Top Stories category, Page 17
‘Sinners’ makes history, setting Oscars nomination recordVideo
Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” led all films with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday, setting a record for the most in Oscar history. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters showered “Sinners” with more nominations than they had ever bestowed before, breaking the 14-nomination...
Forecasters warn of a ‘potentially catastrophic’ storm from Texas to the Carolinas
ATLANTA — With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and unrelenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South. The storm...
Trump’s European threats could make it harder for future U.S. leaders to repair ties
WASHINGTON — Barely a month into his presidency, Joe Biden had a message for Europe. “America is back,” Biden told the Munich Security Conference in 2021. “The transatlantic alliance is back.” It was a promise Biden delivered often as he sought to cast the disruptions of his predecessor, Donald Trump,...
Morning Roundup: Police investigate graffiti; Parkway closures; car into Denny’s
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Thursday, Jan. 22: Police investigate graffiti with racial slur at Homewood South auto body shop Pittsburgh police are investigating after graffiti containing a racial slur was found at an auto body shop in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South neighborhood. The owner...
Lawmakers, pet advocates push bill spurred by pet cremation scandal
State Sen. Nick Pisciottano said the state’s framework for pet cremation oversight is “a little like the Wild West.” The legislator, whose district includes Plum, Monroeville and parts of the Mon Valley, proposed Senate Bill 950 to strengthen consumer protection and criminalize the mistreatment of pets after their deaths. “Pets...
Trump faces tough political, market hurdles in his bid to erode Fed independence
The Federal Reserve’s independence is under threat by the Trump administration, but experts say the central bank is built to resist executive influence better than most U.S. institutions. In his quest to gain more control over the Fed, Trump will have to jump though hoops in the Supreme Court and...
Former Uvalde officer acquitted in trial over police response to Robb Elementary attack
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A former Uvalde police officer was acquitted Wednesday of charges that he failed in his duties to confront the gunman at Robb Elementary during the critical first minutes of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Jurors deliberated for more than seven hours before...
Police: $30K harp stolen from Bethel Park home, taken to Point State Park before man jumped in river
A full-sized harp that a man lugged to Pittsburgh’s Point State Park on Wednesday afternoon — before disrobing and jumping into the freezing river — had been stolen, police said Thursday. The harp, which is worth about $30,000, was stolen from a Bethel Park home, Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Cara Cruz...
Community feedback sought for proposed New Kensington-Arnold building realignment
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Christopher Sefcheck says a proposed realignment of the district’s buildings is “the most serious undertaking this district has taken in years” — and officials are seeking the public’s input for those plans. Sefcheck plans to send notifications to parents, staff and community members Thursday morning seeking volunteers...
Woman pleads guilty in deadly red-light motorcycle crash in Downtown Pittsburgh
A Greene County woman pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter this week for fatally striking a motorcyclist after running a red light in Downtown Pittsburgh on a summer night in 2024. According to a criminal complaint, Amy Robinson, 47, of Waynesburg, crashed a Ford F-150 truck into James Christopher’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle...
Summer Lee votes to hold Clintons in contempt of Congress for defying Epstein-related subpoenas
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, voted Wednesday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas to testify before the House Oversight Committee as part of its Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Lee was one of nine Democrats on the Oversight...
Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo saysVideo
WASHINGTON — Federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press, marking a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches. The memo authorizes...
Poor insurance reimbursements place Pa. hospitals at risk of closure, report says
Insufficient insurance reimbursements could drive more than a dozen Pennsylvania hospitals to close within five years, according to a report released Wednesday by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. The industry group hired consultancy Oliver Wyman to create the report. In its analysis, the New York City-based firm focused...
‘I don’t have a lot of hobbies’: Danny Smith leaves Steelers, but is coaching 51st straight year
Danny Smith was 67 years old at the time, well in the at-risk range for contracting the virus that spawned a pandemic. But testing positive for covid-19 late during the 2020 season left Smith with only minor cold-like symptoms during his NFL- mandated banishment from Pittsburgh Steelers headquarters. “For me to...
Highlands teachers seal 5-year, early-bird contract
Highlands School District teachers locked up a five-year contract that awards them a 3.5% average salary increase each year through 2030. The school board on Tuesday approved the contract with the Highlands Education Association, well ahead of the current agreement’s June 30 expiration. “The deal is the result of a...
Point Park to expand mental health initiatives, suicide prevention
Expansion of Point Park University’s initiative to improve mental health and suicide prevention on campus aims to be more proactive and meet a growing need. “We want to make mental health more visible, accessible and more a part of everyday campus life,” said Cassandra Moffat, director of the university’s counseling...
Pittsburgh chef, restaurant receive semifinalist nods in James Beard awards
A Pittsburgh area chef and restaurant were honored as semifinalists by the James Beard Foundation for its 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards. The semifinalists were announced Wednesday in the prestigious national awards, which recognize “leaders who collectively embody the breadth of American culinary excellence.” Jamilka Borges, executive chef and co-owner...
Greensburg native, a federal judge in Va., questioned legitimacy of Trump-appointed prosecutor
A federal district judge, who excoriated a former Justice Department prosecutor for pursuing indictments against political adversaries of President Donald Trump, grew up in Greensburg and earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Vincent College. David Novak, a Trump-appointed district judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, is one of two...
Nemacolin confirms layoffs
Nemacolin confirmed Wednesday it has laid off an undisclosed number of employees. A statement from the Fayette County resort said the workforce reduction followed changes in available room inventory that have impacted guest volume and operational demand. “While difficult, these adjustments are intended to position Nemacolin for long-term stability, and...
Pittsburgh Council to interview Lando, department heads under oath
Pittsburgh City Council next week will use a new power to interview under oath the mayor’s picks to run city departments and bureaus. Council has previously conducted public interviews with a mayor’s pick for department heads and bureau chiefs before voting on whether to approve. But council members last year...
Man shot on Pittsburgh’s East Hills Drive, site of multiple homicides last year
A man was critically injured Wednesday morning after a shooting in Pittsburgh’s East Hills. Pittsburgh police said they were dispatched around 8:20 a.m. to the 2300 block of East Hills Drive, where they found the injured man inside a home. The man, who authorities have not named, had been shot...
Health department installs free naloxone vending machine in Pittsburgh
The opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone is available for free at a new vending machine in Downtown Pittsburgh. The machine, outside the Allegheny County Human Services building at 1 Smithfield St., will provide around-the-clock access to the medication. Naloxone — often known by its brand name Narcan — is being...
Congress funds agency investigating Clairton Coke Works blast
The federal Chemical Safety Board, which has been targeted for elimination by President Donald Trump, is likely to keep its funding and continue investigating a deadly explosion in August 2024 at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. An appropriations bill passed by Congress earlier this month would give the board $14...
‘Sad to see’: Ruthie’s Diner in Ligonier Township destroyed by blazeVideo
Rob Iscrupe saw no signs of smoke at 6 p.m. Tuesday when he clocked out from his shift as a dishwasher at Ruthie’s Diner. By Wednesday morning, he was surveying the icy mass of charred wood that remained where the longtime Ligonier Township landmark once stood. The building was destroyed...
Greensburg resident, former Hillandale Farms CEO, donates another $53.5M to Pitt
With his latest donation, $53.5 million, former Hillandale Farms CEO Orland Bethel has continued his tradition of supporting the University of Pittsburgh. Bethel, who splits time between Greensburg and Florida, has donated nearly $100 million to the university since 2018. The reason, he said, is simple. “Of course, Dr. Lee’s...
