Top Stories category, Page 3
5 things to know about the Pittsburgh budget, tax hike approved by City Council
Pittsburgh City Council on Sunday approved a 2026 budget with a 20% property tax increase, the first tax hike the city has implemented in more than a decade. Council members and Pittsburgh residents were starkly divided over the tax increase. No tax hike was included in Mayor Ed Gainey’s initial...
Judge orders New Kensington Elks Lodge to remain closed after fatal shooting
The New Kensington Elks Lodge will remain closed until at least February, a Westmoreland County judge ruled Monday. The club was temporarily shuttered last week in accordance with a preliminary injunction issued by Common Pleas Judge Chris Scherer. The injunction stems from nuisance-bar claims raised in a court filing by...
Expanding broadband in rural Pa. was complicated by rule changes and uncertainty in 2025
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 — It’s been a year of sweeping and controversial changes for a huge federal broadband initiative. The $42.45...
Sidney Crosby surpasses Mario Lemieux as Penguins’ all-time leading scorer
Sidney Crosby became the Pittsburgh Penguins’ all-time leader in career points Sunday, surpassing the iconic Mario Lemieux. Crosby recorded his 1,724th point (645 goals, 1,079 assists) with a secondary assist on a power-play goal by forward Rickard Rakell at 12:40 of the first period during a contest against the Montreal...
Former Mary’s Vine wine lounge hits the market for $5.3 million in Rankin
A former family-owned and -operated upscale wine lounge and restaurant is for sale in Rankin. Mary’s Vine closed in October. A Facebook post last week announced that the business, housed in a former Catholic church, is on the market for $5.3 million. Listing agent Jim Jarrett of Berkshire Hathaway Home...
Pitt staff union members to get 2.5% wage increase
University of Pittsburgh staff represented by the United Steelworkers will receive 2.5% salary increases, retroactive to Aug. 1, starting with their paychecks in mid-January. That was the agreement reached between Pitt and the union last week. University spokesman Chuck Finder directed a reporter to Pitt’s staff unionization information website for...
Steelers vs. Lions: What they’re saying in Detroit after loss
The Pittsburgh Steelers eked out a win Sunday against the Detroit Lions in a wild fashion that capped a chaotic game in the Motor City. The Steelers held the lead most of the game, but when it looked like they might sail to an easy win, the Lions roared back...
International priests fill vital roles in keeping Diocese of Greensburg operating
After more than a decade of educating aspiring Catholic priests in his native Philippines, the Rev. Jay Jacinto was ready for a change. Jacinto, 48, was ordained in 2005. He worked in the Philippines for 17 years before volunteering to serve abroad in 2022. A year later, the bishop of...
Police: Mt. Pleasant man jailed after assaulting staff, vandalizing Harmon House
A Mt. Pleasant Borough man was behind bars after police said he broke into a nursing facility Sunday evening and assaulted a staff member, according to court papers. Borough police said Daniel S. Sebulsky, 41, urinated and defecated in Harmon House Health & Rehab Center before fleeing to Independence Health...
Blawnox Apartments resident accused of pulling gun on employees performing welfare check
A man living in the Blawnox Apartments is behind bars after being accused of pulling a gun on two Allegheny County Housing Authority employees who were performing a welfare check. Mark Wayne McDaniel, 64, faces two aggravated assault charges stemming from the incident that brought a large police presence from...
Iconic Terrible Towel has been waving for 50 yearsVideo
The Terrible Towel has lasted so long — 50 years this month — that you might think it was made of steel. There are few places, if any, where a simple piece of cloth has carried such weight. The gold towel first unfurled at Three Rivers Stadium on Dec. 27,...
Trump’s appointment of envoy to Greenland sparks new tension with Denmark
The leaders of Denmark and Greenland insisted Monday that the United States won’t take over Greenland and demanded respect for their territorial integrity after President Donald Trump announced the appointment of a special envoy to the semi-autonomous territory. Trump’s announcement on Sunday that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry would be the...
Search to continue Monday in Manor Township for missing man believed to be in danger
Search and rescue crews in Armstrong County continued their efforts Sunday to find Cory Dominic Cook, a 31-year-old Avonmore man last seen Thursday and said to be suffering from paranoid delusions and hallucinations. The search, suspended on Sunday at sunset, will continue Monday morning. Authorities began the search on Saturday,...
Coast Guard pursuing another tanker helping Venezuela skirt sanctions, U.S. official saysVideo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as the Trump administration appeared to be intensifying its targeting of such vessels connected to the Venezuelan government. The pursuit of the tanker, which was confirmed by a U.S....
Feats of Strength: Steelers’ dynamic RBs, goal-line stands earn a wild win in Detroit
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers talked about “belief” after the Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins on “Monday Night Football” to improve to 8-6 on the year. It’s a heckuvalot easier to believe in this team now. On Sunday, they beat the Detroit Lions on the road 29-24. That’s a team...
Steelers receiver DK Metcalf involved in altercation with fan during win at LionsVideo
DETROIT — Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf appeared to extend his arm harshly in a punch-like manner toward the face of a fan he was speaking to during the first half of Sunday’s game at the Detroit Lions. As shown on a replay during the CBS broadcast of the...
1 person hurt, fire station damaged in crash on Freeport Road in Harrison
At least one person was injured in a two-vehicle crash on Freeport Road in Harrison Sunday afternoon. The crash at 5300 Freeport Road, at the Harrison Hills fire station, was reported around 3:30 p.m. The location is about midway between Highlands Mall and the Route 908 intersection. According to Harrison...
Pittsburgh City Council approves 2026 budget with 20% property tax increase
Pittsburgh City Council voted Sunday to raise property taxes by 20%, down from an earlier proposal for a 30% tax hike. Council supported the 20% tax hike — the first increase in more than a decade — in a 6-2 vote after hours of deliberation Sunday. “I do feel this...
Steelers beat Lions with 4th-and-goal stand as time expires
DETROIT — When Kenny Gainwell caught a 45-yard pass with 2 seconds left in the first half Sunday, it gave the Steelers an improbable touchdown against the Detroit Lions. It turned out, however, to be the second-most unusual finish to a half in the Steelers’ visit to Ford Field. The...
Top Trump administration official defends partial release of Epstein files as Democrats cry foulVideo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Justice Department’s decision to release just a fraction of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the congressionally mandated deadline as necessary to protect survivors of sexual abuse by the disgraced financier. Blanche pledged that the Trump administration...
Editorial: VA staffing cuts test a promise to vets
Our veterans are not just people who performed military service. Veterans are the front line of promises that should be kept and what happens when promises are broken. They are our neighbors and family. They are teachers and police officers, doctors and elected officials. They are the aging, the sick,...
Diocese of Greensburg ‘on the cusp’ of revival going into 75th anniversary, bishop says
When the Rev. Alexander Pleban looks back on his nearly 60-year career as a priest, one feeling in particular stands out among the flood of emotions. “I feel very, very blessed that my priesthood was during the golden age of the diocese,” said Pleban, 95. He’s talking about the 1970s...
Sidney Crosby ties Mario Lemieux for Penguins’ all-time lead in scoring
Forward Sidney Crosby tied Mario Lemieux for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ all-time lead in scoring on Sunday during a home contest against the Montreal Canadiens. Crosby scored a goal at 7:58 of the first period to record his 1,723rd career point. It took Crosby 1,387 games to tie the mark. Lemieux...
Steelers vs. Lions: Get ready for 2025 Week 16 matchup
As the regular season nears its conclusion, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to play meaningful football. They will try to maintain their place atop the AFC North when they visit the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS, with Jim Nantz...
Top 25 TribLive photos from 2025
From Marc Fogel to the U.S. Open, 2025 marked a year when local stories carried national and global significance. The eyes of the world were on Western Pennsylvania, as Fogel, a teacher from Oakmont, was released from a Russian prison after being wrongfully detained for three years. The sports world...
