Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 296
Editorial: Allegheny and Westmoreland counties show why Pennsylvania is a swing state
If you want to know how political power is ebbing and flowing in Pennsylvania, take a look at Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Pennsylvania’s politics swing like the clapper of a bell. It can be Democratic one year and Republican another. The 67 counties run the gamut of deepest blue to...
Under pressure: Water flow issues can cripple firefighters who rely on patchwork of unregulated hydrants
Two Fayette County homes 4 miles apart went up in flames in a 10-month period in 2021 and 2022 while firefighters reportedly struggled to draw water from nearby fire hydrants. Residents of those homes believe low water pressure contributed to them losing their possessions and pets, according to federal civil...
From remote work to cashless venues, covid-19’s effects on business 5 years later
The gathering was a who’s who of Pennsylvania politicos, all looking to share in the credit of a transformational $600 million reimagination of Downtown Pittsburgh. Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, among others, huddled along Penn Avenue in October to tout the sizable...
Water pressure varies for thousands of fire hydrants in Western PennsylvaniaVideo
There’s no doubt that water flow from at least one hydrant in Hempfield is sufficient to fight a fire. Maintenance crews on a recent March morning allowed water to gush from an open hydrant as part of a rare test to determine its flow. Workers measured the hydrant’s static pressure...
Franklin Regional students ‘discover dairy’ by adopting a Holstein calf
A classroom pet isn’t always a workable scenario for an elementary school teacher. But when that pet can help students learn across several school subjects, the decision is a lot easier. That’s how Brienne May’s fifth-grade science class at Franklin Regional Intermediate School found themselves adopting a 100-pound Holstein calf...
Trump invokes 18th century law to declare invasion by gangs and speed deportations
Claiming the United States was being invaded by a Venezuelan gang, President Donald Trump on Saturday invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a sweeping wartime authority that allows the president broader leeway on policy and executive action to speed up mass deportations of people — potentially pushing his promised...
St. Patrick’s Day gatherings continue in Oakland (but not on roofs) after mishap that injured 16
Music was bumping and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were underway once again on Semple Street in Oakland on Saturday — the day after a porch roof collapsed at an off-campus house there near the University of Pittsburgh, sending 16 young adults to the hospital. Music is bumping here on Semple...
Revelers pack Pittsburgh Brewing Co. in East Deer for St. Patrick’s Day celebration
Around 2,500 people spent their Saturday enjoying live music, food trucks and countless cups of green beer at the Pittsburgh Brewing Co. complex in East Deer, making it far and away the largest St. Patrick’s Day festival in the Alle-Kiski Valley. The event, dubbed the Irish City Celebration, lasted from...
Pittsburgh police arrest suspect in Middle Hill shooting that critically wounded woman
Pittsburgh police have charged a city woman in connection with a shooting Saturday morning that critically injured another woman in the city’s Middle Hill neighborhood. Police arrested Lina Scott, 32, of Pittsburgh. Police said they received a ShotSpotter alert in the 2600 block of Centre Avenue around 9:45 a.m. Officers...
Trump orders strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and issues new warning
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said he ordered a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, on Saturday, promising to use “overwhelming lethal force” until Iranian-backed Houthi rebels cease their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor. “Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial...
Nice weather makes for pleasant experience at Pittsburgh’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Well over 100,000 people were expected to turn out Saturday morning for Pittsburgh’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The temperature, in the 60s — the warmest it’s been in several years — made for pleasant viewing. The city’s parade, one of the largest in the nation, started more than 150...
Lower Burrell goes green for 5th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade
This year’s Lower Burrell St. Patrick’s Day Parade had more participants, more candy and, toward the tail end, more rain than ever before. But gloomy skies didn’t keep hundreds of spectators clad in green from lining Leechburg Road for the city’s fifth annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The parade kicked...
With Trump’s zigzag actions on trade, March came in like a lion and won’t be going out like a lamb
WASHINGTON — A gobsmacked planet is wondering what’s next from President Donald Trump on the tariff spree he’s set in zigzag motion. In recent weeks, Trump has announced punishing tariffs against allies and adversaries alike, selectively paused and imposed them, doubled and then halved some, and warned late in the...
Monster storm across the U.S. sparks threat of tornadoes and fire, killing at least 17
The threat of violent tornadoes in parts of the U.S. proved deadly as well as destructive as whipping winds moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, with at least 17 people killed and scores of homes decimated. The most fatalities as of Saturday morning were in...
Pedestrian fatally struck by vehicle in East Allegheny
Pittsburgh police are investigating a fatal vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian early Saturday morning in the East Allegheny neighborhood. Police from Zone 1 were called to the scene, the intersection of East Ohio Street and East Street, at about 2 a.m. A man was found in the roadway with...
Portion of Rachel Carson Trail, amid Indiana Township watershed, nearing preservation status
When Mark Eyerman started walking on the Rachel Carson Trail through Indiana Township in the 1990s, it wasn’t uncommon to be alone in the woods. “It was at least two or three years before I saw another person on my walks,” said Eyerman, who today is the trail manager for...
Brush fire season comes in like a lion
Josh Wiegand already has had enough of Pennsylvania’s early wildfire season — and it’s only beginning. As chief of West Deer Volunteer Fire Company No. 3, he has responded to five large brush fires in just the past week, with this week’s warmup creating conditions ripe for wildfires. “There is...
Appeals court lifts blocks on Trump’s orders restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs
WASHINGTON — An appeals court Friday lifted a block on executive orders seeking to end government support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, handing the Trump administration a win after a string of setbacks defending President Donald Trump’s agenda against dozens of lawsuits. The decision from a three-judge panel allows...
Vance hopeful ‘high-level’ TikTok deal will be completed by early April
Vice President JD Vance said Friday he is hopeful a deal to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. will be wrapped up by the early April deadline. “There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, allows there to be a distinct American...
Porch roof collapse in Oakland sends revelers crashing onto people below; at least 16 hospitalized
At least 16 young adults were hospitalized after a porch roof collapsed Friday afternoon at an off-campus house in Oakland near the University of Pittsburgh, creating a chaotic scene during a St. Patrick’s Day weekend celebration. Witnesses told TribLive there were about 20 students on the roof of a porch...
Senate passes six-month funding bill hours before shutdown deadline
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a six-month spending bill Friday hours before a government shutdown, overcoming sharp Democratic opposition to the measure and sending it to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. The vote was 54-46. Democrats voiced frustration that Republicans went ahead with a measure they said...
Judge imprisons Moon man for role in distributing ‘staggering’ amount of drugs
Carrying a Marshalls shopping bag stuffed with cash, Kijana Lowe left his Moon residence on the morning of Nov. 13, 2021, according to a federal affidavit. He drove to a Motel 6 in Coraopolis, parked his rental car near the motel entrance and flashed his headlights. A male met him,...
New Kensington man accused of assaulting another man with a baseball bat
A New Kensington man remains behind bars after, police say, he beat another man with a baseball bat, sending him to the intensive care unit. Brian Douglas Mikesell, 50, was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault and a misdemeanor count of possessing an instrument of crime. Mikesell was...
Missing 63-year-old New Derry man found deceased
A New Derry man reported missing last month was found dead Friday, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. A search and rescue team found John J. Dofollo, 63, just before 11:30 a.m. in a Conemaugh River tributary in Derry Township. Carson said Dofollo’s death is not suspicious. His cause...
2 plead guilty to Arnold drive-by shooting, high-speed police chase through several A-K Valley towns
Two Pittsburgh residents pleaded guilty Friday to their role in a drive-by shooting more than two years ago in Arnold. The incident ended with a high-speed chase through part of the Alle-Kiski Valley and a collision with a police vehicle. Tishan Lowe Jr., 33 and Imani Patterson, 27, were charged...
