Top Stories category, Page 449
Mark Madden: Getting a 1st-round WR makes sense, but the Steelers cling to outdated philosophy
Conventional wisdom says the Pittsburgh Steelers will take an offensive lineman with their first pick of the NFL Draft, 20th overall. Either a tackle or center. Whichever of those two positions isn’t addressed with that choice, they will likely select in the second round. That’s smart. If it’s the ’70s....
Business representatives, graduates advise Northern Westmoreland CTC on needs
The job prospects for students graduating from the heating and air conditioning program at Northern Westmoreland Career & Technology Center are 100%, says Mark Williamson, owner and president of MW Mechanical Services in New Kensington. “Right now, there’s such a shortage of skilled labor, in our field and a lot...
With homelessness on the rise, the Supreme Court will weigh bans on sleeping outdoors
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court wrestled with major questions about the growing issue of homelessness on Monday as it considered whether cities can ban people from sleeping outside when shelter space is lacking. The case is considered the most significant to come before the high court in decades on the...
Trump tried to ‘corrupt’ the 2016 election, prosecutor alleges as hush money trial gets underwayVideo
NEW YORK — Donald Trump tried to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election by preventing damaging stories about his personal life from becoming public, a prosecutor told jurors Monday at the start of the former president’s historic hush money trial. “This was a planned, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016...
Morning Roundup: Mon Wharf reopens; West Mifflin man arrested in connection to Larimer shooting
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, April 22: Mon Wharf reopens The Mon Wharf parking lot is reopening Monday after it closed due to flooding, according to the Pittsburgh Parking Authority. Parking will be available on the Wood Street and Stanwix Street sides of...
Police file charges against man who brought gun to Allegheny County Jail
Allegheny County Police have filed charges against a man they said brought a loaded handgun into the Allegheny County Jail on Saturday. According to county police, a Swissvale officer transported Dayvonne Jackson, 21, to the jail around 9:40 a.m. Jackson had been arrested for defiant trespass in Braddock Hills. While...
Breakfast With Benz NFL Draft preview: ‘Awesome’ receiver class awaits Steelers to address significant need
I was never the world’s biggest Diontae Johnson fan. But I still wasn’t wild about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ recent trade which shipped him off to Carolina for cornerback Donte Jackson. For all of Johnson’s inconsistencies, I still think he was a better receiver than Jackson is a corner. And, while...
‘It’s life-changing’: Collegiate, high school esports programs on the rise
Brayden Seech has been playing video games since he was in elementary school. He started with Nintendo’s Wii and DS devices, shifting into Xbox and PC games as he got older. Now, as a 17-year-old senior at Penn-Trafford High School, Seech has earned a college scholarship to continue his hobby...
Madden Monday: ‘Unprofessional, inexcusable’ moments that wrecked the Penguins’ season
When the Pittsburgh Penguins cleaned out their lockers Thursday after another failed attempt to make the NHL playoffs, forward Lars Eller was asked where this season went wrong. “I think we had some times during the season where we just got too low — emotionally and quality of play,” Eller...
Biden marks Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal solar power grants
TRIANGLE, Virginia — President Joe Biden marked Earth Day by announcing $7 billion in federal grants for residential solar projects serving 900,000-plus households in low- and middle-income communities — while criticizing Republicans who want to gut his policies to address climate change. The Democrat seeking reelection this year took aim...
‘It means everything to me’: Penn-Trafford track athlete raises money for elementary school playground
After breaking Penn-Trafford’s discus record and placing third in the state last year, Matthew Sarnowski returns to the throwing circle this track and field season with lofty goals. But that is not Sarnwoski’s only reason for throwing well this spring. The Penn-Trafford senior’s performance is driving a fundraiser for his...
Terry Anderson, AP reporter abducted in Lebanon and held captive for years, dies at 76
LOS ANGELES — Terry Anderson, the globe-trotting Associated Press correspondent who became one of America’s longest-held hostages after he was snatched from a street in war-torn Lebanon in 1985 and held for nearly seven years, has died at 76. Anderson, who chronicled his abduction and torturous imprisonment by Islamic militants...
Earth Day: How a grocery shopper takes steps to avoid ‘pointless plastic’
ALBANY, N.Y. — Nature wraps bananas and oranges in peels. But in some modern supermarkets, they’re bagged or wrapped in plastic too. For Judith Enck, that’s the epitome of pointless plastic. The baby food aisle is similarly distressing for her, with its rows and rows of blended fruits, vegetables and...
Key players: Who’s who at Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial shifts to opening statements Monday, followed by the start of witness testimony. A jury of seven men and five women, plus six alternates, was picked last week. The trial centers on allegations the former president falsified his company’s internal records to...
Building the Valley: Frankie’s on 2nd finds niche in Leechburg, expands hours, days
Frankie Failla of Springdale Township is retired, but he goes to work every day. Failla owns Frankie’s on 2nd in downtown Leechburg, a classic American diner serving up hearty, homemade breakfast, lunch and dinner specialties. Some of the specialties are from the Italian-influenced Failla, who grew up learning the food...
Teenage boy killed in McKees Rocks shooting identified
A teenage boy who was killed by gunfire in McKees Rocks on Saturday has been identified. The victim was Ahsan Edwards, 15, of McKees Rocks, according to the Allegheny County Coroner’s Office. He was a student at the Sto-Rox School District. Edwards died from a gunshot would to the chest,...
Sensory accessibility: Theaters create a welcoming space for guests
When Amy Hart caught a glimpse of daughter Sophie jumping up and down in her seat in the theater, she began to tear up. Artists from the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” were dancing on stage in a sensory-friendly performance in 2021, and 14-year-old Sophie and her friend were smiling...
Guaranteed doe licenses in most hunting areas expected to thwart repeat of 2023 system shutdown
Luke Wasilowski isn’t looking forward to June — when state hunting licenses go on sale. At least, he isn’t looking forward to a repeat of last year, when the state’s computer system ground to a halt on the first day of sales, leaving hunters waiting in lines, sometimes for hours....
Voting precincts remain inaccessible to some disabled voters in Westmoreland County
Adam Halfill’s job description doesn’t include heavy lifting. But when Halfill reports to work Tuesday as the judge of elections at Greensburg Hose Company No. 3, he understands the job could involve the use of a little muscle. “Voters have to come down four or five steps to get into...
GOP reverses course, says mail-in ballots key to 2024 success
Local Republican leaders are pushing voters to get in the game when it comes to mail-in ballots, even if the most prominent voice in the party still is resistant. “It is important because we’re already starting each election with a deficit,” said Westmoreland GOP Committee Chairman Bill Bretz. “Many Democratic...
United Methodists will vote on the church’s future at upcoming General Conference
Hundreds of United Methodists will gather in Charlotte, N.C., in the next two weeks to make big decisions on the religious denomination’s policies, finances, inclusiveness and future. The international conference, referred to as the 2020 General Conference because the original event was postponed during the pandemic, comes after years of...
‘If not me, then who?’: Greensburg helicopter restoration project honors Vietnam War veterans
Stephanie Redovan was walking in Lynch Field Park in Greensburg and she noticed the Army helicopter dedicated to a Vietnam War veteran needed some TLC. “The thing that kept echoing in my head was, ‘If I don’t do this, who’s going to do it?’ ” said Redovan, 34, of Jeannette....
Evolution Grille in Buffalo Township set to close
A Buffalo Township restaurant known for its farm-fresh entrees and bold flavors has announced plans to close. Evolution Grille along Route 356 posted to social media Friday, saying it is extending heartfelt gratitude to diners who have showered the restaurant with love. “Life, my friends, is a fickle sous-chef,” the...
House passes billions in aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle. Next is the Senate
WASHINGTON — The House swiftly approved $95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies in a rare Saturday session as Democrats and Republicans banded together after months of political turmoil over renewed American support for repelling Russia’s invasion. With overwhelming support, the $61 billion in aid...
Missing 12-year-old girl near the city’s East End was found
Pittsburgh police said they have located a 12-year-old girl who went missing on Friday. Akiyah Willie went missing about 11 a.m. after an argument with her mom, police said. “Thank you to everyone who shared the information,” police said in the update. She is known to frequent the area near...
