Top Stories category, Page 317
Carnegie Mellon among 40 private universities named in federal price-fixing lawsuit
Forty of the nation’s leading private colleges and universities, including Carnegie Mellon University, are accused in a federal class-action lawsuit of conspiring with the College Board to, in effect, overcharge students. The suit was filed Monday in Chicago before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The...
Upper St. Clair mom wins battle for names of cops who fatally shot her son
For months, Susan Shepherd fought to learn the names of the police officers who fatally shot her mentally ill son in Upper St. Clair so she could sue them. But Baldwin Borough, Bethel Park and Brentwood refused to tell her who pulled the trigger on Jan. 7 when members of...
Bob Woodward book reveals Trump’s calls with Putin and Biden’s private remarks on Obama, Netanyahu
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has had as many as seven private phone calls with Vladimir Putin since leaving office and secretly sent the Russian president covid-19 test machines during the height of the pandemic, Bob Woodward reported in his new book, “War.” The revelations were made in the famed Watergate...
Innamorato proposes 46.5% Allegheny County property tax hike
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato proposed a 46.5% property tax hike Tuesday evening to help address a growing budget deficit. Innamorato included the 2.2-mill increase in her $3.1 billion budget proposal for 2025. It would be the county’s first property tax hike since 2011 and the largest one in recent...
Tim Benz: If Kyle Dubas keeps talking about the ‘standard’ for the Penguins, Mike Tomlin may start asking questions
During his season-opening press conference, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas spoke openly about spending much of his first 16 months on the job learning about the city of Pittsburgh and his team’s fanbase. “After being here for a year, there are people who have lived here for their whole lives....
Jeannette police officer charged with falsifying traffic stop reports
A Jeannette police officer is facing 18 misdemeanor charges because, investigators say, he was falsifying reports related to traffic stops, according to court papers. Matthew S. Painter, 40, of Penn Township was charged Tuesday with tampering with records. He is on paid administrative leave, according to city Manager Ethan Keedy....
Pittsburgh councilman pitches selling Municipal Courts Building to Allegheny County for $9M
A Pittsburgh councilman wants to sell the Municipal Courts Building to Allegheny County for $9 million to save the city the costs of upkeep and utilities at the Downtown facility. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, introduced legislation Tuesday that would instruct the city to scrap its existing lease agreement with the...
No charges yet in crash that killed 11-year-old Roxanne Bonnoni in Natrona
Seven weeks after 11-year-old Roxanne Bonnoni was struck and killed by a vehicle near her North Canal Street home in Harrison, there is no word on whether the driver of that vehicle will face charges. Allegheny County Police, who led the investigation into the incident, said their report and evidence...
Pa. Supreme Court hears challenge to life without parole in Pittsburgh felony murder case
Nearly 200 spectators packed a Pittsburgh courtroom Tuesday as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court heard arguments on whether the mandatory sentence of life without parole for second-degree murder violates the state constitution. The punishment, often called death by incarceration by opponents, applies to nearly 1,100 people in Pennsylvania currently serving time...
Retired Marine general and GOP ex-congressman visit Pittsburgh to support Harris and warn against Trump
A retired Marine three-star general and a Republican ex-congressman from Connecticut visited Pittsburgh Tuesday to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris and portray her rival, Donald Trump, as a threat to the U.S. Constitution. Retired Lt. Gen. Richard L. Kelly, a Pittsburgh native and Penn State University graduate, and former...
Spacefaring tree takes root at Pittsburgh’s Riverview Park
A tree grown from a seed that orbited the moon is taking root in Pittsburgh. Allegheny Observatory and Riverview Park were chosen to be the caretakers of a Moon Tree, according to Kerry Handron, special events and outreach coordinator at the observatory. The small sweetgum tree was delivered this summer...
Supreme Court seems open to upholding regulations on ghost guns, hard to trace weapons used in crimeVideo
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to uphold a Biden administration regulation on ghost guns, the difficult-to-trace weapons found in increasing numbers at crime scenes. In arguments that ranged from classic cars to Western omelets, key conservative justices seemed open to the government’s argument that kits allowing people...
Fearful residents flee Tampa Bay region as Hurricane Milton takes aim at Florida coastVideo
TAMPA, Fla. — Fearful Florida residents streamed out of the Tampa Bay region Tuesday ahead of what could be a once-in-a-century direct hit from Hurricane Milton, as crews worked furiously to prevent furniture, appliances and other waterlogged wreckage from the last big storm from becoming deadly projectiles in this one....
Roundup: Man arrested outside Kennywood after fight with police; $1M lottery ticket in Findlay
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 8: Man arrested outside Kennywood amid fight with police A 25-year-old man was arrested by Allegheny County Police in connection to a fight over the weekend outside of Kennywood Park. Jabari Ata Wilson Jr., who in court...
Rosters, opportunities grow with school sports co-ops
Jocelyn Spinelli was the only girl from St. Joseph High School in Harrison who ran cross country last year. Each meet, the 15-year-old would wear a soccer uniform loaned to her by the school and run as an independent. Her father was her coach. The school doesn’t have an official...
Greensburg bishop calls Irwin pastor’s actions ‘an egregious failure’
An Irwin-area Catholic priest who resigned amid questions about how the parishes he led hired a man who had a criminal record has returned to ministry, Greensburg Catholic Bishop Larry J. Kulick said. But the Rev. John Moineau will be moving from his former post at Irwin’s Immaculate Conception and...
‘Unity we all need’: Jews, allies commemorate 1-year mark of Hamas attacks
Michal Alon’s voice shook just once Monday evening as she described how she found herself, a year ago, in a military base with a terrorist. The nurse and mother was tending to a wounded Israeli watchtower guard in Zikim, a base that sits about a half-mile from Israel’s border with...
Trump says migrants who have committed murder have introduced ‘a lot of bad genes in our country’
NEW YORK — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday suggested that migrants who are in the U.S. and have committed murder did so because “it’s in their genes.” There are, he added, “a lot of bad genes in our country right now.” It’s the latest example of Trump alleging...
Pitt offloads sprawling but underused Harmar research park for $5 million
Even as it plans for growth, the University of Pittsburgh has reduced its footprint by 85 acres through the sale of a sprawling but underused research park in Harmar. The $5 million transaction of Pittsburgh Applied Research Center (U-PARC) in Harmar was completed Sept. 24, said Pitt spokesman Jared Stonesifer....
Private school vouchers opposed by more than half of Pa. voters, poll shows
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. HARRISBURG — Most Pennsylvania voters don’t support using taxpayer dollars to create a private school voucher program, a new Spotlight PA poll shows, an idea...
Attempted murder charge dropped as part of Penn Hills woman’s plea in East Huntingdon fight
A Penn Hills woman was ordered Monday to serve up to seven years in prison for her role in an 2022 incident at an East Huntingdon home that left one man injured. Kristen Marie Kruel, 28, pleaded guilty to lesser charges of theft, receiving stolen property and tampering with evidence...
Ligonier supervisor’s lawsuit claims he was targeted over calls for police department reform
A Ligonier Township supervisor contends he was targeted for retribution by local police over his efforts to reform the department. Supervisor Erik Ross, in a lawsuit filed this month against the Ligonier Valley Police Department and three officers, claimed they misused the criminal justice system in an effort to discredit...
Mega Millions tickets will climb to $5, but officials promise bigger prizes and better odds
DES MOINES, Iowa — The cost of buying a Mega Millions jackpot dream will soon more than double, but lottery officials said they’re confident players won’t mind paying more after changes that will lead to larger prizes and more frequent winners. Lottery officials announced Monday that it will cost $5...
Georgia Supreme Court restores near-ban on abortions while state appealsVideo
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Georgia Supreme Court on Monday halted a ruling striking down the state’s near-ban on abortions while it considers the state’s appeal. The high court’s order came a week after a judge found that Georgia unconstitutionally prohibits abortions beyond about six weeks of pregnancy, often before women...
Pagans member among 4 arrested in New Kensington drug bust, police say
Four people face charges after state, county and local police investigated what they say was a drug dealing ring in New Kensington involving a member of the Pagans motorcycle gang. The investigation on Friday targeted Bill Robert Rana, 44, who police say was staying in an apartment at Valley Royal...
