Top Stories category, Page 371
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy forges forest of the future in face of global warming
In a quiet corner of Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park, Jaci Bruschi has been carefully tending a grove of yellowwood trees since 2019. The trees aren’t native to the Pittsburgh area, but they’ve largely thrived in Fezziwig Grove, a research grove manned by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. As the conservancy’s horticultural project...
TSA officers arrest traveler with revolver in a backpack at Pittsburgh International Airport
A West Virginia woman was arrested Sunday after she tried to fly out of Pittsburgh International Airport with a revolver in her backpack, authorities said. Transportation Security Administration officials spotted the gun at the Findlay airport’s main security checkpoint shortly before 10:45 a.m. Allegheny County Police said Amber Brooks, 33,...
A manipulated video shared by Musk mimics Harris’ voice, raising concerns about AI in politics
NEW YORK — A manipulated video that mimics the voice of Vice President Kamala Harris saying things she did not say is raising concerns about the power of artificial intelligence to mislead with Election Day about three months away. The video gained attention after tech billionaire Elon Musk shared it...
No injuries reported in Springdale house fire
A fire tore through a Springdale home Sunday morning, causing no injuries but gutting much of the residence. Emergency crews were dispatched to the 300 block of Murtland Street at around 10:30 a.m. No injuries were reported. A member of Allegheny County Fire Marshall’s investigative team remained at the scene...
Faces of the Valley: The River Church hosts campers in New Kensington on group mission trips
New faces are a regular occurrence during the summer at The River Church in New Kensington. The church, in collaboration with Week of Hope, a group mission trip organization based in Colorado, has been a host site for mission trips for the past 10 years. Week of Hope has been...
2nd area man injured at Trump rally released from hospital
Moon Township resident James Copenhaver, one of two area residents injured in the shooting at the July 13 Donald Trump rally in Butler County, has been released from the hospital. A spokeswoman for Pittsburgh’s Allegheny General Hospital confirmed the 74-year-old man was released from the medical facility on Friday. Marine...
Editorial: Olympics challenge us all to do better
Every year, the world has a chance to be better for a few days. Right now, more than 10,000 athletes from 206 countries have gathered in France for the Olympic Games. They will compete in 329 events over 32 sports. There are the classics such as running and cycling. There...
Experts call for caution as rush to assess new polls in presidential race intensifies
It’s a new ballgame for pollsters. The models, statistics, results and interpretation of public opinion gathered throughout 2024 and over the past three years was tossed out the window last weekend when President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race. With the race now shifted to feature Vice President Kamala...
What is Project 2025, and how could it impact the Pittsburgh region?
Vice President Kamala Harris wasted no time targeting Project 2025. In her first campaign appearances as the likely Democratic nominee for president, Harris took aim at the conservative movement’s 922-page blueprint for remaking America, describing it in a speech Wednesday in Indianapolis as “a plan to return America to a...
Strike on Israeli Golan Heights kills 11, threatens to spark wider war
TEL AVIV, Israel — A rocket strike Saturday at a soccer field killed at least 11 children and teens, Israeli authorities said, in the deadliest strike on an Israeli target along the country’s northern border since the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began. It raised fears...
George Pickens isn’t worried about receiving tough love from new Steelers position coach
New wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni hasn’t been shy about expressing his displeasure if he doesn’t like the way his Pittsburgh Steelers players are practicing. That in-your-face approach doesn’t seem to bother third-year wide receiver George Pickens even if he and his position coach have disagreed at times. On the...
Jeannette groups, Red Cross install smoke detectors in city homes in wake of fatal fire
Michael Gendek had a sense of relief Saturday as volunteers updated the smoke detectors in his family’s second-story Jeannette apartment. Since the family moved into the Harrison Avenue rental dwelling in October, he said, the state of the detectors “has just always been a concern. We just wanted to make...
Bill adds free-speech protection against frivolous ‘SLAPP’ lawsuits
A new state law provides some additional free-speech protection to Pennsylvania citizens and groups who find themselves in court after criticizing powerful interests, such as real estate developers or political figures. House Bill 1466 was signed into law July 17 by Gov. Josh Shapiro, protecting free speech on public-sector issues...
‘What if?’: At 37, Andrew McCutchen reflects on place among Pirates’ all-time greats
Andrew McCutchen can become annoyed easily by the mere mention of milestones, as the Pittsburgh Pirates designated hitter has made it clear that he’s more interested in chasing championships than career numbers. McCutchen also is a husband and father of four, so he’s quick to add that being a baseball...
Court tells governor’s office to reveal more details about why it hired private law firms
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 — A three-judge Commonwealth Court panel has directed the governor’s office to reveal key details about why it spent tens of thousands in public...
Life and death in the heat. What it feels like when Earth’s temperatures soar to record highs
BENI MELLAL, Morocco — In the unrelenting heat of Morocco’s Middle Atlas, people were sleeping on rooftops. Hanna Ouhbour needed refuge too, but she was outside a hospital waiting for her diabetic cousin who was in a room without air conditioning. On Wednesday, there were 21 heat-related deaths at Beni...
Benedum estate listed for $2.9M near Ligonier
The Benedum family no longer has any heirs to carry on the family name, or to own and operate the family residence near Ligonier. Butterfly Farm, owned by the late philanthropist Paul G. Benedum, known by most as “Benny,” died from a heart attack while visiting Florida in May 2023....
Some say 7% boost in Pa. Medicaid funding is not enough for nursing homes; Sen. Kim Ward agrees
A 7% increase included in the recently passed Pennsylvania budget for nursing home residents on Medicaid — upping the total to $120 million — will help facilities caring for the elderly but won’t cover the gap between cost of the care and the state’s Medicaid reimbursement, a nursing home official...
Inside Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s support for private school vouchers
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 — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is being eyed as a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee, but with that attention has come intense scrutiny of...
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
WASHINGTON — Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump’s near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president’s ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former president’s injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally. “What struck...
6,300 University of Pittsburgh staffers gain chance to join Steelworkers union
For University of Pittsburgh staff who watched as 3,400 faculty colleagues gained collective bargaining rights a few years back, what’s coming in the mail soon represents their own moment of choice. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board will oversee another union election at Pitt. This time, it’s for 6,300 staff. Ballots...
Sen. Ward says she will work to ensure potential Democratic presidential ticket including Shapiro loses
State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, pledged to try to avoid becoming Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor — something that would happen should Gov. Josh Shapiro leave office before his term ends. “I’m going to fight as hard as I can to make sure I don’t become lieutenant governor … that it never...
Trump says he’ll return to Butler for another rally
Former President Trump said he will return to Butler County, the site of an assassination attempt against him, for a rally to honor the life of the firefighter killed in the shooting. Trump posted on Truth Social on Friday afternoon that he will be holding a “big and beautiful rally”...
Trump welcomes Netanyahu to Mar-a-Lago, mending relationship with key political ally
WASHINGTON — A beaming Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to their first face-to-face meeting in nearly four years Friday, patching up a political alliance important to both men that had broken down when the Israeli leader offended Trump by being one of the first to congratulate Joe...
Police arrest man in Versailles stabbing rampage that left 1 dead, 2 hurt
After drinking tequila and smoking marijuana, an out-of-control Washington County man tore through a Mon Valley duplex Thursday night, killing one man, attempting to stab another and forcing a woman into a headlock before apologizing and fleeing the scene with a dog, police said. Allegheny County Police on Friday charged...
