artistic. The Carson Middle School student is well on his way completing his first project, a multi-colored 2026 hat as part of Pittsburgh’s First Night Celebration. Arts and crafts were among the many activities Wednesday evening provided by the...
PennDOT eases some interstate restrictions in Allegheny County; Beaver, Lawrence limits remain in place
PennDOT has lifted the speed restrictions on highways in Allegheny County while they remain in effect in Beaver and Lawrence counties. The transportation department recommends motorists avoid unnecessary travel but those who do head out will see speeds reduced to 45 mph on these highways: Beaver County: I-376 (Beaver Valley...
U.S. military strikes 5 more alleged drug boats, killing 8 and possibly leaving survivors
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Wednesday it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days, killing a total of eight people while others jumped overboard and may have survived. U.S. Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday occurred. Previous attacks...
