Top Stories category, Page 382
New Eagle man killed in water skiing accident on Monongahela River
A New Eagle man died in a water skiing accident Saturday morning in Washington County, according to Coroner Tim Warco. Jarred Feschuk, 39, was water skiing on the Monongahela River near West Brownsville when he collided with a docked boat. Feschuk was transported to Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital’s emergency...
Homestead man killed in Clairton shooting
A Homestead man was killed in a shooting in Clairton on Friday evening, according to Allegheny County Police. Police were dispatched to the 900 block of Madison Avenue just before 10:30 p.m. for a shooting. Police said Terell Dachaon Blanks, 27, was found with multiple gunshot wounds. He died at...
Parks Township nuclear waste cleanup faces awareness gap
How well informed community members are about the impending Parks Township nuclear waste dump cleanup depends on who you ask. Preliminary results from a survey sent out by University of Pittsburgh master’s degree candidate Ariana Scott suggest a startling lack of awareness, with a majority of respondents indicating they aren’t...
Upper Burrell man waiting for 3rd kidney transplant
Joe Baker is a simple guy who enjoys tinkering with old tractors in his garage and spending time with family and friends. “He’s an Average Joe, but he’s my Average Joe,” said his wife, Nancy. “He’s a good man.” Joe, 63, and Nancy, 65, of Upper Burrell are on a...
New rule allows mentor to lead up to 3 novice hunters in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has updated its regulations to allow a licensed adult hunter to bring more than one novice along. Through the commission’s mentored hunting program, children or adults are guided by a mentor, an experienced, licensed hunter who teaches the basics of hunting and gun safety. The program...
Democrats could force Biden out under the 25th Amendment — but probably won’t
WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden has said that only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him not to seek reelection, but a constitutional amendment that Democrats called for invoking against President Donald Trump three years ago provides a path for Biden to leave office or be removed in an extraordinary, if highly...
The Democratic Party crisis after Biden’s debate spirals with no clear ending
NEW YORK — For more than two weeks now, the Democratic Party has been mired in crisis. And yet there is no sign that the threat to Joe Biden’s reelection is nearing a conclusion, as the president digs in and a growing chorus of Democratic officials, donors and strategists calls...
Budget sends $500M more to Pa.’s poorest schools, falling short of what some say is needed
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 — After weeks of tense, secretive negotiations on Pennsylvania’s budget, the legislature has approved a $47.6 billion spending deal that falls short of the...
‘Must-see TV’: Rookie Paul Skenes brings Pirates into spotlight as All-Star Game starterVideo
For two months, fans in Pittsburgh have been captivated by the performance of Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes. That’s not to say that outside of town, baseball fans, players and analysts haven’t taken notice of the mustachioed, 6-foot-6 rookie since he made his highly anticipated MLB debut May 11. But Tuesday...
2 weeks that imperiled Biden’s presidency left him on probation in the court of Democratic opinion
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden’s tribulations were previewed in Hollywood days before he got on the debate stage. At a fundraiser organized by George Clooney and packed with luminaries including former President Barack Obama, Biden was a listless figure, perhaps merely jet-lagged after flying straight from Italy but clearly not the...
Texas lab to use advanced DNA testing to help Westmoreland investigators with cold cases
Westmoreland County investigators will tap into advanced DNA testing in an attempt to formulate new leads or identify suspects as part of an effort to solve violent crime cold cases. District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli this week announced the hiring of Othram Inc., a Texas-based company, to evaluate and study DNA...
Lower Burrell man facing 10th DUI charge after being stopped twice in New Kensington
A Lower Burrell man is facing his 10th DUI charge, getting numbers nine and 10 within two months of each other in New Kensington. New Kensington police charged Bruno F. Nobilese, 57, with felony driving under the influence on May 15 and July 11. In the second case, he also...
Becerra defends Biden during Pittsburgh visit; Summer Lee dodges question on president’s fitness
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra visited Pittsburgh Friday to talk up the government’s record in lowering health care costs, and he defended President Joe Biden’s fitness, which has come under scrutiny following a poor debate performance last month. Beccerra visited the Squirrel Hill Health Center in the...
Sex assault charges filed against ex-Ligonier Valley police chief held for court
Sex assault charges against a former Ligonier Valley police chief are headed to trial after a contentious two-hour preliminary hearing Friday marked by District Judge Allison Thiel admonishing attorneys. The 25-year-old accuser testified at length about how she met John Berger, 52, while they were both patients at a Donegal...
Lawsuit: Penn Hills hookah bar owners’ negligence created ‘public nuisance’
The parents of a 28-year-old woman killed in a shooting at a Penn Hills hookah bar sued the owner of the property Thursday, claiming they should have known the bar was “a public nuisance” prone to gun violence. Two or more people fired seven to 10 gunshots at Ballers Hookah...
Alec Baldwin weeps in court when judge announces involuntary manslaughter case dismissed midtrial
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico judge on Friday brought a sudden and stunning end to the involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin, dismissing it in the middle of the actor’s trial and saying it cannot be filed again. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case based on...
Pitt raises in-state tuition on its main campus by 2%
Tuition for in-state undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh will rise 2% for the upcoming academic year. Tuition will be held flat at regional campuses. The rates were announced as part of Pitt’s $3.2 billion operating budget and $265.2 million capital budget for fiscal year 2025, which...
Security guard charged in Penn Hills hookah bar killing says gun accidentally discharged
Police said they don’t believe the security guard who is accused of killing a woman at a Penn Hills hookah bar last month had any motive to shoot her, but he will face trial for criminal homicide. Chaz Jackson, 42, of Pittsburgh was charged in connection with the death of...
2 window washers rescued from scaffolding on Pittsburgh skyscraper
Two window washers stranded on scaffolding Friday in Downtown Pittsburgh were rescued by firefighters and EMS workers, officials said. The workers stranded on the side of the BNY Tower skyscraper on Ross Street between the seventh and eighth floors, shortly after 11 a.m., when their scaffolding lost power. Both men...
Car crashes into Edgewood coffee shop weeks before opening
Jessica George keeps her phone on silent overnight. When she checked it at 7 a.m. Thursday morning, she had missed several calls, many texts — and a few photos of a car lodged in the side of her Edgewood coffee shop that was scheduled to open in the next few...
Patagonia asks some employees to relocate to hub cities, including Pittsburgh
Patagonia asked about 90 of its remote employees to relocate within 60 miles of one of the brand’s seven hub cities — including Pittsburgh — or leave the company. Patagonia’s sole Pennsylvania location is its store on Walnut Street in Shadyside. J.J. Huggins, public relations and communications manager at Patagonia,...
In ‘blue wall’ push, Biden defiantly says ‘I’m not going anywhere’ as he slams Trump, Project 2025
DETROIT — President Joe Biden on Friday forcefully defied the growing number of critics in his own party who have called on him to exit the race, pivoting to warnings about a second Donald Trump term and declaring he was “not done yet.” As a raucous Detroit crowd chanted...
Pittsburgh Zoo helps mammals stay cool during heatwave
Western Pennsylvanians are experiencing a sweltering hot summer. And so are most of the animals at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium. But thanks to beat-the-heat animal enrichment items that include frozen ice treats, air-conditioned habitats, sprinklers and water pools, mammals at the zoo are managing to keep their cool despite...
Former Boat House Bar/Sisters Hotel in Natrona to be redeveloped as restaurant, possible entertainment spot
As a kid, Brianna Thorpe spent a lot of time visiting family in Natrona. “There was a bakery on the corner, and it was kind of awesome that you could walk around and hit different businesses,” she said of Harrison’s riverfront neighborhood. Now, the 27-year-old Springdale High School graduate from...
Traveler caught with over $36K in undeclared cash at Philadelphia airport
It wasn’t a loaded gun going through an airport checkpoint this time, but loaded luggage, according to Customs and Border Patrol. Officials reported seizing $36,834 from a Columbus, Ohio, man at Philadelphia International Airport recently after the man claimed to have $15,000. The man, a U.S. citizen, flew back into...
