Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 25
Pittsburgh police union fears city’s fiscal straits could harm contract prospects
Pittsburgh police union leaders fear city officials may plead poverty Wednesday morning when they furnish new information to arbitrators preparing to set the terms of the police bureau’s next contract. Last week Mayor Corey O’Connor revealed the city’s finances were in worse shape than he knew and warned this year’s...
Still little word from Springdale officials on ICE agreement as residents protestVideo
For the second straight council meeting, Springdale Borough officials stayed mum about the police department’s agreement to cooperate with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The cooperation agreement with ICE resulted in the arrest of a Peru-born resident, Randy Cordova-Flores, more than a month ago. Like February’s council meeting, council...
Summer Lee moves to impeach Attorney General Pam Bondi as GOP-led committee subpoenas her
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and five Democratic colleagues on Tuesday introduced articles of impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of files related to the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and what the lawmakers described as the politicization of the Justice Department. Separately Tuesday, the GOP-controlled House...
Robinson man found guilty of defrauding government in defense contracts
A Robinson man accused by the federal government of making a $500,000 profit by substituting lower-quality parts to fulfill military contracts was found guilty on Tuesday of wire fraud and failure to pay taxes. Donald Smith, 75, could face federal prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge J....
Pittsburgh budget woes vindicate Controller Rachael Heisler, who issued early warnings
For two years, Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler raised one red flag after another about the city’s precarious finances. She wrote letters, held press conferences and mercilessly skewered former Mayor Ed Gainey’s final budget proposal as “not an honest document.” Few took her alerts to heart. Public officials, from the former...
Gas prices near $4: What’s driving the spike in Pa.Video
Gas prices surged again Tuesday, climbing to just shy of $4 a gallon across Southwestern Pennsylvania — a fresh hit for motorists already bracing for higher costs. Lynda Lambert, a spokesperson for AAA East Central, said the spike is being driven by the escalating war in Iran, which has rattled...
Police: Toxic breast milk likely killed 15-month-old toddler in Mt. Pleasant Township
A 15-month-old boy who died from a methamphetamine overdose last year likely ingested the drug through breast milk, according to state police. “His only form of survival was to consume breast milk that was toxic,” Trooper Steve Limani said. An investigation into the Feb. 12, 2025, death of Thomas Blaesser...
Bus gunman’s blunders spur swift arrest in Pittsburgh Regional Transit shooting
Police said they were quickly able to arrest an 18-year-old for shooting a person on a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus last weekend in part because the teen showed his face on camera and used a phone app to pay for his fare. Michael Andrews of Pittsburgh was charged with shooting...
From 70 degrees to snowfall: Pittsburgh region gets weather whiplash with high winds, snow
March madness took on a literal meaning across southwestern Pennsylvania early this week as a sudden burst of winter weather disrupted a string of springlike days. While the snowfall didn’t reach historic proportions, the region saw a wild temperature swing, dropping from a high of 70 degrees Sunday to 24...
Trump fumes at NATO for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, and embraces going it alone
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday NATO and most other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, grousing that he has been unable to rally support behind his war of choice in Iran that he insists he’s conducting for the good of the world,...
Pittsburgh parents sue pool drain maker after suction severely injures daughter, 3, at Mexican resort
The parents of a 3-year-old Pittsburgh girl who nearly died after she became trapped by suction from a wading pool drain at a resort in Mexico last year are suing the drain’s manufacturer. Adam Quatrini and Carolina Maria Vélez, of Shadyside, filed the lawsuit on Monday in federal court in...
Woman pleads guilty to fatal stabbing with pocketknife in Homewood
A Homewood woman will serve four to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter for fatally stabbing a woman she knew following an hours-long argument. Maurissa Plummer, 22, did not make any statement on her behalf during a brief plea hearing before Allegheny County Common...
Pittsburgh Zoo explores opening aquarium on North Shore
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is exploring plans for a new standalone aquarium on the North Shore. The proposed Pennsylvania Aquarium is in the conceptual stage, with an economic impact study underway to assess its feasibility and potential funding sources. “To have an aquarium – a full, large, major aquarium...
Mt. Lebanon school district faces a $1.2 million shortfall next year
Mt. Lebanon school officials have a few weeks to make up a $1.169 million shortfall in the district’s budget for next year. Patricia Connolly, the district’s director of operations, told the school board this week she is projecting just above $130 million in expenses and $128.8 million in revenues next...
Man charged with planting pipe bombs before the Jan. 6 riot argues Trump’s mass pardons apply to him
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s sweeping act of clemency for rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol also should apply to a man charged with planting pipe bombs near the national headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties on the eve of the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, the suspect’s attorneys...
Former South Greensburg fire chief accused of theft seeks evaluation for disorders including gambling addiction
The former South Greensburg fire chief will be evaluated by a psychiatrist while he awaits the outcome of a felony theft case against him. A motion for the evaluation filed by defense attorney Brian Aston indicates Matthew White, 49, of Hempfield needs a forensic evaluation to determine his mental health...
Fire hydrants headed to Harmar neighborhood after resident concerns
After a fire gutted a riverside home in Harmar’s Werner Camp neighborhood last summer, one neighbor called the lack of fire hydrants on the property Werner Camp’s “Achilles’ heel.” It meant that fire crews had to shut down Freeport Road and a set of railroad tracks to drag hundreds of...
Top counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns over Trump’s Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threatVideo
WASHINGTON — Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing his concerns about the justification for military strikes in Iran and saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is...
Meteor lights up sky in Pittsburgh region as social media eruptsVideo
The western sky — and social media — lit up Tuesday morning when a meteor streaked over Western Pennsylvania skies and into the atmosphere over northeast Ohio. Jared Rackley, an employee with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, caught video of the large fireball as the suspected meteoroid entered the...
New retail space planned in Harmar in place of demolished church
Geoffrey Alexander, the owner of Harmar’s One Alexander Center, says he’s planning to add retail space along Freeport Road at the site of the former St. Francis of Assisi Church. He said crews finished demolishing the church early this month. The small church had been closed since 2024, according to...
Cup of Joe: It was Fenway Sports Group that made this magical Penguins season possible
Cup of Joe: Starkey on sports in 400 words or less (or in this case more) They established themselves as a cold and distant corporate entity from the moment they arrived — and it kind of still feels like they never did arrive. They never really connected to the fan...
Surprise snowfall sets Western Pa. record, as some remain without power
Monday started mild across the Pittsburgh region and ended as the snowiest 60-degree day on record, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. “Most places got between 2 and 5 inches, but there were a couple of localized areas that got over 6,” said Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist. “Our office...
Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills selling off fixtures, shelves as clearance sale continuesVideo
A new closing sale of sorts has started at Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills. The anchor store, which announced its plans to leave the Frazer mall this spring, is selling its store fixtures, shelving units and more. A post on Facebook marketplace lists tables, holiday decor, art, clothes and accessory racks,...
Iran keeps up attacks on neighbors after Israel says it killed 2 of its top officials
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel said Tuesday it killed two senior Iranian security officials in a major blow aimed at further weakening the Islamic Republic’s leadership as it faces its greatest test in decades. Iran, which confirmed the killing of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council,...
Urban Tap earns clean inspection report weeks after video of rat walking near its tapsVideo
The South Side bar made locally famous by a video of a rat walking on its beer taps has gotten a clean bill from the Allegheny County Health Department. Urban Tap on East Carson Street posted a copy of the inspection report, which notes “no evidence of rodent activity” and...
