Top Stories category, Page 444
Tractor-trailers with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving trucks on U.S. roadsVideo
On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board. A quarter-mile ahead, the truck’s sensors spotted a trash can blocking one lane and a tire in another. In less than a second, it signaled, moved into the unobstructed lane...
Ligonier man charged after domestic dispute ends in police standoff
A Ligonier man was arrested after an hourslong standoff with police that started Sunday afternoon, authorities said. On Monday, Ligonier Valley police charged Thomas Crary, 47, with aggravated assault, strangulation, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person. Ligonier Valley police responded to the Terrace Road area about 4:15 p.m. for...
Morning Roundup: 2 men surrender in Washington County shooting
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, April 29. Suspects surrender in Washington County shooting Two men charged in a double shooting in Washington County have turned themselves in, Pennsylvania State Police said. Windale “Winnie” Barfield Jr., 19, and Karon Whitlock, 20, both of Washington,...
Western Pa. hospitals juggle worsening medication shortages
Briefings on medication shortages are part of Dr. Arpit Mehta’s routine. As director of pharmacy at Allegheny General Hospital, Mehta sits down with his team for an hour every week to talk about medications the hospital may have difficulty keeping in stock. “Our list is 100-ish medications that we are...
Arrests made at pro-Palestinian protest on University of Pittsburgh campus
After nearly a week of relative calm, pro-Palestinian protesters in Pittsburgh’s university district sparked minor conflict with police on Sunday night, resulting in two arrests. The arrests came after a group of about 200 protesters reneged on a verbal agreement to stay off university property. Protesters who last week had...
Police officer hiring in U.S. increases in 2023 after years of decline, survey shows
PHILADELPHIA — Police departments across the United States are reporting an increase in their ranks for the first time since the covid-19 pandemic and the 2020 killing of George Floyd, which led to a historic exodus of officers, a survey shows. More sworn officers were hired in 2023 than in...
Senators wary of sending National Guard to quell campus protestsVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators dismissed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s suggestion to send the National Guard to college campuses to quell growing protests against the war in Gaza and U.S. support for Israel. “I don’t know if you need to call in the National Guard, maybe you just call in the...
Tornadoes kill 4 in Oklahoma; governor issues state of emergency for 12 counties amid power outagesVideo
SULPHUR, Okla. — Tornadoes that tore through Oklahoma have flattened buildings across one rural town, killing at least four people, causing widespread power outages and leaving a trail of destruction, Gov. Kevin Stitt said Sunday. Nearly 30,000 people remained without power after tornadoes began late Saturday night. The damage was...
Thousands of employees at federal contractors do not have whistleblower protections despite 2013 law
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. As she read the memo explaining why she was being fired, Kierra Varcos felt her cheeks burn and blood pound in her ears. She had...
Tim McGraw draws country music fans to Pittsburgh for ‘Standing Room Only’ tourVideo
Pittsburgh’s country music fans were out in full force Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena — all for 56-year-old singer Tim McGraw’s “Standing Room Only” tour. Sporting a V-neck maroon T-shirt and skinny jeans, McGraw entered from under the stage following a sequence of silhouettes that were projected on the...
9 area men were killed in rarely discussed Exercise Tiger drill for D-Day invasion
Les Mlakar knew his uncle Albert was killed during World War II. But when his other uncles discussed it — which was rare, if ever — they only did so in Slovenian. For quite a long time, most Americans did not know the truth of what happened April 27 and...
‘One of the lucky ones’: A change in how transplant recipients are evaluated is changing the lives for many Black patients
Alva Smith received a letter with surprising news last fall: She was suddenly moving up on the kidney transplant waiting list. It wasn’t because of a change in her medical status. It was because the test used to evaluate prospective kidney transplant candidates began taking race out of the equation....
‘Perfect storm’: Property tax crisis threatens suburban Allegheny County school districts
Throughout Allegheny County, waves of mall owners, hoteliers, office park operators and big-box retailers are stampeding to slash taxes by challenging their property assessments. But as property owners keep winning big breaks, they’re also creating big headaches. The more the owners succeed, the more they’re choking off critical revenue for...
Tim Benz: Our annual ‘What the Steelers didn’t get in the draft’ recap
Pittsburgh Steelers fans are basking in the sunset of a draft that is largely deserving of applause — and here I come with your yearly rain cloud of discontent. It’s my annual I don’t want to write it, you don’t want to hear it, but someone has to say it,...
Steelers conclude NFL Draft by loading up on age, experience among college prospects
If it was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ intention to increase the overall team age, mission accomplished in the NFL Draft. On Saturday’s third day, the Steelers continued a trend that began Thursday when they selected tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round. They collected three more players who, while not quite...
Tim Benz: Our annual ‘What the Steelers didn’t get in the draft’ recap
Pittsburgh Steelers fans are basking in the sunset of a draft that is largely deserving of applause — and here I come with your yearly rain cloud of discontent. It’s my annual I don’t want to write it, you don’t want to hear it, but someone has to say it,...
Longtime New Ken-Arnold School District public servant honored for ‘lifetime of service’ to the community
The Rev. Kent Commodore of Second Baptist Church in Ford City had to remind his older brother Hank several times it’s OK to be appreciated. That everything is as it should be when more than 100 people pack the dining hall of MJ’s Bar & Grille in Arnold on a...
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg grads ready to move on after covid-impacted college
Brianna Bicker of Delmont recalled how strange it was for students starting at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg campus in fall 2020, where they didn’t eat their meals in the dining room, had few people attend class in person and couldn’t gather in large groups because of the covid-19...
How TikTok grew from a fun app for teens into a potential national security threat
SAN FRANCISCO — If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time. What’s now in question is whether it will be around much longer and, if so, in what form? Starting in 2017, when the Chinese social...
Fire hits Pirates store at PNC Park
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ merchandise store at PNC Park on the city’s North Shore caught fire Friday night as the Pirates were getting ready to play in San Francisco, public safety officials said. Pittsburgh firefighters brought the fire at the Fanatics Pirates Clubhouse Store on Federal Street under control within 20...
Pro-Palestinian protest to continue at Pitt
The pro-Palestinian protest at Schenley Plaza is expected to continue until Monday. Demonstrators told TribLive news partner WTAE that they planned to remain encamped at Schenley Plaza in the city’s Oakland neighborhood. The demonstration began Tuesday in support of Palestinians, a free Palestine and for the University of Pittsburgh to...
Tim Benz: Playing young linemen well worth the risk for Steelers
Steelers fans are getting exactly what they wanted so far in the 2024 NFL Draft. In the ramp-up to this selection weekend, I posted a social media poll asking what position the Steelers should address in the first round on Thursday. After 1,000 votes, 47.4% of respondents wanted a center...
Point Park, Pitt 2024 grads relish triumphs over pandemic-era troubles
Marley Parker began her studies four years ago at Point Park University living out of a hotel room Downtown — a comfortable enough space just a few blocks off campus, although light years from a normal freshman experience. Housed there temporarily by her university to reduce dorm occupancy amid a...
Steelers get their center, draft WVU’s Zach Frazier in 2nd round
The new coordinator got two shiny new pieces that should go a long way toward instilling an old-school mentality for his offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A day after taking a tackle with their first-round pick, the Steelers made it 2-for-2 in adding offensive linemen when they selected West Virginia...
Truck driver injured in crash into Murrysville collision center
Derek Severns was not interested in the irony of a truck colliding with the collision center he manages. Severns was more concerned with making sure his employees were all right. “Amazingly, no one inside was injured,” said Severns, manager at Bowser Collision Center on Route 22 in Murrysville, where a...
