Top Stories category, Page 361
Plum holds solemn vigil for those lost in house explosion a year ago
At 10:23 a.m. Monday, Plum paused to remember those who died in a house explosion in the borough’s Rustic Ridge neighborhood exactly one year ago. Church bells at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church were among those that began chiming at the precise moment Paul and Heather Oravitz’s home exploded...
Donald Trump is returning to X for a live interview with Elon Musk
Donald Trump is returning — at least for one night — to do a live interview Monday on X, the platform from which he was banned for nearly two years following the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol. Trump and Elon Musk, X’s owner, are slated to have...
Deer and drought kill Schwirian Farm Sunflower Festival
Days before the popular Schwirian Farm Sunflower Festival was set to begin, deer ate about a half-million sunflower blossoms at the farm, which gave organizers no choice but to cancel. Leslee Schwirian, who owns the Forward Township farm alongside her husband, Jay, said there were only about 10 flowers left...
North Huntingdon woman charged with providing alcohol, corruption of minors
While investigating a fatal dirt bike crash in North Huntingdon, police said they learned that a township woman had regularly been hosting drinking parties for teenagers in the community, according to court papers. On Friday, they arrested Kimberly Strashensky, 53, on charges of child endangerment, corruption of minors and providing...
Morning Roundup: Burning ban issued in North Franklin; 3 injured in North Versailles crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Aug. 12: Burning ban issued in North Franklin A temporary ban on burning has been enacted in a Washington County township as dry weather is expected to continue this week. Trib news partner WTAE reported that North Franklin...
Top Ukrainian commander says his forces now control almost 390 square miles of Russia’s Kursk region
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s top military commander says his forces now control 386 square miles of Russia’s neighboring Kursk region, the first time a Ukrainian military official has publicly commented on the gains of the lightning incursion that has embarrassed the Kremlin. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi made the statement in a...
State funding to boost Main Streets could assist local communities
Only $20 million is up for grabs statewide for small cities and boroughs looking to improve their downtowns, but local officials say they’re optimistic the money could head their way. The money is designated for a new Main Street Matters program that aims to foster economic growth and development for...
A father who can’t forgive, a shooter who can’t forget
George Nicholas still insists he acted in self-defense nearly 35 years ago when he shot and paralyzed the stranger in the middle of the night. It was Nov. 30, 1989, and Nicholas thought a man he’d argued with over a traffic dispute was attacking him with a shotgun in Pittsburgh’s...
Biden says he dropped out because of risk he would be ‘distraction’Video
President Joe Biden said he ended his reelection bid after hearing from congressional Democrats that he’d hurt their down-ballot chances in November, providing his fullest explanation yet of his decision to drop out. Biden name-checked former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a CBS News interview that hinted at the intra-party...
Debby’s aftermath leaves thousands in the dark; threatens more flooding in the CarolinasVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The weather system previously known as Hurricane Debby was not quite done with parts of the U.S. Sunday as flood warnings remained in effect in North Carolina and thousands were without power in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. After hitting Florida as a hurricane Aug. 5, the storm...
House explosion in Maryland kills 2, damages nearby homes
BEL AIR, Md. — Two people were killed and 12 families displaced after a Maryland house exploded Sunday amid reports of a possible gas leak, fire officials said. Neighbors described feeling and hearing the early morning blast that damaged a number of surrounding houses in Bel Air, a town about...
Police investigate fatal single vehicle crash in Wilkinsburg
Allegheny County Police are investigating a fatal vehicle crash on Sunday morning in Wilkinsburg. The crash happened in the intersection of Swissvale and Wallace avenues, and police were called at 7:24 a.m. Two unidentified juvenile males were in the vehicle. Police said the driver was found dead in the vehicle,...
Grandma’s cookie jars: Nostalgic trend making a sweet comeback
Lifting the lid and reaching in to sneak a cookie from a cookie jar is a childhood memory for many. There was nothing better than grabbing one — or more — of the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies we knew were just waiting for us inside that ceramic, porcelain or...
Pa. voters along Lincoln Highway see little impact of reshaped presidential race
Nicholas Peiffer isn’t sure he will vote in November. Along with his mother, Peiffer, 21, owns a small skateboard shop in downtown Chambersburg, just across the street from the Franklin County Courthouse. “I know things aren’t great right now, but I’ve never been very political. Since I turned 18, my...
Will Israeli-Palestinian conflict protests, encampments resurface when college resumes?
Alon Leshem, a rising senior at the University of Pittsburgh, is energized to finish his computer science degree and to take secondary field of study courses involving Israel and Palestine. But, like other Jewish students at Pitt and elsewhere, his enthusiasm is tempered by knowing fall could bring renewed pro-Palestinian...
Still no answers: 1 year later, Plum community still awaits a cause for fatal Rustic Ridge house explosion
...
Plum community to observe Rustic Ridge anniversary 1 year later with no answers
As a Plum community pauses to remember those who died in a fatal house explosion a year ago, questions about the cause remain unresolved, and a mayor is demanding answers. Six residents of the Rustic Ridge neighborhood died as a result of the massive Aug. 12 explosion, which sent shock...
Country star surprises Harrison girl who raised funds for police dog — buys the K-9 for Tarentum himself
Two songs into a concert Friday night to raise money so Tarentum could acquire a police dog, country music star Brian Kelley summoned to the stage the young girl from Harrison who had spearheaded the benefit. That’s when things really got interesting. After all, Kaley Bastine, 12, her parents and...
Court ruling could lead to Jordan Chiles losing her bronze medal
PARIS — Romania’s Ana Barbosu could replace American Jordan Chiles as the Olympic bronze medalist in gymnastics floor exercise after the Court of Arbitration for Sport voided an appeal from Chiles’ coach that vaulted her onto the podium. CAS ruled Saturday that the on-floor appeal by U.S. coach Cecile Landi...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 3rd-party candidates face ballot challenges in Pennsylvania
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 — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his running mate, and at least nine third-party candidates are facing challenges that could see them kicked off of...
Debby finally moves out of the U.S., though risk from flooded rivers remains
Debby finally moved out of the U.S. on Saturday after the storm spent the better part of week unleashing tornadoes and flooding, damaging homes and taking lives as it moved up the East Coast after first arriving in Florida as a hurricane. Debby’s last day over the U.S. before blowing...
Man fatally shot in Pittsburgh’s Homewood
Pittsburgh police are investigating a homicide that occurred early Saturday in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. Following a two-round ShotSpotter alert, city police were dispatched just after 3:30 a.m. to the 7400 block of Idlewild Street. A man who had been shot in the head was found dead on the sidewalk...
Unity family’s ATV use on farm pits them against neighbors
A Unity family who wants an ordinance changed so they can ride all-terrain vehicles, quads and dirt bikes on trails on a farm are opposed by the residents of the Cambridge Point housing development near the property. Township supervisors will be tasked with deciding whether to change the municipality’s ordinance...
Arthur Smith’s offense, Justin Fields sputter in preseason debut with Steelers
As far as debuts go, this one was deserving of a mulligan for Arthur Smith, Justin Fields and the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. With Smith calling the plays for the first time as offensive coordinator and Fields starting at quarterback, the Steelers sputtered for much of the first half in a...
Former Florida Georgia Line singer’s gig boosts Tarentum police K-9 fund
Many people who attended a benefit concert in West Deer said they had no issue with travel or parking despite a nearby tunnel closure. The 130-year-old Rural Ridge Tunnel on Little Deer Creek Valley Road in Indiana Township closed Friday, the same day former Florida Georgia Line frontman Brian Kelley...
