Top Stories category, Page 234
‘Very excited’: Oakmont residents and visitors react to Marc Fogel’s release
Residents and visitors in Oakmont were all smiles Tuesday when they heard fellow resident Marc Fogel was headed home. According to a statement released by the White House, U.S. officials negotiated a deal with Russian authorities that led to the release of Fogel, an American teacher. Fogel was sentenced to...
Appeals court won’t halt judge’s order requiring Trump administration to unfreeze all federal cash
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Tuesday refused to immediately halt a judge’s order requiring the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in federal grants and loans that remain frozen even after a court blocked a sweeping pause on federal funding. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of...
Western Pa. politicians laud release of Oakmont’s Marc Fogel
Elected Pennsylvania leaders from both parties lauded Tuesday’s release of Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel after nearly four years in Russian captivity — a rare instance of solidarity in an increasingly divided political environment. “Today is a day of celebration, thankfulness and gratitude knowing our fellow Pennsylvanian will soon be back...
O’Connor outpaces Gainey in campaign fundraising ahead of Pittsburgh mayoral primary
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor is far outraising incumbent Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey amid a heated Democratic primary battle for the mayor’s office. O’Connor in January raised nearly $465,000, according to campaign finance reports. Gainey brought in about $24,000. Overall, the Gainey campaign has about $237,000 cash on hand, compared...
After meeting with Trump, Jordan’s king says his country opposes displacing Palestinians in GazaVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump hosted Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House on Tuesday and renewed his insistence that Gaza could somehow be emptied of all residents, controlled by the U.S. and redeveloped as a tourist area. It’s an audacious, but highly unlikely, scheme to dramatically remake the...
Spirit to resume daily flights to Florida from Westmoreland airport
Spirit Airlines will resume daily flights next week from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity to Florida. That announcement is expected to help reverse financial losses that began last fall amid a reduced flight schedule as the facility’s lone commercial carrier worked through bankruptcy concerns. “This will help,” said Westmoreland...
Editorial: Finally. Marc Fogel is free
It took 1,278 days, but it finally happened. Marc Fogel, 63, of Oakmont, was released Tuesday from the Russian penal colony where he had been imprisoned since August 2021. He was sentenced to 14 years for possession of 17 grams of medical marijuana legally dispensed in Pennsylvania. It’s about damn...
‘Our prayers have been answered’: Marc Fogel freed from Russian prisonVideo
Clutching a can of Iron City beer with an American flag draped around his neck, Marc Fogel met President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday night, telling him he will forever be indebted to him. “President Trump is a hero,” the teacher from Oakmont said during his first...
Pittsburgh NAACP seeks public input on police chief nominee
The Pittsburgh branch of the NAACP is calling on city leaders to slow the confirmation process for Christopher Ragland as police chief to allow for at least one public forum. In an email to Mayor Ed Gainey, City Council members and their staffers, the NAACP branch offered to coordinate with...
Duolingo’s owl mascot dead, company says
Duolingo has announced that its mascot — the iconic owl Duo — is dead. The Pittsburgh-based language learning app told the public the news via an “important message” on its social media pages. an important message from Duolingo pic.twitter.com/jTTT680yVs— Duolingo (@duolingo) February 11, 2025 “Authorities are currently investigating his cause...
Pine-Richland School Board takes next step in implementing controversial library policy
Pine-Richland School Board took the next step in eventually implementing its controversial library policy at its meeting Feb. 10 in the latest of a series of contentious and sometimes rowdy meetings. Board members offered numerous amendments to the proposed policy and even some supposed attempts at “compromise,” which were met...
‘Back to plastic’: Trump signs order for plastic straws as he declares paper ones ‘don’t work’
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he is banning federal use of paper straws, saying they “don’t work” and don’t last very long. Instead he wants the government to exclusively move to plastic. “It’s a ridiculous situation. We’re going back to plastic straws,” Trump said as he signed an...
EU vows countermeasures to Trump’s tariffs; bourbon, jeans, peanut butter, motorcycles easy targets
BRUSSELS — U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc. It means iconic U.S. industries like bourbon, jeans and motorcycles should beware. “The EU will act to...
Public schools embrace Shapiro plan to cut $378M in cyber tuition costs
Gov. Josh Shapiro is proposing unprecedented funding for Pennsylvania’s K-12 public schools, including $526 million in supplemental funding for poor districts, $125 million to help pay for building projects and $111 million to support student mental health and safety. Jeannette City School District Superintendent Matthew Jones said he’s most interested...
As egg prices continue to soar, grocers like Trader Joe’s limit how many cartons customers can buy
Not only are eggs expensive because of the ongoing bird flu outbreak. Now they are getting hard to find. And even when stores do have eggs, consumers are starting to face limits on how many they can buy. Eggs have even become such a hot commodity that there have even...
Shapiro administration names the state prisons it wants to close
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Department of Corrections has named the two state prisons that it would close as part of efficiency efforts in the 2025-26 budget year. The recommendation from the state Department of Corrections is to close the 110-year-old State Correctional Institution at Rockview in Centre County, where the last...
Norwin School Board censures controversial director; he vows lawsuit retaliation
The Norwin School Board on Monday voted to censure one of its directors over what the board majority deemed offensive language in a social media post aimed at other school board members. Directors Bill Bojalad, Ray Kocak, Tim Kotch Sr., Heath Shrum, Matt Thomas and Nina Totin voted to censure...
Date set on tear down of Springdale power plant boiler house, weather permitting
The end is near for the last remaining edifice at Springdale’s former power plant. Officials from Springdale Police, property owner CPERG and demolition contractor B&B Wrecking and Excavation held a public meeting Monday on the planned conventional demolition of the boiler house. Sam Miller, the plant manager, said crews plan...
Trial begins in brutal Clairton stabbing death
Nicole Koontz expected her husband to pick her up from work at a Bethel Park bakery on Jan. 21, 2021. But she hadn’t heard from Anthony Koontz by the end of her shift, so she asked her nephew for a ride. When Koontz got to their house on Mendelssohn Avenue...
Last Downtown homeless encampment closed; city and county officials cite success at resettlement
The last Downtown Pittsburgh homeless encampment — on the Eliza Furnace Trail — has been closed as of Monday, city and county officials said. People experiencing homelessness who used to reside there have been transitioned into more stable housing as recently as this past weekend. They were part of the...
22 states — not Pa. — sue Trump administration over guidelines that could hamper Pitt, CMU research
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine on Monday touted new Alzheimer’s disease research that could contribute to diagnosing the disease and starting treatment of it before it enters its final stage, which ends in death. More than 12 federal grants helped defray the cost of the research. Similar federal...
Custodian at Pine-Richland High School accused of selling THC vape cartridges, alcohol to students
A Pine-Richland High School custodian was arrested Thursday for allegedly selling nicotine, THC vape cartridges and alcohol to students on school grounds. Keon Ency Barrett, who the district identified as an evening custodial employee, is charged with delivery of scheduled substances, criminal use of a communication facility and two counts...
Judge blocks Trump administration attempt to cap medical research spending after states sue
BOSTON — Scientists warn the Trump administration’s drastic cuts for medical research endanger patients, will cost thousands of jobs – and threaten America’s standing as a world leader in science and innovation. Nearly two dozen states sued Monday to block the National Institutes of Health’s surprise slashing of billions of...
Judge finds Trump administration hasn’t fully followed his order to unfreeze federal spending
WASHINGTON — A federal judge found Monday that the Trump administration hasn’t fully followed his order to unfreeze federal spending and told the White House to release billions of dollars in funding. The Trump administration quickly appealed the ruling. U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell became the first judge to...
Trump is expected to pardon ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich 5 years after commuting his sentenceVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday will pardon Democratic former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, according to a person familiar with his plans. Trump commuted Blagojevich’s 14-year sentence for political corruption charges during his first term. He planned to sign the pardon on Monday afternoon, according to the person, who...
