Top Stories category, Page 146
Man accused of killing Jennah Seibert ordered to stand trialVideo
Moments after District Judge Wayne Vlasic on Thursday ordered Dorian Jeri-Greene to stand trial on homicide charges related to the shooting death of Jennah M. Seibert, her fiance walked to the front of the courtroom and turned to face the defendant. Bryan Murray of Rostraver stood there, apparently looking in...
Police: 2-year-old’s drowning death in East Pittsburgh appears accidental
A 2-year-old girl died Thursday afternoon after drowning in an East Pittsburgh pool, police said. Police and first responders were dispatched to a pool in the 500 block of Howard Street shortly after 1 p.m. Kehlani Russell was taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital where she later died at 2:22 p.m.,...
Trump extends TikTok ban deadline for a 3rd time
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 90 days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership. Trump disclosed the executive order on the Truth Social...
Juneteenth celebrations across the U.S. commemorate the end of slavery
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Juneteenth celebrations unfolded across the U.S. on Thursday, marking the day in 1865 when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Texas and attracting participants who said current events strengthened their resolve. The holiday has been celebrated by Black Americans for generations,...
Attorney weighs self-defense vs. accident in Penn Twp. shooting trial
The attorney for a woman accused of shooting her then-boyfriend in 2022 in Penn Township said Thursday he has not decided whether he will argue in her trial next month that the shotgun accidentally discharged or that his client acted in self-defense. Attorney Brian Aston told Westmoreland County Judge Scott...
Sheriff’s deputies arrest parole, probation violators in Bell Acres
Sheriff’s deputies Thursday arrested a man and a woman, both wanted for violating probation, at a Bell Acres home. Eric Bosh, 43, of Ambridge, was named a fugitive a month ago after he violated his probation for a guilty plea of fleeing a police officer, a sheriff’s spokesman said. Moon...
William M. Cotter: Pushing public notices to government websites is a bad move
Legislation in the Pennsylvania Senate risks allowing local governments to operate in the shadows, leaving taxpayers unaware of decisions affecting their pocketbooks, their communities and their quality of life. State Senate Bill 194, sponsored by Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Adams/Franklin, would allow school districts and municipal and county governments the option...
3 plead guilty in 2022 fatal North Side shooting
Two men and one woman pleaded guilty Thursday in connection with a 2022 shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side, where a barrage of dozens of gunshots killed Stephone Drayton and injured three others. Hezekiah Nixon, 19, of Pittsburgh; Andrew Johnson, 29, of Coraopolis; and Tylajae Allen, 24, of Pittsburgh, stood separately...
Rachel Carson Trail Challenge pushes hikers to the limit
While 99% of participants finish the Pittsburgh Marathon, the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge has an average finish rate of 75%. The Rachel Carson Trail will put more than 1,000 hikers’ physical and mental endurance to the test Saturday for the 28th annual challenge featuring three separate courses. The full challenge...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 20-22
If you’re scientific about it, we’re finally hitting the real beginning of summer. Enjoy the longest days of the year with a slate of great events this weekend. Prime Stage Theatre Cemetery Walk Learn about history with a theatrical tour of Allegheny Cemetery in Lawrenceville on Saturday. Prime Stage Theatre...
Iranian missiles hit a hospital and wound over 200. Israel threatens Iran’s top leader
BEERSHEBA, Israel — Israel’s defense minister threatened Iran’s supreme leader on Thursday after Iranian missiles crashed into a major hospital in southern Israel and hit residential buildings near Tel Aviv, wounding at least 240 people. As rescuers wheeled patients out of the smoldering hospital, Israeli warplanes launched their latest attack...
Erick makes landfall in southern Mexico as a Category 3 storm
ACAPULCO, Mexico — Powerful Hurricane Erick made landfall in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said, but there was no immediate report of injuries. The hurricane’s center was located about 20 miles east of Punta Maldonado. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at...
Pittsburgh singer Lou Christie dies at age 82
Native Pittsburgh singer Lou Christie, who scored No. 1 Billboard hit with “Lightnin’ Strikes” in 1966, has died. He was 82 years old. His wife, Francesca, told the Hollywood Reporter that Christie died at home in Pittsburgh after an undisclosed illness. In an Instagram post on Wednesday, the Sacco family...
‘Roller coaster’: High-stakes drama marked Nippon’s winning courtship of U.S. Steel
Three Mon Valley mayors remember it well: A series of mid-December meetings with union leaders and Nippon Steel executives as Japan’s largest steelmaker aggressively courted U.S. Steel, the storied American manufacturer. Relations between the United Steelworkers union and Nippon — never friendly, exactly — had deteriorated over the course of...
Teen identified who was fatally shot in Wilkinsburg
Authorities have identified the teenager killed Wednesday in a Wilkinsburg shooting. Deglin St. Clair, 18, of Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood, was shot in the 1700 block of Wilkinsburg’s Wesley Street shortly before 5:30 p.m., the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday. The victim was taken to UPMC Mercy hospital, where...
Pet owners demand justice, new laws to deal with funeral director accused of theft
Don’t mess with the pets. That was the resounding message from protesters outside the Allegheny County Courthouse Wednesday, demanding justice for deceased pets they fear were mistreated by Patrick Vereb at funeral homes he operated in Pittsburgh and Harrison. About 20 people were scattered along the sidewalk of the courthouse’s...
U.S. resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts
WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department said Wednesday it is restarting the suspended process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for government review. The department said consular officers will be on the lookout for posts and messages...
Supreme Court OKs Tennessee ban on gender-affirming care for kids, a setback for transgender rights
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors, a jolting setback to transgender rights. The justices’ 6-3 decision in a case from Tennessee effectively protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump’s Republican administration and state governments to roll back...
Western Pa. politicians divided over Middle East conflict
Two Pittsburgh-area U.S. House members on Wednesday blasted President Donald Trump for opening the possibility of thrusting the U.S. into war in the Middle East without congressional approval. Social media posts by some of their Republican counterparts, meanwhile, did not mention the ongoing missile strikes between Israel and Iran but...
Heat dome will blanket much of U.S., with worrisome temperatures in Midwest
Summer will make a dramatic entrance in the U.S. this week with a heat dome that will bring stifling temperatures and uncomfortable humidity to millions. The heat will be particularly worrisome this weekend across wide stretches of Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa, where forecasters are warning of extreme temperature impacts....
The world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV could stop transmission — if people can get it
WASHINGTON — The U.S. has approved the world’s only twice-a-year shot to prevent HIV, the first step in an anticipated global rollout that could protect millions – although it’s unclear how many in the U.S. and abroad will get access to the powerful new option. While a vaccine to prevent...
New Kensington man identified as Tarentum Bridge jumper
A man who jumped to his death from the Tarentum Bridge on Tuesday has been identified. The victim was Thomas Peter Link, 68, of New Kensington, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. Link jumped into the Allegheny River shortly before 11:30 a.m. and died before he could be...
Fired Allegheny County chief public defender sues for wrongful termination
Allegheny County’s former chief public defender is suing the county manager for wrongful termination. The complaint, filed by Lena Bryan-Henderson on Wednesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against John Fournier, seeks reinstatement and back wages. Bryan-Henderson, 60, of Forest Hills said she had no comment on the lawsuit, which...
Housing authority seeks sponsor to fund 9 cottage-style residences in Irwin
The Westmoreland County Housing Authority plans to seek another sponsor for a state application to fund the $2.3 million construction of nine cottage-style houses next to the Grand View Senior Residences. Irwin Borough declined the opportunity. The borough council last week rejected the housing authority’s request that the borough sponsor...
Trump says he’s ‘not looking for a fight’ with Iran but stands ready to act if necessary
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump would not say Wednesday whether he has decided to order a U.S. strike on Iran, a move that Tehran warned anew would be greeted with stiff retaliation if it happens. “I may do it, I may not do it,” Trump said in an exchange with...
