Top Stories category, Page 268
Closures, Social Security checks, furloughs: What a government shutdown might mean
Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government or federal agencies will shut down, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be sent home — or stay on the job without pay — just ahead of the holidays. Republicans abandoned a bipartisan...
Starbucks workers plan strikes that could spread to hundreds of U.S. stores by Christmas Eve
Workers at Starbucks stores plan to go on a five-day strike starting Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. The strikes by baristas and other workers were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across...
Proposed Unity Township solar farm nixed by 3-2 zoning board vote
The developers of a proposed solar farm haven’t decided whether to appeal rejection of the plans by the Unity Township zoning hearing board. The board nixed the plans for the site along Charles Houck Road in Unity Township after the developer and township officials clashed on determining if the facility...
Still shopping? Here are some last-minute local gift ideas
If you haven’t wrapped up gift buying for the holidays yet, you aren’t alone. Forbes reports that 31% of Gen Z, 36% of millennials, 42% of Gen X and 42% of baby boomers who answered a survey about their holiday shopping habits said they still planned to buy gifts in...
Wingstop headed to New Kensington
New Kensington soon will have a new place for wings. Mayor Tom Guzzo confirmed that a Wingstop will be coming to the city’s Riverview Plaza, 100 Tarentum Bridge Road. Signs for the business went up Wednesday. Wingstop officials did not respond to TribLive requests for comment. “We’re excited that Wingstop...
It’s beginning to look like another record for holiday travel
Drivers and airline passengers without reindeer and sleighs better make a dash for it: it’s beginning to look like another record for holiday travel in the U.S. The auto club AAA predicts that more than 119 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Saturday and New...
Bargain shoppers in Harrison, Unity and beyond lament Big Lots closure, anticipate steeper discounts
Bargain shoppers across the region said they were disappointed that Big Lots is going out of business. Some were on the lookout for better bargains as the Columbus, Ohio-based chains liquidates its inventory. “We’ll be looking for the 90% sales,” Betty Ferringer said. She’s in the process of moving to...
Morning Roundup: Oakland intersection modified after fatal crash; 4 injured after school bus gets rear-ended
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Dec. 20: Oakland intersection modified after fatal crash Changes are coming to an Oakland intersection where a woman was hit and killed by a truck Dec. 5 while crossing the street. Pittsburgh’s Fatal Crash Response Team recently visited...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 20-22
The city is simply having a wonderful pre-holiday weekend, with some warm and cheerful events to get you in the spirit of the season. Experience music, movies and more with these ideas. Skate with Santa It’s going to be pretty chilly this weekend, which makes it the perfect opportunity to...
Hempfield will engage AI system to evaluate need for road work
Hempfield is tapping into technology to get a better understanding of the condition of its 300 miles of roads. Township supervisors on Wednesday approved a five-year agreement with Vialytics that officials said will help them prioritize roads in need of improvements. Township manager Aaron Siko said the software will help...
Additional hearing required for proposed injection well in Plum
Plans for a proposed injection well project in Plum will once again be debated before the borough’s zoning hearing board as the governing body adheres to a state court ruling. Board members voted 5-0 Thursday determining a section of the zoning ordinance involving setbacks applies to Penneco Environmental Solutions’ request...
Lori Falce: Is Trump captain of his ship or is Musk?
The prow of a ship is often decorated with a carved object. It may represent the name of the vessel. It may be something important to the owner or the nation whose flag flies on the mast. Over the years, these have been depictions of deities. They have been mythological...
Westmoreland commissioners pass no tax hike budget, spar over county’s financial future
Westmoreland County’s Republican commissioners defended a 2025 budget that increased spending in several key categories and carries a more than $9 million deficit. The shortfall is being covered through a dwindling surplus fund bolstered by a 32.5% tax hike approved last year. The new budget maintains the current county property...
‘We’re ready to go’: Springdale’s Colfax School ready for demolition
A nearly 100-year-old institution in Springdale is coming down. Crews with Kane Specialty Group of Pine will begin demolishing the former Colfax Upper Elementary School either Friday or Monday , said Jim Kane, company president. “We’re ready to go,” Kane said Thursday at the site. Crews began preparing the site...
Penn State hotel prices soar ahead of home playoff game
The Penn State Nittany Lions take the field Saturday for the team’s first-ever playoff home game, and hotel prices are surging in the State College area. The Nittany Lions will play the Southern Methodist University Mustangs, a team that’s used to playing under sunny skies in Texas. Weather forecasts for...
Grand jury indicts Braddock man shot by security at Harrisburg courthouse
A convicted murderer living in a Braddock halfway house who was shot after authorities said he tried to stab a security officer at the federal courthouse in Harrisburg has been indicted. Joseph Louis Camino, 56, is charged with assaulting a federal officer and possessing a dangerous weapon in a federal...
Part of new North Shore project to be ready by Pirates home opener
Progress is being made on the latest North Shore “eatertainment” concept. Pittsburgh-based HiLife Hospitality’s partnership with the Pirates will include dining and entertainment spaces and a plaza near PNC Park. The 30,000-square-foot outdoor plaza with two stages and a 40-foot screen is scheduled to be ready for the Pirates home...
Allegheny County must pay ex-jail guard $1.5M over former boss’ racist comments
Allegheny County will pay a former jail guard $1.5 million to settle a lawsuit alleging he was fired for reporting racist comments by a supervisor. Jeffrey Kengerski was fired in November 2015 after reporting that a superior officer called Kengerski’s biracial relative “a monkey.” He sued the county in federal...
Pittsburgh Public Schools board raids reserve fund to close 2025 budget deficit
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board on Wednesday approved a 2025 spending plan that includes no tax increase but relies on the district’s financial reserves to balance the budget. The nearly $775 million budget will draw about $28 million from the district’s reserve fund to fill in the gap between projected...
Lender demands $143M from Station Square owners in mortgage foreclosure suit
The owners of Station Square must pony up nearly $143 million in overdue loan payments or face foreclosure amid a challenging year for the popular tourist spot on Pittsburgh’s South Side. In a lawsuit filed Nov. 4 in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, Delaware-based lender Wilmington Trust demanded the remainder...
Man accused in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing faces federal charge that’s eligible for death penalty
HOLLIDAYSBURG — The man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO was whisked back to New York by plane and helicopter Thursday to face new federal charges of stalking and murder, which could bring the death penalty if he’s convicted. Luigi Mangione was held without bail following a Manhattan federal court appearance,...
Amazon workers strike at multiple facilities as Teamsters seek labor contract
Workers at seven Amazon facilities went on strike Thursday, an effort by the Teamsters to pressure the e-commerce company for a labor agreement during a key shopping period. The Teamsters say the workers, who authorized strikes in the past few days, are joining the picket line after Amazon ignored a...
House rejects Trump-backed plan on government shutdown, leaving next steps uncertainVideo
WASHINGTON — The House rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s new plan Thursday to fund federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling a day before a government shutdown, as Democrats refused to accommodate his sudden demands and the quick fix cobbled together by Republican leaders. In a hastily convened evening vote punctuated...
Lefty’s could be leaving Strip District
A popular bar in Pittsburgh’s Strip District could be gone in a matter of weeks. Lefty’s lease along Penn Avenue will come to an end in late January, owner Rick Krist told TribLive news partner WTAE. The landlord has declined to renew the lease, he said, and other landlords in...
Upper Burrell data center to be company’s ‘U.S. flagship,’ founder says
A new data center in Upper Burrell could hold 3 gigawatts of power — about three times more than the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant can generate — and employ hundreds if plans come to fruition at the vacant portion of the Alcoa Technical Center. TECfusions, a Florida-based data...
