Top Stories category, Page 415
Nurse practitioners say they’d ease rural health care shortage with more authority; doctors say it won’t work
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 — Joyce Knestrick can independently give physical exams, diagnose health conditions, prescribe select medications, and make referrals as a nurse practitioner at a clinic...
Secret opioid cash meetings criticized by Pa. lawmaker after Spotlight PA and WESA reporting
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — A member of the board overseeing Pennsylvania’s opioid settlement money said he’s concerned the group’s actions don’t comply with the state’s Sunshine Act, echoing transparency...
Horror fans head to Monroeville Mall for Living Dead Weekend
Leonard Lies remembers exactly how he died. “I was zombie-ing through the mall, makeup on, and these people come in on a motorcycle,” he said. “One guy is in a sidecar, and so I zombie past, and I knock him out of the car. And he’s really upset, so he...
Tim Benz: Debating the idea that the Steelers get more media, fan protection than other Pittsburgh teams
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala was on a recent edition of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. She’s a veteran of covering the Steelers and the AFC North for the NFL Network. During the episode, one of the hosts advanced the opinion that the Cleveland Browns are criticized in that city less...
Social media companies need to do more to stop online harassment, experts say
Allene Ecker tenses up when the phone rings with an unexpected call. She’s wary of going out at night. And during the day, she worries someone will walk into the hair salon where she works and expect a sexual encounter. At a previous job, a man booked a haircut with...
Parents, students question Penn-Trafford principal shuffling
Carly Bouch wants answers from the Penn-Trafford School District administration. The Trafford resident is among several parents in the district who attended recent school board meetings to learn more about five longtime educators being shifted to different schools in the district next fall — including four elementary teachers who have...
Police: Woman, 10-year-old girl found dead in vehicle in South Park
Allegheny County Police are investigating the deaths of a woman and a 10-year-old girl found dead Friday evening in a vehicle in South Park. County police said released a statement saying Mt. Lebanon police were contacted by a male Friday afternoon requesting a welfare check on the 43-year-old woman and...
St. Wendelin Church meant so much to parishioners
Ludwig Henigin laid the cornerstone at St. Wendelin Church 128 years ago. His great-great-granddaughter, Pat Henigin, stopped by the church on a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon to check on the cornerstone as the church was being demolished. “I came here to see where the cornerstone is going to go,” said...
Greensburg park packed with fans for Elton John tribute concert
Elton Rohn’s tribute to an almost identically named British rock superstar packed thousands of music fans into Greensburg’s St. Clair Park Friday evening. Among that audience for the first SummerSounds concert of the year were a Greensburg man and woman with a tribute of their own. Friends Derek Rinchuse and...
Gainey declares disaster emergency after shelter fire displaces 175 people
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey signed a disaster emergency declaration Friday evening over Tuesday’s fire at the Second Avenue Commons homeless shelter. The declaration taps the heads of the city’sEmergency Management, Planning and Permits, Licenses and Inspections departments to coordinate an emergency response. According to a statement released by the City...
Jury finds New Kensington man not guilty of 1st-degree murder, deadlocks on remaining homicide counts
Following marathon deliberations that lasted more than 14 hours over two days, a New Kensington man was found not guilty of first-degree murder while the jury failed to reach a verdict on remaining counts that included allegations he shot and killed another man during a botched robbery four years ago....
Jury acquits Jeannette man in Rialto stabbing
Anthony J. Sharp pumped his fists and embraced dozens of cheering family members and friends moments after a Westmoreland County jury found him not guilty of attempted murder and other offenses in connection with the stabbing of a man outside of the former Rialto Bar and Bistro in Greensburg. Jurors...
Pa. lawmakers introduce bills to advance Shapiro’s higher education overhaul
Two Democratic lawmakers, one in the House and one in the Senate, are introducing legislation to advance Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposals to reimagine Pennsylvania’s higher education system. The system has long been criticized as underfunded by the state and too expensive for students. The governor on Friday announced the introduction...
Woman suffers broken nose, concussion after Downtown Pittsburgh daylight attack
A homeless woman is charged with aggravated assault after police said she attacked a woman in Downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon, breaking her nose. Shurontaya Festa, 27, is being held in the Allegheny County Jail pending a preliminary hearing scheduled for Thursday. According to the criminal complaint, Festa walked up...
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet eyes location at Village at Pittsburgh Mills
The carousel of businesses leaving and entering the Village at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer is gaining another store, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. The store plans to open in September, a company official said. Township Secretary Lori Ziencik verified that the new Ollie’s location will fill the vacant storefront at the former...
Pittsburgh police investigate report of armed robbery attempt at Wendy’s
Pittsburgh police are investigating reports of a armed robbery attempt at Wendy’s on Baum Boulevard. Officer responded to the restaurant, which borders the Shadyside and Friendship neighborhoods, around 2:45 a.m. Friday for reports of a robbery in progress. An employee told police he was taking out the trash when he...
Tarentum restaurant owners announce closing after relocation attempt fails amid dispute
Community members are gathering in support on social media after owners of Cindy’s Hometown Restaurant, Bob and Cindy Hatajik, announced the diner’s closing this week on their Facebook page. In the post, Cindy Hatajik cited a dispute with the owner of the building as the reason for the closing. The...
Officials celebrate enhanced bike trail in Downtown Pittsburgh
Local and state officials on Friday celebrated an upgraded trail connecting Downtown Pittsburgh’s Point State Park with the 150-mile bike trail stretching from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. The new trail, which first opened ahead of schedule last October, runs along the Monongahela River, connecting the Mon Wharf directly to Point...
Golf tournament to benefit 4 families who lost loved ones in Rustic Ridge house explosion
An upcoming golf tournament benefiting the four families who lost loved ones in the Rustic Ridge house explosion in Plum last year is personal for Nick Davis, one of its organizers. Davis, 39, of Monroeville has known Jen Clontz since they were in kindergarten in the Gateway School District. He...
A heavy dose of nostalgia: Eat’n Park has been in business for 75 years
Claire “Larry” Hatch took a chance. With no restaurant experience, he got a second mortgage on his home with his wife, Gladys, to get the $75,000 needed to purchase a piece of land along Saw Mill Run Boulevard on Route 51 in Overbrook. Hatch was working for Isaly’s — a...
No tuition increase for CCAC students
Tuition and most fees will not increase for students attending Community College of Allegheny County during the upcoming academic year. The Board of Trustees on Thursday approved a budget of almost $115 million for 2024-25. It keeps tuition for Allegheny County residents at $126 per credit, or $1,890 per full-time...
Mark Madden: Despite growing optimism for the Pirates, front office failings can’t be ignored
There is legit optimism concerning the Pittsburgh Pirates for the first time in a long time. Paul Skenes is a phenom, Jared Jones isn’t far behind and Mitch Keller is a solid No. 3 starter. Their rotation could win a playoff series right now. The trick is getting there. That’s...
Want to live in a former funeral home in McKeesport? You can
When Marlene Fait-Schmalz bought her childhood home in 2011, she reclaimed a piece of McKeesport history. The unique Victorian-style residence, once the Richard L. Fait Funeral Home, boasts a parlor, chapel and grand entrance on the main level, while the upper floors offer cozy living spaces. Now on the market...
A new account rekindles allegations that Trump disrespected Black people on ‘The Apprentice’
Gene Folkes had just been jettisoned as a contestant on “The Apprentice” and was commiserating with a crew member at a bar inside the lobby of Trump Tower. He was indignant — and not just at having been kicked off the reality show after its star, Donald Trump, had delivered...
Like Reagan before him, Biden looks to capture magic of Pointe du Hoc story
PARIS — President Joe Biden will return to Normandy for a second day during his trip to France as he tries to rally Americans in defense of democracy from Pointe du Hoc, a legendary spot along the coast where Army Rangers scaled cliffs during the D-Day invasion. The site’s prominence...
