Top Stories category, Page 370
Shapiro was set to endorse Harris for president in 2019. Will she want him on her ticket now?
When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president last week, it wasn’t the first time. A little-known political fact of Harris’s first run for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 campaign cycle is that then-Pennsylvania Attorney General Shapiro offered his endorsement of Harris’s first presidential bid...
Global program pushes male athletes to talk about dating abuse, sexual violence
Ryan Reitz is used to having difficult conversations. For the past seven years, Reitz has facilitated the Coaching Boys Into Men program with male athletes in locker rooms across Westmoreland County — diving into topics such as consent, respect and dating violence. Sometimes, encouraging athletes to participate in the conversations...
Amazon’s New Stanton facility could provide economic boost, challenge for small businesses, officials say
Amazon’s efforts to attract 600 workers for its new warehouse in New Stanton is like a double-edged sword for Westmoreland’s economy — great for job creation but potentially tough on small businesses that must compete for talent with the multibillion-dollar behemoth. “It’s great that they have selected New Stanton,” but...
West Leechburg residents set to take assessment complaints to county courthouse
West Leechburg residents are preparing to take their complaints about property assessments directly to Westmoreland County commissioners. After months, and in some cases years, of complaints about what residents say is an unfair property tax system, frustrations peaked this spring when Leechburg Area School District property taxes increased 10.4% in...
Oakmont, Verona chase suspect still at large after ditching gun, police say
A Penn Hills man who twice evaded police in Oakmont and Verona Tuesday remains at large. Oakmont and Verona police filed separate charges against Damian Baverso, 18, and issued separate warrants for his arrest. The chase in Oakmont began when officers tried to arrest Baverso near the Rite Aid on...
2 teens hospitalized after shooting in West Mifflin
Two teens were hospitalized Monday evening after being shot in West Mifflin, according to Allegheny County Police. Officers were dispatched at around 5:45 p.m. for a shooting Mon View Heights along Midway Drive. First responders found two teens with gunshot wounds, police said. One was taken to a hospital in...
N.C. Gov. Cooper opts out of Harris VP vetting, in part over worry about GOP lieutenant
WASHINGTON — North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper opted not to be a candidate in Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate search, two people familiar with the matter said Monday, in part because of concerns that his Republican lieutenant governor would assume control when he travels out of state if he...
Judge hands former NRA head Wayne LaPierre a 10-year ban but declines to appoint monitor
NEW YORK — A New York judge on Monday banned Wayne LaPierre, the former head of the National Rifle Association, from holding a paid position with the organization for a decade, but declined to appoint an independent monitor to oversee the gun rights group. The split decision from Judge Joel...
California firefighters make progress as wildfires push devastation and spread smoke across the WestVideo
FOREST RANCH, Calif. — Firefighters made progress and were helped by improving weather over the weekend in the battle against wildfires covering massive areas in the western United States, but further evacuations have been necessary as thousands of personnel tackle the flames. The Park Fire, the largest wildfire in California...
Westmoreland County braces for revenue drop as FCC caps inmate calling fees
Westmoreland officials are bracing for what could be a substantial cut in revenue generated through phone and video calls made by county prison inmates. A new rule issued earlier this month by the Federal Communications Commission limits the amount private companies can charge inmates for calling services. Those new rules...
Term limits for Supreme Court are popular, but would require a constitutional amendment, experts say
WASHINGTON — Term limits for Supreme Court justices are a popular idea, but would require amending the Constitution and would be unlikely to affect the current justices, legal scholars say. On Monday, President Biden endorsed term limits as one of “three bold reforms to restore trust and accountability” in the...
Pennsylvania congressman chosen to lead House task force investigating Trump assassination attempt
WASHINGTON — A Pennsylvania congressman who witnessed the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump firsthand will lead the House task force charged with investigating what went wrong and recommending solutions to help ensure such an attack doesn’t happen again. Republican Rep. Mike Kelly represents Butler County, where the July...
Opening ceremony tableau sparks Olympic flame of controversy
The opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games included many elements of French culture, from musical performances to sports stars. But one particular moment has elicited a firestorm of controversy. Among the performances was a scene set on the Debilly Bridge over the River Seine that included drag queens,...
Antisemitic graffiti targets Chabad of Squirrel Hill, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh
Rabbi Yisroel Altein woke up to what he called a troubling sight Monday morning — red spray paint on the facade of Chabad of Squirrel Hill that read “Jews for Palestine.” Under the words was an inverted red triangle, a symbol that Hamas militants have used to indicate they were...
Credit card skimmer found at Plum Shop ’n Save after almost a month; 2 men charged
Two men suspected of placing credit card skimmers at grocery stores throughout the Pittsburgh area now are accused of doing the same thing in Plum, where a skimmer was in place at a store for nearly a month. Plum police filed charges Sunday against Thomas Fuchs, 34, and Alexandru Dumitrascu,...
Blood test for colon cancer screening is approved by U.S. regulators
WASHINGTON — U.S. health regulators on Monday approved a first-of-its-kind blood test for colon cancer, offering a new way of screening for a leading cause of cancer deaths. Test manufacturer Guardant said the Food and Drug Administration approved its Shield test for screening in adults 45 and older who have...
FBI: Trump shooter shopped on gun websites using aliases, encrypted email
The 20-year-old Bethel Park man who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Butler County political rally used foreign-based encrypted email accounts and aliases to make more than 25 purchases on firearms websites and buy six chemical precursors online since spring 2023, the FBI said Monday. Authorities said...
How the nation’s 1st president was nearly shot in Butler County long before Trump was wounded
Following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, some Butler County residents were asking why it had to happen here. Butler County has strongly favored Trump and his candidacy: he won 66% of the vote in Butler County in 2016 and 2020. Trump isn’t the first person to hold...
Beaver County SWAT details communication breakdown during attempted assassination of Trump
A Beaver County SWAT sniper said his team had no contact July 13 with former President Donald Trump’s Secret Service detail before he spotted would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks scoping out a building with a range finder near the Butler County fairgrounds where the 20-year-old Bethel Park man later fired...
Trump and Harris enter 99-day sprint to decide an election that has suddenly transformed
ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Barely a week ago, a sense of inevitability hung over the U.S. presidential election. Donald Trump’s allies gleefully predicted a landslide victory during a Republican National Convention that felt more like a coronation for a nominee who had just survived an assassination attempt and was promising...
Biden decries ‘extremism’ on Supreme Court, details plan for term limits, ethics code for justicesVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — President Joe Biden said Monday that “extremism” on the U.S. Supreme Court is undermining public confidence in the institution and called on Congress to quickly establish term limits and an enforceable ethics code for the court’s nine justices. He also called on lawmakers to ratify a constitutional...
Entrenched incumbent Maduro is declared winner of Venezuela’s disputed presidential election
CARACAS — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was formally declared the winner of his country’s disputed presidential election Monday, a day after the political opposition and the entrenched incumbent both claimed victory in the contest. The National Electoral Council, which is loyal to Maduro’s ruling party, announced his victory, handing him...
Volunteers collect ‘depressing volume’ of roadside trash across the state
For Aspinwall resident Kevin Kerr, the worst part of cleaning litter from Freeport Road is the sheer number of cigarette butts. “We get the food wrappers and pop cans, but the most frustrating and plentiful is definitely the butts,” said Kerr, who volunteers twice a year for the state’s Adopt-A-Highway...
Police say security cameras in public parks are an extra tool for departments
Arnold Mayor Shannon Santucci is quick to admit security cameras in the city’s public parks haven’t always stopped crime — but she’s still a proponent of the tool. The city will use a federal Community Development Block Grant, along with a pending $50,000 state grant, to buy additional cameras for...
U.S. Steel marketing blitz puts pressure on government to OK sale to Nippon Steel
U.S. Steel is banking on public pressure to push through a $14.9 billion acquisition by Nippon Steel as lawmakers and regulators balk at putting the domestic icon in foreign hands. An advertising campaign launched this year touts promises by Japan’s largest steelmaker to preserve jobs, upgrade plants and sustain American...
