Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 4
Gasoline costs 50% more in the U.S. than it did before the Iran war
NEW YORK — The price of a gallon of regular gasoline climbed 31 cents in the past week, spiking to an average of $4.48 per gallon Tuesday, according to AAA, hitting the wallets of drivers after rising 50% since the war with Iran began. The main reason drivers are paying...
Delmont mother accused in adopted son’s death never explained boy’s injuries, witnesses testify
Lauren Maloberti never adequately explained how her 5-year-old adopted son, Landon, suffered the severe injuries that led to his death, family members and friends testified Tuesday during the start of her homicide trial in Westmoreland County. Maloberti, 36, of Delmont is charged with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and child endangerment...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission opposes Banksville re-entry facility for federal inmates
About a dozen residents of Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood on Tuesday told the Planning Commission they did not want to see a custodial care home housing about 100 federal inmates in their neighborhood. They raised questions about safety and whether students at a nearby school could be at risk if an...
Pine-Richland School Board reverses policy on challenging books in school libraryVideo
Pine-Richland School Board members on Monday voted 5-4 to reverse a policy on challenging library books that thrust the district into the national spotlight in recent years. In the revision, only parents and guardians can raise concerns about library books. Further, the revision makes clear that diversity of literature —...
Police accuse Luzerne County man of luring Whitehall girl over Discord app
A 27-year-old Luzerne County man has been charged with using the online chat forum Discord to lure a South Hills teen to his eastern Pennsylvania home for sex. Christopher P. Jones, of Nanticoke, a small suburb about 25 miles southwest of Scranton, was arrested Monday on six felony charges, including...
Fiber cuts leave Verizon customers in SOS mode
Verizon customers across Western Pennsylvania were left without cell service Tuesday, sparking hours of frustration and a flood of complaints online. Verizon Communications Inc. confirmed the outage was caused by fiber cuts that disrupted wireless service across the region, according to a statement sent to TribLive. As the outage stretched...
Troop A state police memorial honors 11 who died in line of dutyVideo
Former Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert compared the mental and physical toughness that Pennsylvania State Police troopers possess to that of the football players he knows so well. But that’s where the commonalities end, he said after a memorial Tuesday outside the Greensburg state police station. “In our game,...
What to know about hantavirus, the illness linked to a cruise ship outbreak
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — An outbreak aboard a cruise ship of a rare rodent-borne illness called hantavirus has left three people dead and sickened others. The virus, which usually spreads when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings, has been confirmed in two of the cases. The World Health Organization said...
Duquesne University names Sarah Ewing as new provostVideo
Duquesne University on Tuesday named Sarah J. Ewing as its provost and vice president for academic affairs, rounding out an administrative team at a pivotal time in higher education. Ewing, who was provost and vice president for student experience at Gannon University, succeeds David Dausey, who will become university president...
Pirates World Series champion, All-Star, coach Bob Skinner dies at 94
Bob Skinner, an outfielder on the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 1960 World Series championship team and a coach on the team’s 1979 winning team, died Monday. He was 94 years old. “As a member of the 1960 World Series championship team, Bob was an important part of one of the most beloved...
Breeze Airways offers new flights out of Pittsburgh International Airport
Breeze Airways will now offer a multi-route expansion out of Pittsburgh International Airport — bringing nonstop service to Cancún, Mexico, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, as well as Vero Beach, Fla. Service to Vero Beach will begin Oct. 1, and flights to Cancun and Punta Cana will begin Jan. 7,...
Downtown Pittsburgh affordable housing efforts get $1 million boost
Efforts to revitalize Downtown Pittsburgh and convert its unused office spaces into affordable housing have received a $1 million infusion. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, on Tuesday presented the city and the Urban Redevelopment Authority a $1 million check to fill funding gaps for projects seeking to transform empty offices...
Report identifies 3 UPMC hospitals at risk of closure from Medicaid cutsVideo
Three UPMC hospitals in Southwestern Pennsylvania are at risk for closure as cuts to Medicaid go into effect, according to a new report from consumer watchdog Public Citizen. UPMC Mercy, UPMC McKeesport and UPMC Greene were among the 446 U.S. hospitals identified as vulnerable because of recent financial losses and...
U.S. says ceasefire with Iran is holding despite attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and against the UAE
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — U.S. military leaders said a ceasefire remains in effect a day after Iran was blamed for new attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and against the United Arab Emirates. The key American ally later said it came under Iranian drone and missile attack again on...
Pirates reliever Chris Devenski, manager Don Kelly suspended for intentionally throwing at Reds batter
The Pittsburgh Pirates received a double blow from MLB for intentionally throwing at a Cincinnati Reds batter when reliever Chris Devenski and manager Don Kelly were suspended. Devenski received a two-game suspension from MLB after his ejection for intentionally throwing at Sal Stewart of the Reds during the top of...
Mark Madden: The Penguins painted themselves into a corner … so live with it
Sports are in an era where fanboy drivel and appeasement mean as much as (and probably more than) trying to build a winner, especially if it’s not “win now.” Fans want stars retained indefinitely because they wear that star’s jersey. Nostalgia. Giving a proper send-off. Feel-good moments. Vibe. Aura. All...
Joe Starkey’s Mailbag: For the sake of the Pirates, would you trade a canceled season for a salary cap?
You ask. I answer. It’s time for “Mailing It In,” a weekly Q&A that appears Tuesdays at TribLive.com. Most of the questions come via X, but you can also hit me up at jraystarkey@gmail.com. Let’s gooooooo … Bob Sposito, @Sposito331: If you had to guess right now, will there be...
Pennsylvania sues startup over unlicensed AI ‘doctors’
The Shapiro administration is suing the maker of popular chatbot service Character.AI for illegal practice of medicine, claiming its artificial intelligence-generated personalities are posing as doctors. The chatbots will go as far as to say they’re licensed doctors in the state and provide fabricated license numbers, according to the lawsuit,...
Minors need adult supervision in Market Square under new Pittsburgh policy
Unaccompanied minors will be temporarily barred from entering Market Square, the newly renovated Downtown gathering spot that recently has been the scene of large-scale fights. Molly Onufer, a spokeswoman for Mayor Corey O’Connor, said the new policy mandates anyone 18 or younger be accompanied by someone over the age of...
Trump to pause U.S. effort to guide vessels out of Strait of Hormuz to allow time for an Iran deal
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump said on Tuesday evening that he is pausing the U.S. effort to guide stranded vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz to allow time for a deal to end the Iran war, but that the American forces’ blockade of Iranian ports would...
Independent coffee shops: A community and economic driverVideo
Seeking a sense of community is what got April Zeolla, owner and operator of Novo Café in Arnold, into the coffee business. And a community is what she found. “I’ve always loved just any way to gather people in a room,” Zeolla said. “This is the best way to gather...
Ross recognizes 2 citizens who came to aid of police detective struggling with assault suspectVideo
When others told him to not get involved, Justin Gavasto didn’t listen. The West View resident was on his way home on April 7 when he drove up on a police officer wrestling with another man on Center Avenue at Columbia Avenue. Others had stopped, but weren’t doing anything. Gavasto...
Churchill residents voice concerns with proposed development at former Westinghouse site
More than three dozen Churchill community members attended a public hearing Monday on the proposal for a sweeping mixed-use development at the former Westinghouse Research & Technology Park. While nearly 45 members attended in person and online, only a handful spoke before Churchill Borough Council on Monday evening. Community members,...
Ligonier Country Market seeks to open in Greensburg this year
Ligonier Country Market is looking to move to Greensburg. City officials received a special event permit application last week from Ligonier Country Market seeking to use Lynch Field, said Greensburg Administrator Kelsye Hantz. It is under consideration and has not been approved. “They approached us, but we have no agreement,”...
Sen. John Fetterman says he’s not switching parties, but GOP is courting him anywayVideo
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s frequent criticisms of the Democratic Party have led many pundits to wonder if there’s a chance he could switch parties in the near future. Unsurprisingly, Republicans would like to see that happen. According to Politico, Republicans have been quietly courting Fetterman to either join their party...
