Top Stories category, Page 50

Spotted lanternflies, targeted by stomping feet wherever they’re found, have a new enemy: Congress. U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, and three of his colleagues have introduced legislation that would authorize the nation’s agriculture chief to make grants available for lanternfly research aimed at stopping the spread of the invasive insect....

Ten lifeguards were watching the wave pool at Hersheypark when a 9-year-old girl drowned, officials said. A spokesperson for the theme park confirmed the incident occurred at the wave pool within the Boardwalk at Hersheypark, on Thursday, as reported by NBC10 Philadelphia. At the time of Sophia Subedi’s death, the...

Within hours of the suspicious death of a Peters Township baby in Pittsburgh in 2022, the Washington County district attorney pressured his county’s coroner to assume jurisdiction of the case and ensure it was declared a homicide as part of a strategy to aid his election campaign, according to allegations...

Pittsburgh City Councilman Bobby Wilson on Monday announced that more than 43,000 city residents saw their medical debt erased. This comes after Wilson, D-North Side, in 2023 sponsored a bill that allocated $1 million in federal covid-19 relief money to contract with a company that bought dischargeable health care debt...

New Kensington Council gave the final OK on how it will pay for road improvements in the city this year and next. The city entered into a loan agreement with the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Bank to borrow $1.19 million for street improvements. The program is designed to provide low-interest loans and...

The surefire way to know whether it’s a sweat bee or a corn fly buzzing around is if it stings. The halictid bee stings, but the corn fly, also called a hover fly, does not. “They’re mimics of bees, just annoying as all get-out,” said Michael Skvarla, a Penn State...

Bushy Run Battlefield in Penn Township is using its upcoming reenactment as an opportunity to right a wrong — giving a more culturally appropriate name to a hill on its 218-acre property. The reenactment, slated for Saturday and Sunday, is a staple event in the township. It portrays a 1763...

The first meeting for a proposed data center in Spring­dale is set for Aug. 6. That’s when the borough’s planning commission will hear a presentation from the site developer and discuss potential conditions for its use at a public meeting. Springdale Borough Manager Terry Carcella said topics likely would include...

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. Sign up for our free newsletters. Editor’s note: Sue, Robert, and Jonathan are pseudonyms. Their names and some details have been changed to protect their...

A 2-year-old child drowned in a pool in Stowe Township, according to police. Allegheny County Police said the drowning occurred in the 1100 block of 12th Street shortly after 7 p.m. Monday. They said first responders found residents performing CPR on the child, who was taken to a nearby hospital...

A Delmont man charged along with his wife for the alleged torture and murder of their adopted son wants a separate trial, his lawyer said during a court hearing on Monday. Defense attorney Ken Noga told a county judge that evidence suggests that Lauren Maloberti was the person who beat...

NEW YORK — A gunman who killed four people inside a Manhattan office tower blamed his mental health problems on the National Football League and intended to target the league’s headquarters there but took the wrong elevator, officials said Tuesday. Investigators said Shane Tamura, a Las Vegas casino worker, was...

Although her son stands accused of trying to kill her, the mother of a Westmoreland County Prison inmate wants him to receive a special kosher diet based upon his religious beliefs. Rose Eckman asked members of the county’s prison board on Monday to allow her son — jailed for the...

A Sharon man is facing multiple charges in connection with the vandalism of the Hermitage office of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly. According to Hermitage police Chief Adam Piccirillo, the department received reports of the vandalism just before midnight Friday. Expletives, disparaging accusations and derisive comments directed toward the Republican from...

Pennsylvania hunters can now spend 13 consecutive Sundays in the woods this fall. In a unanimous decision at its Monday meeting, the Pennsylvania Game Commission voted to instruct its executive director to open up 10 Sundays for hunting starting Sept. 14 and ending Dec. 7. That’s in addition to the...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that parts of Allegheny County have made significant improvements in air quality levels, however some local environmental groups say there is still a long way to go before the air is clean. On Thursday, EPA announced the approval of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s...

Utility regulators are warning extreme heat since mid-June will mean higher electric bills for Pennsylvanians. The state’s Public Utility Commission said Friday scorching weather has brought demand on the regional power grid to its highest level in 14 years, a fact that will soon be reflected in electric bills. “Whether...

Pittsburgh will now release an annual report that details the state of the vehicle fleet amid concerns that essential vehicles are becoming old and difficult to maintain. City Council on Monday unanimously approved a measure — sponsored by Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-North Side — that will mandate an Annual Fleet...

A federal judge on Monday says Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide must continue to be reimbursed for Medicaid funding as the nation’s largest abortion provider fights President Donald Trump’s administration over efforts to defund the organization in his signature tax legislation. The new order replaces a previous edict handed down by...

Allegheny County Health Department officials Monday announced additional mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus, spurring additional mosquito treatments throughout the area. The health department will treat areas in the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Point Breeze, Regent Square, East Hills, Homewood and Highland Park. Also treated will be the...

A Southmoreland High School graduate who is battling cancer has joined in the fight against the disease and now wants to inspire a younger generation of students to make a difference in the lives of others. Corey Rhodes of East Huntingdon, through his Rhodes Cancer Foundation, has established a $2,500...

The Pittsburgh Walk of Fame announced its first inductees, who will be honored this fall in a Hollywood-style installation at The Terminal in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. The inaugural honorees are:George Benson, a famed jazz musician born in the city’s Hill DistrictNellie Bly, a pioneering investigative journalist, who was born in...

Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Monday, July 28: Man in critical condition after Hill District shooting A man was left in critical condition Sunday night following a shooting in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood. Police responded around 11:45 p.m. to a single-round ShotSpotter alert in...

Iron City Distilling threw open its doors in East Deer on Sunday, welcoming active-duty military, veterans and first responders to hang out as they showed some love to those who serve and have served the country. Between 180 and 200 were expected for the first-time, free event, which featured spirit...

It appeared not many authorities in Pennsylvania knew Shannon Nicole Womack was bouncing from nursing home job to nursing home job over the past year, despite allegedly lacking the professional license to do so. In fact, it wasn’t until an April traffic stop that Womack, 39, of Pittsburgh was found...