Top Stories category, Page 210
How did 26 million pounds of dirt get into Acrisure Stadium for Supercross?
The inside of Acrisure Stadium looks pretty dirty, and that’s by design. The typical green football field has been replaced by 26 million pounds of dirt. Made up of roughly 500 truck loads of dirt, the track will be the course for the 15th installment of the 17-event American Motorcyclist...
Guilty pleas pile up in fentanyl drug ring linked to New Kensington, Mexican cartel
Ten people pleaded guilty this week in Pittsburgh for their roles in a cross-border drug ring that smuggled fentanyl and meth from a Mexican cartel into the United States. The drugs were distributed throughout the country, including in Western Pennsylvania. In all, 19 of the 35 people arrested have pleaded...
Trump administration reverses course on international students’ revocation
After spending the past several weeks abruptly revoking the ability of more than 1,500 international students to study in the U.S., often without explanation, the Trump administration reversed course Friday and said it would reinstate the affected scholars, allowing them to continue their coursework. Students across Western Pennsylvania are affected...
Trump administration reverses course on foreign students’ U.S. visa registrations
SAN FRANCISCO — The federal government is reversing the termination of legal status for international students around the U.S. after many filed court challenges against the Trump administration crackdown, a government lawyer said Friday. The records in a federal student database maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been...
Ex-U.S. Rep. George Santos sentenced to over 7 years in prison for fraud and identity theft
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos, who lied about his life story and defrauded donors, was sentenced Friday to over seven years in prison, sobbing as he heard his punishment. The New York Republican, who served in Congress for barely a year before his House colleagues...
Mark Madden: Steelers surprised talking heads with sensible 1st-round draft choice
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted the right guy. I’m as shocked as anybody. Especially with Shedeur Sanders’ availability giving Mike Tomlin the opportunity to go showbiz with a shiny new toy. But defensive line big-timers had tumbled off the board: Michigan’s Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen,...
Ex-Greensburg police chief hopes to avoid jail time in drug conspiracy case
Former Greensburg police chief Shawn Denning is hoping to stay out of jail when he is sentenced in federal court next week in his drug distribution conspiracy case. Prosecutors are asking Denning be required to serve “a reasonable sentence of incarceration,” according to a sentencing memorandum filed Thursday. Denning’s attorney...
2 earthquakes recorded about a hundred miles from Pittsburgh
Two earthquakes occurred about a hundred miles southwest of Pittsburgh this week near the same southeastern Ohio town. A 3.1 magnitude earthquake occurred just after 4 a.m. Tuesday about a mile away from Pleasant City — a 0.18-square-mile village east of Columbus. A 3.4 magnitude was recorded near the area...
As data centers spread, their leaders push for transparency, consistency in state regulations
Last year, Duquesne Light Co.’s network service peak load was nearly 2,700 megawatts. And a hyperscale data center commonly ranges from 60 megawatts to several hundred megawatts, according to C. James Davis, director of rates, energy procurement and federal affairs at Duquesne Light. “A single data center could account for...
Donald Trump’s trip to Pope Francis’ funeral puts a sharper focus on their clashes over the years
WASHINGTON — The day before he died, in his final public address, Pope Francis expressed an Easter Sunday message of unity and an appeal for the marginalized and migrants. “All of us,” he proclaimed, “are children of God!” In a dramatically different message Sunday, President Donald Trump issued an insult-laced...
Ukraine says another Russian drone attack kills 3 after Trump rebuked Putin
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian drone struck an apartment building in a southeastern Ukraine city, killing three people and injuring 10 others, officials said Friday, a day after President Donald Trump rebuked Russia’s leader for a deadly missile and drone attack on Kyiv while Washington is endeavoring to stop the...
Frazer could see luxury senior living near Pittsburgh Mills
A proposal to bring what’s billed as luxury living for older adults is creeping forward in Frazer. Described as the “Pittsburgh Mills Active Adult” community, it would target those 55 and older in a five-parcel area along Butler-Logan Road adjacent to the Pittsburgh Mills mall. Foxlane Homes at Pittsburgh LLC...
Long-awaited Route 356 widening project has some property owners in limbo
On warm afternoons, James Buchanan likes to turn on the radio, crack a beer and watch the cars go by from his garage where Route 356 and Bear Creek Road meet. The entertainment amps up around rush hour, when shoppers and commuters pour onto the highway cutting through Buffalo Township...
5 things to know about Supercross in Pittsburgh
Off-road motorcycle riders are set to compete in the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship Saturday inside Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium. The elite riders — including Jett Lawrence, Cooper Webb and Haiden Deegan — will vie for the title of Supercross Champion. Beaver County’s Brian ‘JR’ Saunier, a Hopewell Area High...
What might the Steelers do on Day 2 of the draft?
Two years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers had the proverbial pick of the litter to contemplate over the roughly 20-hour break before the start of the second round of the draft. This year, they have only a vague idea of who will be available when they’re next scheduled to pick. Unlike...
Steelers select Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in 1st round of NFL Draft
The Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance to take a highly rated quarterback in the NFL Draft when their turn came up Thursday night. They opted to fix a leaky defensive line instead. The Steelers stuck with conventional wisdom and selected Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon rather than take a chance...
Suspect in Pa. Governor’s Residence arson moved to prison with psychiatric treatment
The man who police say firebombed the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence using two Heineken bottles filled with gasoline has been moved to a state prison known for providing intensive psychiatric treatment to incarcerated people. Cody Balmer, 38, was moved Thursday morning to SCI Waymart in Wayne County, according to Pennsylvania Department...
Judge halts parts of Trump’s overhaul of elections, including proof-of-citizenship requirement
NEW YORK — A judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from immediately enacting certain changes to how federal elections are run, including adding a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the federal voter registration form. The decision is a setback for President Donald Trump, who has argued the requirement is needed to...
Judge blocks Trump push to cut funding to public schools over diversity programs
CONCORD, N.H. — A federal judge on Thursday blocked Trump administration directives that threatened to cut federal funding for public schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by the National Education Association and the American Civil Liberties Union, which accused the Republican administration...
Pete Hegseth had unsecured internet line set up in his office to connect to Signal
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press. The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the...
Pittsburgh official’s ‘horrible’ social media posts raise ire of police union ahead of contract talks
The union representing most Pittsburgh police officers says it will not negotiate a new contract with a top city official who has posted on social media comments about defunding the police. In a letter dated Wednesday, union President Bob Swartzwelder told Mayor Ed Gainey he should appoint someone else to...
Was O’Connor’s debate story true about ambulance breakdown?
As the ambulance climbed hilly Madeline Street last week in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood, racing to a man in cardiac arrest, a dashboard coolant light blinked on. The driver for Medic 12 requested a backup ambulance out of an “abundance of caution,” according to Emily Bourne, a Pittsburgh public safety spokesperson....
Troopers find 13 pounds of cocaine hidden in SUV after traffic stop on Pa. Turnpike
State police reported finding on Wednesday 13 pounds of suspected cocaine hidden in an SUV while it was traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike through Westmoreland County. Troopers estimated the street value of the drugs at $150,000. A trooper who was monitoring westbound traffic in Mt. Pleasant Township around 1 p.m....
‘Vladimir, STOP!’: Trump calls out Putin, but will Russian leader hear it?Video
WASHINGTON — Even in the realm of Donald Trump’s long-preferred style of punch-through-the-static communication, this was quite something. On Thursday morning, a post on his Truth Social account exhorted Russian leader Vladimir Putin to end military strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. “Vladimir, STOP!” Or, as the entire post...
Pittsburgh man accused of burning girlfriend with hot iron
A Pittsburgh man who police say attacked his girlfriend with a hot iron, burning her over about 60% of her body, was arrested Thursday morning. Burton L. Byrd, 55, of Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood, is charged with various crimes including aggravated assault, kidnapping, intimidation of witnesses or victims and unlawful...
