Top Stories category, Page 437
Mark Madden: Steelers’ commitment to Mike Tomlin makes no sense
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed coach Mike Tomlin to a three-year contract extension Monday. It runs through 2027. I’m not angry, because it was inevitable. I’m just dumbfounded. Because everybody says retaining Tomlin is the obvious and correct move. But I don’t see one good reason to do so. When Tomlin...
Allegheny County Jail inmates face charges in cell attack, extortion
Two incarcerated men in the Allegheny County Jail are facing charges after authorities said they rushed into another man’s cell and assaulted him with a makeshift weapon. Kesean Proctor, 20, of Turtle Creek and Keyjuan King, 25, of Duquense are accused of aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy and a litany of...
Student art heats up at Hazelwood’s Industrial Arts Workshop youth welding program
In the cavernous, noisy workspace of the Industrial Arts Workshop, tucked away on Herbert Way in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood neighborhood, sparks are flying. Almost every afternoon the room fills with high-school-age students, who pull on protective gear and hurry back to their personal projects. Metal sculptures — a phoenix, flowers, a...
What’s next for Hunter Biden after his conviction on federal gun charges
WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden’s legal woes are not over after his conviction on three felony firearms charges in a trial that put a spotlight on his drug-fueled past. Now, President Joe Biden’s son faces sentencing, and another criminal trial on tax charges in the middle of his father’s reelection...
Man found stabbed to death in Pittsburgh’s Crawford Roberts neighborhood
A man was found stabbed to death early Wednesday morning in Pittsburgh’s Crawford-Roberts neighborhood, according to police. Officers were dispatched just after 12:30 a.m. to an apartment building on the 1600 block of Colwell Street, where they found a man in a communal hallway with a stab wound to his...
Pa. Turnpike to remove all toll booths, overhead gantries planned
The Pennsylvania Turnpike’s toll booths are soon to be a thing of the past. The Turnpike Commission last week approved $50 million in contracts to construct a portion of the overhead gantries needed to complete a transition to open-road tolling. Allison Park Contractors has been tasked with installing structures to...
Penn State New Kensington students and staff concerned for future of campus
Penn State New Kensington student Karisa Smalling has some concerns about changes for Penn State’s Commonwealth campuses. “My concern is that they are claiming to make these changes to create the most efficient organization possible, but I don’t see how offering buyouts to employees is going to make it more...
Tractor-trailer loses load, tying up westbound turnpike traffic near Donegal
Westbound traffic on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was backed up for about a mile near the Donegal exit Tuesday night after a tractor-trailer lost its load. The resulting debris apparently hit another vehicle, according to turnpike spokesman Crispin Havener. No injuries were reported, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher indicated. The traffic...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says removal of nuclear waste from Parks Township dump to start next summer
Remediation of a nuclear waste dump in Parks Township remains on schedule — to start next summer and have all of the material removed to Utah six years after that, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said. The Army Corps gave the update at a public meeting Tuesday at the...
Southern Baptists expel Virginia church for believing women can serve as pastors
INDIANAPOLIS — Even as they prepare to vote on a formal ban on churches with women pastors, delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to boot one such church from its ranks. Messengers, as voting representatives are known, voted 6,759 to 563 to oust First Baptist...
8 with suspected ISIS ties arrested in Philly, New York and Los Angeles
Eight foreign nationals with suspected ties to ISIS were arrested in recent days in a series of coordinated raids in Philadelphia, New York, and Los Angeles, authorities said. But officials remained tight-lipped Tuesday on the identities of the people detained and the circumstances that brought them to the attention of...
Penn State restructures branch campuses, including New Kensington and Fayette
Penn State University is switching to a regional model of overseeing many of its branch campuses and will bring New Kensington and Fayette under the direction of Chancellor Megan Nagel at the Greater Allegheny campus in McKeesport. It is the latest in a series of moves to confront sharp declines...
2 shootings in Uniontown leave 1 dead, 2 injured
Police are investigating two shootings Tuesday afternoon in Uniontown that left one man dead and injured two other people. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker ruled the death of Joshua Stevens, 33, of Uniontown a homicide, resulting from gunshot wounds. Baker said Stevens was pronounced at WVU Medicine Uniontown Hospital....
Judge rules Lower Burrell man accused in slaying of Mogie’s owner is incompetent to stand trial
The case against a Lower Burrell man accused in the fatal shooting last year of the owner of Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell will be postponed indefinitely. A Westmoreland County judge Tuesday found the accused killer, Nathan Salem, incompetent to stand trial. “He has lost touch with reality,” testified...
Independence Health looks to fill 500 open positions at job fair
Independence Health System will hold a job fair on Thursday to address more than 500 openings at multiple locations across the health system. In the Westmoreland area, recruiters will be available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the center court in Westmoreland Mall, located at 5256 Route 30 in...
Arnold Palmer Regional director says other carriers won’t compete against Spirit at Unity airport
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport officials have yet to find a way to persuade other airlines to compete against ultra-low-fare carrier Spirit Airlines for flights out of the Unity airport. Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said this week he has talked with other discount carriers about providing service...
BNY scrapping ‘Mellon’ in rebrand, but Pittsburgh ties will remain
BNY Mellon, a global financial firm with ties to Pittsburgh, is rebranding and losing the “Mellon” part of its logo. The New York-based bank announced Tuesday it is updating its logo and simplifying its company umbrella brand to BNY, according to a press release. It may seem like an erasure...
Gas prices are falling. Experts point to mild demand at the pump ahead of summer travel
NEW YORK — Gas prices are once again on the decline across the country, bringing some relief to drivers now paying a little less to fill up their tanks. The national average for gas prices on Monday stood around $3.44, according to AAA. That’s down about 9 cents from a...
Federal judge throws out Florida law blocking treatment for transgender children
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a 2023 Florida law that blocked gender-affirming care for transgender minors and severely restricted such treatment for adults, calling the statute unconstitutional. Senior Judge Robert Hinkle said the state went too far when it barred transgender minors from being...
‘It was gaslighting’: Students upset over Pittsburgh Technical College closure
Bryce Bladen of Gettysburg didn’t mince words Tuesday about having moved across state to pursue a degree in graphic design at Pittsburgh Technical College — a degree he suddenly must finish elsewhere. “It was gaslighting,” the 20-year-old said of what turned out to be dubious reassurances. For months, college leaders...
‘You’re breaking all of our hearts’: Parents, students push for answers from Penn-Trafford school board amid principal swaps
Nine-year-old Lillie Bouch stood before the Penn-Trafford School Board on Monday with more than 50 parents, students and teachers behind her. Some attended the meeting to witness the board vote on a five-year contract for teachers and the 2024-25 district budget. But nine parents, students and a district employee came...
Etna house fire touches off ‘flammable liquid’ explosion
A man is accused of dousing his rental home in gasoline and setting it on fire following a blaze that damaged two properties Tuesday in Etna. Elmer Lewis, 74, is charged with two counts of aggravated arson, six counts of arson, one count of causing catastrophe and five counts of...
Family of Penn Hills man killed in Youngstown explosion files lawsuit
The family of a former Penn Hills man killed in a natural gas explosion in Youngstown, Ohio, last month is suing the property owners and the energy company for wrongful death. Akil Drake, 27, was killed May 28 in Realty Tower at Federal Plaza in Youngstown at the JPMorgan Chase...
Armed robberies in Pittsburgh’s East End could be connected, police say
Pittsburgh police believe a spate of armed robberies carried out last week appear to be connected. The three crimes occurred over 36 hours on June 7 and June 8 and targeted a restaurant, a fast-food chain and a clothing shop in three different neighborhoods in Pittsburgh’s East End. No arrests...
Pittsburgh council votes to fund 2nd Juneteenth celebration
Just three days before Juneteenth’s kickoff event, City Council members voted unanimously to continue to fund a privately run celebration in addition to this year’s city sponsored event. For the first time, Pittsburgh will be hosting its own Juneteenth festival, after paying more than $100,000 to William B. Marshall, a...
