Top Stories category, Page 190
Pa. Gov. Shapiro was targeted for ‘what he wants to do to Palestinian people,’ warrant shows
The suspect in the arson attack at the Governor’s Residence targeted Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro because of his perceived stance on Palestine, according to a search warrant obtained by PennLive. The suspect, Cody Balmer, called 911 following the attack early Sunday, identified himself by name and told operators Shapiro needs...
Pittsburgh man dies after crashing into Florida lake
A 71-year-old Pittsburgh man died Tuesday after he crashed into a lake near Orlando, Florida. Police have not yet released the man’s identity, according to the Osceola News Gazette. The Florida Highway Patrol said emergency crews were called just about 3:40 p.m. to the community of Celebration. They say the...
Morning roundup: Carjacking in Point Breeze; 2 robberies — 15 minutes apart — near Pitt’s Oakland campus
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, April 16: Carjacking in Point Breeze Pittsburgh police are investigating a carjacking that happened Tuesday in Point Breeze. Officers were called at about 9:50 a.m. to South Braddock Avenue and Waverly Street for a report of an armed...
U.K.’s top court says definition of a woman is based on biological sex and excludes transgender people
LONDON — The U.K. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a woman is someone born biologically female, excluding transgender people from the legal definition in a long-running dispute between a feminist group and the Scottish government. Several women’s groups that supported the appeal celebrated outside court and hailed it as a...
Shortage of area homes, rising prices, interest rates fuel frustration for would-be buyers
House hunters such as Bruce and Brenda Babich are up against a perfect storm of low inventory, rising home costs and unfriendly mortgage rates. That’s becoming the norm in the Pittsburgh housing market, which historically has been viewed as affordable. “They’re not staying on the market long,” said Bruce Babich,...
Wink Martindale, the genial game-show host and an early TV interviewer of Elvis Presley, dies at 91
LOS ANGELES — Wink Martindale, the genial host of such hit game shows as “Gambit” and “Tic-Tac-Dough” who also did one of the first recorded television interviews with a young Elvis Presley, has died. He was 91. Martindale died Tuesday at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage, California, according to his...
United Steelworkers, ATI reach tentative agreement; ratification vote yet to come
United Steelworkers and ATI have reportedly reached a tentative contract agreement. The USW announced the development Tuesday evening via a text to its members. ATI spokeswoman Natalie Gillespie confirmed a tentative agreement was reached for a six-year labor agreement. She did not have specific information regarding the contract. She said...
Pittsburgh’s public media respond to White House attacks on PBS, NPR
The White House’s threat to pull funding from public television and radio has sparked concern among Pittsburgh-area public media leaders, who say the move could seriously impact local communities. The White House is expected to ask Congress to cut two years’ worth of funding that goes to PBS, NPR and...
Measles cases in Pa. remain low amid national outbreak, but vaccine hesitancy lays groundwork for spread
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. This year marked the first death from measles in the United States since 2015 — and the second and...
ACLU sues Pitt alleging free-speech violations against pro-Palestine student group
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania on Tuesday sued the University of Pittsburgh in federal court alleging the school violated the First Amendment by targeting a student organization advocating for Palestine. The university in March placed Students for Justice in Palestine at Pitt on an indefinite, interim suspension in...
Police seek pair who parachuted from PPG Place rooftop
Two men who parachuted off the roof of PPG Place in Market Square last week could face trespassing charges if police identify them, a police spokeswoman said. Security cameras recorded the men entering One PPG Place near Stanwix Street and Third Avenue about 4:45 a.m. April 9 wearing dark hooded...
‘Potentially life-saving’: Arnold, Lower Burrell, New Kensington move to form daytime fire crew
Your eyes won’t be fooling you if you see an Arnold firefighter in a Lower Burrell fire truck en route to an emergency scene. Or a Lower Burrell firefighter in a New Kensington truck. The cities are working together to establish a Tri-City duty crew to effectively staff the cities’...
Man accused of trying to kill Gov. Shapiro lost his home, tried suicide, was melting down
There was a time in Cody Balmer’s life where, from the outside, you might say things were on an even keel. He was a married homeowner, working full-time as an auto mechanic at a well-regarded shop, and a fixture at his kid’s youth sports events. “Always seemed like a hardworking...
Officials work to uncover the motive for fire set at Pa. governor’s residence
HARRISBURG — Investigators worked Tuesday to uncover the motive behind an arson fire over the weekend at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s mansion, the latest act of political violence in the U.S. They dug into Cody Balmer’s background after, authorities say, he scaled an iron security fence in the middle of...
Editorial: Political violence must be decried every day
During Passover, the Jewish people remember the liberation of their ancestors from slavery in Egypt. It is a time of reflection and rejoicing. It is marked by solemnity and celebration. On Saturday, Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family celebrated at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence with guests. At 6:07 p.m., he...
Hempfield Area School Board considers shifting school start, dismissal times
Hempfield Area School District’s students might get home earlier next academic year. The school board will vote next week on whether to make an adjustment to the district’s arrival and dismissal schedule. The adjustment would place the high school and middle school students on the same schedule — shifting the...
White House proposes drastic cuts to State Department and funding for U.N., NATO and other groups
WASHINGTON — The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has proposed gutting the State Department’s budget by almost 50%, closing a number of overseas diplomatic missions, slashing the number of diplomatic staff, and eliminating funding for nearly all international organizations, including the United Nations, many of its agencies and...
Army to control land on Mexico border as part of base, migrants could be detained, officials say
WASHINGTON — A long sliver of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border that President Donald Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers, including migrants, U.S. officials told The Associated...
Arson at Pa. Governor’s Residence universally condemned
Western Pennsylvania’s elected officials and others joined their colleagues across the state and country in condemning Sunday morning’s arson at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence. Here’s a roundup of the comments: “We should all be shocked at the reported act of arson at the residence of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his...
FBI agent testifies Butler man made death threats against Trump, teachers, Marjorie Taylor Greene
A Butler County man charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump and immigration agents also wrote on YouTube about killing school teachers, shooting U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and carrying out a mass attack in Texas, an FBI agent testified Monday in federal court. Shawn Monper, 32, of Butler...
Trump administration freezes $2.2 billion in grants to Harvard over campus activism
BOSTON — The federal government says it’s freezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard University, since the institution said Monday it won’t comply with the Trump administration’s demands to limit activism on campus. In a letter to Harvard Friday, the administration called for...
Key security questions remain unanswered in arson at Governor’s Residence
It remained unclear how a man evaded security to firebomb the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence in an attack that has been decried by elected officials and religious leaders. But the attack is merely the latest in what appears to be a rising tide of violence against elected officials. Recent incidents include...
Attorney suspended after embezzling $270K from Fort Pitt Block House fund
An attorney was suspended Monday after embezzling more than $270,000 from the historic Fort Pitt Block House, the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania announced. The suspension is for a period of three years — retroactive to May 5, 2024 — on consent from the Pennsylvania Bar. Investigators...
Investigators identify person of interest in death of Rostraver womanVideo
Investigators said Monday they have identified a person of interest in the slaying of a woman last week in her Rostraver home. Police said the body of Jennah M. Seibert, 24, was found Friday afternoon, the victim of a shooting. On Monday, the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office said investigators...
Former WPIAL executive director Larry Hanley dies
Larry Hanley, who served a nine-year stint as executive director of the WPIAL, died Saturday. He was 83. Hanley was the league’s top administrator from 1997-2006 and was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2008. He was the league’s second full-time executive director and brought a more diplomatic...
