Top Stories category, Page 399
Staff concerns at Highland Park pool spurred new chaperone policy
Twelve-year-old Miracel Eaton excitedly urged her mother toward the entrance to Pittsburgh’s Highland Park pool on a sunny Thursday afternoon. Tamra Eaton, 55, of Highland Park, said she would’ve tagged along with her daughter for a pool day anyway, but a new rule at the site now requires all kids...
National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks looks back on nearly 4 decades of forecasts
Lee Hendricks was driving to work on Route 22/30 for the midnight shift on March 13, 1993, when a Pennsylvania state trooper waved for him to stop. He pulled over, thinking the officer needed help because his police car was stuck in the snow. A storm was blanketing Western Pennsylvania,...
Leechburg homeowner embraces a ‘no-mow’ lifestyle
A Leechburg man has found an eco-friendly solution to his aversion to pushing a lawn mower. “I hate mowing lawns,” said Danny Hilliard, a steel industry writer, international traveler and avid fisherman. Hilliard decided to implement a “no-mow” lifestyle three years ago with the purchase of a historic residence along...
Morning Roundup: Pa. Turnpike releases Fourth of July advisory
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, June 28: Pennsylvania Turnpike Independence Day advisory Officials with the Pennsylvania Turnpike have released an advisory in anticipation for a surge in traveler numbers over the Independence Day holiday. Turnpike officials predict more than 5 million vehicles will...
Pittsburghers react to highly anticipated presidential debate between Biden, Trump
Matthew Presto had his eyes glued to the debate between President Joe Biden and his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, and after the 90-minute contest he believes Trump came out on top. Presto, 31, is a registered Republican from Washington County and he said he was undecided before the...
TV Talk: CNN’s debate rules keep candidates on track
The first debate of the 2024 general election presidential cycle broke from tradition, albeit in different ways than the 2020 debates that saw then-President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden talk over and sneer at one another. Unlike for the past several decades since 1988, Wednesday’s debate was not...
Widow of UPMC doctor who died in DUI crash sues driver and the bar that served him
A woman whose husband was killed in a high-speed, drunk-driving crash two years ago in the North Hills is suing the driver responsible and the bar that she says served him at least six drinks — on top of the eight he had already downed at a country club earlier...
Watch: Presidential debate between Biden and TrumpVideo
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are taking part in Thursday night’s first general election debate of the 2024 election season in Atlanta. It is the first debate for either candidate in this year’s election. The debate is being moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Watch...
Pitt looks to add 3,200 students to Oakland campus, Chancellor Joan Gabel says
The University of Pittsburgh aims to increase enrollment at the main Oakland campus by about 3,200 students or 11% in five years and likely will add faculty and undergraduate housing. The ambitious goal, contained in the school’s updated strategic plan, could bring Oakland enrollment to nearly 33,000 — its highest...
Former Uvalde school police chief and officer indicted over Robb Elementary response, reports say
AUSTIN, Texas — The former Uvalde schools police chief and another former officer have been indicted over their role in the slow police response to the 2022 massacre at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead, according to multiple reports Thursday. The Uvalde Leader-News and...
Colorado company wrongly tickets hundreds who paid to park for PPG arena events
Hundreds of people who attended events last month at PPG Paints Arena and paid hefty fees to park at nearby surface lots were wrongly ticketed through the mail by a Denver-area company. On Thursday, a top executive with the company, Parking Revenue Recovery Services, acknowledged the screw-up and said the...
Sheldon Park event aims to build positive relationship between residents, police
Something as simple as letting children check out a police car and blare the vehicle’s sirens can make a lasting impact, according to Allegheny County Housing Authority Police Chief Mike Vogel. As a flurry of children at Harrison’s Sheldon Park interacted with township and housing authority officers Thursday, Vogel said...
‘He was a joy’: Penn Township family mourns loss of pony after tornado
Darla Cynkar couldn’t believe it when her husband, Jim, told her a tornado had just whisked by their Penn Township home Wednesday night, toppling trees and scattering branches across their yard. She was even more shocked and heartbroken to hear that a fallen tree struck and trapped their 16-year-old pony,...
New errors discovered in Westmoreland Register of Wills Office lead to personnel changes
The ongoing review of records in the embattled Westmoreland County Register of Wills Office has unearthed more incomplete adoption files, leading to personnel changes enacted this week by the conservator appointed to oversee the office. According to court documents filed Thursday, conservator Jim Antoniono said staff found multiple cases of...
Unclaimed cremains buried in Potter’s Field near Westmoreland prison
No one at a memorial service Thursday in Hempfield knew the people they were honoring. The 54 names read aloud were unfamiliar to them, though still worthy of being treated with dignity and respect as they found their final resting place. “These individuals, though they may be strangers to us,...
Westmoreland approves GPS tracking of county vehicles
Westmoreland County soon will begin intensive tracking of its vehicle fleet, including dozens of take-home cars used by employees and elected officials. Commissioners on Thursday revised the county’s fleet management policy to require drivers to log in to a GPS device installed in nearly every vehicle. The equipment will provide...
Arnold reopens Roosevelt Park as city officials grapple with how to handle vandalism
While a spate of vandalism prompted Arnold officials to close Roosevelt Park this month, it won’t deter the city from moving forward with plans to improve it, officials say. The park, completely fenced in with gates on Drey and Rankin streets, was closed for about two weeks after teens dumped...
Biden, Trump campaigns amplify Pa. presence ahead of first debate
In the run-up to Thursday night’s first debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the rivals’ campaigns have boosted their presence in Pennsylvania by holding rallies, ramping up ad buys and opening campaign offices. So far, the Biden campaign efforts are outpacing those of the Trump camp....
Weather service confirms 3 tornadoes touched down in recent Western Pa. storm
Three tornadoes touched down in Western Pennsylvania late Wednesday, damaging homes and downing power lines, the National Weather Service said Thursday. An EF2 tornado with wind gusts up to 115 mph was spotted near Route 22 in the Beaver Run Road area and cut a path through parts of Salem...
Carnegie Museum of Art launches ‘Widening the Lens’ podcast with Venus Williams
The Carnegie Museum of Art launched its “Widening the Lens” podcast series, featuring tennis champion and emerging contemporary art authority Venus Williams. The six-episode podcast extends the exhibition “Widening the Lens: Photography, Ecology and the Contemporary Landscape,” which opened on May 12, beyond the gallery walls. The podcast gives permanence...
TSA to make checkpoint changes at Pittsburgh International Airport
The TSA is making checkpoint changes at Pittsburgh International Airport after lengthy security lines caused long waits, missed flights and travel chaos. Beginning July 8, from 4 to 7 a.m. weekdays, the airport’s alternate security checkpoint gates will be dedicated exclusively to travelers enrolled in TSA PreCheck. PreCheck lanes at...
Daytime assault in Downtown Pittsburgh leaves man, 73, with broken face bone
The Department of Pittsburgh Public Safety has announced intent to form a focused plan to decrease mental health-related crimes after a brazen daytime assault in Downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday that left a 73-year-old man with a broken bone in his face. Officers said that Jameel Huff, 24, chased Jan Levinson,...
Supreme Court allows emergency abortions in Idaho — for now — in limited ruling
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for Idaho hospitals to provide emergency abortions, for now, in a procedural ruling that left key questions unanswered and could mean the issue ends up before the conservative-majority court again soon. The ruling came a day after an opinion was briefly...
How the Biden-Trump debate could change the trajectory of the 2024 campaign
ATLANTA — President Joe Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, will meet for a debate on Thursday that offers an unparalleled opportunity for both candidates to try to reshape the political narrative. Biden, the Democratic incumbent, gets the chance to reassure voters that, at 81, he’s capable of guiding...
Biden and Trump go head to head: How to watch the 1st general election presidential debate
ATLANTA — The first general election debate of the 2024 election season is here, and it’s a historic moment no matter what happens on stage. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are taking part in Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta. Not only is it the first-ever matchup between...
