Top Stories category, Page 278
1,000 UPMC nurses sign open letter urging hiring, raises, more time off
Nurse Kelly Poholsky has worked at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital for 36 years. All that time, she has felt the hospital in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood needed more nurses. Poholsky, 61, of Penn Township is one of more than 1,000 nurses throughout the sprawling UPMC network who have signed an open letter...
Thundersnow marks arrival of cold front in Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvanians got a rare treat overnight — thundersnow — a winter thunderstorm. The rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning while snow was falling startled awake Tom Bell, Greensburg’s fire chief and streets superintendent. “I was like ‘What the hell was that?’” he said. Bell immediately looked at remote...
Police release new photos in the search for the gunman in the UnitedHealthcare CEO killing
NEW YORK — The masked gunman who stalked and killed the leader of one of the largest U.S. health insurance companies outside a Manhattan hotel used ammunition emblazoned with the words “deny,” “defend” and “depose,” two law enforcement officials said Thursday. The words were written in permanent marker, according to...
Searchers ‘are in the area now’ where Unity woman fell into sinkholeVideo
Investigators believe they are narrowing in on where a Unity woman fell through a sinkhole in the village of Marguerite and has been missing since. “We are in the area now where we believe that she went down,” Pennsylvania State Police spokesman Trooper Steve Limani said Thursday afternoon. Authorities are...
Rizzo’s opens Italian market in former Wagon Wheel restaurant in Salem
The taxidermy grizzly bear and red devil’s food cake that were once staples at the Wagon Wheel restaurant in Salem have been replaced by fresh pasta salads and Italian aromas. Wagon Wheel closed its doors almost exactly a year ago after more than six decades in business. Rizzo’s has opened...
Editorial: Why is Trump’s opposition to U.S. Steel sale a ‘gut punch?’
On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump took to social media to make a statement about his feelings on an issue of domestic economy and foreign relations. “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan,” he...
With Pittsburgh EMS contract settled, union targets residency requirement
Two weeks after securing a new contract, the union representing Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Services personnel said Wednesday it intends to sue the city to eliminate a residency requirement for its members as a way to address chronic staffing problems. If a lawsuit is successful, the bureau’s members will be able...
Unity residents concerned as recovery search for woman continues in abandoned mine
Chris Kondrich wasn’t shocked to learn a sinkhole had opened a street away from his Upper Marguerite home in Unity. A former firefighter and longtime hazardous materials volunteer, Kondrich said he has seen plenty of mine subsidence incidents. Kondrich lives on Lemmon Road, about a quarter-mile from where Elizabeth Pollard,...
Westmoreland commissioners, row officers to receive 3.4% raises in 2025
Westmoreland County’s elected officials will again receive raises in 2025. The commissioners and row officers are slated to see their paychecks jump next year by nearly 3.4%, nearly mirroring the hikes received this year and once again prompting one official to call for a cap on future raises. “This is...
North Apollo sticks with Kiski Township for police coverage, withdraws from proposed regional force
North Apollo is right back where it started with police coverage after months of haggling with different departments and infighting among officials. Kiski Township police got the nod Monday to provide protection for another two years. Kiski Township will be paid $68,000 in 2025 and $72,000 in 2026. The decision...
Lawyers portray Jordan Brown as either innocent boy or perpetrator of ‘perfect crime’
Pennsylvania State Police must have believed Jordan Brown committed the perfect crime in 2009, his lawyer told a jury Tuesday. In just two minutes, according to the scenario described by attorney Alec Wright that he attributed to state police, the then-11-year-old went upstairs in his Lawrence County home, retrieved his...
Attorneys for Springdale residents seek reargument over boiler house ruling
Attorneys representing 16 Springdale residents seeking to block an implosion of the former power plant’s boiler house say they weren’t required to go through other outlets to challenge the demolition and permitting, contrary to a recent state Superior Court decision that ruled they should have. That’s part of the argument...
Dueling bills propose conflicting approaches to affordable housing in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh has 90 neighborhoods, but only four of them require large housing developments to include affordable units for lower-income people. Mayor Ed Gainey wants to expand that mandate, known as “inclusionary zoning,” to all parts of the city. Gainey’s administration is pushing for a blanket strategy, arguing that affordable housing...
Carrick man indicted for attempted murder of DEA agent
A federal grand jury has indicted a Pittsburgh man on charges of attempted murder and assaulting a federal officer nearly four months after authorities say he fired at least 18 shots at a Drug Enforcement Administration agent who later found a large stash of fentanyl at the man’s home. Drew...
Spotify Wrapped is finally here. How can you see your 2024 recap?
NEW YORK — It’s that time of year: Spotify has released its annual Wrapped, personalized recaps of users’ listening habits and year in audio. Spotify has been giving its listeners breakdowns of their data since 2016. And each year, it’s become a bigger production — and internet sensation. Spotify said...
Police hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO’s masked killer after ‘brazen, targeted’ attackVideo
NEW YORK — A gunman killed UnitedHealthcare’s CEO on Wednesday in a “brazen, targeted attack” outside a Manhattan hotel where the health insurer was holding its investor conference, police said, setting off a massive search for the fleeing assailant hours before the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting nearby. Brian...
Pete Hegseth fights to save Pentagon nomination as sources say Trump considers Ron DeSantis
WASHINGTON — A defiant Pete Hegseth fought to save his nomination to be Donald Trump’s defense secretary Wednesday as the president-elect considered possible replacements in the face of growing questions about the former Fox News host’s personal conduct and ability to win Senate confirmation. Hegseth met with legislators on Capitol...
What to know about sinkholes amid fears a Unity woman fell into one
Authorities fear a grandmother from Unity who disappeared while looking for her cat may have been swallowed by a sinkhole. Crews searching for Elizabeth Pollard, 64, learned Wednesday morning that they have to switch up their tactics after the integrity of the mine where they’ve been digging is being compromised....
‘It’s been difficult:’ Unity sinkhole rescue effort turns into recovery missionVideo
Efforts to rescue a woman believed to have been swallowed by a sinkhole in Unity have turned into a recovery mission, authorities said Wednesday evening, as first responders believe the chances of finding Elizabeth Pollard alive are slim. After nearly two days of nonstop efforts to locate Pollard, involving volunteers...
Trump, Republican senators plan agenda for first 30 days
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump dialed in to what was described as a “love fest” Tuesday with Senate Republicans as they begin laying the groundwork for control of government in the new year, and a potential first-30-days agenda. Trump’s brief call was more celebratory than a prescriptive policy agenda, according...
Chad Chronister, Donald Trump’s pick to run DEA, withdraws name from consideration
NEW YORK — Chad Chronister, Donald Trump’s pick to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Tuesday he was withdrawing his name from consideration, becoming the second person selected by the president-elect to bow out quickly after being nominated for a position requiring Senate confirmation. Sheriff Chronister, the top law enforcement...
Alexander P. Bicket, South Africa native who became Allegheny County judge, dies at 68
As a judge, Alexander P. Bicket made those around him feel at ease. Whether it was from the bench of his third-floor courtroom with the parties before him or in his chambers, where he regularly welcomed students, interns and young lawyers, he was unassuming. A native of South Africa —...
President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge to throw out his hush money criminal conviction, arguing continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.” In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that dismissal is...
DEP suspects Unity sinkhole caused by abandoned mine
The Unity sinkhole investigators suspect a woman fell into late Monday could be the result of an abandoned mine, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection. The DEP’s Bureau of Mine Safety was dispatched to Unity’s Marguerite Road early Tuesday. Upon initial review, officials suspect the sinkhole was caused...
Nearly 30% of U.S. drugstores closed in 1 decade, study shows
Nearly three out of 10 U.S. drugstores that were open during the previous decade had closed by 2021, new research shows. Black and Latino neighborhoods were most vulnerable to the retail pharmacy closures, which can chip away at already-limited care options in those communities, researchers said in a study published...
