Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 18
Fears of looser standards as the FBI and Justice Department scramble to fill a depleted workforce
WASHINGTON — The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild a depleted workforce after a wave of departures over the past year, with leaders easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that some current and former officials see as a lowering of long-accepted standards. The FBI has used...
U.S. seizes Iranian-flagged ship near Strait of Hormuz and Tehran vows to respondVideo
WASHINGTON — The United States attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, and Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a fragile ceasefire into question days before it expires. It was the first...
3-alarm fire displaces 13 in Allentown
A residential structure fire early Sunday morning in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood left 13 people displaced from two homes. Pittsburgh Fire was dispatched just after 5 a.m. Sunday to the 1500 block of Arlington Avenue. What started as a 1-alarm fire “quickly grew to three alarms,” according to Pittsburgh Public Safety...
Editorial: Good start, Harrisburg. Now finish the budget
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is giving people reason to be optimistic. The lawmakers gave their approval Tuesday to the 2026-27 budget. The good news? This is the earliest a budget has moved this far in nine years. The bad news? This is not the finish line. Pennsylvania’s legislators —...
Tim Benz: Forget ‘Flip the Script.’ After Game 1 loss, the Penguins need a playoff rewriteVideo
The Penguins “Flip the Script” rallying cry for the playoffs is quickly taking on a different tone. Because after the team’s 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the postseason opener Saturday night, that script is going to need a total rewrite. “We were just off in a lot of...
‘We need to regroup’: Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin preaches need for reset ahead of Game 2Video
Inside the Pittsburgh Penguins’ locker room late Saturday night, there was a lot of agreement in the postgame takeaways offered by players. After the Penguins dropped the opening contest of their first-round series to the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, at home, the consensus centered around improvements being required before Game 2...
Penguins bumble through Game 1 loss to Flyers
One of the people partly responsible for several of the Stanley Cup banners that hang from the rafters of PPG Paints Arena had a nuanced, measured and calming assessment of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 3-2 home loss to the rival Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of their first-round series Saturday. Rick...
‘It’s electric’: Penguins vs. Flyers 1st playoff matchup draws rowdy, excited fans to Pittsburgh
Soaked Pittsburgh Penguins fans clamored at the doors of PPG Paints Arena on Saturday, waiting to be let in to the Stanley Cup playoff opening game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Stormy weather in the evening broke up a sunny and warm afternoon and left Jackson Butler and his friends standing...
Death of 2-year-old Pleasant Hills girl ruled a homicide
The death of a 2-year-old girl in Pleasant Hills last week has been ruled a homicide, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s office said Saturday. According to the medical examiner, Sarah Darji was found unresponsive at home in the 100 block of McClellan Drive on April 7. She was taken to...
FBI says a threatened flight landed safely in Pittsburgh
A plane with a reported threat landed safely at Pittsburgh International Airport Saturday, according to FBI Pittsburgh. United Airlines Flight 2092 departed from Chicago O’Hare International Airport and was traveling to LaGuardia Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It was diverted after the crew reported “a possible security issue” and...
With or without heels, men walk in Greensburg to raise awareness about gender-based violence
It didn’t take a mile to discover that walking in heels can be painful. Just putting them on was enough. “It hurts so bad,” said Brandt Sandstrom, 16, a Greensburg Salem sophomore. He was among members of the school’s football team participating Saturday in the Blackburn Center’s 15th annual Walk...
8 people shot, 2 fatally, in 3 shootings in Pittsburgh and Braddock
Police in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County say eight people were shot, two fatally, in at least three separate incidents in Saturday’s early hours. Braddock The first shooting, in Braddock, was reported just after 2 a.m. That was followed by a shooting just before 2:30 a.m. in Pittsburgh’s Bedford Dwellings neighborhood...
Iran says it has closed Hormuz again over U.S. blockade
CAIRO — The standoff over the Strait of Hormuz quickly escalated again Saturday as Iran reversed its reopening of the crucial waterway and fired on ships attempting to pass, in retaliation after the United States pressed ahead with its blockade choking off Iranian ports. Confusion over the strait, through which...
All eyes on Pittsburgh as NFL Draft week takes over the city
The stage is set, the city is ready — and the eyes of the football world will soon turn squarely on Pittsburgh. It’s NFL Draft week, at long last. The three-day event begins Thursday, transforming the North Shore and Downtown Pittsburgh into a sprawling festival of football, music and fanfare...
Allegheny Valley School Board to discuss daylong phone ban for students
Allegheny Valley students are barred from using their cellphones during classes, but the school board plans to discuss a new policy that would ban phone use throughout the school day. Students would not be allowed to access their phones at lunch, between classes or during study halls. The board will...
Joe Starkey: Thankfully, Pittsburgh sports in much better shape as NFL Draft spotlight falls upon city
We’re not quite the City of Champions again, but we’re not the City of Chumps, either. Not anymore, and thankfully not this coming week, as the eyes of the sports world descend upon Pittsburgh for the NFL Draft. It’s easier to be a good host when you’re not wearing a...
Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging cuts back as budget falls short
Allegheny County’s Area Agency on Aging is facing a projected shortfall of more than $5 million in its roughly $50 million budget — a gap officials say will mean longer wait times, new service limits and reduced access for older adults seeking help. On Friday, officials said the agency, part...
$1.3B UPMC Presbyterian Hospital tower construction enters home stretch
Sunlight streams in from almost every angle of UPMC’s new glass-paneled hospital tower in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Each of the 636 patient rooms has floor-to-ceiling windows, incorporating research showing the therapeutic effects of a connection with nature. The respite areas for workers to collect their thoughts during tough days follow...
Arts Landing highlights Downtown revitalization efforts ahead of NFL DraftVideo
Arts Landing — the 4-acre, outdoor civic space located at Eighth Street and Penn Avenue in the Cultural District — is open on time ahead of next week’s NFL Draft. The $31 million project’s completion after 22 months contributes to what elected officials and civic leaders called a generational, arts-driven...
Pittsburgh cop punched handcuffed woman in face after she bit, scratched him, court papers say
A Pittsburgh police officer punched a handcuffed woman, bloodying her nose, after she bit and scratched him while resisting arrest on a drug charge, according to court papers filed Thursday. Officer Ronald Postell “delivered a closed-fist strike” to the face of Angel Bradford, 28, during the arrest Wednesday evening in...
Westmoreland man indicted on federal child exploitation charges following FBI arrest
A Westmoreland County man was arrested Thursday by the FBI and an indictment against him was unsealed, according to court records. James William Martin Jr., 43, was taken into custody in the Greensburg area, according to Bradford Arick, public affairs specialist with FBI Pittsburgh. U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh public...
Pittsburgh controller questions $608 catering bill charged to taxpayers for funeral reception
The Pittsburgh City Controller’s Office is questioning a $608 city credit card charge last month that paid for food to be sent to a funeral reception for the father of Councilman Khari Mosley. City Council President R. Daniel Lavelle authorized the expenditure of taxpayer money. “Our office is empathetic to...
Pittsburgh-area students design human-centered AI models to tackle education issues
Diego Jofre Lieva remembers some of the language barriers he faced when he came to West Allegheny High School from Chile at the end of his freshman year. “We took language assessments, and a lot of my peers really struggled,” said Jofre Lieva, now a senior at West Allegheny. “I...
Penguins vs Flyers: Previews and predictions as Penguins begin playoff push
The Pittsburgh Penguins return to the Stanley Cup playoffs after a three-year absence and will face off against the rival Philadelphia Flyers in the first round, starting at 8 p.m. Saturday at PPG Paints Arena. TribLive writers are previewing the matchup with features, commentary and need to know information. Preview...
Woman charged after posing as mother, taking child from Steel Valley school, police say
Steel Valley School District officials released an 8-year-old student to a woman now charged with kidnapping after she pretended to be the child’s mother, Homestead police said. Jamya Jones-Houston, 25, of Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood is charged with felony kidnapping and interference with the custody of children for the incident...
