Top Stories category, Page 339
Police are questioning Florida voters about signing an abortion rights ballot petition
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State police are showing up at Florida voters’ homes to question them about signing a petition to get an abortion rights amendment on the ballot in November, and a state health care agency has launched a website targeting the ballot initiative with politically charged language. Critics say...
North Huntingdon man who drove school buses accused of sharing nude pics with teen
A North Huntingdon man who worked as a bus driver and was a police chaplain is accused of exchanging nude photos with a student he drove to school in an effort to groom the 17-year-old Duquesne boy, police said. Michael F. Singer, 57, told police he shared sexually explicit photos...
Most students in a Georgia district return to class nearly a week after a school shootingVideo
WINDER, Ga. — Many students in Georgia’s Barrow County headed back to class Tuesday, six days after a shooting killed two teachers and two students at the school district’s Apalachee High School northeast of Atlanta. No return date has been set for the 1,900 students at that high school, but...
Drug case will proceed against Murrysville vape shop owners
Owners of a Murrysville vape shop whom authorities said were selling illegal substances out of the business will have criminal charges proceed in Westmoreland County court, a district judge found Tuesday. Jeffrey R. Higgins, 41, of Murrysville and Eric J. Parco, 46, of Plum — owners of PA Vapor &...
Girl critically wounded in Duquesne shooting
A 13-year-old girl was critically wounded after a shooting Tuesday afternoon in Duquesne, according to Allegheny County police. Officers were dispatched around 3:40 p.m. Tuesday to the 20 block of South 7th Street where they found a teen with a gunshot wound. She was taken to a hospital in critical...
Americans’ inflation-adjusted incomes rebounded to pre-pandemic levels last year
WASHINGTON — The inflation-adjusted median income of U.S. households rebounded last year to roughly its 2019 level, overcoming the biggest price spike in four decades to restore most Americans’ purchasing power. The proportion of Americans living in poverty also fell slightly last year, to 11.1%, from 11.5% in 2022. But...
2 transgender New Hampshire girls can play on girls sports teams during lawsuit, a judge rules
CONCORD, N.H. — Two transgender girls can try out for and play on girls school sports teams while the teens challenge a New Hampshire ban, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. The families of Parker Tirrell, 15, and Iris Turmelle, 14, sued in August seeking to overturn the Fairness in Women’s...
Maryland Supreme Court hears arguments on child sex abuse lawsuits
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Supreme Court of Maryland heard arguments Tuesday about the constitutionality of a 2023 law that ended the state’s statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits following a report that exposed widespread wrongdoing within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The arguments, which lasted several hours and often...
Husband, wife plead guilty to acts that disrupted transgender rights program at Pitt
A husband and wife accused of setting off smoke bombs and throwing an explosive firework at a group of police officers at a transgender rights protest at the University of Pittsburgh last year pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court. Brian and Krystal DiPippa pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge...
Abortion-rights measure will be on Missouri’s November ballot, court rules
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A measure undoing Missouri’s near-total abortion ban will appear on the ballot in November, the state’s high court ruled Tuesday, marking the latest victory in a nationwide fight to have voters weigh in on abortion laws since federal rights to the procedure ended in 2022. If...
Ex-McKeesport detective charged with stealing $1 million from police union
A former McKeesport police officer who served as financial officer for his police union is accused of stealing more than $1 million from the lodge’s bank accounts over five years. Joseph Osinski, 55, is charged by the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office with multiple counts of theft, theft by deception, access...
Pittsburgh councilman urges closure of South Side bar after fight injures sergeant
A Pittsburgh city councilman called for closure of a South Side bar after a fight over the weekend left a police sergeant with a gruesome leg injury. Oddballs on the 1500 block of East Carson Street became the scene of a melee early Saturday morning, leaving Pittsburgh Sgt. Andrew Robinson,...
Pittsburgh council rejects proposal for animal shelter study
Pittsburgh City Council rejected a proposal on Tuesday for a feasibility study on creating a city-run animal shelter In an unusually divisive move, council members split five to four on a final vote on legislation that would’ve paid nearly $50,000 to Arlington, Texas-based Shelter Planners of America to determine whether...
Officers commended for finding Leechburg man’s wedding ring after fatal crash
When Scottie Joe Hawkins’ wedding ring flew off his hand during the motorcycle crash that killed him in June, his wife feared she’d never see it again. But, thanks to a pair of Allegheny Township police officers, Kourtney Hawkins has the symbol of her wedding commitment again. Scottie Joe Hawkins,...
Pittsburgh council approves automated red light cameras
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously authorized the use of automated red light enforcement, technology touted by officials and activists as a way to make the city’s streets safer. Council’s vote allows the city to install cameras at high-risk intersections to ticket drivers who run red lights. The technology will...
Who could be considered for Pitt’s athletic director opening and what challenges are they facing?
Pitt Chancellor Joan T.A. Gabel will face challenges on several fronts while seeking to fill the school’s vacancy at athletic director. Two are largely financial and one is more basic, but just as difficult to navigate: finding the right person. On the money side: • The $250 million Victory Heights...
Outgoing State System chancellor tapped by firm for national role
State System of Higher Education Chancellor Daniel Greenstein will join the consulting firm Baker Tilly and its higher education advisory practice. Greenstein, 64, will lead initiatives that deal with fast-evolving needs of higher education institutions, “prioritizing improved student outcomes and long-term institutional sustainability by optimizing operations, aligning academic portfolios with...
Francine becomes a hurricane as Louisiana residents brace for expected Wednesday landfallVideo
BATON ROUGE, La. — Francine became a hurricane Tuesday evening as it barreled toward south Louisiana, strengthening over extremely warm Gulf waters as those in possible harm’s way rushed to complete storm preparations, filling sandbags, buying gas and stocking up on necessities for an expected landfall in the coming day....
AP-NORC/USAFacts poll: Republicans are more likely to trust Trump than official election results
CHICAGO — For Christopher Pugh, the 2020 election was a turning point. He already distrusted the government. But as he watched Fox News coverage in the immediate aftermath of the election and read posts on Twitter, the social media platform now known as X, that distrust grew. He now believes...
Harris-Trump debate becomes the 2024 election’s latest landmark event
WASHINGTON — Kamala Harris and Donald Trump will meet for the first time face-to-face Tuesday night for perhaps their only debate, a high-pressure opportunity to showcase their starkly different visions for the country after a tumultuous campaign summer. The event, at 9 p.m. Eastern in Philadelphia, will offer Americans their...
Former district judge accused of DUI
Here are some of the latest news items for Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024: Former district judge accused of DUI A former district judge who resigned from the position earlier this year after allegations of misconduct with teenage boys is now facing DUI charges. Online court records show Anthony Saveikis, 57,...
Vaccines for flu, covid available as wastewater tests show high levels of virus
Updated vaccines for the flu and covid are available, and a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease physician is encouraging the use of an over-the-counter at-home test that can differentiate between the two viruses. A nasal swab with the at-home test can help those who are ill know what virus they have as...
Allegheny Valley Hospital workers approve new contract; West Penn Hospital workers to vote Wednesday
Late contract negotiations seem to have paid off at Allegheny Valley and West Penn hospitals. Statements from SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania say new contracts either are approved or pending at both hospitals after talks over the past few days. A new contract approved Monday by employees of Allegheny Valley Hospital in...
Israeli strike on a Gaza humanitarian zone tent camp kills at least 19 people, Palestinians say
JERUSALEM — An Israeli strike on a crowded tent camp housing Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza killed at least 19 people and wounded 60 early on Tuesday, Palestinian officials said. Israel said it targeted senior Hamas militants with precise munitions. The overnight strike hit Muwasi, a sprawl of...
Man stabbed, construction crew shot at in argument over parking in Turtle Creek, police say
A man was stabbed and a construction crew was shot at Monday afternoon in a Turtle Creek neighborhood after what authorities said was a fight over parking on the street. The man who was stabbed was in stable condition at a Pittsburgh-area hospital. He was stabbed near his home in...
