Top Stories category, Page 243
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggles to answer questions on Medicare, Medicaid at confirmation hearingVideo
WASHINGTON — In a contentious confirmation hearing to become the nation’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. struggled to answer questions about Medicare and Medicaid, programs that affect tens of millions of Americans, or to provide details about how he would work to drive down health care costs. Kennedy...
New Kensington Bridge construction worker charged in crash that injured motorcyclist
A Herminie man is facing felony aggravated assault charges stemming from a traffic accident last year in New Kensington. Police on Tuesday filed charges against Matthew James Slobodnik, 24, in the crash that happened Aug. 10 at Ninth Street and Industrial Boulevard, which is the intersection just before the New...
Hamas set to free 3 Israelis, 5 Thais in next hostage release, Israeli official says
JERUSALEM — An Israeli official said Wednesday that Hamas will release three Israelis, including two women and an 80-year-old man, and five Thai nationals in the next hostage release, slated for Thursday. The official named the Israel women as Arbel Yehoud, 29, Agam Berger, 19, and the man as Gadi...
Tax season has begun. Here’s when you’ll get your refund
NEW YORK — Tax season is underway, and the IRS expects 140 million people will file returns by April 15. The agency has also debuted a new online tool to help taxpayers check the status of any refund they may be entitled to. President Donald Trump this week offered all...
Washington County inmates detained by ICE
Up to six Washington County inmates could be detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Jose Turcios Salmeron, a native of El Salvador, was being held at Washington County Jail on charges of aggravated and simple assault. He was released to ICE Thursday, according to a statement from the county...
2 more Pittsburgh restaurants to close their doors
Two more Pittsburgh restaurants are set to close their doors soon. Oak Hill Post, based in the city’s Brookline neighborhood, announced its closure via social media Friday after more than seven years in business. “After seven great years we have decided that the time to hang up our aprons is...
Frontier makes a second bid for Spirit with budget airlines struggling
NEW YORK — No-frills, budget airlines often lead the industry in customer complaints, according to government data, so if one were to disappear would it be missed by travelers? That is a question U.S. regulators will be asking after Frontier Airlines said Wednesday that it wanted to buy Spirit Airlines,...
Trump makes moves to expand his power, sparking chaos and a possible constitutional crisis
Just a little over a week into his second term, President Donald Trump is taking steps to maximize his power, sparking chaos and what critics contend is a constitutional crisis as he challenges the separation of powers that have defined American government for more than 200 years. The new administration’s...
Butler County woman struck and killed by vehicle
Butler County resident June M. Ruff died Tuesday afternoon of injuries she sustained after being hit by a vehicle Monday evening, according to a report from the Allegheny Medical Examiner’s office. Ruff, 62, of Slippery Rock was struck in the 400 block of Main Street in Evans City, Butler County...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission backs Gainey’s zoning proposal for affordable homes
The Pittsburgh Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to support a zoning package Mayor Ed Gainey has presented in an effort to bolster affordable housing. The commission voted against a dueling proposal pitched by Councilman Bob Charland. Gainey proposed to expand inclusionary zoning — a zoning regulation requiring all large-scale developments...
Trump order aims to end federal support for gender transitions for those under 19
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at cutting federal support for gender transitions for people under age 19, his latest move to roll back protections for transgender people across the country. “It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund,...
Police: Clairton man charged after raid reaps massive amounts of drugs, guns, cash
A young child is being helped by social services after a Clairton man was arrested on drug crimes and firearms violations following a raid at his home earlier this month, law enforcement officials announced Tuesday. Ismail A. Hamlin, 28, was denied bail and remains lodged in the Allegheny County Jail,...
West Mifflin man sent to federal prison for 16 years on drug, gun charges
A West Mifflin man prohibited from having guns because of a past aggravated assault conviction will serve at least 16 years in federal prison. Giante Hilliard, 32, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan on drug and gun counts from three incidents in spring 2023. He pleaded...
Trump offering federal workers buyouts with about 8 months’ pay in effort to shrink governmentVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it is offering buyouts to all federal employees who opt to leave their jobs by next week — an unprecedented move to shrink the U.S. government at breakneck speed. A memo from the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s human resources agency,...
Conservative group objects to Slippery Rock University STEM program’s minority recruitment
A conservative nonprofit is asking the U.S. Department of Education to investigate Slippery Rock University and three other state schools, alleging that their participation in a national program to recruit minority students into science majors is discriminatory against white and Asian students. The Equal Protection Project, an offshoot of the...
Western Pa. leaders react to federal funding freeze
Residents of Allegheny and Westmoreland counties could be hurt by a move to halt the federal funding stream to state and local governments, especially those who rely on social service programs and public housing, some of the area’s elected officials said. Others defended President Donald Trump’s directive Tuesday to pause...
Hempfield man to serve prison sentence for woman’s assault
A Hempfield man was ordered to serve up to eight years in prison for a brutal attack against a woman nearly three years ago. Cody J. Mattei, 34, pleaded guilty in November to felony counts of strangulation, aggravated assault, victim intimidation and a weapons offense in connection with 2022 incident...
Pittsburgh pays $200K to man hurt by police during 2020 George Floyd protests
The City of Pittsburgh agreed in September to pay $200,000 to settle a lawsuit by a man who said police knocked out two of his teeth with a projectile while quashing the May 30, 2020, George Floyd protests Downtown. City Council unanimously approved the payment at its meeting Dec. 10....
Pittsburgh, police review board probe 2 use-of-force incidents
Pittsburgh’s Office of Municipal Investigations and the independent Citizen Police Review Board are scrutinizing two unrelated incidents last month in which city police used force to make arrests. The arrests have elicited concerns among the NAACP’s Pittsburgh branch and other leaders in the city’s Black community, who have a meeting...
Spirit plans for return of daily flights to Myrtle Beach from Arnold Palmer Regional
Spirit Airlines plans to resume daily flights from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity to Myrtle Beach, S.C., in May, an airport official said Tuesday. The daily flights from the county airport to Myrtle Beach International Airport will resume May 7, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County...
Pittsburgh council mulls referendum to bar sale of water, sewer systems to private entities
Pittsburgh voters may be asked to vote in May on whether the city should be restricted from leasing or selling its water and sewer systems to private entities. Legislation introduced Tuesday to City Council would pose the question to voters as a ballot referendum, which a majority would need to...
$4,000 murder-for-hire scheme sends Mt. Lebanon killer to prison for up to 36 years
A Mt. Lebanon man who was paid $4,000 in drugs and cash to kill a McKees Rocks woman in 2022 will serve at least 18 years in prison. Alec Stefanovits, 30, told the judge on Tuesday that he was in a drug-fueled craze when he killed Ashley Roberts on Jan....
Super Bowl Sunday FanFest at Acrisure Stadium reaches maximum capacity
The first Super Bowl FanFest in Pittsburgh, a free event, is at capacity. Verizon is bringing a Super Bowl LIX experience to 30 NFL cities across the country, including 20 NFL stadiums. Acrisure Stadium is one of them. Fans will have access to the UPMC Club Level and FedEx Great...
Google to change map names for Gulf of Mexico and Denali when U.S. updates them based on Trump order
Google says it will take its cue from the U.S. government if it has to change the names of the Gulf of Mexico and Denali on its maps. The company said Monday that it will only make changes when the government updates its official listings for the body of water...
Egg prices are soaring. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon
OMAHA, Neb. — Bird flu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, pushing U.S. egg prices to more than double their cost in the summer of 2023. And it appears there may be no relief in sight, given the surge in demand as Easter approaches. The average...
