Top Stories category, Page 18
Wrong-way driver crashes into 3 tractor-trailers on I-70 in HempfieldVideo
An SUV traveling the wrong way on Interstate 70 in Hempfield pinballed between three tractor-trailers early Tuesday morning, sending two drivers to the hospital, according to state Trooper Rocco Gagliardi. The high-speed, violent crash was reported at 12:44 a.m. around a curve in the highway between the New Stanton and...
Riverview School Board passes student, staff safety policy in wake of ICE arrest
After districtwide outrage following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest in Oakmont late last month, the Riverview School Board approved a student and staff safety policy that streamlines information from various bodies. It outlines the actions to be taken by staff and teachers if any law enforcement agency comes to...
An unexplained departure and a triumphant return to the U.S.Video
On Aug. 13, 2021, Marc and Jane Fogel pulled away from their white colonial-style home in Oakmont to drive to New York City. There, they boarded a plane to Moscow to begin their final year teaching at the Anglo-American School, an elite institution built for the children of western diplomats....
Trump threatens to block new bridge between Detroit and Canada from opening
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to block the opening of a new Canadian-built bridge across the Detroit River, demanding that Canada turn over at least half of the ownership of the bridge and agree to other unspecified demands in his latest salvo over cross-border trade issues. “We...
Pitt women’s basketball coach sued by former players alleging hostile environment
Six women who previously played basketball at Pitt are suing coach Tory Verdi and the school, alleging he created a hostile environment, abused players psychologically and retaliated against them after they complained. The individual lawsuits were filed Friday in federal court in Pittsburgh. They include claims for violations of Title...
Brentwood man remains in ICE custody after hospital stay, 1st hearing
Maklim Gomez Escalante remains in federal custody after returning from a hospital last week to the Moshannon Valley ICE Processing Center in Clearfield County, his family says. Gomez Escalante, 35, of Brentwood in Pittsburgh’s South Hills, was taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Jan. 20. His family...
Oakmont man arrested by ICE is home, but being monitored; future unclear
Jose Flores, the Oakmont man arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents late last month, is home with his family again, but not necessarily out of the woods. Flores, 47, originally from Nicaragua, was taken into custody by ICE agents the morning of Jan. 29 in front of his home...
Trump told Palm Beach police chief ‘everyone’ knew about Epstein, Maxwell was ‘evil’
President Donald Trump has repeatedly maintained that he had no knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex crimes. But in July 2006, just as Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal case became public, Trump called then-Palm Beach police chief Michael Reiter to tell him that Epstein’s activities with teenaged girls were well known in New...
Tulsi Gabbard’s office warns attorney against sharing classified complaint with Congress
WASHINGTON — The general counsel for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Monday warned the attorney for an anonymous government employee not to directly share a top-secret complaint about Gabbard’s handling of classified material with members of Congress. The letter to attorney Andrew Bakaj is the latest escalation in...
Owner of Ruthie’s Diner dies nearly 3 weeks after fire destroyed longtime Ligonier Township restaurant
Doris Ruth “Ruthie” Stevens, owner of Ruthie’s Diner, died at 92 on Saturday — nearly three weeks after the Ligonier Township restaurant was destroyed in a fire. Stevens died in her home in Jenner, Somerset County, according to an obituary. She was born in Addison, also in Somerset County, in...
Homicide trial opens for 2 charged in St. Clair woman’s murderVideo
Alice Robson had been missing for more than two days in December 2023 when a dog from the Greensburg Bloodhound Team found her body stuffed in a crawl space underneath a porch at her St. Clair home. It took Lucy, the dog, 6 minutes to locate the 71-year-old woman’s body,...
Ice dams can build as temperatures rise, putting homes at risk for water leaks
Roof repair and replacement company Roof Gutter Now keeps busy in the winter, fielding 60 to 80 calls a day to melt piles of snow, ice and water sitting on top of homeowners’ rooftops. But owner Nathaniel Davis says the calls should pick up even more on Tuesday as warmer...
Fatal crash ends search for suspect in McKees Rocks shooting
A suspect in a weekend shooting in McKees Rocks was found dead Monday after a car crash in nearby Kennedy. Allegheny County Police said they identified Edward Sparrow, 22, a suspect in a Saturday night shooting that critically injured a woman in the 100 block of McKees Rocks’ Jane Street....
Burrell basketball coach accused of draining $246K from Montgomery County nonprofit
Authorities in Montgomery County have charged Burrell High School’s boys basketball coach with stealing more than $246,000 from a nonprofit group where he formerly served as treasurer. Michael Fantuzzo, 40, faces theft charges from allegations stemming from when he served as volunteer treasurer of the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association, a...
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis stumps in Pittsburgh for boosting 211 help line budget
About a decade ago, Erica Evans was a single mother who had just lost her job as an at-home caregiver. She was living on the streets of Downtown Pittsburgh, where someone handed her a card for 211, the statewide phone line that connects people with a variety of public and...
Federal bill sends $7M to Western Pa. transportation projects
Nearly $7 million in federal funding is headed to eight Western Pennsylvania communities for transportation and development projects. On Thursday, President Donald Trump signed the spending bill, which will provide more than $6.8 million for projects in Penn Hills, Mt. Lebanon, Carnegie, Aspinwall, Crafton, Churchill, Sewickley and Ben Avon. In...
Jail informants testify Stanko admitted to killing Cassandra Gross
Two jailhouse informants testified in Westmoreland County court Monday that, while they were incarcerated together, Thomas G. Stanko confessed to the 2018 killing of Cassandra Gross. The alleged jailhouse confessions highlighted the sixth day of Stanko’s homicide trial. Stanko, 55, is charged with criminal homicide and reckless burning in connection...
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett critical of Trump’s election gambit
In the days since President Donald Trump called for the federal government to “nationalize” elections, two former high ranking officials from Pennsylvania, former Gov. Tom Corbett and former U.S. District Court Judge John Jones III, have spoken out. Both have a history in Republican politics. Corbett was the last Republican...
Police identify driver killed in wrong-way crash on Parkway West
Police have identified the man killed in a wrong-way crash Sunday on the Parkway West as Serghei Ganaciuc, 45, of Pittsburgh. Ganaguic was traveling east in the westbound lanes of Interstate 376 in Collier just before 4 a.m. when his Toyota Prius collided with a Mercedes-Benz GLB SUV, Pennsylvania State...
Boil water advisory lifted in parts of Allegheny, Washington counties
A weekend boil water advisory for roughly 95,000 Pennsylvania American Water customers in Allegheny and Washington counties has been lifted after testing showed no signs of bacterial contamination. The notice went into effect Saturday after a power surge interrupted pumping, causing a 4-foot-wide water main to break near the Aldrich...
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show delivers a party with a message of loveVideo
While the reason to tune in to the Super Bowl on Sunday night was ostensibly to watch the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots duke it out for the NFL championship, the buzz leading up to the broadcast was all about the music. In September, it was announced that Puerto...
A life in prison: Fogel spends days reading, praying and grappling with unpredictable conditionsVideo
On Aug. 13, 2021, Marc and Jane Fogel pulled away from their white colonial-style home in Oakmont to drive to New York City. There, they boarded a plane to Moscow to begin their final year teaching at the Anglo-American School, an elite institution built for the children of Western diplomats....
TV Talk: Super Bowl ads embrace AI, nostalgia, warmth
Super Bowl LX commercials put an emphasis on artificial intelligence, 1980s and ’90s culture, feel-good situations, Pittsburgh celebrities and, uh, an out-there focus on rear ends. Pittsburgh native actor Jeff Goldblum (“Wicked: For Good”) turned up in ads for Comcast Xfinity’s Wi-Fi, revisiting his “Jurassic Park” role, and in another...
Pittsburgh region heads into extended warmup after another sub-zero night
Say goodbye — and maybe good riddance — to weeks of on-and-off sub-zero temperatures. The Pittsburgh region will warm up Monday morning after seeing a low of -2 degrees overnight, ushering in at least a week of forecasted highs around or above freezing, according to the National Weather Service. A...
Bad Bunny brings Gaga, Martin and Puerto Rican pride to Super Bowl as Green Day, Puth play pregameVideo
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Stars have been front-and-center at Super Bowl 60, with Chris Pratt and Jon Bon Jovi introducing the teams, a series of soaring pre-game performances and a much-anticipated halftime show from Bad Bunny. Highlights from Levi’s Stadium include Blue Ivy Carter leaping in an end zone before...
