Top Stories category, Page 260
Judge blocks Trump administration from terminating $14 billion in ‘green bank’ grants
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from terminating $14 billion in grants awarded to three climate groups by the Biden administration, saying the government’s “vague and unsubstantiated assertions of fraud are insufficient.” The order by U.S. District Judge Tonya Chutkan prevents — for now —...
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams return to Earth after 9 months stuck in spaceVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Stuck in space no more, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams returned to Earth on Tuesday, hitching a different ride home to close out a saga that began with a bungled test flight more than nine months ago. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf...
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from banning transgender people from military service
WASHINGTON — A federal judge blocked enforcement of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from military service on Tuesday, the latest in a string of legal setbacks for his sweeping agenda. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington, D.C., ruled that Trump’s order to exclude transgender troops from...
Court upholds minor discipline for Pittsburgh cops who skipped funeral where 5 were shot
An appeals court on Monday upheld a decision to reduce discipline against two Pittsburgh police officers who were initially suspended for failing to provide a police presence at a Brighton Heights funeral during which five people were shot. Both Officers Thomas Potts and Dalton Dailey were initially suspended for five...
Accused killer’s mom, grandma testify against him in slaying of ex-girlfriend
Darlene Washington sat on a swivel chair bouncing her great-grandson on her lap while his estranged parents visited her East Liberty home. It was then that she realized her grandson — the boy’s father — was armed. “I looked up, and I saw that he had a gun, and all...
Kennywood, Sandcastle, Idlewild set to be bought by Dollywood owners
Kennywood will soon be operating under new ownership whose other holdings include Dollywood and the Harlem Globetrotters. Atlanta-based Herschend will acquire Palace Entertainment’s U.S. attractions, which includes the iconic West Mifflin amusement park as well as Sandcastle in West Homestead and Idlewild & SoakZone in the Laurel Highlands. The deal...
Judge sends mentally ill Pittsburgh bank robber to prison despite plea for mercy
A judge Tuesday sentenced a Pittsburgh man to nearly a decade in federal prison for robbing three Shadyside banks, rejecting a request for leniency because of the defendant’s mental illness. The federal public defender who represents Rashon Coleman, 31, of the city’s East Liberty neighborhood, maintained his client’s schizophrenia and...
Judge rules DOGE’s USAID dismantling likely violates the Constitution
WASHINGTON — The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development by billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency likely violated the Constitution, a federal judge ruled Tuesday as he indefinitely blocked DOGE from making further cuts to the agency. The order requires the Trump administration to restore email and...
Steelers’ Cam Heyward to Aaron Rodgers: Either you wanna be a Steeler or you don’t
Cameron Heyward is tired of being in the dark about Aaron Rodgers’ potential signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers has put the Steelers — as well as the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings — on hold regarding his football future. He hasn’t made a decision a week into NFL...
State police to ramp up presence for IUPatty’s weekend
With IUPatty’s weekend quickly approaching, Pennsylvania State Police announced an increased presence of troopers and liquor control officers in Indiana The three-day celebration is thrown by students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. This year’s festivities will take place from Friday through Sunday. State police said there will be increased traffic...
Ex-North Braddock cop pleads guilty to dealing drugs
A judge Tuesday gave a former North Braddock police officer two years of probation after he pleaded guilty to drug charges just before his scheduled nonjury trial. Craig William Gibson, 47, of McKeesport, had been accused of dealing drugs in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s...
Rally planned to support Penn State New Kensington
Tom Guzzo can’t stress enough the importance of Penn State New Kensington in his community. But on Thursday, the New Kensington mayor — as well as a handful of other appointed and elected officials — are going to try. In response to the Penn State branch campus possibly closing in...
Hungary’s parliament bans Pride events in a new assault on LGBTQ+ rights
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday passed a law banning Pride events and allowing authorities to use facial recognition software to identify attendees, continuing a crackdown by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s right-wing populist party on the country’s LBGTQ+ community. The measure passed in a 136-27 vote. The law, supported...
Trump says his administration is set to release JFK files with no redactions
DALLAS — President Donald Trump says files related to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy will be released Tuesday without any redactions, making good on a promise he made during his campaign. Trump told reporters Monday that his administration will be releasing 80,000 files, though it’s not clear...
Trump and Putin spoke for more than an hour as U.S. seeks Russian sign-off on plan to end Ukraine war
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a lengthy phone conversation on Tuesday as the White House pushes for Russia to sign off on its 30-day ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The White House and Kremlin did not offer any immediate...
PNC Park unveils new menu items for this baseball season
Aramark, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ food partner for the past 52 years, has several new menu offerings for this year’s baseball season. Additions include the fried almond torte, Polish cannonball and a chipped ham empanada. The torte is funnel cake batter dipped, fried and topped with raspberry sauce, icing and burnt...
‘Our daughter has drowned’: Parents of missing Pitt student speak outVideo
The parents of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki said through tears Tuesday they believe she has drowned. “Both sides of the authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident, and both sides of the authorities have clarified the person of...
Roundup: Walnut Grill closes Waterworks location; winning lottery ticket sold in Fayette County
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, March 17: Walnut Grill’s Waterworks location closed After 16 years of business, Walnut Grill’s location at The Waterworks near Aspinwall has closed its doors. Owners posted on social media thanking everyone who supported the business over the years....
Cancer survivors support those newly diagnosed through AHN’s Ambassador Program
Rachel Machen recalls getting a string of online mammogram reminders from her physician’s office and pushing them to the bottom of her to-do list. “I’m young, and I had no family history. I felt so healthy,” said Machen, 44, of Oakmont. “My diagnosis came as a 100% shock.” Machen spent...
Pine-Richland board gives itself final power over book selections at school library
After months of tumultuous debate, the Pine-Richland School Board voted 5-4 Monday night to pass a new library policy, amid outcry from community members who have labelled it a “book ban.” The policy places the final power to add or remove district library books in the hands of the school...
Man charged with arson for fire that damaged 2 Millvale homes
A man has been charged with arson and other offenses in connection with a fire in Millvale. Stephen Ebner, 41, no address given, is accused of damaging two homes along the 1100 block of Evergreen Ave. by fire in the early morning of March 6. Allegheny County Police and the...
Hempfield Area parents, students raise concerns about potential changes to high school gifted program, pool
As Hempfield Area administrators consider changes to the high school gifted education program and renovations to the district’s pool, parents and students laid out their concerns to the school board. Three parents and two middle school students spoke during a board meeting Monday night about changes being considered for the...
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill more than 400 Palestinians and shatter ceasefire with HamasVideo
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 404 Palestinians, including women and children, according to hospital officials. The surprise bombardment shattered a ceasefire in place since January and threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered...
Trump administration guts board of U.S. Institute of Peace. Group says DOGE arrives
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration fired most of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace and sent its new leader into the Washington headquarters of the independent organization on Monday, in its latest effort targeting agencies tied to foreign assistance work. The remaining three members of the group’s board...
Man shot on Pittsburgh’s Brookline Boulevard
A man was shot Monday afternoon in the abdomen in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood. Pittsburgh police found the victim, an adult who authorities did not name, suffering from gunshot wounds in the 800 block of Brookline Boulevard about 5 p.m. The man had been shot twice near Brookline Boulevard at Flatbush...
