Top Stories category, Page 184
Wall Street split as Tesla, tech drop while most other stocks climb
NEW YORK — A mixed day of trading left the U.S. stock market split Tuesday as Wall Street’s momentum slowed after setting record highs in each of the last two days. The S&P 500 dipped 0.1% for its first loss in four days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 400...
UPenn to update swimming records set by Lia Thomas, settling with feds on transgender athletes case
WASHINGTON — The University of Pennsylvania says it will update records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and apologize to female athletes “disadvantaged” by Thomas’ participation on the women’s swimming team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case. The U.S. Education Department and Penn announced the voluntary...
Day camp, summer school and after-school programs in limbo during Trump administration review
WASHINGTON — Day camp providers and schools are warning that a Trump administration funding freeze could wreck summer for low-income American families and wipe out some after-school programming next year. The administration is withholding more than $6 billion in federal grants for after-school and summer programs, English language instruction, adult...
The unknown costs of Amazon’s $20B promise to build 2 data centers in Pennsylvania
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Amazon plans to spend $20 billion to build two data centers in Pennsylvania, a move that state officials say will generate thousands of...
Allegheny County judge rebukes public defender in controversial bail decision
The Allegheny County criminal court judge who repeatedly denied bail for a defendant he thought was dangerous — and whose decision was then reversed by an Orphans’ Court judge — on Tuesday rebuked the public defender who circumvented him. Common Pleas Judge Edward J. Borkowski spent several minutes seeking an...
McCormick says Trump policy bill good for Pa.; Fetterman opposes Medicaid, SNAP cuts, more debt
President Donald Trump’s domestic policy package passed the Senate by the slimmest of margins Tuesday, with Pennsylvania’s two senators voting along party lines as expected. U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, joined 49 other Republicans in supporting Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill. Three GOP senators — U.S. Sens....
Kennywood and Penn Brewery launch beer collaboration
Kennywood fans can now crack open a cold beer with a splash of the park’s flavor. Penn Brewery announced a collaboration with the iconic West Mifflin amusement park for eight different beers based on popular rides, some of which still exist and some from times past. The announcement was made...
Storm triggers flash floods in Pittsburgh; 3 inches of rain expected by day’s end
Slow-moving thunderstorms are predicted to drop up to 3 inches of rain and trigger potential flash flooding in parts of several Southwestern Pennsylvania counties, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Tuesday. By 11:30 a.m., first responders were reporting flooding on Allegheny River Boulevard in Pittsburgh; Freeport Road near UPMC St....
Jury reaches verdict on 4 of 5 counts in Diddy trial, judge indicates they’ll keep deliberating
NEW YORK — The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial said Tuesday that it has reached a verdict on four of five counts against the hip-hop mogul and was unable to reach a decision on the top charge, racketeering conspiracy. The judge indicated that he would instruct the...
Trump tours Florida immigration lockup, jokes about escapees having to run from alligatorsVideo
OCHOPEE, Fla. — President Donald Trump on Tuesday toured a new immigration detention center surrounded by alligator-filled swamps in the Florida Everglades, suggesting it could be a model for future lockups nationwide as his administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations. Trump said he’d like to see...
Donegal area mine expansion challenged; opponent says it will harm environment
An environmental group wants the state to revoke a mining company’s permit to bore underneath the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Donegal to access some 1,425 acres of coal, claiming that expanded operations would harm the water and land. The Mountain Watershed Association of Melcroft stated in its June 27 appeal to...
War of words intensifies between former allies Trump and Musk
Shares of electric vehicle maker Tesla, which is headed by Elon Musk, slumped Tuesday as the war of words between billionaire and President Donald Trump over the big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts heats up again, with Musk saying he may form a new political party. Shares of...
Senate passes Trump’s big tax and spending cuts bill as Vance breaks a 50-50 tie
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans hauled President Donald Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill to passage Tuesday by the narrowest of margins, pushing past opposition from Democrats and their own GOP ranks after a turbulent overnight session. The outcome capped an unusually tense weekend of work at the Capitol,...
Dino’s Sports Lounge in Greensburg closes after 15 years
Matthew Wolff watched Monday afternoon as Weyand Sign and Lighting crews finished removing the giant red letters from the front of Dino’s Sports Lounge in Greensburg. Wolff has been a neighbor to the restaurant for more than a year, owning the OsteoStrong practice two storefronts over in the Greensburg Commerce...
Under Walmart ownership, Monroeville Mall eyes transformation
As Pittsburgh Mills’ parking lot continues to crater and its owner looks to unload a property that shows the challenge facing malls, a once-vibrant part of American commercialism that has faded, its neighbor to the south — Monroeville Mall — remains on a path toward redevelopment. Monroeville Mayor Nick Gresock...
Trump administration sues Los Angeles, claiming the city refuses to cooperate on immigration
LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump’s administration filed suit Monday against Los Angeles, claiming the city is obstructing the enforcement of immigration laws and creating a lawless environment with its sanctuary policies that bar local police from sharing information on people without legal status. The lawsuit in U.S. District Court...
Which Pittsburgh Public Schools should close? Plan is about ‘investing in our students,’ superintendent says
The Pittsburgh Public Schools have set two public comment periods to gather feedback on its future-ready plan that, if approved, would ultimately close nine schools. The community conversations are scheduled for 6 p.m. July 9, at Sunnyside PreK-8 in Stanton Heights; and at 5:30 p.m. July 16 during the “Community...
Randi Shank appointed as New Kensington controller
New Kensington Council on Monday appointed Randi Shank as the city’s controller. The move is part of a chain reaction of sorts in the city’s government: Shank, 66, takes over the position from John Zavadak. Zavadak was New Kensington’s controller for nearly 24 years and, on June 2, was appointed...
Bryan Kohberger to plead guilty to killing 4 University of Idaho students in deal to avoid execution
BOISE, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger has agreed to plead guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid the death penalty, an attorney for one victim’s family said Monday. Shanon Gray, an attorney representing the family of Kaylee Goncalves, confirmed that prosecutors...
Netanyahu to head to Washington next Monday as Trump presses for ceasefire in Gaza
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House next Monday, according to two U.S. administration officials. The visit comes as the U.S. leader has begun stepping up his push on the Israeli government to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement...
Daylight shooting at Homestead gas station parking lot leaves 1 in critical condition
A man was in critical condition Monday afternoon after being shot several times in the parking lot of a Homestead gas station, police said. The shooting was reported at 3:13 p.m. at the Valero Gas Station, Eighth Avenue and Ann Street. Anyone with information concerning this incident can call the...
More than 300 charged in $14.6 billion health care fraud schemes takedown, Justice Department says
WASHINGTON — State and federal prosecutors have charged more than 320 people and uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims in what they described Monday as the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history. Law enforcement seized more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles,...
Child safety group warns of hot car dangers after spate of infant deaths
Five babies have died in hot cars across the United States over the past eight days, the advocacy group Kids and Car Safety noted as it asked people to be extra vigilant as the Fourth of July holiday weekend approaches. There’s an increase in vehicle-related tragedies involving children after holiday...
Long day of Senate budget votes no ‘trip to the beach’ for Fetterman
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, would rather be anywhere than Washington. On Monday, Fetterman and his Senate colleagues began considering a series of proposed amendments to President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts. The process was expected to take all day. “Oh my God, I just...
South Side’s late-night revelry prompts fresh scrutiny and familiar fearsVideo
Hundreds of rowdy revelers poured into the South Side streets around 2 a.m. Sunday, after nearly 20 bars and clubs that line East Carson Street shut down for the night. Pittsburgh police were waiting. Clouds of vape smoke and marijuana grew thick over the sidewalks in one of Pittsburgh’s busiest...
