Top Stories category, Page 178
Steelmaker Cleveland Cliffs to idle 3 steel plants in Pennsylvania and Illinois
HARRISBURG — Steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs will indefinitely idle three steel plants this summer, saying Friday it is being buffeted by sluggish demand and pricing for some products, including high carbon steel sheets. The company said the idling of two Pennsylvania plants, one in Steelton and one in Conshohocken, and one in...
Class action lawsuit filed against funeral director accused of dumping pet remains
Two of the thousands of pet owners allegedly defrauded by a local funeral director have filed a class action lawsuit in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. They’re seeking financial damages from Patrick Vereb, who ran funeral homes in Pittsburgh and Harrison until being hit with multiple felony charges earlier...
Fetterman’s ex-chief of staff warned doctor of mental health concerns, report says
The former chief of staff to U.S. Sen. John Fetterman grew so concerned about the Pennsylvania Democrat’s behavior last year he wrote a detailed letter to Fetterman’s doctor, warning that the politician appeared to be experiencing significant mental health challenges that could pose serious risks to his well-being, according to...
Days after devastating storm, thousands hold on without power
Rico, 71, and Chris Fontana, 68, were left trapped in their powerless Allegheny Township home after Tuesday’s violent storm downed a large pine tree across their driveway and scattered wires, trees and a transformer across the nearby road. Living on well water, the Fontanas were left with dry shower heads...
Federal grand jury indicts man previously arrested for Trump assassination threats
A federal grand jury has indicted a Butler County man already in custody on charges of threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump and other federal officials. Shawn Monper, 32, of Butler Township was arrested last month and accused of posting threats to YouTube under the name “Mr Satan” between Jan....
Alle-Kiski Valley school districts move, postpone proms after storms
Some high schoolers will have to wait a bit longer to don their tuxes and gowns. Due to intermittent power outages after Tuesday’s storms, Freeport Area and Highlands school districts changed their planned prom schedules. Both dances were scheduled for this weekend at the Syria Shriner’s Center in Harmar. According...
Mark Madden: Pirates Twitter demands miracles from team built to lose
Twitter (X) is goofy on a good day. Pittsburgh Pirates Twitter is off-the-wall nutso. Here’s what’s being demanded by the tweeters, bloggers, fanboys and stooges. • Fire manager Derek Shelton. • Fire GM Ben Cherington. • Summon pitcher Bubba Chandler from Triple-A. • Perform a miracle voodoo cure on pitcher...
Carnegie Mellon to pause merit raises amid economic uncertainty
Employees at Carnegie Mellon University will not receive merit increases in their salaries for the upcoming fiscal year. In an email addressed to colleagues Friday obtained by TribLive, CMU President Farnam Jahanian revealed the decision, which he said is a “pause” in merit increases. “I write to you with a...
After storms, will Pittsburgh marathon route be ready to go?
Pittsburgh’s marathon route has been cleared of downed wires and debris from this week’s storms, officials said Friday, and runners this weekend can look forward to “optimal” conditions and a massive public safety presence. The Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon Weekend, which is expecting record-breaking attendance, will draw tens of...
Ex-Penguins coach Mike Sullivan hired by Rangers
Former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has been hired by the New York Rangers in the same capacity. The Rangers announced Sullivan’s appointment Friday. He becomes the 38th coach in that franchise’s history. Terms of his contract were not announced, but it is believed to be one of the most...
PennDOT announces weeknight Parkway East closures
PennDOT announced nearly a month of weeknight closures of the Parkway East eastbound in Pittsburgh, set to begin Monday night and run through late May. The overnight closures on Interstate 376 will last Mondays through Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. at the Birmingham Bridge. An additional overnight closure...
More storms possible Friday as crews continue restoring power
Another round of storms could hit the region Friday even as crews work to restore power to thousands who have been in the dark since Tuesday. The National Weather Service in Moon says there is a chance of damaging wind, large hail and heavy downpours in the Western Pennsylvania region...
Army plans for a potential parade on Trump’s birthday call for 6,600 soldiers, 50 helicopters
WASHINGTON — Detailed Army plans for a potential military parade on President Donald Trump’s birthday in June call for more than 6,600 soldiers, at least 150 vehicles, 50 helicopters, seven bands and possibly a couple thousand civilians, The Associated Press has learned. The planning documents, obtained by the AP, are...
Around 150,000 remain without power as crews continue restoration work
Though power was restored to more than 300,000 customers in Western Pennsylvania since Tuesday’s severe weather, about 150,000 remained without electricity in the region as of 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. And Duquesne Light and West Penn Power said it will be at least several more days before power is restored...
Trump says it’s Biden’s economy, but businesses, economists beg to differ
WASHINGTON — When the stock market was climbing in January 2024, Donald Trump knew exactly who deserved credit: Himself. Nearly a year before his return to the White House, he declared on his Truth Social platform that investors were celebrating his lead in the polls against President Joe Biden. When...
Man fatally shot in Penn Hills, 2nd shooting victim stable
A man is dead and another hospitalized as a result of a shooting Thursday in Penn Hills. Allegheny County Police said they were called shortly after 4 p.m to the 100 block of Topaz Drive. First responders found a man deceased at the scene. A second shooting victim was transported...
Judge bars deportations of Venezuelans from South Texas under Alien Enemies Act
A federal judge on Thursday barred the Trump administration from deporting any Venezuelans from South Texas under an 18th-century wartime law and said President Donald Trump’s invocation of it was “unlawful.” U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. is the first judge to rule that the Alien Enemies Act cannot...
Freeport Towers residents look back on harrowing 37 hours
Joe Bodick has never loved the smell of hot dogs more than he did Wednesday night. Bodick, president of Freeport Towers tenant association, was one of the more than 80 high-rise residents who went without power for 37 hours after Tuesday’s violent storms. With mostly seniors living in the high-rise,...
Power companies tap out-of-state help to restore power, give target restoration dates
Power company workers from multiple states are helping West Penn Power restore service to thousands of residents without electricity since Tuesday’s storms. The workers set up a base in the parking lot of the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer. “We have more than 4,000 FirstEnergy crews and external resources, including...
Federal judge detains accused Hamas sympathizer from Moon
A former National Guard member accused of lying to the federal government, defacing Jewish religious property in Squirrel Hill and testing a pipe bomb in a State College forest will remain jailed pending trial because of concerns he might pose a threat. An FBI agent told a federal judge in...
Driver who killed 4 by smashing through an Illinois after-school camp may have had health emergency
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The driver of a car that barreled through a building used for a popular after-school camp in central Illinois, killing three children and a teenager, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have had a medical emergency, police said Thursday. No decisions have...
On-the-spot birth certificate pilot program launches in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is launching a pilot program that will provide on-the-spot birth certificates to help speed up the process for people seeking new jobs and other opportunities. The Pennsylvania Departments of Labor & Industry and Health announced the initiative this week. The service will be available at some CareerLink locations later...
Pirates fan who fell from above Clemente Wall identified, remains in critical condition
The man who fell 21 feet over the Clemente Wall onto the right-field warning track at PNC Park has been identified as Kavan Markwood. Markwood, 20, remained in critical condition Thursday after falling during the Pittsburgh Pirates-Chicago Cubs game the previous night. A South Allegheny School District official confirmed that...
Ex-Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning sentenced to 15 months in federal prison
Former Greensburg police Chief Shawn Denning was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in federal prison in a drug distribution conspiracy case that derailed the military veteran’s career and left the community in shock. U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon called Denning’s actions egregious. “You betrayed the duties of a police officer...
Whistleblower says ‘excuses,’ lack of documentation led her to alert police to pet cremation scandal
Tiffany Mantzouridis had a hunch that something was off with her employer, Patrick Vereb, owner of Vereb Funeral Home and Eternity Pet Memorials. “He would throw away crematory tags and keep handwritten notes of where which pets should go, but he never could name the crematory he was using for...
