Top Stories category, Page 362
Trump headlines Montana rally after plane makes emergency landing
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Donald Trump traveled to Montana for a Friday night rally intended to drum up support for ousting the state’s Democratic senator, but the former president’s plane first had to divert to an airport on the other side of the Rocky Mountains because of a mechanical issue, according...
What Pennsylvania’s $47.6B budget does for the state’s rural communities
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our north-central Pa. newsletter, Talk of the Town, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. BELLEFONTE — Officials in rural Pennsylvania didn’t get everything they wanted in...
Man’s fatal 7-story leap from Renewal halfway house window prompts lawsuit
The family of a man who died last year after jumping out of a seventh-floor window at a halfway house in Downtown Pittsburgh sued the federal government and the facility on Thursday. Thomas Spencer III, 24, died on April 17, 2023. On Thursday, his father, Thomas Spencer Jr., who is...
Franklin Regional’s Spencer Lee takes wrestling silver in Paris, but to his fans he’s goldVideo
Greg Sill was heartbroken by Spencer Lee’s loss in the Olympic wrestling finals Friday, but he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of hometown pride. The assistant varsity wrestling coach at Franklin Regional High School watched in awe before 2017 graduate Lee took home a silver medal from Paris....
Hunker woman is latest to sue county over Giant Slide safety concerns at Mammoth Park
A Hunker woman, who says she was injured in February on the Giant Slide in Mammoth Park, claims in a lawsuit filed this week that the 100-foot amusement ride is unsafe. Ashley M. Coonelly says that she traveled down the slide at a high rate of speed and was unable...
Flights, county fair coincide with Westmoreland Airshow this year
Zachary Stull spent Friday morning at the auto shop, preparing his car for a 15-hour drive from Westmoreland County to Orlando, Fla. Stull, 43, of Bolivar, scheduled a trip to Disney with his wife and their 6-year-old son months ago. He realized only four days ago that the Spirit Airlines...
Barrel & Flow beer fest ‘making a real impact’ on the Black brewing experience
A few days before the Barrel & Flow festival, the event “Welcome to Pittsburgh: A Celebration of Black Culture,” presented by Crafted for Action and Velum Fermentation on the South Side, generated excitement. Day Bracey, founder of Barrel & Flow, describes the festival as both a community and a movement....
Franklin Regional grad Spencer Lee falls in Olympic gold medal match
Spencer Lee’s dream of becoming an Olympic champion fell just short Friday afternoon in the men’s freestyle 57 kg final. Japan’s Rei Higuchi, the top seed, used a takedown early in the second period to defeat Lee, 4-2. Higuchi got a second takedown late in the match when Lee tried...
Canceled Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna leave traveling fans stranded and disappointed
Melissa Turner was in Montreal waiting to board her connecting flight to Austria en route to a Taylor Swift concert when she learned it had been canceled. Swift’s three Eras Tour concerts this week in Vienna were canceled following a foiled terrorist attack, the New York Times reported — affecting...
Fire-damaged Second Avenue Commons homeless shelter on track to partly reopen in November
After a June fire displaced about 175 homeless people staying at Second Avenue Commons in Downtown Pittsburgh, officials are hopeful the five-story shelter will reopen in time for winter. The first three floors are on track to restart services in November, when winter shelters typically open to provide added indoor...
The Wellness Collective has innovative approach to connect patients with therapists
Shanon Williams was joking with her husband and business partner Chris about how “speed dating” to connect with therapists and wellness practitioners would be interesting. The founders of The Wellness Collective made the hypothetical a reality with Mental Wellness Speed Dating. In a time when mental health is at the...
Russia declares federal emergency in border region under attack from Ukrainian forces
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s Ministry for Emergencies on Friday declared the situation in the Kursk region a “federal level” emergency, four days after hundreds of Ukrainian troops poured over the border in what appeared to be Kyiv’s biggest attack on Russian soil since the war began. Meanwhile, a Russian plane-launched...
Morning roundup: Pittsburgh police raid homeless encampment; bridge closes in Forward Township
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Aug. 9: Pittsburgh police serve search warrants for encampment policy violations Police said detectives seized quantities of crack cocaine and lorazepam pills believed to be intended for sale from two tents located on Grant Street between First Avenue...
School start dates getting earlier in some districts
If it seems like the first day of school is getting earlier each year, you might not be too far off. It just depends on which district you live in. An analysis of the first day of school for students found some have inched up the start date over the...
$21.5M in upgrades proposed at Greater Latrobe high school campus
Greater Latrobe School District is mulling over a consultant’s proposal for updating aging climate control systems, lighting and other equipment at the senior high and junior high at a projected cost of $21.5 million. Siemens representatives presented the proposal at this week’s school board meeting, citing an estimated $8.2 million...
Legal challenge seeks to prevent RFK Jr. from appearing on Pennsylvania’s presidential ballot
HARRISBURG — A legal challenge filed Thursday seeks to have third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. kept off Pennsylvania’s fall ballot, an effort with ramifications for the hotly contested swing-state battle between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. The petition argues the nominating papers filed by Kennedy and...
Jeannette residents pack council chambers to support police dog program that was recently scrapped
Jeannette residents pleaded with council members Thursday to rethink a decision to end the city’s police dog program, while criticizing the move that has put two canines out of work. “We just cut eight feet out of that police unit,” resident Kathie Tanyer said. “Those dogs are invaluable.” A police...
‘Cheap fake’ video clip posted online misstates Fetterman’s pick to win Pennsylvania
During a Newsmax segment lasting more than eight minutes Wednesday, Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said a half-dozen times he thought Vice President Kamala Harris would win Pennsylvania in the general election. But Fetterman misspoke once, using the word “he” instead of “she,” in another portion of the interview on...
Kennywood, Idlewild to close Friday because of Tropical Storm Debby
Kennywood Park in West Mifflin and Idlewild Park and SoakZone will be closed Friday because of expected bad weather. Company officials cited remnants of Tropical Storm Debby moving through the area as their reason for the closure. The announcement was made via the amusement parks’ websites Thursday. All tickets for...
Westmoreland register of wills to leave office 4 months early
Westmoreland County’s Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton will leave office four months early. County officials on Thursday confirmed that Hamilton, the three-term Republican officerholder who last spring was stripped of her administrative duties, said she will resign her elected position effective Sept. 3. Hamilton previously agreed leave Dec. 31...
Tim Walz’s military record under scrutiny as Vance, GOP question his service
CINCINNATI — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s military record has come under scrutiny since he was named as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on the Democratic presidential ticket, with Republicans questioning both Walz’s characterization of his time in uniform and his departure from service. Here’s a look at Walz’s record...
Rural Ridge Tunnel closure, Brian Kelley concert could create traffic tangles in West Deer
A tunnel closure in Indiana Township and a high-profile country music concert in West Deer could create a traffic nightmare Friday. The 130-year-old Rural Ridge Tunnel on Little Deer Creek Valley Road is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. Friday for five weeks of repairs. On Friday night, former Florida...
Trump recommits to a Sept. 10 debate, lashes out at Harris during news conference
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald Trump recommitted to debating Vice President Kamala Harris after recently backing out, holding a lengthy news conference Thursday in which he taunted his new rival, boasted of his crowd on Jan. 6, 2021, and lashed out at questions about the enthusiasm her campaign has been...
Beefed up: Western Pa.’s burger scene gets bigger and bolder
Look out Pittsburgh — restaurant burgers are getting bigger and more creative. The classic burger that once graced most menus has evolved into beefy specialty creations at most eateries. “Gone are the days of your traditional burger,” said Cicero’s Bar & Grill co-owner Olivia Rapone. “They’re not as simple anymore.”...
Records show Trump rally gunman Thomas Crooks practiced dozens of times at Clairton rifle rangeVideo
New details surrounding the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump in Butler last month were released Thursday, as a Capitol Hill lawmaker shared documents showing the gunman made dozens of visits to a local gun range and police released body camera footage of the moment an officer spotted the...
