Top Stories category, Page 442
U.S. Senate calls on Russia to release Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel
The U.S. Senate is officially calling for the release of Marc Fogel, an Oakmont teacher arrested nearly three years ago by Russian authorities for possessing medical marijuana. The Senate unanimously passed a resolution June 4 calling for Fogel’s release and declaring that the Russian government gave him a disproportionate criminal...
Penn Hills mayor links hookah bar killings to love triangle
A weekend shooting at a Penn Hills hookah bar that killed two people and wounded seven others is believed to be a case of targeted violence that might have stemmed from a love triangle, its mayor told TribLive Wednesday. Police have disclosed little about their ongoing investigation. But Penn Hills...
Youngstown explosion victim remembered as driven, community oriented
No one ever accused Akil Drake of slacking off, from his days as a Penn Hills football player to his burgeoning career in banking. Drake relied on a work ethic instilled by his mother to graduate from Youngstown State University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and start climbing the...
Police defend investigation into stabbing at former Rialto in Greensburg
A Jeannette man told police he had a knife and was prepared to defend himself from a former high school friend as the two fought outside the former Rialto Cafe in downtown Greensburg. Jurors, during the third day in the attempted homicide trial of Anthony Sharp, 23, watched video of...
Pittsburgh Pride weekend sets attendance record
Pride weekend in Pittsburgh set a new attendance record — over 260,000 people, officials said. The parade itself saw over 103,000 of those attendees, said Jim Sheppard, co-chair of the Pittsburgh Pride Parade and co-creator of QBurgh, Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ news source. “We worked with a crowd control and security consulting...
U.S. Senate calls on Russia to release Oakmont teacher Marc Fogel
The U.S. Senate is officially calling for the release of Marc Fogel, an Oakmont teacher arrested nearly three years ago by Russian authorities for possessing medical marijuana. The Senate unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday calling for Fogel’s release and declaring that the Russian government gave him a disproportionate criminal sentence....
Boeing launches NASA astronauts for the first time after years of delays
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Boeing launched astronauts for the first time Wednesday, belatedly joining SpaceX as a second taxi service for NASA. A pair of NASA test pilots blasted off aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the International Space Station, the first to fly the new spacecraft. The trip by Butch...
$47.6M New Kensington-Arnold School District budget approved with 1.5% tax increase
Property owners in the New Kensington-Arnold School District will see a 1.5% property tax increase in their school tax bill. The school board Tuesday approved the district’s $47.6 million budget for the 2024-25 school year that includes the tax hike. The district’s property tax rate will increase from 97.64 mills...
Arson suspected in 2 blazes at historic Beltzhoover school building, Pittsburgh councilman says
Two recent fires that damaged the former Beltzhoover Elementary School were likely arson, according to Pittsburgh City Councilman Bob Charland. Fires broke out Tuesday night and Saturday morning at the historic school on Cedarhurst Street in Pittsburgh’s Beltzhoover neighborhood. The building is currently vacant, but a project is underway to...
Mark Madden: Pat McAfee’s remarks on Caitlin Clark highlight his unapologetic stance, ESPN’s dilemma
There was minimal blowback to Pat McAfee slurring Caitlin Clark, albeit in oddly complimentary fashion, on his ESPN TV show Monday. McAfee apologized but didn’t mean it. That was confirmed by him humorously referencing what he had said on WWE’s “Monday Night Raw.” The Plum native isn’t sorry about anything...
Life as a teen without social media isn’t easy. These families are navigating adolescence offline
WESTPORT, Conn. — Kate Bulkeley’s pledge to stay off social media in high school worked at first. She watched the benefits pile up: She was getting excellent grades. She read lots of books. The family had lively conversations around the dinner table and gathered for movie nights on weekends. Then,...
Hunter Biden’s exes called as witnesses to detail his drug use in his federal gun trial
WILMINGTON, Del. — Hunter Biden’s ex-wife and a former girlfriend testified Wednesday in his gun trial about finding his crack pipes and other drug paraphernalia as prosecutors sought to show he still had a substance abuse problem when he filled out a form to buy a firearm. The courtroom grew...
Biden will mark D-Day anniversary in France as Western alliances face threats at home and abroad
PARIS — United States President Joe Biden will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France this week as he tries to demonstrate steadfast support for European security at a time when some allies fear Donald Trump threatens to upend American commitments if he wins another term in...
Tyler Glasnow’s blunt assessment of his time in Pittsburgh; Dodgers manager on ‘effectively wild’ Jared Jones
Former Pittsburgh Pirate Tyler Glasnow couldn’t get a win in his return to PNC Park. But that wasn’t his fault. Blame his offense, and blame the other guy who started against him. Glasnow and the Dodgers lost 1-0 to the Pirates despite the 30-year-old right-hander turning in a solid performance...
Severe storms, tornadoes possible in Pittsburgh region
Gusty winds and heavy thunderstorms could strike the Pittsburgh region beginning Wednesday afternoon, according to forecasts. Meteorologists are even warning of the chance of isolated tornadoes. TribLive news partner WTAE has designated Wednesday as a Severe Weather Alert Day in Southwest Pennsylvania, with strong storms likely to start as early...
Former ‘Survivor’ contestant raises Texas Longhorn cattle as ‘pasture ornaments’Video
Allegheny Township farmer Chet Welch received a gift on his 50th birthday that keeps on giving. “I got my dream farm,” said Welch, a former contestant on the CBS series “Survivor,” describing his beloved historic Tunnel Hill Farm in Allegheny Township he co-owns with Bob Cherry, his partner of 16...
More work needed to help bees in Pennsylvania, experts say
Things are looking brighter in the bee business. But maintaining healthy and productive hives keeps people like Drew Johnson as busy as a you-know-what. Environmental challenges, including climate change, a lack of native plants and dwindling foraging and shelter, have made the world less bee-friendly. Recent years have seen increased...
Trump’s lawyers ask judge to lift gag order imposed during New York trial
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s lawyers are asking a New York judge to lift the gag order that barred the former president from commenting about witnesses, jurors and others tied to the criminal case that led to his conviction for falsifying records to cover up a potential sex scandal. In...
Man gets 3 to 6 years in prison for stabbing two in racially motivated attack Downtown
A man accused of stabbing two Black people in downtown Pittsburgh last year in a racially motivated attack will serve at least three years in prison. Chris Boswell, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of ethnic intimidation, two counts of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon on Tuesday stemming...
Fire at Pittsburgh homeless shelter displaces 175 people, injures 6
Nearly 200 homeless people will be housed temporarily at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center after a fire Tuesday afternoon displaced them from the Second Avenue Commons shelter in Downtown Pittsburgh. Four firefighters and two civilians were injured in the afternoon blaze at the shelter, Emily Bourne, a public safety...
Event organizers accuse Pittsburgh of sitting on federal covid relief funds
When the covid-19 pandemic struck, local event organizers like Dena Stanley were left scrambling to find ways to keep their celebrations alive. Stanley, co-founder of Pittsburgh Pride Group, said the organization couldn’t put its annual Pride parade and festival together during the pandemic because of a lack of funding. The...
Police: 2 or more shooters opened fire after argument at Penn Hills hookah bar
As many as 100 people crowded inside a Penn Hills hookah bar when gunfire erupted, killing two people, police said Tuesday. Nathaniel Smiley Jr., 44, of Pittsburgh got into an altercation with an unknown man around 2:50 a.m. at Ballers Hookah Lounge and Cigar Bar, Allegheny County Police Lt. Venerando...
Proposed scholarships would make going to college cheaper in Pa., but there’s a catch
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 — Pennsylvania lawmakers are entering into budget season with the joint goal of making it more affordable to attend college in the commonwealth. As...
Jan. 6 cops stump for Biden in Pittsburgh, warn that Trump is ‘threat to democracy’
Two former U.S. Capitol Police officers who were injured responding to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in Washington said during a Pittsburgh campaign stop Tuesday that former President Donald Trump poses a continuing threat to democracy. The officers, Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell, appeared at the Fred Rogers statue on...
Cam Heyward ends hiatus from Steelers, attends voluntary workout
Ready to rejoin his teammates on the practice field but not ready to concede his desire for a new contract, Cameron Heyward ended his absence from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday. After skipping the first phases of offseason workouts and the first two weeks of organized team activities, Heyward returned...
