Top Stories category, Page 133
Pittsburgh agent among 6 Secret Service members suspended over Trump assassination attempt in Butler
Six Secret Service agents were suspended over “failures” during a July 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump — then a presidential candidate — at a rally in Butler, ABC News reported. The suspensions were confirmed just before the one-year anniversary of the July 13 shooting, which left Trump’s ear...
31 construction workers reach safety after partial collapse of L.A. industrial tunnel
LOS ANGELES — All 31 construction workers who were far inside a huge industrial tunnel in Los Angeles made it to safety after a portion of it collapsed Wednesday evening, an outcome officials called a blessing after they initially feared much worse. The cave-in apparently happened between the tunnel boring...
Westmoreland plots program to shelter more homeless during cold winter
As the mercury continues to rise this summer, Westmoreland officials have started to explore how the county might keep its homeless residents warm this winter. The county’s Homeless Advisory Board met Wednesday at the courthouse in Greensburg to consider the expansion of a program that, since 2015, has helped to...
Western Pa. and state police combine efforts to address speeding, aggressive driving
Cresting the hill on Route 51 in Rostraver, some traffic appeared to be ignoring the 45 mph speed limit Tuesday morning near the Darr Road intersection. State trooper Bryan McKee sat in an unmarked patrol unit with the driver’s window down, checking speeds with a radar gun. Some motorists heading...
2 Hazelwood men charged with abusing 6 puppies
Two Pittsburgh men were jailed without bail Wednesday on dozens of animal cruelty charges that accused them of cutting off six puppies’ tails at their Hazelwood home, among other abuse. The botched docking of the tails led some of the dogs to need surgery and at least one to death....
Mexican national pleads guilty to ‘Kingpin’ role in drug ring linked to New Kensington
A Mexican national pleaded guilty this week in Pittsburgh federal court to charges related to a domestic and international narcotics and money laundering conspiracy. Marcos Monarrez-Mendoza, 55, who was illegally residing in Phoenix, Ariz., is one of 35 people charged in an indictment unsealed in January 2024 in a conspiracy...
Massive turbine blade slices into Bradenville business, ties up traffic in Derry Township
A giant blade destined for a wind turbine pierced the wall of a Derry Township business Tuesday morning when the trucker hauling the oversize load was unable to navigate a sharp, 90-degree turn on Route 982. “I was standing there, and the next thing you know it was in my...
Pittsburgh travelers react as TSA ditches shoe removal at security
Traveler Katie Wethli knew before anyone at the airport had to tell her. Word got out through social media that she no longer had to remove her footwear when going through Transportation Security Administration screening on Wednesday at the Pittsburgh International Airport. “It was on social media,” the Cranberry resident...
Prices on certain goods, services could rise as Pa. lawmakers consider axing some sales tax exemptions
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 — Sales tax exemptions for everything from newspapers to legal services to candy cost the commonwealth billions every year, and at least one top...
Uber driver, passenger shot overnight in Homestead
An Uber driver and passenger were hospitalized after being shot early Wednesday in the Mon Valley, authorities said. Allegheny County Police were dispatched around 1:20 a.m. to Homestead’s West Street after 911 dispatchers received a report about a man with a gunshot wound there. The man, who police have not...
State police cite former Jeannette mayoral candidate for attaching signs to utility poles
It’s hard to miss them on a drive around Jeannette — the yellow signs with black lettering seem to be everywhere. But the signs’ campaign-related message is about 50 days beyond relevance, and, according to state police, a potential danger from the dozens of metal tacks and staples used to...
Trump tariffs goods from Brazil at 50%, citing ‘witch hunt’ trial against Bolsonaro
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump singled out Brazil for import taxes of 50% on Wednesday for its treatment of its former president, Jair Bolsonaro, showing that personal grudges rather than simple economics are a driving force in the U.S. leader’s use of tariffs. Trump avoided his standard form letter with...
Westmoreland man charged with child sex assaults in Pa.’s Jehovah’s Witnesses probe
A Mt. Pleasant Township man and member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses was arrested Wednesday in connection with sex assault accusations involving two children decades ago in Unity, according to court papers. Timothy A. Willochell, 54, is accused of molesting the children on separate occasions between 1989 and 1997. The alleged...
Here’s the backstory to the tradition of The Fence at Carnegie Mellon
In the early hours before sunrise, a group of Carnegie Mellon University students once again gave a fresh coat of paint to The Fence, one of the campus’s most beloved and recognizable landmarks. The final brushstrokes served as the beginning of what is expected to be a long week for...
Supreme Court keeps hold on Florida immigration law aimed at people in the U.S. illegally
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow Florida to enforce an immigration law making it a crime for people who are living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state. The high court’s action will keep the law on hold while a legal challenge continues. The court...
The U.S. is having its worst year for measles in more than 3 decades
The United States is having its worst year for measles spread in more than three decades, with a total of 1,288 cases nationally and another six months to go in 2025. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that the national case count surpassed 2019, when there...
Pittsburgh officials bullish on police recruiting, but union stays skeptical
Pittsburgh officials on Wednesday struck a cautiously optimistic tone about police recruitment efforts after struggling for years to attract officers to a shrinking police force. “It’s a little too early to bring the champagne into the locker room,” Councilman Khari Mosley, D-Point Breeze said. “But by all indications, it seems...
Shapiro signs bill lifting ban on Sunday hunting
Hunters across the state soon could find themselves afield — legally — on almost any Sunday. Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday signed a bill that lifts the state’s age-old ban on Sunday hunting, opening the door for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to build hunting seasons that include Sundays. “The Pennsylvania...
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok goes on antisemitic spree
NEW YORK – Grok, the AI chatbot designed by Elon Musk’s xAI for social media, described itself as “MechaHitler” while making a string of antisemitic posts this week. The questionable responses follow Musk’s announcement last week of an update to the bot after he expressed frustration that it was too...
Pittsburgh man accused of stealing hundreds of identities to make Lowe’s, Giant Eagle purchases
A Pittsburgh man is charged with more than 200 counts of felony identity theft after authorities said he made $100,000 in unauthorized credit card purchases at area Lowe’s and Giant Eagle stores, then sold the merchandise. Cornelius P. Tucker, 33, of the city’s Hill District neighborhood, assumed the identities of...
GOP congressman opts not to run for Pa. governor, despite backing of Trump
In late May, Republican congressman Dan Meuser’s possible candidacy for governor appeared to get a boost from President Donald Trump. In an appearance at U.S. Steel’s Irvin Works in West Mifflin, Trump promised to support the fourth-term congressman from Luzerne County if he decided to seek the Republican nomination to...
Mark Madden: Steelers have no good reason to give in to T.J. Watt’s contract demands
The T.J. Watt contract extension saga seems stuck in neutral. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Steelers and Watt are “far apart.” It seems unlikely that negotiations are taking place, or that Watt is willing to negotiate. Watt wants to top what Myles Garrett gets from Cleveland, specifically more than $40...
How the Know-Nothings, Free Soilers and other third parties shaped U.S. politics
Elon Musk’s plan to create a new political party puts him in the company of a long line of business and political titans looking to upend the two-party system that has dominated U.S. politics since almost the beginning. From the Anti-Masonic Party in the early 1800s to last year’s ill-fated...
Trump caught off guard by Pentagon’s abrupt move to pause Ukraine weapons deliveries
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s decision to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine came after he privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing a pause in some deliveries last week — a move that he felt wasn’t properly coordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with...
Robert Haus appointed as Arnold officer-in-charge — again
What’s old is new again within the Arnold Police Department. Mayor Shannon Santucci on Tuesday appointed Robert Haus as officer-in-charge of the department. “We had to make a move,” Santucci said. “It’s the best resolution for the police department and the community at this time.” And it’s a move that’s...
