Top Stories category, Page 18
Crews dig into Pennsylvania nursing home rubble to see if a gas leak caused deadly blast
BRISTOL — Construction crews worked to clear the collapsed walls and roof from a Pennsylvania nursing home Wednesday to help investigators find the cause of an explosion that killed a resident and employee, and set off a dramatic evacuation amid falling debris and shooting flames. The Tuesday afternoon blast sent...
Faithful return to Bethlehem and Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit, after two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza. At the Vatican, Pope Leo...
Feast of the 7 Fishes fuels Christmas Eve frenzy in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Brad Quartuccio refused to allow fate to disrupt a Christmas Eve tradition — prepping for his family’s Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian-American celebration revolving around succulent seafood. The Morningside resident and his son Sal, 7, marched proudly around 10 a.m. Wednesday through Wholey’s packed aisles, bags of shrimp...
Monroeville man will march in Tournament of Roses Parade with a band of, well, band directors
Michael Buckstein might be an assistant band director at the University of Pittsburgh, but it has still been a while since he practiced his heel-toe marching step. He’s been brushing up lately, though, after being chosen to perform with the Band Directors’ Marching Band at the annual Tournament of Roses...
As NFL confirms Lions fan from altercation ‘remains under review,’ Steelers support DK Metcalf
Riding a three-game winning streak, on the verge of clinching a division title and with Christmas morning beckoning just hours away, spirits should have been high in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room Wednesday. Its longest-tenured member, though, noted regret that there was a significant absence from the UPMC Rooney Sports...
More than 100 academic offerings on PennWest’s chopping block
Pennsylvania Western University could end more than 100 academic programs as the college prepares to adapt to demographic and enrollment declines impacting schools nationally. In a Dec. 12 email to faculty and obtained by TribLive, Interim Provost James Fisher recommends more than 100 academic programs to be placed in moratorium...
Mark Madden: DK Metcalf has only himself to blame
Only one person is to blame in the DK Metcalf imbroglio. It’s DK Metcalf. Sure, the blue-haired dipstick in the stands at Ford Field was looking to ensnare the Pittsburgh Steelers wideout in a web of stupidity. Shame on Metcalf for letting him. That dope had nothing to lose. Metcalf...
Annual Oakmont Christmas tree collection to benefit goats
Oakmont is giving folks another chance to supply tasty treats to the goats that help keep weeds under control in the borough. For the fourth year, the borough will collect Christmas trees for the furry friends at Capricious Goats LLC. The group of working goats, affectionately known as the “Munch...
Morning Roundup: Shooting in Beechview; North Park skating rink begins its season
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Dec. 24: _______________________________________ Shooting in Beechview A man is recovering after being shot Tuesday in the city’s Beechview neighborhood, authorities said. Police responded at about 9 p.m. to the 1500 block of Rockland Avenue where they found a...
On Sports: Lions fans feel ‘robbed’ after loss to Steelers; Marc-Andre Fleury’s retirement might be cut shortVideo
It’s been a rough couple of days in Detroit after the Pittsburgh Steelers took the Lions’ playoff chances from possible to extremely unlikely. A former Penguins goalie could be considering a return to the ice, and Duquesne men’s basketball gets a marquee moment on “SportsCenter” in Wednesday’s “On Sports,” pinch-hitting...
Tim Benz’s Steelers stocking stuffers: DK Metcalf ‘whataboutism,’ T.J. Watt’s murky status, resting if Ravens lose
“Breakfast With Benz” is taking a long winter’s nap for Christmas on Thursday morning and the day after. As a result, there will be no “Football Footnotes” on Friday. Instead, we’re offering up a Christmas cornucopia of Pittsburgh Steelers stocking stuffers to ease you into the holiday following Mike Tomlin’s...
Toys for Tots campaign: More Western Pennsylvania children in need
Demand for Toys for Tots assistance climbed in the Alle-Kiski Valley this holiday season and held steady in Westmoreland County, reflecting continued financial strain on families. In the Alle-Kiski Valley, coordinators reported about 700 more children in need of holiday gifts this year, a significant jump from last year, when...
Ligonier Valley School District silent on how graduate entered high school, harassed student
A Ligonier Valley graduate pleaded guilty Monday to harassing a student inside the high school, but district officials are refusing to say how the graduate bypassed security to enter the building — or to commit to changing safety measures. Xavior P. Reynolds, 18, of St. Clair Township entered Ligonier Valley...
Plum’s Make-A-Wish telethon cracks $1.25 million all-time total in 25th edition
When Rick Berrott started Plum’s Make-A-Wish telethon in 1999, the event lasted a few hours and was filmed on VHS tapes. But in its 25th edition on Monday and Tuesday, students stayed on the digital airwaves for more than 12 hours to crack an all-time total of $1.25 million. Berrott,...
Federal agency recommends 2 safety recommendations in Clairton Coke Works plant
An independent, nonregulatory federal agency investigating a deadly explosion at the U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works plant this fall issued two interim safety recommendations Tuesday. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board recommends U.S. Steel thoroughly evaluates all buildings at the Clairton facility that are currently occupied or could...
Court papers shed light on ICE arrest of Latino man in Mt. Washington
A man who struggled with federal immigration officers last week in Mt. Washington before being whisked away in a white van is a Nicaraguan national targeted after he tried to buy a gun, according to papers filed Tuesday in federal court. Darwin Alexander Davila-Perez, whose age is not listed in...
New oral weight loss medication expected to be cheaper and more accessible
A pill version of the GLP-1 weight-loss drug Wegovy is expected to debut in the U.S. in early January. But how will the pills stack up against the already widely used injectables? Doctors in Western Pennsylvania said the pills will be a welcome addition to GLP-1 drug options for their...
Voluminous new Epstein document release includes multiple Trump mentions, but little revelatory news
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has released tens of thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included multiple mentions of President Donald Trump but added little new revelatory information to the long-anticipated public file on the late financier and convicted sex offender. The release is the...
Pa.’s top election official battles DOJ demand for voter data
Pennsylvania’s top election official wants a judge to toss out a lawsuit by the federal government demanding “highly sensitive personal information” about the state’s voters. The U.S. Department of Justice sued Pennsylvania in September after the state initially failed to turn over data about its nearly 9 million registered voters....
Supreme Court keeps Trump’s National Guard deployment blocked in the Chicago area, for now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area to support its immigration crackdown. The justices declined the Republican administration’s emergency request to overturn a ruling by U.S. District Judge April Perry that had blocked the deployment...
Body of missing Avonmore man found after multiday search, EMS official explains the difficult recovery process
Authorities confirmed Tuesday that the body of 31-year-old Cory Dominic Cook has been recovered, ending a multiday search along the Allegheny River near Manor Township in Armstrong County. Cook’s body was pulled from the Allegheny River around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a press release by Armstrong County Coroner Brian...
Gainey to let 2026 Pittsburgh budget become law without his signature
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey plans to let next year’s $693 million, City Council-backed budget — and the 20% property tax hike set to come with it — become law without his signature. Gainey, in a letter Tuesday to council President R. Daniel Lavelle, called the 2026 budget he initially pitched...
Medicaid paid more than $207 million for dead people. A new law could help fix that
WASHINGTON — Medicaid programs made more than $200 million in improper payments to health care providers between 2021 and 2022 for people who had already died, according to a new report from the independent watchdog for the Department of Health and Human Services. But the department’s Office of Inspector General...
Dreaming of a white Christmas? Dream on
If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas in Western Pennsylvania this year … keep dreaming. No snow is in the forecast for Thursday, according to Andrew Kienzle, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon. Highs in Western Pennsylvania are expected to be in the upper 40s — which will...
Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and wife welcome new baby boy
Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and his wife, Maria, have something extra to celebrate this holiday season. On Tuesday, Allegheny Health Network announced that the couple’s third son, Suede, was born at AHN Wexford Hospital on Sunday afternoon. The McCutchens announced the impending arrival of their fifth child several months ago....
