Top Stories category, Page 284
Western Pa. experts offer tips on navigating lingering election-related tensions over holidays
The events of the Nov. 5 presidential election divided states, demographics and, in many cases, families. President-elect Donald Trump’s supporters celebrated the Republican candidate’s victory, while many who championed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris fell into despair. With Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and other holidays following so closely on the heels...
Pittsburgh counts on Light Up Night to polish Downtown’s reputation
Light Up Night doesn’t just mark the beginning of the holiday season in Pittsburgh. Officials say it also draws visitors to Downtown businesses and helps the Golden Triangle burnish a sometimes less-than-stellar image. Fewer people have been commuting to Pittsburgh offices since the covid-19 epidemic spurred a widespread shift to...
Elderly man dies in Homestead house fire
A Homestead man died Saturday in the wake of a house fire on West 12th Avenue, officials said. According to Allegheny County Police, 79-year-old Ronald Jenkins was trapped on the second floor when first responders arrived at about 11:20 a.m. in the 100 block of West 12th Avenue. Firefighters got...
‘It’s a lot about family and community.’ Tradition brings crowds to fill A-K Valley streets for Christmas parade
Storm clouds and winter temperatures don’t faze Jamie Ganss. The power of tradition brings the Brackenridge woman every year to the corner of Corbet Street and Third Avenue in Tarentum to watch the Tarentum-Brackenridge Christmas Parade. Her annual ritual to kick off the holidays has generated a deeper meaning since...
A look at how some of Trump’s picks to lead health agencies could help carry out Kennedy’s overhaul
The team that President-elect Donald Trump has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration includes a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans’ health —...
East Deer woman charged with bringing unlicensed gun to airport
Allegheny County Police have charged an East Deer woman with bringing an unpermitted handgun to the main security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport. Lynda R. Lee, 61, of Creighton, East Deer, was going through the U.S. Transportation Security Administration checkpoint shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday morning when officers noticed the...
Fire volunteers from multiple towns respond to Logans Ferry Heights fire
A house fire Friday night on Zandona Street in Plum prompted a large response from fire companies in neighboring communities. The fire was reported shortly before 8 p.m. on the 700 block of Zandona in the borough’s Logans Ferry Heights neighborhood. Logans Ferry Heights Fire Chief Stephen Marsh said the...
New Kensington, surrounding fire companies undergo training drill at county housing apartments
Fire drills aren’t just for school students. For the men and women who fight fires on a regular basis, a drill is a chance to test out the logistics of their department’s response, to see what does and doesn’t work and to find out how to adjust emergency procedures. Members...
Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don’t lose weight
Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all...
U.S. customs officers seize 3,000 counterfeit Gibson guitarsVideo
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on Saturday announced the largest seizure ever of counterfeit Gibson electric guitars. Working with U.S. Homeland Security and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, agents recently seized more than 3,000 counterfeit guitars at the Port of Los Angeles, the nation’s largest seaport complex. The...
Filling the void: major mine subsidence project set for Belle Vernon area
When Tom Wilson was growing up in North Belle Vernon some 60 years ago, he and his friends would sometimes sneak into the opening of an abandoned mine, searching for fossils or some buried treasure. Fast forward six decades, and Wilson has signed up for a state project to fill...
Florida fire truck collector buys 1980 American LaFrance engine from New Kensington
A retired New Kensington fire truck was expected to leave the city before sunrise Saturday, beginning the first leg of a journey to its new home in Florida. Steve Vinson, 73, a retired pharmacist, bought the 1980 American LaFrance through an online auction with a bid of $6,800. He flew...
Services for 700 families at Tarentum center in jeopardy under Allegheny County budget talks
Harrison’s Ashley Griffin said she will be devastated if the Highlands Family Center in Tarentum is forced to cut programs. The East Fourth Avenue facility is a one-stop shop for children and adults, providing services that include a diaper bank, food pantry, financial counseling, story times and employment assistance. The...
Penn State trustees rarely discuss key issues in public before voting
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. When...
Greater Latrobe School Board divided over plans for roof, future of junior high
Some Greater Latrobe School Board members want to move forward with seeking proposals for replacing the junior high roof. Others first want to see an updated district facilities presentation from consultant SHP. It remains to be seen what opportunities the public may have to hear that presentation after it was...
17-year-old boy charged 2nd time for threats targeting Chartiers Valley School District, police say
Allegheny County Police have charged a 17-year-old boy who is accused of writing a threatening note that disrupted operations at Chartiers Valley School District on Friday. District officials reported on the Chartiers Valley website that students would learn remotely on Friday and that after-school activities were canceled “out of an...
Trump chooses Bessent to be treasury secretary, Vought as budget chief, Chavez-DeRemer for Labor
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he’ll nominate hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Trump also said he would nominate Russell Vought to lead the Office of Management and Budget, a position Vought held during Trump’s first...
Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad
A social-media tribute to Coptic Christians. A billboard in Amish country. A visit to a revered Jewish gravesite. While Donald Trump’s lock on the white evangelical vote is legendary, he and his campaign allies also wooed smaller religious groups, far from the mainstream. As it turned out, Trump won by...
Gaetz’s withdrawal highlights how incoming presidents often lose Cabinet nominees
MARTIN, Tenn. — Losing a Cabinet nominee to the confirmation process isn’t unheard of for incoming presidents — including for Donald Trump when he was elected the first time. Matt Gaetz’s decision to pull his name Thursday from consideration for attorney general — amid continued fallout over a federal sex...
Second electronic billboard going up in Tarentum
More than a year after it was approved, Tarentum’s second megawatt billboard is finally expected to light up the borough’s western side. Weleski Transfer along West Fourth Avenue got the go-ahead from council to erect an electronic sign, 14 feet tall by 48 feet wide. “We’re excited it’s moving along,...
Police: West Newton garage applied inspection stickers without examining vehicles
A West Newton auto shop is facing criminal charges after state police said employees there were putting inspection stickers on vehicles they didn’t actually inspect, according to court papers. When a state trooper visited Martinelli Auto Service in August for an audit, he reported seeing two vehicles with new inspection...
Pittsburgh to deploy more than 100 police officers Downtown for Light Up Night
Pittsburgh Public Safety will have a strong presence at the city’s Light Up Night celebration Downtown Saturday. More than 100 police officers will be deployed throughout the area, and the bomb squad will perform protective sweeps ahead of events, officials said Friday. The police bureau’s motorcycle and mounted units will...
Data Justice Project aims to improve lives of Black Pittsburghers
Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood is vibrant — but it also has the lowest life expectancy rate in the city at less than 65 years old. The statistics can stigmatize the neighborhood, according to data experts. While there is currently no explanation for the disparity in Larimer, causes will be investigated in...
Football Footnotes: Refs got the ‘illegal touching call’ in Cleveland right; Bengals LB predicting victory over Steelers
Usually, our Friday “Football Footnotes” post previews everything coming up on the local football scene. We’ll still do some of that on both the NFL and college levels this time. But with the Pittsburgh Steelers losing in Cleveland on Thursday night (again), this is more like a Friday “Football Fallout”...
Judge delays Trump hush money sentencing in order to decide where case should go now
NEW YORK — A judge confirmed Friday that President-elect Donald Trump won’t be sentenced this month in his hush money case, instead setting a schedule for prosecutors and his lawyers to expand on their ideas about what to do next. Amid a flurry of filings in the case since Trump’s...
