Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 167
A $1.4B Powerball jackpot is up for grabs after 40 drawings without a winner
DES MOINES, Iowa — An estimated $1.4 billion lottery jackpot will be up for grabs Wednesday night thanks to dozens of drawings without a big winner. The massive Powerball prize is the sixth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot. It’s a result of 40 consecutive drawings stretching over the summer without anyone matching...
Florida plans to become 1st state to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandatesVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates that have been a cornerstone of public health policy for decades in keeping schoolchildren and adults safe from infectious diseases. State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who announced the decision Wednesday, cast current requirements in...
Western Pa. towns under DEP sewage consent order request extension
More than $5 million has been spent since 2019 to improve the sewage system that serves tens of thousands of customers in western Westmoreland and a small slice of Allegheny counties. The improvements are mandated by the state Department of Environmental Protection through a 2019 consent order. Now, the Franklin...
Author Barbara Burstin details legacy of the late Sophie Masloff, Pittsburgh’s 1st female, 1st Jewish mayor
The late Pittsburgh Mayor Sophie Masloff was a “character who had character.” That’s according to Barbara Burstin, an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh and author of “Sophie: The Incomparable Mayor Masloff.” The book was released in 2019 through Word Association Publishers in Tarentum. Burstin will detail Masloff’s improbable...
Steelers will turn Emerald Isle black and gold to celebrate game in Dublin
To celebrate the Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming game in Dublin this month, the team and Irish airline Aer Lingus are launching a series of fan events and activities with the goal of turning the Emerald Isle black and gold. The first-ever NFL regular season game in Ireland will take place on...
Mark Madden: Captain Cam’s leadership in question during standoff with Steelers
Has anyone ever so quickly devalued his reputation with Steeler Nation like Cam Heyward? Training camp seemed to have dodged turmoil when T.J. Watt signed his extension. Then the big-deal leader dictated otherwise. Only Heyward’s biggest apologists see him as being wronged. If he signed a bum deal a year...
New veterans business outreach center debuts at New Kensington’s Corner LaunchBox
Penn State New Kensington’s Corner LaunchBox has started a new business outreach service for veterans. The Veterans Business Outreach Center, at the Corner LaunchBox in downtown New Kensington, was established through an agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, said Joanna Sutton, director of the Corner LaunchBox. The effort aims...
Derry Township residents object to proposed solar farm, cite concerns about health, water
Neighbors in Derry Township are hoping the township supervisors won’t grant a permit for a proposed solar array on property in a rural neighborhood near New Alexandria. Hallie Newhouse-Ramer, who has started an online petition opposing the solar project on Newhouse Road, has expressed concern about its potential impact on...
1 injured after semi overturns on 62nd Street Bridge
A tractor-trailer overturned Wednesday morning on the 62nd Street Bridge, forcing a shutdown of the bridge for about five hours during the morning rush hour. At about 8 a.m., one lane on the span connecting Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood and Sharpsburg was reopened to traffic. The bridge was fully reopened...
Editorial: Health insurance cost spikes don’t just affect patients
The budget of most Americans is a delicate balancing act. You know what you have coming in and what should be going out. A decrease on one side or an increase on the other can throw it out of whack. There have been a lot of increases in recent years...
Indiana County man killed after being trapped under 500-pound rock at Derry Township quarry
A man from Indiana County was killed Tuesday afternoon after a large rock fell onto his legs at a quarry near the Derry Township village of Torrance, authorities said. Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson identified the man as James F. Gershman, 61, of White Township. He said the man was...
CVS requires prescription for covid shots in Pa. amid federal vaccine turmoil
CVS is requiring prescriptions for covid-19 shots in Pennsylvania because of delays on a federal panel that recommends vaccines. The new requirement reflects uncertainty over the nation’s vaccine policy under the Trump administration. Such turmoil has led several Democratic Pennsylvania lawmakers to explore whether they can put more power in...
House Oversight Committee releases some Justice Department files in Epstein, Maxwell cases
WASHINGTON — The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday publicly posted the files it has received from the Justice Department on the sex trafficking investigations into Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, responding to mounting pressure in Congress to force more disclosure in the case. Still, the files mostly...
Delmont couple accused in torture killing of adopted son, 5, to have separate trials
A Delmont couple charged with the torture killing of their adopted 5-year-old son will be prosecuted separately, a Westmoreland County judge ruled. The move sets the stage for the spouses to blame each other for the February 2023 death of Landon Maloberti, according to Lauren Maloberti’s lawyer. Lauren Maloberti, 36,...
Police investigating as Westmoreland judge says hacker has taken control of private Facebook page
People reporting their Facebook pages were hacked is a relatively common occurrence. But the victims usually aren’t Westmoreland County Common Pleas judges. Judge Scott Mears said his account was compromised over the weekend. A scammer made a post on the judge’s page, claiming his uncle had recently entered an assisted...
Authorities ID Pittsburgh man as Lawrenceville gas station homicide victim
Authorities on Tuesday identified a 26-year-old Pittsburgh man as the person fatally shot last month at a Lawrenceville gas station. Davon Smith-Mahdi was killed, and a second person was wounded, on Aug. 2 at the A-Plus Sunoco gas station in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. Pittsburgh police charged a clerk at the...
Google avoids breakup in search monopoly case, but judge orders other changes in landmark ruling
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a shake-up of Google’s search engine in a crackdown aimed at curbing the corrosive power of an illegal monopoly while rebuffing the U.S. government’s attempt to break up the company and impose other restraints. The 226-page decision made by U.S. District...
Trump says he will order federal intervention in Chicago, Baltimore despite local opposition
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will direct federal law enforcement intervention to combat crime in Chicago and Baltimore, despite staunch opposition from state and local officials in both cities. Asked by reporters in the Oval Office about sending National Guard troops to Chicago, Trump said, “We’re...
Pa. won’t take part in the national rush to redraw congressional maps
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 — Despite a growing number of states exploring unusual, mid-decade redraws of congressional lines for political reasons, Pennsylvania...
Pleasant Hills man killed son, then himself, police say
A Pleasant Hills man Monday morning fatally shot his son before turning the gun on himself, authorities confirmed Tuesday. Edgar Dawson, 72, shot his son, Bradley, 38, once in the head around 7 a.m. in the single-family home they shared, Allegheny County Police said. He then shot himself in the...
‘Pain on top of pain’: Teen sentenced in Brighton Heights shooting that hurt 5, upended funeral
Tamika Hornezes had already gone through the horror of her son being shot and killed in October 2022. Thirteen days later, she was traumatized again when two shooters opened fire at his funeral in Pittsburgh’s Brighton Heights section, wounding five people. “They ran in there like animals,” Hornezes said Tuesday...
Acrisure Stadium announces upgrades ahead of Steelers season, 2026 NFL Draft
Pittsburgh Steelers fans will see a slew of Acrisure Stadium upgrades, new food options and technology improvements ahead of the upcoming NFL season. The enhancements come before Pittsburgh hosts the 2026 NFL Draft in April. The weekend-long event is expected to bring hundreds of thousands of football fans to the...
Pentagon authorizes up to 600 military lawyers to serve as temporary immigration judges
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved sending up to 600 military lawyers to the Justice Department to serve as temporary immigration judges, according to a memo reviewed by The Associated Press. The military will begin sending groups of 150 attorneys — both military and civilians — to the...
Kraft Heinz says no plans to ditch Pittsburgh while undergoing corporate breakup
At least some part of Kraft Heinz will stay in Pittsburgh as the processed food conglomerate divides its brands into two new companies. Kraft Heinz said Tuesday while announcing the split it has no plans to move its co-headquarters in Pittsburgh and Chicago. That’s about all the company offered on...
Woman sentenced for police chase through Allegheny, Westmoreland counties
An Allegheny County woman was sentenced Friday to state prison for a January police chase through residential areas of North Huntingdon. Magdelena Ludwig, 27, of Forest Hills, was ordered to spend three to six years behind bars. She pleaded guilty Friday to fleeing from police, drug possession and resisting arrest...
