Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 5
Pitt students track Artemis II spacecraft in worldwide NASA test
A 4 a.m. test Thursday put University of Pittsburgh engineering students and the school’s ham radio club on a global stage. Pitt was one of eight educational institutions worldwide selected by NASA to study the Artemis II mission and track the Orion spacecraft. “The big win is the student experience,...
Melania Trump delivers statement at the White House denying knowledge of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimesVideo
WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes, saying Thursday that the “stories are completely false” and calling accusations that she was somehow involved “smears about me.” Reading an extraordinary statement at the White House, Melania Trump said she and...
AHN radiologist turns ‘The Pitt’ into teaching tool on TikTok
Bathed in the blue light of a radiology reading room, Dr. Matthew Hartman and three of his medical students spent Wednesday morning analyzing X-rays, CT scans and ultrasounds at West Penn Hospital. The images being reviewed by the class were real, but Hartman finds fiction can be just as powerful...
Judge denies church’s request for injunction against Collier over shrine project
A federal judge has rejected a church’s effort to force Collier Township to let it move forward with an extensive redevelopment that would erect a new chapel and shrine on church property. Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church filed a federal lawsuit against the township in January asserting religious discrimination after...
Police say grenade found in North Side contained no gunpowder
Police said a reported grenade that prompted evacuations on Pittsburgh’s North Side was actually an inert training device — essentially just the outer casing with no explosive material. “It looks like the actual device but there’s no pin or gunpowder that would cause an explosion,” said Eliza Durham, a police...
Hundreds of parking spaces open in Pittsburgh for NFL Draft, averaging $87 a day
Hundreds of parking spaces are now available for NFL Draft fans to reserve, JustPark announced Thursday in partnership with ALCO Parking and other Pittsburgh operators. Parking will cost an average of $87.25 per day for nearby lots during the three-day draft, according to JustPark, a platform that aggregates inventory from...
Netanyahu authorizes direct talks with Lebanon ‘as soon as possible’
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he has authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” as a tentative ceasefire in the Iran war staggered under the weight of Israel’s bombardment of Beirut. Netanyahu said he gave the order in response to...
Pitt medical researchers get a ‘signing day’ to recognize their work in the marketplaceVideo
Rebecca Price, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pittsburgh, diagnosed a problem: Patients with depression were suffering too long until finding the right treatment. So she developed technology that helps them change habits and thinking patterns, working alongside traditional treatments like medication. Price published her findings — and her...
Former South Greensburg fire chief accused in apparent theft of $290K from cemetery association
The former South Greensburg fire chief was arraigned Thursday morning on a felony theft count involving $290,500 that went missing from St. Clair Cemetery Association in Hempfield. Matthew Thomas White, 49, of Hempfield overpaid himself for salary and commission and wrote himself checks that were deleted from the accounting system,...
USA Today ranks Sewickley best small town in the NortheastVideo
Sewickley officials believe they live in one of the best towns around. USA Today readers agree as they have recently named the Allegheny County borough the No. 1 small town in the Northeast. The announcement came as part of the media outlet’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Ten towns in...
2 Pittsburgh cops sued over false arrest claim in South Side assault
An Allegheny County man is suing two Pittsburgh police officers in federal court, claiming they misidentified him, arrested him for an assault without probable cause and violated his constitutional rights. Chiyeh Green, 22, alleges he was wrongfully held in jail for six days despite being on probation and wearing a...
Charges dropped against Sewickley man detained by ICE
Charges against a Sewickley man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been withdrawn. Bruno Guedes da Silva, 38, has been in federal custody since Feb. 22. He was charged with the sale or transfer of firearms and unsworn falsification to authorities. Charges stem from an incident in early...
Netanyahu authorizes direct talks with Lebanon in potential boost to ceasefire efforts
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In a potential boost to Middle East ceasefire efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbors. The two countries have technically been...
As prices continue to rise, Western Pa. food banks see climbing demandVideo
Financial pressure on families from inflation, government shutdowns and the Iran war is apparent at area food banks, where some say demand is outstripping even what they saw during the covid-19 pandemic. From July 2024 to July 2025, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank distributed 5 million more meals than...
Big businesses in Downtown Pittsburgh pivot to remote work for 2026 NFL DraftVideo
Some Downtown Pittsburgh businesses have a simple message for their employees during the 2026 NFL Draft: Stay home. Big companies like PPG, Highmark and PNC are telling workers they don’t have to fight traffic, navigate around the detours or deal with the hassle of finding a coveted parking spot during...
Former UPMC doctor accused of trying to kill his wife convicted of attempted manslaughterVideo
HONOLULU — A Hawaii anesthesiologist who was accused of trying to murder his wife on a cliffside hike last year has been convicted of the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter. A Honolulu jury returned the verdict against Gerhardt Konig, 47, on Wednesday after a day of deliberations. The crime he...
Ridgway man killed in Route 28/66 crash in Armstrong County
A Ridgway man has died after his car struck a tractor-trailer truck late Wednesday afternoon. Nathan Anthony Brown, 33, was killed at the intersection of Hoover Road and Route 28/66 in Boggs Township shortly before 5 p.m., according to Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers’ report. Brown was traveling northbound on...
ICE has left Pittsburgh International Airport
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are no longer stationed at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Allegheny County Airport Authority spokesman Bob Kerlik said in a statement that airport operations are “unaffected,” but deferred to the Department of Homeland Security for specifics on why ICE was pulled from the airport Tuesday and...
O’Connor’s push to divert $2M from Pittsburgh fleet leads to flare-up in council
A proposal by Pittsburgh’s mayor to take money earmarked for new ambulances and spend it on other expenses became a point of contention Wednesday as City Council haggled over amendments to this year’s budget. UPMC recently donated $10 million to buy the city new ambulances this year and next. Mayor...
Pennsylvania teens who plotted ISIS-inspired NYC terror attack sought to kill up to 60, feds say
Two Pennsylvania teenagers accused of instigating an ISIS-inspired terrorist plot outside New York’s Gracie Mansion last month watched “radical content” online and hoped to kill up to 60 people in the attack, according to new court documents. Emir Balat, 18, of Langhorne, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, of Newtown, were charged...
Harmar fight leaves 1 elderly man hospitalized, another facing felony charges
Harmar police say a fight between two senior citizens ended with one in a hospital intensive care unit and the other facing felony charges. Robert Schmidt, 76, of Springdale Township is accused of repeatedly punching a man and then stomping on his head because the victim allegedly made inappropriate comments...
Pam Bondi won’t appear on Capitol Hill for scheduled Epstein deposition next week
WASHINGTON — Pam Bondi, the former attorney general whom President Donald Trump fired last week, will not appear next week for a scheduled deposition with the House Oversight Committee as part of its inquiry into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The committee said in a statement Wednesday that it would...
Solar farm planned in Swisshelm Park would power 4 Pittsburgh Public schools
A brownfield in Pittsburgh’s Swisshelm Park neighborhood is set to become a solar array that would power four Pittsburgh Public Schools facilities. The Urban Redevelopment Authority plans to enter into a 25-year lease agreement with Capital Good Fund to develop a solar farm on a 15-acre site in Swisshelm Park,...
South Korean firm restarts steel pipe plant in The Waterfront
A South Korean company restarted the former Ascent Industries steel pipe and tube manufacturing plant in The Waterfront development last week after nearly three years offline. Nexteel has brought the massive, bright blue warehouse in Munhall back to life, according to a LinkedIn post from its American division that offered...
Man accused of blowing up Plum home with family inside headed for court
Witnesses told a district judge that Jacob Rabb admitted multiple times to blowing up his Plum home in 2022 with his partner and his four children inside. Charges against Rabb, 41, including four counts of attempted homicide, were held for court Wednesday after a preliminary hearing before District Judge Mike...
