Top Stories category, Page 487
World War I memorial at Pittsburgh’s Obama Academy to be restored for 100th anniversary
A bronze World War I memorial outside Obama Academy in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood is getting a facelift for its 100th anniversary. The memorial bears the names of more than 500 World War I veterans who were students at the former Peabody High School, now Obama Academy, on North Highland...
Sen. Casey questions Wendy’s intent with dynamic pricing plans
Fast-food giant Wendy’s has come under fire this week for its plan to implement dynamic pricing at its restaurants. Now the move is drawing concerns from Pennsylvania politicians. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, sent a letter to Wendy’s CEO on Wednesday raising issues about their plans for dynamic — or...
Stacy Wakefield dies less than 5 months after her husband, World Series champion Tim Wakefield
Stacy Wakefield, the widow of former Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher and two-time World Series champion Tim Wakefield, has died. Her family said in a statement released through the Red Sox that she died Wednesday at her Massachusetts home, less than five months after her husband died at...
Longtime play-by-play man Bill Hillgrove retires from Steelers
A man known for exquisite preparation in his professional dealings, Bill Hillgrove didn’t necessarily plan for Thursday to play out the way it did. But it was impossible not to recognize how perfectly fitting the way the day in which Hillgrove announced his partial retirement was going to end. “I’m...
Pennsylvania sets up election security task force ahead of 2024 presidential contest
HARRISBURG — Law enforcement agencies, civil defense officials and election administrators have begun meeting in Pennsylvania to coordinate how they will identify and fight election threats with the presidential contest just eight months away in the battleground state, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said Thursday. Shapiro created the Pennsylvania Election Threats...
Morning Roundup: Police say Aliquippa man attacked dog with hatchet
Here are a few morning news items for Thursday: Police say Beaver County man attacked dog with hatchet An Aliquippa man allegedly a dog with a hatchet, causing the animal to lose its left ear, police said. The dog’s owner said David Askew III hit his dog with a hatchet...
From fuel pumps to grocery scales, these people help ensure you don’t overpay
Mary Bach isn’t surprised the price scanning system at a Giant Eagle in New Kensington failed an inspection this week. The consumer advocate from Murrysville said price scanning errors — recording the wrong price for a product at checkout — occur at retailers of every sort. “I am finding more...
Judge orders Trump off Illinois primary ballot but puts ruling on hold
CHICAGO — A Cook County judge ruled the Illinois State Board of Elections must take former President Donald Trump’s name off the state’s March 19 primary ballot Wednesday. But she placed her order on hold until Friday to allow an appeal. Judge Tracie Porter issued her decision after a group...
Sen. Casey bill seeks to fight shrinkflation at grocery stores
Sen. Bob Casey is fighting supermarket shrinkflation. The Pennsylvania Democrat introduced a bill Wednesday that opposes the practice of shrinking everyday consumer goods such as cereal, potato chips, laundry detergent and toilet paper. The Shrinkflation Prevention Act targets corporations Casey, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, said are deceiving...
Westmoreland County employers say they have a tough time finding workers who want to work
In an era when some businesses offer a flexible post-covid schedule, some employers at a job fair in Hempfield on Wednesday said it is a challenge to find employees willing to work — and do it five days a week at a job site and be there when the company...
‘Are you sitting down?’: Couple loses wedding reception venue after Monroeville DoubleTree closure
AJ Denne’s grandmother called her Tuesday afternoon, prefacing the call with the question: “Are you sitting down?” She automatically assumed her grandma, who lives in Wilkins, had won the lottery. No such luck. Instead, Denne, 28, of Jacksonville, Fla., was about to receive news that would upend her upcoming wedding...
Efforts to save Monroeville Convention Center reach lieutenant governor’s office
Monroeville Mayor Nick Gresock said efforts to save the Monroeville Convention Center have reached all the way to the highest levels of state government. Gresock said he was joined by Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, state Sens. Jay Costa and Jim Brewster, state Rep. Brandon Markosek, a representative from the Allegheny...
Former public defender found not guilty in incident with Greensburg police
A former Westmoreland County assistant public defender was found not guilty of evading arrest by a Greensburg police officer last fall following a traffic stop. Following a lengthy hearing Tuesday, David Mulock, 38, of Murrysville was acquitted on one summary count in connection with an incident Oct. 4 on North...
Independence Health addresses losses from 1st year as merged health care system
Independence Health System continued to lose money as it passed its one-year mark at the end of December 2023, though annual losses have shrunk by almost $9 million, according to recently released financial reports. Reports indicate the health system formed by the merger of Excela and Butler health systems has...
Congressional leaders reach tentative deal to prevent a government shutdown
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders reached a tentative agreement Wednesday to prevent a government shutdown for now, days before an end-of-the-week deadline that risked shuttering some federal operations, according to two people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it. Under the new plan being finalized, Congress would temporarily...
Supreme Court, moving quickly, will decide if Trump can be prosecuted in election interference case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he interfered with the 2020 election and set a course for a quick resolution. The justices’ order maintains a hold on preparations for a trial focused on Trump’s efforts to...
Penn State New Kensington rallies against proposed cuts to branch campuses
Anthony Palyszeski can speak firsthand about the impact his time as a student at Penn State New Kensington has had on his life. “My years at Penn State New Kensington turned me into a professional, to enter the workforce with pride,” said Palyszeski, 27, of Harrison, a network coordinator at...
Former WWE, WCW wrestler Virgil, a Wilkinsburg native, dies at 61
Professional wrestling is all about characters and stories — two things Mike Jones is associated with under his wrestling personas. Jones, born in Wilkinsburg and a Pittsburgh area resident most of his life, died Wednesday morning at age 61, according to WWE. Information had been public since 2022 about his...
1 man charged, another dead in Marshall-Shadeland bar shooting
A Swissvale man, still hospitalized Wednesday with at least one gunshot wound to his chest, is charged in a fatal shooting outside a North Side bar. Akil Raheem Tennyson, 31, was thrown out of the 703 Social Club in Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood at about 2 a.m. Saturday because he was...
Appellate judge refuses to halt Trump’s $454 million fraud penalty while he appeals
NEW YORK — A New York appellate judge on Wednesday refused to halt collection of Donald Trump’s $454 million civil fraud penalty while he appeals, rejecting the former president’s request that he be allowed to post a bond covering just a fraction of what he owes. Judge Anil Singh of...
Snapchat bomb hoaxes prompt early dismissal for 2,000 Woodland Hills, Gateway high school students
Bomb threats delivered through social media — both of them false alarms — prompted educators Wednesday to evacuate more than 2,000 students from Woodland Hills and Gateway high schools. The schools received the anonymous threats on Snapchat. Just before noon, Woodland Hills Superintendent Daniel Castagna dismissed the Churchill-based regional high...
Novo Asian Food Hall set to open at Terminal in the Strip District
The Novo Asian Food Hall, featuring seven authentic dining concepts, opens at 4 p.m. Friday. Located in the Terminal in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, the 8,600-square-foot space will offer dishes from Korean delicacies to Vietnamese street food. “We are thrilled to introduce Novo Food Hall to the vibrant dining and cultural...
McConnell to step down as Senate GOP leader in November after record run in the jobVideo
WASHINGTON — Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November. McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced his decision Wednesday in the well of...
Hunter Biden in defiant deposition blasts GOP, insists he did not involve his father in business
WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden was defiant Wednesday in a closed-door deposition on Capitol Hill, blasting a Republican impeachment inquiry into his father and the family’s business affairs as a “house of cards” built on “lies” as he faced a battery of probing questions from lawmakers. “For more than a year,...
Imani Batts creates sustainable fashion line with Catherine Trendz
Upcycling fashion designer Imani Batts is making waves in Pittsburgh and beyond as a trendsetter and sustainable fashion designer. Her thrift store finds are reworked into strikingly distinct, one-of-a-kind pieces. The most recent fashion show for her brand, Catherine Trendz, was the “GRWM” Runway Experience on Saturday at Velum Fermentation...
