Top Stories category, Page 198
Mt. Washington man pleads guilty in West End Bridge crash that killed cousin
A Mt. Washington man whose cousin was killed when she was thrown from his car in a drunk-driving crash pleaded guilty Wednesday in her death. Russell Page, 29, will spend 11 1/2 to 23 months in jail. Page was charged in the March 2, 2024, crash near the West End...
Pentagon watchdog to review Pete Hegseth’s use of Signal app to convey plans for Houthi strike
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s acting inspector general announced Thursday that he would review Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal messaging app to convey plans for a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen. The review will also look at other defense officials’ use of the publicly available encrypted...
Records reveal Shapiro admin stopped tracking why older adults die during abuse, neglect investigations
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 — The Shapiro administration last year stopped collecting information on why older adults in Pennsylvania die during open abuse and neglect investigations, and no...
Pittsburgh man charged in 2023 fatal shooting in Jeannette
The news this week that an arrest had been made in her daughter’s 2023 shooting death was a relief for Bruna Vesco Leonard. For nearly two years, she had been waiting, at times with frustration, for some movement in the case. Now, she knows her daughter Brianna Lartz can be...
Woman gets prison for killing drinking companion in Pittsburgh apartment
A woman who shot a man to death after they drank together in a Pittsburgh apartment will serve at least 5 1/2 years in state prison. Toddia Smiley, 28, of Pittsburgh pleaded guilty in December to voluntary manslaughter for shooting Damien Jackson, 29, of Homestead on Sept. 1, 2022. She...
Dow drops 1,600 as stocks lead worldwide sell-off after Trump’s tariffs cause covid-like shock
NEW YORK — Wall Street shuddered, and a level of shock unseen since covid’s outbreak tore through financial markets worldwide Thursday on worries about the damage President Donald Trump’s newest set of tariffs could do to economies across continents, including his own. The S&P 500 sank 4.8%, more than in...
Trump’s tariffs aren’t strictly reciprocal. Here’s how he calculated them
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump promised tariffs that would raise U.S. import taxes high enough to mirror what other assess as trade penalties on American goods. What he’s actually imposing is based on far more complicated math. Here’s a look at how the White House got its numbers: Why do...
Political banners target U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, his wife at Braddock’s Free Store
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman condemned people who he said “defaced” Braddock’s Free Store sometime Wednesday night. So did several Jewish organizations in a joint statement Thursday that called the incident “inappropriate and counterproductive.” In a post on the social media platform X, Fetterman shared a photo of a banner hanging...
What to know about ‘Hands-Off’ protests opposing Trump in Pittsburgh
Grassroots organizations are set to rally on Saturday in Pittsburgh — joining the Hands Off! National Day of Action centered on opposition of the Trump administration and its policies. Hands Off! is a pro-democracy, pro-worker movement against President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, according to the Third Act website....
Hempfield woman loses $70,000 in social security scam
A Hempfield woman was scammed out of $70,000 after state police said she was led to believe she was under investigation by the Social Security Administration for money laundering and drug sales. “This was part of an elaborate scheme to defraud our elders and is likely not the only case,”...
Man killed by Pittsburgh police urged officers to shoot him months earlier
A Hill District man whose February death at the hands of Pittsburgh police remains under investigation had urged officers repeatedly to shoot him during an encounter months earlier, according to a TribLive review of court records. Police shot and killed Maurice Jones, 33, in the Hill District on Feb. 5....
1 dead in New Kensington fire; 2 firemen injured
A New Kensington woman died in a house fire Thursday. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office identified the woman as Amy L. Seguiti, no age given. She was inside the home as crews were fighting the fire, the coroner’s office said. The cause and manner of death are under investigation. An...
Driver who drove away after striking 8-year-old cyclist in Penn Borough contacts police
State police said Thursday the driver of a white Subaru car that hit an 8-year-old boy riding a bicycle in Penn Borough and left the scene contacted them after media coverage of the incident. Trooper Steve Limani identified the driver as David Baker, 48, of Connellsville. No charges have been...
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says his country will match U.S. auto tariffs
TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that Canada will match U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25% auto tariffs with a tariff on vehicles imported from the United States. Trump’s previously announced 25% tariffs on auto imports took effect Thursday. The prime minister said he told Trump last week in...
Pitt, CMU, among 20 schools Forbes dubs ‘New Ivies’
The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon are among the country’s finest schools of higher education, according to a new list from Forbes that identifies 20 colleges as “New Ivies” — schools that produce quality graduates without the pretension and liberal political baggage that comes with an Ivy League pedigree....
Going to the Pirates home opener? What you need to know
The Pittsburgh Pirates open their PNC Park season Friday, hosting the New York Yankees in a home opener for the first time in franchise history. The first pitch is set for 4:12 p.m. — a nod to the city’s 412 area code — at PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore....
Answering your questions about President Trump’s vast new tariffs
WASHINGTON — After weeks of anticipation and speculation, President Donald Trump followed through on his tariff threats by declaring on Wednesday a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries and higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States. In announcing what he...
Trump announces sweeping new tariffs to promote U.S. manufacturing, risking inflation and trade wars
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced far-reaching new tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners — a 34% tax on imports from China and 20% on the European Union, among others — that threaten to dismantle much of the architecture of the global economy and trigger broader trade wars. Trump,...
Morning Roundup: Strong storms slam Western Pa. region; Bethel Park standoff ends with charges
Here are a few morning news items from across the region for Thursday, April 3: Strong storms slam Western Pa. region Strong storms swept through the region early Thursday, moving at 55 to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. Tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings in several...
Without jurisdiction, Oakmont zoning board has no answer for borough businesses
Disputes continue after Oakmont Zoning Hearing Board officials declared they don’t have jurisdiction to settle an ongoing legal battle involving various Oakmont businesses and the borough. After two postponements, the hearing took place Wednesday night in borough council chambers. Resident John Keefe owns multiple restaurants and properties in the borough,...
Tornadoes touch down with golf ball-sized hail as storms wallop Midwest, SouthVideo
Tornadoes touched down in parts of the South and Midwest on Wednesday, knocking down power lines and trees and ripping roofs off of homes, while golf-ball sized hail fell in a region being hit by a violent swath of severe storms. A tornado emergency was issued in northeast Arkansas, with...
PennDOT begins I-70 interchange revamp in Rostraver, eyes completion of another
Motorists on the Interstate 70 corridor in Rostraver can expect to drive on a radically revamped Route 51 interchange by the time the PennDOT construction season comes to an end. To the west on the interstate, a phased four-year reconstruction of the Arnold City interchange, also in Rostraver, is just...
Pa.’s 1st Crispy Cones, featured on ‘Shark Tank,’ set to open with free treats for first respondersVideo
A South Buffalo couple will convert their love of the ABC series “Shark Tank” with a new ice cream shop boasting unique cones featured on the show. Mike and Ronna Brestensky will be giving free ice cream to Hampton police, firefighters and emergency medical service personnel from 6 to 9...
Cop claims false arrest by Rostraver cost him job with different department
A City of Duquesne police officer is suing Rostraver, its former police chief and a detective, claiming they arrested him without probable cause and cost him a job at the Elizabeth Township Police Department. Michael Kemple filed the complaint Tuesday in federal court alleging civil rights violations, including that the...
Police charge man in North Fayette teen’s fentanyl death
An Aliquippa man extorted a North Fayette ninth grader for “sexual conduct” last year in exchange for fentanyl, which killed her, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. Shakeirs Deveye Foster, 28, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the May 14, 2024, death of Mia Pepper, 15. She is identified...
