Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 42
Speers man accused of ethnic intimidation in connection with racist video made at Rostraver Walmart
Ethnic intimidation charges were filed Wednesday against a man accused of recording a video that includes racist language at the Rostraver Walmart store, according to state police. They say the video was recorded by Michael Todora, 36, of Speers, Washington County. Troopers have been investigating the video, which was posted...
Thomas Stanko trial: Cassandra Gross’ mother testifies about possessive relationship
Kathe Gross took an immediate dislike to the man her daughter, Cassandra Gross, was dating in 2017 and 2018. During the first day of testimony in the trial of the man charged with her daughter’s murder, Kathe Gross told a Westmoreland County jury Wednesday that she found Thomas G. Stanko...
Mysterious metal shards causing flat tires around Harrison
Low tire pressure lights are coming on throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley — and it’s not because of the cold. Dozens of drivers are reporting flat tires caused by small metal fragments of unknown origin, mostly around the Harrison area. Beverly Lydic of Springdale Township heard a hissing noise coming from...
Attorney claims jury erred in conviction of roommate in Penn Township shooting
A North Versailles woman claims a Westmoreland County jury reached the wrong verdict when it convicted her last year of the attempted murder of her Penn Township roommate. In an appeal filed this week, the lawyer for Leah Gillis said jurors failed to adequately consider testimony that suggested the gun...
Pittsburgh council confirms O’Connor’s picks for police chief, public safety director
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday unanimously approved Jason Lando as police chief and Sheldon Williams as public safety director. The pair have been serving in their roles in an acting capacity since Mayor Corey O’Connor took office last month. A Squirrel Hill native and veteran of Pittsburgh’s police force, Lando...
Lawsuit claims Allegheny County Jail failed to care for man who died of pneumonia
A lawsuit filed in federal court last week accuses Allegheny County Jail staff and the contractor that runs the medical unit there of failing to properly care for a man who had pneumonia and later died at a hospital. Joseph King Jr., who had been incarcerated starting in 2023, died...
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan pulling 700 immigration officers out of Minnesota immediately
MINNEAPOLIS — The Trump administration is reducing the number of immigration officers in Minnesota but will continue its enforcement operation that has sparked weeks of tensions and deadly confrontations, border czar Tom Homan said Wednesday. About 700 federal officers — roughly a quarter of the total deployed to Minnesota —...
Democrats demand ‘dramatic changes’ for ICE, including masks, cameras and judicial warrants
WASHINGTON — Democrats are threatening to block funding for the Homeland Security Department when it expires in two weeks unless there are “dramatic changes” and “real accountability” for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other law enforcement agencies who are carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign of federal immigration enforcement...
ICE buys $87M warehouse in Berks County as it plots expansion of detention centers across U.S.
This story was produced by the Berks County bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom. Sign up for Good Day, Berks, a daily dose of essential local stories at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/gooddayberks. UPPER BERN — The Trump administration has quietly purchased a nearly 520,000-square-foot warehouse in Berks County as it plans...
Harrison native keeps Super Bowl streak alive, plans to attend his 60th matchup in Calif.
At 84, Harrison native Tom Henschel won’t let a stroke — or disappointment in his beloved Steelers — keep him from celebrating at the Super Bowl this weekend in Santa Clara, Calif. After all, why break a 59-year streak? The football enthusiast will be in the stands at Levi’s Stadium...
Shelter from the storm: Pittsburgh-area homeless community finds relief from brutal weather
A Greyhound bus dropped Drezon “Dre” Pankey in Downtown Pittsburgh two weeks before a winter storm shut down the city with 14 inches of snow. Born in Ohio and raised in Florida, the former high school football running back knew no one here. He carried everything he owned, including a...
Oakmont Council to vote on non-cooperation resolution with ICE
Tensions ran high and anger boiled to the surface during Oakmont’s council meeting Tuesday in the wake of a borough resident being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Jose Flores, 47, was taken by ICE agents Thursday morning after being approached in front of his Oakmont home while preparing...
ICE agents take Brentwood man, leaving family seeking answers
Maklim Gomez Escalante texted his wife at 12:50 p.m. Jan. 20, letting her know he had arrived at the Magisterial District Court in Baldwin to testify as scheduled at 1 p.m. The text was followed by one more: “ICE agents are here.” She didn’t hear from him again that day....
Naked, knife-wielding man charged with assault at optician’s office in North Belle Vernon
A North Belle Vernon man is behind bars after, police say, he took two knives into an optician’s office Monday, knocked over several display cases and stabbed a couch and the walls, according to court papers. Borough police said Darnell Wesley Howell Sr., 54, was not wearing any clothes at...
Judge approves Millvale’s emergency request to borrow $1.9M
A judge on Feb. 3 approved Millvale’s emergency request to borrow $1.9 million so the borough can pay off its overdue debts as it works to right its financial ship. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay Jr. said he would draft his order granting Millvale’s petition after hearing...
Fetterman calls on Senate to pass rail safety bill 3 years after toxic derailment near Ohio-Pa. line
On the third anniversary of an Ohio toxic train derailment just over the Pennsylvania line, Sen. John Fetterman is demanding that Congress act on a bipartisan railroad safety bill languishing in committee. “As I’ve said before, this derailment was a tragedy, and it’s something we could have prevented,” said Fetterman...
Defense Department warns Scouts to roll back DEI or lose support
The Department of Defense warned Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America, that it risks losing U.S. military support if it does not implement changes that align with the Trump administration. In a statement posted to social media late Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Irving, Texas-based organization...
Jurors in Thomas Stanko trial can hear evidence that Cassandra Gross was declared dead in 2019
In a key ruling Tuesday, a Westmoreland County judge decided that jurors in the Thomas G. Stanko criminal homicide trial may hear limited evidence that his former girlfriend, Cassandra Gross, was legally declared dead in 2019. Following a hearing, Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Stewart II ruled details of the...
Work underway to make Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle shine under lights of NFL draft
Downtown Pittsburgh is undergoing a facelift before the 2026 NFL Draft shines a massive spotlight on the city in April. Efforts include modernizing Market Square, opening pop-up retail options, filling empty storefronts with art installations and fixing cracked sidewalks, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership President Jeremy Waldrup said in a virtual quarterly...
Clintons finalize agreement to testify in House Epstein probe, bowing to threat of contempt vote
WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finalized an agreement with House Republicans Tuesday to testify in a House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein this month, bowing to the threat of a contempt of Congress vote against them. Hillary Clinton will testify before the House...
Fire guts Springdale Township home
A Springdale Township home is likely a total loss after a fire early Tuesday morning, according to Allegheny Valley VFC Chief Jay Zangrille. Crews were dispatched to the scene along the 700 block of Maple Street just after 2 a.m. When they arrived, firefighters discovered a fully involved house fire...
U.S. shoots down Iranian drone that ‘aggressively’ approached an aircraft carrier, military says
WASHINGTON — U.S. Central Command says a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. In an emailed statement Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said the drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and it...
Shapiro proposes record $53.3B in spending for coming fiscal year
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday unveiled a proposed $53.3 billion budget for the coming fiscal year that would use nearly $4.6 billion, or more than half, of the state’s largest reserve fund to balance. Shapiro said in an address to a joint session of the state House and Senate that...
Renderings show how NFL Draft will take over Downtown Pittsburgh and North Shore
The NFL, VisitPittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday offered the first glimpse of the official 2026 NFL Draft site renderings. The images offer a preview of how the city’s largest tourism event will unfold, revealing a two-site draft campus stretching across Pittsburgh’s North Shore and Downtown for the April...
Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg to accept Hometown Hero banner applications
The Greensburg Community Development Corporation is accepting applications for its annual Hometown Hero banner program. The installation, launched in 2020, honors Greensburg and Southwest Greensburg residents who have left an impact on the community — including military veterans, first responders and local officials. Nearly 70 people were honored in May...
