Top Stories category, Page 186
Gov. Shapiro reopens fire-damaged residence to the public as cleanup goes on
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reopened the governor’s official residence to the public Tuesday for an Easter egg hunt barely a week after an alleged arsonist’s fire tore through one of its wings and said he will begin sleeping there again soon. “I’m not going to live in fear,”...
RFK Jr. plans to phase out 8 artificial dyes from U.S. food supply
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials said they plan to phase out eight petroleum-based artificial colors from the nation’s food supply, triggering an overhaul of scores of brightly hued products on American store shelves. Details of the plan are expected to be announced Tuesday afternoon by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy...
Carnegie Mellon president joins university leaders in condemning ‘unprecedented government overreach’
Presidents of nearly 200 U.S. colleges and universities, including a dozen in Pennsylvania, have co-signed a letter condemning what they called “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” by the federal government. Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian was the lone co-signer from a Southwestern Pennsylvania institution. A Carnegie Mellon spokeswoman...
Pete Hegseth pulled airstrike info from secure military channel for Signal posts
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is defending himself against a second assertion that he shared classified material through an unapproved and unsecured network — this time taking airstrike information from a military communications channel and sharing it in a chat with his wife, his brother and others. Hegseth pulled...
As controversies pile up, Trump allies increasingly turn on one another
WASHINGTON — The infighting and backstabbing that plagued President Donald Trump’s first term have returned as a threat to his second, with deepening fissures over trade, national security and questions of personal loyalty. The latest turmoil threatens to engulf the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pushed out top...
Hempfield Area faces $5.1M budget deficit for 2025-26 school year
Rising charter school payments and growing retirement costs have Hempfield Area school officials exploring how to offset a 2025-26 budget deficit that stands at more than $5 million. District business manager Paul Schott said expenditures for next year are up by nearly $7.3 million over 2024-25. “Without the impact of...
Pope Francis lies in state ahead of his funeral, set for Saturday
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis ’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, and a viewing of his body will begin Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, days after the popular pontiff died of a stroke at age 88. He is currently lying in state...
Plans for Greensburg Amtrak station include new doors, restrooms for handicapped access
Amtrak is looking to make improvements to its station at Greensburg beginning in 2026, while upgrades at the Latrobe station are set to get underway this year. The station projects, which include improved features for handicapped accessibility, come as Amtrak is planning to expand its passenger service between Pittsburgh and...
Walgreens to pay up to $350 million in U.S. opioid settlement
Walgreens has agreed to pay up to $350 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, who accused the pharmacy of illegally filling millions of prescriptions in the past decade for opioids and other controlled substances. The nationwide drugstore chain must pay the government at least $300 million...
Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways tour creates memorable night in Pittsburgh
Bob Dylan’s simple line of “I have no apologies to make” — from his song “I Contain Multitudes” — might have seemed an appropriate summation of his concert Monday night in Pittsburgh. Oft heralded as America’s greatest songwriter, Dylan did things his way in a sold-out show at the Benedum...
Norwin’s $25M stadium renovation project panned by critics
The Norwin School Board members who voted last week for a $25 million stadium project were ripped Monday by critics who called it unnecessary, too costly in times of economic uncertainty and too much of a tax burden, particularly on senior citizens. “I think you failed in your fiduciary responsibilities...
Hempfield adjusts school start times to consolidate bus runs, address driver shortage
Board members of Hempfield Area School District voted unanimously — although reluctantly in some cases — to shift the start and end times for school next year. “I think this is the better option. But I still feel bad,” school board member Diane Ciabattoni said. The start and end of...
How will he be judged? Pope Francis’ legacy pondered across religious and social lines
Just a few months into his papacy, Pope Francis made a statement that drew global attention. Chatting with reporters in July 2013, on the plane back from his first foreign trip, he posited, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I...
Pirates to announce details on how to collect Paul Skenes bobbleheads this week
Were you among Saturday’s sellout crowd at PNC Park to watch Paul Skenes pitch, only to leave the game without a bobblehead of the Pittsburgh Pirates phenom? Then keep an eye out this week for a pertinent announcement from the Pirates. Per Pirates senior vice president of communications and broadcasting...
Harvard sues Trump administration to stop freeze of more than $2 billion in grants
BOSTON — Harvard University announced Monday that it was suing the Trump administration to halt a freeze on more than $2.2 billion in grants after the institution said it would defy the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus. In a letter to Harvard earlier this month, the Trump...
Allegheny County public defender vows to keep fighting after being put on leave
Allegheny County’s chief public defender, who was abruptly escorted from her office on April 7 and put on paid administrative leave, claims her treatment was unjustified and denies allegations that she made offensive statements to subordinates. In a recent written message to supporters, Lena Bryan-Henderson called the claims “disheartening” but...
Pittsburgh, Greensburg Catholic bishops, other faith leaders remember Francis as an empathetic shepherd
Pope Francis will be remembered for his empathy, humility and gentle leadership, Southwestern Pennsylvania religious leaders told TribLive Monday. Francis, 88, died about 7:30 a.m. Rome time — about 1:30 a.m. locally. His death came the day after Christians celebrated Easter, the highest holy day of faith. “I think all...
Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department saysVideo
WASHINGTON — The Education Department will begin collection next month on student loans that are in default, including the garnishing of wages for potentially millions of borrowers, officials said Monday. Currently, roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans. The Trump administration ’s announcement marks an...
Former Vandergrift cop accused of having sex with underage girl waives charges to court
Former Vandergrift police Sgt. Anthony “Tony” Depanicis, who is accused of having sex with a minor about 100 times in the early to mid-1990s, waived his charges to court Monday. A criminal complaint filed by state police alleges he invited a 14-year-old girl to his Oklahoma Borough home for sex...
Shapiro reveals he spoke with Trump about arson attack, U.S. Steel
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro revealed Monday he spoke with President Donald Trump two days earlier, nearly a week after authorities said an arsonist set fire to the governor’s residence while Shapiro and his family were inside. Shapiro, appearing at the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department to unveil $30 million in grants...
Masses to be offered for Pope Francis as Pittsburgh area Catholics, including Bishop Zubik, mourn pontiff
Pittsburgh Roman Catholic Bishop David A. Zubik remembered Pope Francis as a merciful pastor Monday morning as he joined others around the world in mourning Francis, who died at 88. “He really had a beautiful way of respecting every single individual,” Zubik said. The pontiff will be remembered for the...
White House voices support for Hegseth as a new Signal chat revelation stirs fresh Pentagon turmoil
WASHINGTON — The White House expressed support Monday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following media reports that he shared sensitive military details in another Signal messaging chat, this time with his wife and brother. Neither the White House nor Hegseth denied that he had shared such information in a second...
Sharon Lokedi breaks Boston Marathon course record. John Korir joins his brother as a Boston winner
BOSTON — Sharon Lokedi broke the Boston Marathon course record, and fellow Kenyan John Korir joined his brother as a race champion on Monday as the city celebrated the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War. Lokedi outran two-time defending champion Hellen Obiri over the final mile a...
Photo gallery: Pope Francis through the years
A look at Pope Francis through the years, a pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change. He was 88....
Federal cuts threaten to close Allegheny County lab that certifies N95s and other respirators in June
Most Americans learned what an N95 mask was during the covid-19 pandemic. But what many still don’t know is that every one of them was certified by a single, government-run lab in Bruceton, in Pittsburgh’s South Hills. It’s called the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory. The name N95 actually comes...
