Top Stories category, Page 386
Statewide search for historic buildings finds thousands after a decades-long drought
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. An army of contractors has spent the past several years quietly fanning out across Pennsylvania to find the history state records...
DA confirms 1993 fatal Jeannette fire cause as undetermined, but says murder, arson convictions should stand
Westmoreland County prosecutors told a judge on Monday an expert hired to review the evidence used to convict a Jeannette man of intentionally setting a deadly fire in 1993 cannot conclude the blaze was arson. James Young, 57, is serving three life sentences after he was convicted of setting fire...
Pecarchik sworn in to lead Register of Wills Office in Westmoreland County
Katie Pecarchik says she knows how the Register of Wills Office is supposed to run. Pecarchik worked for two decades as a clerk in the office before she retired last summer. The office records adoptions, files wills and estates and issues marriage licenses. She now has the title of acting...
Jury convicts Tarentum man of sexually assaulting child
A Tarentum man will remain in jail until he is sentenced in December after being convicted Monday of child sexual assault. A jury found Brian Jefferies, 27, guilty on all charges that he sexually assaulted the victim multiple times. The defense attorney told jurors that the prosecution’s case was so...
Gannon University looks to merge with Ohio college
Gannon University in Erie and Ursuline College near Cleveland intend to merge, creating what leaders say would be the largest Catholic university system in the Lake Erie region. Presidents of both institutions outlined the move to their campuses Monday. The plan is subject to review by both institutions. If approved,...
DA drops charge in sword attack at Pittsburgh hotel during furry convention
The prosecution Monday withdrew its case against a South Carolina man accused of a sword attack in a Pittsburgh hotel room this summer while he was in town for the annual Anthrocon convention. Police charged Jake O’Leary, 26, of Greenville, S.C., with aggravated assault after the July incident at the...
Jane’s Addiction cancels its tour in the wake of an onstage concert fracas
BOSTON — Alternative rock band Jane’s Addiction has scuttled its latest tour as a result of an onstage scuffle between lead singer Perry Farrell and guitarist Dave Navarro. Farrell later apologized for “inexcusable behavior.” “The band have made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group. As...
Penguins sign Sidney Crosby to 2-year contract extension
It was 12:52 p.m. March 29, just over 20 minutes after a brief practice session had concluded in Cranberry and three members of the Pittsburgh Penguins were still going at it. At one end of the rink, rookie forward Jonathan Gruden and defenseman Jack St. Ivany were sliding passes to...
Suspect in apparent assassination attempt on Trump was near golf course for 12 hours, records showVideo
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The man suspected in an apparent assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump camped outside a Florida golf course with food and a rifle for nearly 12 hours, lying in wait for the former president before a Secret Service agent thwarted the potential attack and opened fire,...
5 things to know about the apparent assassination attempt on Trump
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Former President Donald Trump is safe following what the FBI says “appears to be an attempted assassination” while playing golf two months after another attempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania. Local authorities said the U.S. Secret Service agents protecting Trump fired at a...
Canned cocktail sales expand among Pennsylvania retailers following liquor code reform
As of Monday, Pennsylvanians finally have what Gov. Josh Shapiro has called “real freedom” — the freedom to buy canned cocktails from a wider variety of retailers. Under bipartisan legislation (Senate Bill 688) signed by the governor in July, about 12,000 restaurants, bars, beer distributors, grocery stores and gas stations...
Steelers vs. Broncos: What they’re saying in Denver after loss
For football fans and sports writers in Denver, the struggle is real. They aren’t feeling much love for their Broncos after the Pittsburgh Steelers came to town and beat their team 13-6 on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High. In writing for the Mile High Report, Christopher Hart said...
Inflation Explained: Restaurants balance rising costs with consumer preferences
Editor’s note: This is the third story in an occasional series on the causes and impact of inflation. Economic struggles and too-good-to-be-true value menus go hand in hand. Without the Great Recession, there would have been no $5 footlong from Subway. That deal is long gone, but the latest economic...
Morning Roundup: Joe’s Crab Shack closes at Station Square; more schools debunk violent threats
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Sept. 16: Station Square restaurant closes Joe’s Crab Shack in Station Square has closed — apparently without warning — less than two months after being hit by a gunshot during business hours. A notice posted on the building...
Feats of Strength/Airing of Grievances: Defense, special teams win the day again as Steelers buck Broncos
As the hip kids on social media like to say when a cool sports highlight is posted, “You can hang it in the Louvre.” When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 13-6 win in Denver on Sunday, I’m not sure if I’d hang it on my refrigerator. It’d look bad...
JD Vance doesn’t back away from false claims about migrants in Ohio even amid threats to the communityVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance did not back away on Sunday from the false claims he and Donald Trump have been making that Haitians in an Ohio community are abducting and eating pets, even as the state’s GOP governor and other officials insist there is no evidence...
Stingy defense carries Steelers past Broncos for 2nd straight road victory
DENVER — If the Pittsburgh Steelers faced a more suspect offense than their own every week of the NFL season, they could go undefeated. Through two games, the offense has produced one touchdown and 31 points. It also has yet to commit a turnover. Thanks to a stingy defense that...
Hispanic heritage celebrated at Greensburg art museum as population in region jumps
When Carolina Loyola-Garcia left her native Chile some 27 years ago to study art in Pittsburgh, about 4,000 Hispanic men and women, about 1% of the city’s population, called the Steel City home. “There was no flamenco here — and I wanted to dance,” Loyola-Garcia said with a laugh, sweating...
‘A Joyous Day’ as St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church reopens in Arnold after 2021 fire
George Honchar of Carnegie said it was like “coming home” to attend the reopening services Sunday at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Arnold. “This is my Bubba’s church,” Honchar said. “We come every year for a reunion, and it’s only natural that we would celebrate this.” The city’s only...
Man held after apparent Trump assassination attempt was filmed in Kyiv in 2022
Gunshots were reported in Donald Trump’s vicinity Sunday afternoon. The former president is safe. U.S. Secret Service agents opened fire after seeing a person with a firearm near Trump’s West Palm Beach golf club in Florida while the Republican presidential candidate was golfing. No injuries were reported. Officials say the...
A cost-saving Pa. dental policy did the opposite, lawmakers, health advocates say
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. BELLEFONTE — To save money, in 2011 the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services curtailed most dental services for adults covered by Medicaid. Now, lawmakers and advocates are...
Building the Valley: Restoration gives historic Vandergrift structure new life as hair salon
Between the crumbling roof and buckling walls, the Anchor Building in Vandergrift looked like a goner late last year. On Sept. 3, Julie Aiello moved her business there. A chain of events started by Vandergrift Councilwoman Marilee Kessler brought the historic structure from the brink of demolition to becoming the...
Wife of Jane’s Addiction singer addresses fight on stage
BOSTON — A Jane’s Addiction reunion show in Boston didn’t go quite as planned, as the show ended early after frontman Perry Farrell body-checked and appeared to take a swing at guitarist Dave Navarro. “Whatever’s going on in that band obviously boiled over on stage last night and it’s too...
1 dead after McKees Rocks shooting
A Castle Shannon man was killed in a shooting Saturday night in McKees Rocks, authorities said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on Sunday identified the victim as William Hopkins, 34. Police said they were dispatched to the 300 block of Ella Street at 10:38 p.m. First responders found Hopkins...
Springfield woman behind pet-eating rumors repeated by Trump admits claims are false
An Ohio woman whose Facebook post sparked harmful rumors about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield — accusations repeated by former President Donald Trump at Tuesday’s debate — has admitted the claims are false, saying she regrets how they’ve spiraled into a political frenzy. “It just exploded into something I...
