Top Stories category, Page 481
Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes scheduled to make MLB debut Saturday against Cubs
In what is expected to be the most anticipated debut by a starting pitcher since Stephen Strasburg in 2010, the Pittsburgh Pirates are promoting Paul Skenes to the major leagues, a source confirmed to TribLive. The 21-year-old right-hander, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft and regarded...
Judge rules Pine-Richland parent can’t challenge school district’s transgender policy
A Pine-Richland parent suing the school district over its transgender nondiscrimination policy does not have standing to do so because her child has not been affected by it, a federal judge has ruled. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV issued his 17-page opinion in the case, which...
Mt. Lebanon Catholic school accuses state inspectors of bullying, intimidation
A yearslong dispute over whether the state has the right to regulate a Mt. Lebanon Catholic school’s before- and after-school program has landed in federal court amid allegations that the school is being subjected to a religious and politically motivated attack. South Hills Catholic Academy on Tuesday filed a lawsuit...
Biden lauds new Microsoft center on the same site where Trump’s Foxconn project failedVideo
STURTEVANT, Wis. — President Joe Biden on Wednesday laced into Donald Trump over a failed project in the previous administration that was supposed to bring thousands of new jobs into southeastern Wisconsin and trumpeted new economic investments under his watch that are coming to the same spot. That location in...
Family feud: Lawsuit says Post-Gazette publisher wants to sell paper as brothers clash
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette publisher and editor-in-chief John Block wants to sell the paper as well as its parent company, Block Communications Inc., according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in an Ohio court. The civil suit in Lucas County Common Pleas Court was filed by Block Communications CEO Allan Block, John Block’s...
From the Newsroom podcast: A look at the student protests at Pitt
Over the past few weeks, universities and colleges across the country have seen unrest tied to the growing public sympathy for Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war. The University of Pittsburgh also saw a version of this national protest with its own Schenley Plaza as the site of students’ pro-Palestine encampment....
$5M donation made to AGH cardiac program by Mario Lemieux Foundation, Highmark
The Mario Lemieux Foundation on Wednesday announced a $2.5 million donation to Allegheny General Hospital’s cardiac electrophysiology program. The donation was matched by Highmark, hospital leaders said during an announcement at the North Side hospital. The joint $5 million gift will mark the creation of the Mario Lemieux Center for...
Shake Shack sets opening date for 1st Pittsburgh restaurant
Pittsburgh is on the cusp of having its first Shake Shack, the popular burger chain known for serving satisfying smash burgers, crispy cheese fries and decadent frozen custards. The New York-based chain announced Wednesday that its new location in Pittsburgh’s Strip District will open to the public May 20. A...
Tornadoes confirmed overnight in Ligonier area, Findlay Township
The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado passed through Derry and Ligonier townships early Wednesday, damaging trees, while another touched down briefly in Allegheny County, tearing off a roof. Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist at the NWS Pittsburgh office, said the EF1 tornado in the Ligonier area generated gusts...
Morning Roundup: Lightning may have started Unity fire; Carnegie deals with flooding
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, May 8: Lightning may have started Unity fire Firefighters were on the scene at a house fire early Wednesday morning in Unity for about two and a half hours, according to Westmoreland County dispatchers. According to TribLive news...
Yes, allergy season is particularly bad. Here’s why it’s about to get worse — and what you can do to cope
Allergy sufferers need not look past their vehicle’s hood to see why this season is so bad — if their watery eyes let them. Tree pollen allergy season is nearing its peak, but relief might be available at your local pharmacy or grocery aisle. Grass pollen season is right around...
How 5 Black women are impacting Pittsburgh’s wellness scene
Black women in Pittsburgh are making a mark in the wellness community. Their unwavering commitment and innovative approaches are breaking down barriers and fostering a sense of inclusivity and belonging in a realm often perceived as inaccessible to people of color. The five Black women in this story are a...
Panera to stop serving Charged Sips drinks after wrongful death lawsuits over caffeine content
Panera Bread said it’s discontinuing its Charged Sips drinks that were tied to at least two wrongful death lawsuits due to their high caffeine content. Panera didn’t say Tuesday whether the drinks were being discontinued because of the lawsuits or health concerns, and it wouldn’t comment on the timeline for...
Missing Mount Oliver area teen found safe
Pittsburgh police announced a teen boy missing from the Mount Oliver area Tuesday was found safe overnight....
Pro-Palestine protest in Pittsburgh focuses on Rafah, Israeli actionsVideo
Chants of “free, free Palestine,” “Come November, we’ll remember” and “Hands off the Middle East” rang out through Downtown Pittsburgh streets as about 200 pro-Palestinian protesters marched from Market Square to the City-County Building and back Tuesday evening. Billed as a “Hands off Rafah” emergency rally by the same group...
TV Talk: Does WQED still care about local programming?
WQED Multimedia eliminated five positions on April 29 amid a wave of staff dissatisfaction and concern about the future of the station’s local TV programming. Four of the employees exited immediately while one, IT director Mike Kobulnicky, was “invited” to stay on through June as the station outsources IT and...
Pennsylvania Senate approves GOP’s $3B tax-cutting plan, over objections of top Democrats
HARRISBURG — Republican lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation for a $3 billion tax cut, their just-unveiled counterproposal to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro ‘s budget plan as each side offers a competing vision for how to use a massive cash surplus sitting in the state treasury. The tax legislation cutting taxes...
New Kensington man charged in high-speed turnpike chase in Somerset County
A New Kensington man was among three people arrested by state police Monday after leading them on a high-speed chase in Somerset County that at one point reached up to and over 120 mph. Pharoah Sewell, 20, of New Kensington was charged along with Davontae Trevon Clayton, 19, of Belle...
Judge in Trump’s classified documents case cancels May trial date; no new date set
WASHINGTON — The federal judge in Florida presiding over the classified documents prosecution of former President Donald Trump has canceled the trial date for May 20, postponing it indefinitely. The order from U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had been expected in light of still-unresolved issues in the case and because...
Judges find Westmoreland register of wills in contempt of court
Westmoreland County’s embattled Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton faces a potential jail sentence for failing to comply with multiple court orders from two judges. Common Pleas Judges Harry Smail Jr. and Jim Silvis on Tuesday found Hamilton in direct criminal contempt on three counts: disobedience or neglect by an...
TikTok sues U.S. government, saying ban violates 1st Amendment
TikTok, the popular social video app, sued the U.S. government on Tuesday, saying the country’s new law that could ban the app violates First Amendment rights to free speech. President Biden last month signed into law a bill that would effectively ban the service in the U.S. if its Chinese...
Stormy Daniels evokes Ben Roethlisberger during Trump trial
Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was mentioned Tuesday during Stormy Daniels’ testimony in former President Donald Trump’s election interference trial. Daniels testified under oath about the sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in 2006 and the alleged $130,000 deal to keep it a secret, made just days before...
Jamil Bey takes over as Pittsburgh planning czar
An Overbrook resident with a doctorate in geography is Pittsburgh’s new planning director. City Council unanimously approved Jamil Bey as the director of the Department of City Planning. Bey will oversee a roughly $9 million budget and 56 full-time employees at the department, which manages land use, zoning and neighborhood...
Florida man who ripped off feds in $97M health care fraud gets 10 years in prison
A Florida man responsible for $97 million in health care fraud across three separate schemes in Western Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida will spend 10 years in federal prison. Daniel M. Hurt, 60, of Fort Lauderdale was also ordered to pay that amount in restitution. On Tuesday, Hurt’s attorney said...
Pittsburgh passes new tax break to tackle high office vacancies Downtown
Developers who transform Downtown Pittsburgh’s empty offices into housing or new commercial uses will now qualify for special tax relief as city officials try to revitalize an area with significant vacancies and declining property values. Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved a new tax break — which can last for...
