Top Stories category, Page 206
Uncle Charley’s quiet exit from Parks Township leaves behind 1 man and a cache of sausage-making machines
Uncle Charley’s Sausage once had about 60 employees at its Parks Township processing, packing and shipping facility. Now, it has one — an affable, mustached maintenance supervisor named Randy Braden. A veteran of the food manufacturing business, he came on about 2½ years ago after the soup cannery in Pittsburgh’s...
Pandemic led to radical, lasting changes in health care industry
When covid-19 struck, Natalya Rodriguez, fresh out of nursing school, watched as a flood of overwhelmed colleagues abandoned the health care field. Nothing had prepared nurses in the U.S. for a pandemic — or the death and fear it brought. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing estimated 100,000...
3 candidates vie for state House in Mon Valley special election race
A special election in the Mon Valley will determine control of the state House. The chamber has been gridlocked, with 101 Democrats and 101 Republicans, since the January death of state Rep. Matt Gergely, D-McKeesport. Gergely had represented the 35th Legislative District for just under two years. Looking to fill...
Some protest Musk’s DOGE efforts while others celebrate them outside North Hills Tesla dealer
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has too much power as he advises President Donald Trump and spearheads efforts to slash the size of the federal government through his DOGE Service, Isaac Elias said Saturday. It’s the reason Elias, 43, of Baden in Beaver County, helped organize a series of protests outside...
3 killed, 15 injured in shooting at park in New Mexico’s Las Cruces
Three people died and 15 others were injured after an altercation broke out at a park in the desert city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, police said Saturday. Police and fire crews arrived at just after 10 p.m. Friday onto a chaotic scene at the city’s Young Park, where an...
Fayette County man killed when car strikes pole, catches fire
A Fayette County man was killed in a crash early Saturday in Redstone Township, state police said. Kristopher Michael John, 31, of Republic, was pronounced dead at the scene of the single-vehicle wreck on Route 166, according to county Coroner Dr. Bob Baker. Police said John was driving south at...
Homer City plant’s implosion marks ‘downfall of coal’ as plans for natural gas plant remain on track
Six and a half out of seven structures came toppling down Saturday morning as crews imploded four smokestacks and three cooling towers of the shuttered Homer City power plant in Indiana County. The structures at the former coal-fired plant fell to the ground in succession beginning at 7:30 a.m., but...
Legal experts weigh whether Trump has triggered constitutional crisis
President Donald Trump has long sought to flex the power of the presidency. Now that he is, some scholars say, Trump’s vision of a muscular executive branch has forced the nation into a constitutional crisis — or at least brought it to the brink of one. Erwin Chemerinsky, a leading...
Homeland Security revokes temporary status for 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans
MIAMI — The Department of Homeland Security said Friday it will revoke legal protections for hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, setting them up for potential deportation in about a month. The order applies to about 532,000 people from the four countries who came to the United...
Penguins welcome Butler County native Marc Fogel to game
During Friday’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets, Marc Fogel, a former teacher from Oakmont who spent more than three years in a Russian prison, was recognized on the video board. The presentation took place at the midpoint of the first period. Fogel wore a No. 71...
Teen gets at least 4 years in state prison for shooting near Westinghouse Academy
A Clairton man who was just 16 at the time he shot four people near Westinghouse Academy in Homewood will serve four to nine years in state prison. James Pritchard, now 18, pleaded guilty on Thursday to four counts of aggravated assault and was sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas...
Despite looming ‘fiscal cliff,’ Westmoreland Transit isn’t eyeing cuts, director says
Those riding Westmoreland County’s transit system are not in danger of massive service cuts like the ones facing those who rely on Pittsburgh Regional Transit, county transportation officials said this week. “We are not there. I don’t think we’re at that point yet,” said Alan Blahovec, executive director of the...
ACLU demands University of Pittsburgh lift suspension of student group supporting Palestine
A letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh’s Students for Justice in Palestine called for the immediate revocation of the chapter’s interim suspension. The letter, addressed to Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel, stated that the university violated SJP’s First Amendment rights by...
Cleveland crowd embraces Robert Morris in thrilling 1st round battle with Alabama
CLEVELAND — Robert Morris led for just 30 seconds of its 90-81 loss against No. 2 Alabama in the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon, but the Colonials grabbed the attention of the college basketball world for two hours during a thrilling East Region first-round matchup. That was especially the case...
Allegheny County DA launches investigation of Pittsburgh Mills owner Namdar Realty
Already facing a civil lawsuit over the condition of its roads at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer, owner Namdar Realty Group now could face criminal charges. The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office confirmed Friday it has executed a search warrant aimed at Namdar and opened a criminal investigation. “We can confirm...
‘They kept fighting’: Robert Morris fans proud of hoops team after loss to Alabama
Watching Robert Morris play in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Friday kept Kassidy Mislan and her friends on the edge of their seats at a campus gathering. The Colonials took the lead over the heavily-favored Alabama Crimson Tide with just a little bit over 7 minutes remaining in the...
Cause of 2024 Jeannette fire that killed 5 cannot be determined, investigators say
The cause of a fire last year in Jeannette that claimed five lives has been ruled undetermined, police Chief Derek Manley said Friday. A state police fire marshal has spent the past year sifting through evidence from the March 20, 2024, blaze on Guy Street. Family members and friends gathered...
Robert Morris rally falls short in 90-81 loss to No. 2 Alabama in NCAA Tournament
CLEVELAND — Sensing something historic, the Rocket Arena crowd got behind Robert Morris with all its vocal ferocity Friday afternoon, roaring with approval and anticipation while the 15th-seeded Colonials exchanged blow after blow with No. 2 Alabama. In the end, however, Alabama came after Robert Morris with superior athleticism and...
Aaron Rodgers visits with Steelers at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex
Aaron Rodgers checked out his potential new employer Friday. The 41-year-old quarterback and four-time NFL MVP visited the Pittsburgh Steelers for several hours at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, a source confirmed to TribLive. The Steelers made Rodgers a contract offer when free agency began 10 days ago, and they have...
Aspinwall police charge East Deer man for harassment of Trump supporters
An East Deer man was cited for harassment and disorderly conduct by Aspinwall police in connection with two separate incidents in which it appears he targeted supporters of President Donald Trump. In October, Christopher Brown, 60, allegedly stood in front of a Fourth Street home and yelled profanities and insults...
69-year-old man found dead, 40 cats rescued from Ligonier Township home
A 69-year-old man was found dead and about 40 cats were rescued from a home in Ligonier Township. The man, who was not identified, was found dead after police were asked to do a welfare check Monday evening, according to Coroner Tim Carson. The death is not considered suspicious. Jen...
Jury finds man guilty of 1st-degree murder for killing ex-girlfriend in front of their toddler
An Allegheny County jury only needed about three hours Friday before finding Terrence Washington guilty of first-degree murder in the 2020 shooting death of his ex-girlfriend, Makeida Thompson. The prosecution had lobbied for the verdict, telling the jury that Washington meant to kill the mother of his child during a...
Remains found in North Carolina linked to former Westmoreland resident
Remains found in North Carolina in 2022 have been linked to a woman who has ties to Westmoreland County. Sharon Johnston told the Anson Record last week that officials in Anson County said DNA results indicate the remains of an unidentified woman belong to her daughter, Amber Rae Johnston. Anson...
Allegheny Valley school officials approve construction of $2.68 million athletic field
Allegheny Valley School Board has given its final approval for construction of a proposed multipurpose athletic field. The board voted unanimously Tuesday to spend $2.68 million for the field. Located along Butler-Logan Road, across from Springdale Junior-Senior High School, the field will provide a home for the district’s football, soccer...
Mark Madden: Steelers QB drama has plenty of subplots, no leading man
Aside from waiting for Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind as he indulges his endless narcissism, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback debacle has some interesting sidebars. Why would Mason Rudolph come back to Pittsburgh? Rudolph had a queasy six years with the Steelers before spending last season with the Tennessee Titans....
