Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 193
Search for answers after Texas’ deadly floods brings lawmakers to devastated Hill Country
KERRVILLE, Texas — A rural Texas county needed but lacked an updated warning system, local officials testified Thursday, when flash flooding swept away homes and vehicles and left families begging for rescue on the roofs of their homes earlier this month. Texas lawmakers searched for answers during a hearing on...
Rabbi enlisted to assess faith of Westmoreland jail inmate
A Pittsburgh rabbi was brought in to assess claims that a county jail inmate’s religious convictions qualify him to receive kosher meals while incarcerated, the Westmoreland County commissioners said. The lawyer for Kort Noel Eckman, who is awaiting trial in the attempted murder of his mother, said jail officials have...
Pirates trade 2-time All-Star closer David Bednar to Yankees for trio of prospects
The Renegade is heading to the Bronx. The Pittsburgh Pirates dealt two-time All-Star closer David Bednar to the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon in a trade-deadline deal for 24-year-old minor league catcher/first baseman Rafael Flores and two Low-A prospects. Bednar was one of the most coveted closers on the...
Pittsburgh controller pushes City Council to make private meetings more transparent
Pittsburgh’s fiscal watchdog on Thursday recommended that City Council make more transparent — but not eliminate — controversial private meetings its members occasionally hold to discuss public business. The suggestion came in a performance audit released by Controller Rachael Heisler, which also recommended that council develop better policies to track...
Derry Township man charged in 2007 slaying accused of having drugs at prison
A Derry Township man awaiting trial in a 2007 homicide was arraigned Thursday on new police accusations that he had drugs at the Westmoreland County Prison. Charles Earl Ream, 55, was charged by county detectives this week with possession of contraband and conspiracy. Authorities said in court papers that June...
Trump injects new dose of uncertainty in tariffs as he pushes start date back to Aug. 7
WASHINGTON — For weeks, President Donald Trump was promising the world economy would change on Friday with his new tariffs in place. It was an ironclad deadline, administration officials assured the public. But when Trump signed the order Thursday night imposing new tariffs on 66 countries, the European Union, Taiwan...
Campaign cash already flowing in Pa. ahead of pivotal 2026 midterms
Republican incumbents in Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation outraised their Democratic counterparts by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, on average, during the first half of the year, according to federal election filings. Chris Borick, a political science professor at Allentown’s Muhlenberg College, said the fundraising gap is less of a reflection of any...
Is a grocery store on tap for downtown New Kensington?
The new owner of Central City Plaza in downtown New Kensington hopes to fill vacant space there by the end of this year and to get a grocery store operational next year. “We’re pretty confident we can better manage the property, and we saw a lot of potential in the...
Indiana Township’s Emmerling Park to double in size with recent property purchase
Emmerling Park in Indiana Township is growing about twice its size after a recent property purchase. Supervisors recently authorized the purchase of nearly 60 acres of undeveloped commercially zoned land to effectively double the parkland off Cove Run Road. The new land encompasses Deer Creek near the pedestrian bridge on...
O’Hara resident joins charity swim in Monongahela River
Lizabeth “Libby” Ernharth of O’Hara is a lifelong swimmer about to experience a swimming first — she’s going to swim in the Monongahela River. Ernharth, 53, is set to participate in a non-competitive five-mile Mon River Mission charity swim on Aug. 2. Ernharth has plenty of memories spending time on...
Police say man killed himself after shooting woman in McKeesport
Allegheny County Police say they believe a man shot a woman before taking his own life early Thursday morning in McKeesport. County 911 was notified of a shooting in the 2300 block of Grandview Avenue just before 12:30 a.m. First responders found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Time for Pirates to be ‘ruthless’ by making moves at trade deadline
Since the trade of Adam Frazier at the All-Star break, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been abundantly aware of MLB’s trade deadline and the possibility that any player not named Paul Skenes could be dealt. One veteran noted that if you don’t want to see people get traded, you need to...
DA says New Kensington murder arrest 1st to come from Westmoreland grand jury
Criminal homicide charges filed in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in New Kensington more than two years ago was the first to result from a Westmoreland County investigating grand jury seated early last year, prosecutors said Wednesday. Larry Osborn Nix II, 41, of West Brownsville, Washington County,...
Plum, Oakmont see rash of overnight vehicle thefts, break-insVideo
Several Plum and Oakmont residents awakened Wednesday morning to find items missing from their cars — or their cars missing entirely. Plum resident Christina Williams said she left her Rustic Ridge home at 6:45 a.m. to head to work, but her Lexus was not in her driveway. Soon after, she...
How much will that procedure cost? You might not find the full answer at Independence Health, report claims
All five of Independence Health System’s hospitals failed this year to fully comply with federal rules ordering them to post prices online for their services, according to a report released this week by an advocacy group. The Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania Health Access Network found Independence’s hospitals — Butler Memorial, Clarion, Frick,...
Hockey mom charged after scuffle with teen ref at RMU sports complex
Nobody dropped the gloves, but a confrontation earlier this month between a hockey mom and a teenage referee at a Neville Island ice rink has led to a court date. Andrea Bucci, 38, of Franklin Park is facing assault charges and was banned from the Robert Morris University Island Sports...
John Fetterman’s memoir, ‘Unfettered,’ is latest offering in Library of Congress
“Unfettered” — described by its publisher as an unapologetic account of the unconventional life of U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, as written by Fetterman — will become part of the canon of the literal Library of Congress when it comes out on Veterans Day. It’s Fetterman’s maiden memoir, but the second...
Ohio city whose Haitian migrants were disparaged by Trump braces to defend them against deportationVideo
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — An Ohio city whose Haitian migrants were disparaged by President Donald Trump last year as he pitched voters on his plans for an immigration crackdown is now bracing to defend the community against possible deportation. A group of about 100 community members, clergy and Haitian leaders in...
Nippon rounds out U.S. Steel board with ‘world-class’ American businessmen from outside steel industry
Nippon Steel has appointed three more members to U.S. Steel’s board of directors as the Japanese firm molds its new acquisition. The directors announced Wednesday are all U.S. citizens, giving the board four American and three Japanese seats. As a condition of approving Nippon’s takeover of U.S. Steel in June,...
Hockey mom charged after scuffle with teen ref at RMU sports complex
Nobody dropped the gloves, but a confrontation this month between a hockey mom and a teenage referee at a Neville Island ice rink has led to a court date. Andrea Bucci, 38, of Franklin Park is facing assault charges and was banned from the Robert Morris University Island Sports Complex...
South Side’s Club Cafe set to reopen this week under new ownership
This week will see the reopening of South Side concert venue Club Cafe with a pair of sold-out concerts and two full days of local music. It’s been a tumultuous year for the listening room. Opus One Productions — the previous owners of the space since 2011 — announced last...
Former Vice President Kamala Harris says she will not run for California governor in 2026
LOS ANGELES — Former Vice President Kamala Harris will not run for California governor next year, leaving open the possibility that she could mount a third run for the White House in 2028. “Over the past six months, I have spent time reflecting on this moment in our nation’s history...
WQED lays off another 19 employees
Following the May elimination of five employees, WQED laid off 19 employees on Wednesday, primarily in marketing, membership and production. In a statement, WQED president Jason Jedlinski said the layoffs were in response to “the recent elimination of federal funding for public broadcasting … to ensure long-term financial stability.”...
Federal Reserve leaves interest rates unchanged even as Trump demands cuts
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve left its key short-term interest rate unchanged for the fifth time this year, brushing off repeated calls from President Donald Trump for a cut. The Fed’s decision Wednesday leaves its key short-term rate at about 4.3%, where it has stood after the central bank reduced...
Justice Department subpoenas UPMC for information on gender-affirming care
Pittsburgh-based health system UPMC has been subpoenaed by the Department of Justice over its program for gender-affirming care for trans men and women. UPMC, which represents 40 hospitals and 800 doctors’ offices statewide, on Tuesday said it remained “steadfast in its commitment” to providing “exceptional care” for all patients. In...
