Top Stories category, Page 202
Little turbulence at Pittsburgh International as Real ID rules take effect
Tracy Moffat experienced only a minor hiccup with her Real ID as she used it for the first time Wednesday to fly from Boston to Pittsburgh. The identification requirement, which went into effect Wednesday, mandates anyone 18 or older present a Real ID or other acceptable identification — like a...
Black smoke pours from Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected as conclave opens
VATICAN CITY — Black smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday, signalling that no pope had been elected as 133 cardinals opened the secretive, centuries-old ritual to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church. The cardinals participating in the most geographically diverse conclave in the faith’s...
Allegheny County Council approves tax diversion for proposed Esplanade development
The developer looking to build a Ferris wheel, housing, entertainment space and other amenities to a sprawling riverside property in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood cleared a major hurdle Tuesday as Allegheny County Council provided the last needed approval for a critical tax diversion. Cecil-based Piatt Companies has now earned approval from...
Appeals court reinstates Republican mayoral candidate to primary ballot
A state appeals court just two weeks before the May 20 primary has reinstated a Jeannette mayoral candidate to the Republican ballot. The ruling has left Westmoreland County election officials scrambling to reprogram voting machines and send more than 100 new mail-in ballots to Jeannette’s Republican voters. In a ruling...
A week after severe storm, nearly all have power restored
Almost everyone who lost power a week ago during a wave of severe storms has had power restored. Almost. Duquesne Light, the biggest power supplier to Allegheny and Beaver counties, said a “small subset” of households still were in the dark but should have their electric service restored Wednesday. The...
Western Pa. universities work to address antisemitism on campuses as incidents soar nationally
The Anti-Defamation League asserts college campuses have become an “epicenter of American antisemitism,” with nearly 1,700 incidents of antisemitic harassment, vandalism and violence occurring on campuses last year alone. Western Pennsylvania’s two largest universities — the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University — say they have been working to...
Pennsylvania Senate votes to ban transgender athletes in girls’ sports, but bill faces uphill battle
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports at the collegiate and K-12 levels, although the Republican-penned bill is unlikely to get a vote in the state’s Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. The bill passed, 32-18, with five...
State attorney general charges 9 with organizing multi-county drug ring
The state Attorney General’s Office has charged a Beaver County man with heading up a drug operation spanning multiple counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Korrtezz M. Martin, 34, of Rochester, was charged with racketeering, conspiracy, weapons violations, multiple counts of drug possession, manufacturing and delivery, in connection with an illegal drug...
Pennsylvania governor’s residence to get an ‘anti-climb’ fence
HARRISBURG — A barrier described as an “anti-climb fence” is in the works for the Pennsylvania governor’s official residence, the state police chief said Tuesday, less than a month after a late-night intruder jumped the existing fence, broke into the home and started a damaging fire. Col. Christopher Paris’ letter...
Blue backpack flagged by private eye as key to solving Cherrie Mahan’s disappearance
A private investigator claims a blue backpack carried by Cherrie Mahan at the time of her disappearance 40 years ago from a Winfield school bus stop could be key to cracking the case. “I am convinced through some fairly recent testimony and input that Cherrie’s book bag was very likely...
Pitt to pay millions to settle pandemic learning lawsuit, but each student will get hundreds
Several universities in the Pittsburgh area have settled lawsuits stemming from the switch to online classes during the 2020 covid-19 pandemic, including, most recently, the University of Pittsburgh for nearly $8 million. Although the settlement amounts range from $1 million to $17 million — bigger schools owe more — the...
What to expect at Pittsburgh airport with (or without) Real ID
Travelers arriving at Pittsburgh International Airport Wednesday without a Real ID or another acceptable form of identification should prepare for possible additional screening. Starting Wednesday, federal Real ID requirement goes into effect and will be enforced by TSA agents at airports across the country. Anyone 18 years of age or...
India fires missiles into Pakistani territory in what Islambad calls ‘act of war’Video
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — India fired missiles into Pakistani-controlled territory in several locations early Wednesday, killing at least eight people including a child, in what Pakistan’s leader called an act of war. India said it was striking infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled...
Trump says the U.S. will stop bombing Yemen’s Houthis after rebels say they’ll stop targeting ships
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s ordering a halt to nearly two months of U.S. airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthis, saying that the Iran-backed rebels have indicated that “they don’t want to fight anymore” and have pledged to stop attacking ships along a vital maritime corridor. “We’re going...
Supreme Court allows Trump ban on transgender members of the military to take effect, for now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a ban on transgender people in the military, while legal challenges proceed. The court acted in the dispute over a policy that presumptively disqualifies transgender people from military service and could lead to the expulsion of...
Fetterman on article about staffer concerns: ‘It’s a one-source story’
Sen. John Fetterman on Tuesday dismissed a news report detailing staff concerns about his health as a “hit piece” and “one-source story.” A New York Magazine story last week raised new concerns about the senator’s health. The article quoted Fetterman’s former chief of staff Adam Jentleson, who wondered whether Fetterman...
Recreational cannabis would be sold at state-run stores under bill advanced by Pa. Democrats
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 — Democrats in the Pennsylvania House have advanced a bill that would permit the sale of recreational cannabis to adults at state-run stores, an...
Pittsburgh council, despite reservations, will let developers build on smaller lots
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved letting developers build housing on smaller lots than they now can. It may seem like an esoteric issue, but the move to shrink minimum lot size requirements is seen as an important step to unlock more land for residential development in the city and...
Trump, Carney faceoff in Oval Office leaves gaping differences on tariffs, 51st state
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faced off in the Oval Office on Tuesday and showed no signs of retreating from their gaping differences in an ongoing trade war that has shattered decades of trust between the two countries. The two kept it civil, but...
Homeland Security chief says travelers with no Real ID can fly for now, but with likely extra steps
WASHINGTON — Travelers who haven’t obtained a Real ID by this week’s deadline received assurances from the head of Homeland Security they will be able to fly after additional identity checks. Her comments came Tuesday as people were waiting in long lines outside of government buildings from California to Chicago...
PNC Park employee suspended after fight with fan
A PNC Park employee was suspended after fighting with a fan after Sunday’s Pirates game. As fans were leaving the North Shore ballpark, an argument broke out between two male fans and a female food and beverage employee, said Brian Warecki, senior vice president of communications for the Pittsburgh Pirates....
Morning Roundup: Woman shot in Rankin; gunshot fired at Brookline Recreation Center
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, May 6: Woman shot in Rankin A woman was shot multiple times in Rankin early Tuesday morning, according to Allegheny County Police. County 911 was notified at 12:39 a.m. of a shooting in the 200 block of 4th...
3 new grocery stores expected to be ‘life-changing’ for Tarentum, New Kensington, Natrona
Mich Ankney is excited at the prospect of grocery shopping in his Natrona neighborhood. It’s something he’s never been able to do. “We’ve had a few little candy stores that sold basics, like eggs and diapers,” said Ankney, 21. “But it was more like what they’d have at a gas...
Kavan Markwood takes 1st steps since PNC Park fall, family reports
Kavan Markwood, the man who fell over the right field wall at PNC Park last week, took his first steps on Monday, according to an online fundraiser update posted by his girlfriend’s mother, Jennifer Phillips. The update, posted at 4:45 p.m. Monday by Phillips, said Markwood being up and moving...
Latrobe man dies in 2-vehicle crash in Hempfield
A Latrobe man died Monday afternoon after crashing into another vehicle in Hempfield. Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office has identified the deceased as Mario Andrew Dominick, 41. Officials said the driver was the lone occupant of a Chevrolet Cobalt traveling south on Donohoe Road shortly before 4 p.m. His car crossed...
