Top Stories category, Page 216
Brackenridge councilman steps down after 8 years
John Stanzione is leaving Brackenridge Council but he really doesn’t want to. Stanzione announced he is resigning at Thursday’s council meeting. He said the reason is his family has outgrown his two-bedroom home on Pacific Avenue and he hasn’t been able to find one in the borough that would suit...
State lawmakers hope pressure, even legislation, can keep Penn State New Kensington off the chopping block
Alle-Kiski Valley lawmakers are hoping the combination of political pressure — and even legislation — can help keep Penn State New Kensington off the chopping block when the university considers the closure of branch campuses. “I am in the process of putting out a letter to the university president in...
Last of Springdale boiler finally falls; owner says property under sales agreement after cleanup
The final remains of the massive boiler house at the former Cheswick Generating Station was pulled down shortly after 1 p.m. Saturday. Thick dust, including pieces of fiberglass insulation, enveloped the lower Springdale neighborhood adjacent to the property after the building fell. It was the conclusion of a demolition attempt...
University of Pittsburgh housekeepers union reaches 1-year contract, says university fears federal funding cuts
The union representing University of Pittsburgh cleaners, housekeepers, grounds crew, and movers and receivers says it has agreed to a one-year contract as the result of uncertainty in education funding from the federal government. The union, 32BJ SEIU, is a branch of the Service Employees International Union. In a press...
DA withdraws all charges against bookkeeper in $580K Mon View Heights theft case
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office on Friday withdrew charges against one of three men accused of stealing nearly $600,000 earmarked for a West Mifflin subsidized housing complex, with the prosecutor apologizing to the man as he left a preliminary hearing for the defendants. Jonathan Liani, 39, of New York...
Penguins acquire Connor Dewar, Conor Timmins from Maple Leafs
The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Connor Dewar and defenseman Conor Timmins from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a fifth-round draft pick in 2025. Dewar, 25, has appeared in 31 NHL games this season and has recorded three assists while averaging 9:58 of ice time per contest. Short-handed goal for Toronto!Scored...
Gainey announces plan to shield long-time Pittsburgh homeowners from property tax hikes
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday announced an initiative to protect longtime homeowners in the city from property tax hikes. The goal, the mayor said, is to ensure that people who own homes in neighborhoods where property values are skyrocketing don’t find themselves struggling to pay their taxes if their...
More elder abuse transparency, accountability is coming as Shapiro administration denies ‘crisis’
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 public will soon have easy access to critical information about whether county protective services agencies are keeping at-risk older adults safe from...
Deluzio urges fellow Democrats to rethink stance on tariffs
A Democratic congressman from Western Pennsylvania has found some common ground — albeit, a small patch of it — with Republican President Donald Trump on the issue of tariffs. In an op-ed published Friday in The New York Times, U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, said members of his party...
Jeannette man’s murder convictions, life sentences vacated over debunked fire science
A former Jeannette man serving three life prison sentences for the first-degree murders of his wife and two young children in 1993 is entitled to a new trial, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Friday. Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Feliciani vacated the convictions and sentences of James Young, 57, who...
Rob Gronkowski, U.S. Steel partner to pay $400K to make over Woodland Hills fitness center
A Woodland Hills alumni who parlayed the strength fostered in the high school’s weight room into an NFL career has partnered with U.S. Steel to create an upgraded fitness center at the high school. “We started working on this eight or nine months ago,” Ty Brown, the district’s athletic director,...
Giant goldfish at Presque Isle serves as reminder for invasive species week
Think goldfish are tiny? Think again. A massive goldfish turned up during an electrofishing survey in Presque Isle on Lake Erie, prompting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to share the shocking find on Facebook for National Invasive Species Awareness Week. “Your pet store goldfish after two years in the...
Pittsburgh Brewing’s St. Patrick’s Day event to feature festivities, parade
The Pittsburgh Brewing Co. is getting ready to paint East Deer green for the second year in a row. The brewery’s Irish City St. Patrick’s Day Celebration will take place Saturday, March 15 at Pittsburgh Brewing, 150 Ferry St. in the township’s Creighton neighborhood. The event is for people 21...
What to know about Social Security office closures driven by Musk’s DOGE
Across-the-board cuts at the Social Security Administration are prompting questions about how the benefits of millions of recipients may be affected. Among the potential changes are layoffs for more than 10% of the agency’s workforce and the closure of dozens of offices throughout the U.S. It’s all part of the...
Last defendant in torture death of Oakmont girl is found guilty of 1st-degree murder
In hundreds of text messages between them, the sisters who helped kill the 3-year-old girl referred to her in any number of ways. Ugly. Animal. Crackhead. Ebola. But never once, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Bruce Beemer noted, did they call her by her name: Bella. “The malice, the wickedness,...
Killer of Uber driver seeks new trial over claims of racial, political bias
The man convicted last month in the high-profile murder of an Uber driver in Monroeville wants a new trial because of what his lawyer called “political and racial bias” by the Allegheny County district attorney and the lead detective on the case. In a court motion, the attorney for Calvin...
Officials say flights to Fort Lauderdale to resume from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Direct flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will resume in May, the Westmoreland County Airport Authority announced Friday. Spirit Airlines will initially operate two weekly flights to the south Florida city, a move officials said will return profitability and jobs to Westmoreland County’s lone commuter airport....
Man, 41, dies at Allegheny County Jail while awaiting arraignment
A 41-year-old man died early Friday morning at the Allegheny County Jail while awaiting an initial court appearance, jail officials said. The man, who wasn’t identified, was brought to the jail at 6:44 p.m. Thursday. He was accused of resisting arrest and drug offenses. He was taken to a hospital...
Lawsuit aims to strike down LGBTQ antidiscrimination protections in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Two public school districts and several parents have sued the state in a bid to undo antidiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people in Pennsylvania, saying that the two-year-old regulation is illegal because it goes beyond what lawmakers intended or allowed. The lawsuit, filed in the statewide...
Anti-Israel referendum bid in Pittsburgh fails again
An effort to use a referendum to ban Pittsburgh from doing business with companies linked to Israel has again failed after the parties agreed Friday morning that the petitioners did not gather the required number of signatures. Following a short hearing before Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay,...
Amazon to install automated vehicle inspection device at Aleppo Township Industrial Park
Amazon wants to add an automated vehicle inspection facility on its property in Aleppo Township Industrial Park. Company spokesman Sam Fisher on Feb. 26 said he did not have any township-specific information but shared a report with an overall look at the devices. The machine uses a series of plates...
Hempfield woman driving school bus van dies after tractor-trailer strikes 2 vehicles; Greensburg Salem student driver injured
Rene Davis was remembered Friday for the dedication and care she demonstrated as a school bus driver serving the Greensburg Salem School District. Davis, 60, of Hempfield was killed Friday morning when her school bus van was struck by a tractor-trailer that ran through a red light on Route 22...
Morning Roundup: Seasonal skiing at Boyce Park ending; McKeesport bar shut down after deadly shooting
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, March 7: Seasonal skiing at Boyce Park ending Skiers, snowboarders and tubers: Time is running out to hit the Boyce Park slopes. Allegheny County announced Thursday the roughly three-month regular season at the slopes in Plum will come...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: March 7-9
Time to spring forward! It’s tough to lose that hour just for the sake of daylight savings, but you can have just as much fun this weekend as any other with what’s happening around town. The Thaw This new three-weekend festival from the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership will (hopefully) take us...
Safer schools: Pa. program has intercepted over 120 weapons in schools before they could be used
Thirty-five weapons were intercepted before they could be used to commit acts of violence in Pennsylvania schools last school year, as officials credited the anonymous safety reporting system Safe2Say Something for preventing catastrophes. Since the program’s inception six years ago, at least 123 weapons — including guns and knives —...
