Top Stories category, Page 318
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...
Financier’s $4M gift helps Duquesne University create new nursing simulation lab
A nearly $4 million gift will enable Duquesne University to open a second nursing simulation lab on its campus, which also enrolled its inaugural class in osteopathic medicine this fall. The Joanne Barkett Conway Simulation Center is scheduled to open in 2026 on the sixth floor of Fisher Hall, university...
5 things we learned vs. Cowboys: Blown 4th-quarter lead flipped script on SteelersVideo
Five things we learned from Cowboys 20, Steelers 17: 1. Flip the script For better or worse, there is some intentionality to the construction and mindset of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are built with a formula in mind of keeping games close and then winning them late. And for whatever...
Cornel West argues to be placed on Pennsylvania’s presidential ballot
Cornel West, the provocative, left-wing scholar, appeared via video in a federal courtroom in Pittsburgh on Monday seeking to have his name added to the Nov. 5 presidential ballot. West filed a complaint last month alleging discrimination against the Pennsylvania Department of State for blocking him from appearing on the...
Allegheny County launches new respiratory virus dashboard
The Allegheny County Health Department on Monday announced a new respiratory virus dashboard where people can find data on covid-19, influenza and RSV. The new tool replaces the county’s prior covid-19 infections dashboard. The interactive platform includes data on reported infections, emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths related to the...
Mark Madden: Justin Fields, Steelers’ offense are just not good enough
The Steelers are going nowhere. Their offense isn’t good. Their quarterback isn’t good. Their defense is very good but can’t always overcome the offense’s shortcomings. Sunday night’s 20-17 home loss to Dallas proved all of the above. The Steelers won the turnover battle, 3-0. (The fumble the Steelers lost trying...
‘This isn’t the worst thing’: Western Pa. students, teachers adapt to cellphone restrictions
When Plum Senior High School announced in August it would require students to turn in their cellphones at the start of each class, Dhruv Thakkar could not have been more opposed to the change. “Me and my friends immediately jumped to the fact that our senior year was going to...
Hurricane Milton is a Category 5. Florida orders evacuations and scrambles to clear Helene’s debrisVideo
BELLEAIR BEACH, Fla. — Florida’s storm-battered Gulf Coast raced against a Category 5 hurricane Monday as workers sprinted to pick up heaps of appliances and other street debris left over from Helene two weeks ago and highways were clogged with people fleeing ahead of the storm. The center of Hurricane...
No arrests 1 year after deadly shooting at party near IUP campus
State police remain tight-lipped a year later as they continue to investigate a deadly shooting at a community center in Indiana County that killed one person, injured eight and sent more than 150 partygoers fleeing into the night to escape the gunfire. No arrests have been made, Trooper Cliff Greenfield...
Steelers vs. Cowboys: What they’re saying in Dallas after win
What’s heartbreak in Pittsburgh is a thriller in Dallas after Sunday night’s Steelers game against the Cowboys. After allowing a fourth-down touchdown pass with 20 seconds left in the game early Monday morning, the Black and Gold lost to the Cowboys, 20-17, at Acrisure Stadium. The loss came on a...
Morning Roundup: Storms leave minimal damage; 1 injured in turnpike crash in Marshall
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Oct. 7: Thunderstorms leave minimal damage in Western Pa. The severe thunderstorms that rolled through Western Pennsylvania on Sunday night led to just a few road closures and damages Monday morning. Just after midnight, Shaler Police reported Babcock...
Airing of Grievances: Another rotten offensive start and leaks on defense result in Steelers’ loss to CowboysVideo
While meeting with the media last week, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith borrowed Napoleon Bonaparte’s “Take Vienna” quote to illustrate the concept of coaching conviction and carrying out marching orders. Based on how Smith’s offense performed in the first half of Sunday night’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys (3-2),...
‘I’ve never prayed as much’: The world changed on Oct. 7, and so did Rona Kaufman
When Hamas militants blitzed Israel one year ago today, Rona Kaufman immediately feared for her daughter, Naomi Kitchen. Kitchen had traded Pittsburgh for Israel in 2021. Now, as a 21-year-old soldier in Israel’s military, she was 6,000 miles from home, helping repel an armed incursion against a base in the...
‘41,000 Ahmeds’: Gaza’s death toll ripples through the Pittsburgh region
One June morning, near 4 a.m. Pittsburgh time, Ahmed Arafat got a text from his sister in Palestine’s Gaza Strip. It was 11 a.m. there. Israeli tanks were approaching Nuseirat, a refugee camp near where her family was sheltered. “I’m going to die,” she texted Arafat. “Please take care of...
Snoop Dogg draws attention as guest at Steelers-Cowboys gameVideo
Rapper Snoop Dogg has never been shy about his affinity for the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Sunday, he certainly didn’t keep a low profile while in attendance at Acrisure Stadium. Snoop was seemingly everywhere throughout the early evening Sunday up to the originally scheduled start time of a game against the...
