Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 29
Pittsburgh cop sues city, ex-chief Scirotto, claiming reverse discrimination
A white Pittsburgh police sergeant is suing the city and his former chief, Larry Scirotto, alleging he was discriminated against by being removed from a motorcycle unit. The lawsuit, filed by Brian Elledge in federal court on Wednesday, includes claims for race discrimination and retaliation. He is seeking money damages....
Jeannette man claims excessive force in police probe following fatal e-bike crashVideo
A Jeannette man claims police used excessive force to subdue him during an investigation into the death of an e-bike rider last year in Hempfield. James S. Grady II, 62, faces charges filed weeks after police entered his home to serve a warrant. The search was part of a probe...
SEA board blasts Fenway Sports Group’s ‘profiteering’ amid Pittsburgh Penguins sale
The $1.7 billion sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Hoffmann Family of Companies was approved Thursday by the Sports & Exhibition Authority Board — but not before board members called out former owner Fenway Sports Group for its “profiteering.” Pending NHL approval, the sale would result in an $800...
Westinghouse-funded study finds $20B annual impact for firm’s proposed U.S. reactor fleet
A planned fleet of Westinghouse nuclear reactors in the U.S. would bring $20 billion in annual economic impact and support more than 22,000 jobs, according to a new report commissioned by the Cranberry-based company. Westinghouse released the figures Wednesday to bolster the case for constructing 10 AP1000 reactors across the...
Ahead of Ireland flights, Aer Lingus will join Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade
Aer Lingus flights from Pittsburgh to Dublin begin in May, but the airline’s marketing director Lisa Melarkey will be in town this weekend to attend the city’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. Melarkey said Aer Lingus plans special promotions to coincide with the parade. “There’s a really big opportunity for us...
Pittsburgh’s convention center aiming to stay busy during NFL Draft
The quickly approaching NFL Draft has been a point of conversation among leadership at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh. Tim Muldoon, general manager at the convention center, said all of the exhibit hall spaces have been sold for the week of the draft, which takes place...
O’Connor says Pittsburgh faces budget shortfall of up to $40M, leaving city finances in crisis
Pittsburgh could be facing a severe budget shortfall of up to $40 million this year, according to projections revealed Thursday by Mayor Corey O’Connor, leaving his young administration scrambling to figure out how to cover costs. O’Connor blamed inaccurate predictions and “a lot of false assumptions” by the previous administration...
FBI: Attack at Michigan synagogue was a ‘targeted act of violence against the Jewish community’Video
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. — An attacker armed with a rifle was killed after ramming his vehicle into one of the nation’s largest Reform synagogues Thursday in what federal investigators said was an act of violence targeting the Jewish community. Jennifer Runyan, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit...
Will independents ever get to vote in Pa. primaries? Advocates hope a lawsuit moves the needle.
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Supporters of opening Pennsylvania’s primaries to more than 1 million unaffiliated voters hope the courts will accomplish...
New Kensington man charged in 2023 murder
An inmate at the Westmoreland County jail has been charged in connection to a 2023 murder in New Kensington. Raijon Deqae Wilson, 30, of New Kensington is charged with homicide in the shooting death of Troy Vickers Jr. On Oct. 19, 2023, Vickers was found shot in the head on...
$3.3M state investment aims to boost Downtown Pittsburgh revival
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is getting more than $3 million from the state to help revitalize Downtown Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Rick Siger joined local government officials and business leaders inside Origin Story Coffee on Thursday to announce how the investment plans to renew...
Homestead police sued for K-9 bite, malicious prosecution in arrest outside bar
A McKeesport man is suing Homestead police after he said he was attacked by their police dog outside Eon Bar & Grill last year and then targeted with a trumped-up arrest. Bryant Maurice Boyd Jr. filed the lawsuit in federal court on Feb. 28. In addition to the police department,...
ROTC students at Old Dominion subdued and killed the shooter who killed 1 person, wounded 2Video
ROTC students subdued and killed a gunman who yelled “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire Thursday in an Old Dominion University classroom, killing one and wounding two, according to the FBI, which said the shooter had been in the Army and pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic...
Report estimates 82M Americans skimp on food, gas, utilities to afford health care
You have nothing without your health, the saying goes, and some Americans are taking that to heart by slashing basic spending to afford medical care. A report released Thursday estimated a third of U.S. adults recently pulled back on necessities like food, gas and utilities to keep up with health...
Iran’s secretive top leader vows to keep up attacks in his first statement since being appointed
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s secretive new supreme leader vowed Thursday to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel. It was his first public statement since he succeeded his father,...
McKeesport woman had alcohol, marijuana in her system before fatal crash, Allegheny County Police say
Police say a McKeesport woman was driving more than twice the speed limit when she went through a stop sign and slammed into another vehicle, killing its passenger. Brittney N. McPherson, 33, had alcohol and marijuana in her system at the time of the Feb. 14 crash that killed Donna...
Police ID vehicle in suspected fatal hit-and-run in Brighton Heights
A man was killed in an apparent hit-and-run Wednesday night in Brighton Heights, according to Pittsburgh police. Lawrence Soeder, 58, of West View, was found lying in the street at the intersection of Davis and Massachusetts avenues around 10:45 p.m. Police said he had significant head trauma and they believe...
Penn Hills woman charged after 3-year-old son with multiple fractures dies at hospital, police say
A Penn Hills woman is charged with assaulting her 3-year-old son, who later died at UPMC Children’s Hospital. Doctors there said the boy had 11 fractures, some of which were healing, according to court papers. Lagomau Malu, 26, was arraigned Thursday on charges of aggravated assault, child endangerment and reckless...
East Huntingdon, developer reach deal to end lawsuit challenging solar farm ordinance
The challenge of an ordinance enacted last year by East Huntingdon regarding solar farm development has been settled. Court records made public Wednesday revealed lawyers for the township and GreenKey Development Inc. reached a deal this month that kept the township’s ordinance in place but also allowed the company to...
Colorectal cancer rates skyrocketing in younger people
Intuition is what prompted Colleen McGarrity to get a colonoscopy at age 41. The preventative screening probably saved her life. The Ford City resident experienced spotty symptoms but had no family history of colon cancer. A nurse at ACMH Hospital, she considered herself generally healthy. “My diagnosis came out of...
Aspinwall Council censures mayor for allegedly illegally recording private meeting
Aspinwall Mayor Scott Zimmermann has been censured by council members for what they claim was illegally recording a private meeting with borough officials. Council voted 5-1 on Wednesday, March 11 to pass a resolution expressing its disapproval of the mayor’s actions and requested that he resign. Councilwoman Patti McCaffrey dissented...
Head priest of Trinity Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh accused of stealing over $1K in baseball cards from Walmart
The head priest at Trinity Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh faces a preliminary hearing later this month on charges he stole more than $1,000 worth of baseball cards in February. The Very Rev. Aidan E. Smith, 42, of Ambridge was charged with retail theft and receiving stolen property. Smith was arrested...
PennDOT takes public comment on plans for Route 30 intersection with Wimmerton Boulevard
Unity residents and Route 30 drivers got a chance to speak with PennDOT and local officials at an open house Wednesday night about plans to address a troublesome intersection in the township. The main purpose of the project is to restrict drivers on both Wimmerton Boulevard and St. Xavier’s Road...
Yale report warns Independence Health takeover could prove costly for patients
West Virginia University Medicine’s pending takeover of Independence Health System would reduce competition and likely drive up patient costs, according to the Health Care Affordability Lab at Yale. A report released Monday by the lab found the acquisition would make parts of Fayette and Westmoreland counties even more severe “red...
How much money would Pittsburgh get if its big nonprofits paid taxes?
If the region’s five largest nonprofits had to pay taxes, they would together annually contribute about $133 million to Pittsburgh, Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Public Schools, according to the Keystone Research Center. The Harrisburg-based research center this week released a report detailing how much the taxing bodies would rake in...
