Top Stories category, Page 500
Duquesne finally reaches NCAA Tournament, but there’s plenty of work to do at home, too
For years, Duquesne athletic director Dave Harper expressed to anyone willing to listen how desperately he wanted to see his men’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament. “I said, ‘I’m not going to rest until our name is on a (bracket) line on Sunday on that selection show,’ ” he...
State trooper charged in connection with domestic violence allegation
Criminal charges were filed Monday against a suspended state trooper in connection with a domestic violence allegation. Troopers from the state police internal affairs division filed a misdemeanor charge of simple assault and a summary count of harassment against Nicholas E. Hood, 31, of Derry Township. Hood had been based...
Judge sends Munhall man to life in prison for murder, then tacks on 43 more years
The judge minced no words as he sentenced the Munhall man before him to life in prison with no chance for parole for first-degree murder. “This case is an outrageous disregard for anyone but yourself,” Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Anthony M. Mariani told the defendant on Monday. “You represent...
Kenny Pickett talks about exit from Steelers, getting fresh start with Eagles
After signing veteran quarterback Russell Wilson to a one-year contract last week, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t waste time trading two-year starter Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. It turns out Pickett was just as anxious to move across the commonwealth as the Steelers were sending him there, cementing the deal...
Vouchers for missing Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads for sale on eBayVideo
The mystery of the stolen Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads remains, but fans have already taken to eBay to try and sell vouchers for the figurines — and they’re pricey. Last week, 18,500 tiny likenesses of No. 68, complete with hand raised in a salute, had disappeared after being shipped by boat...
Settlement reached in dispute over Allegheny County ballot drop boxes
Four days after suing Allegheny County’s chief executive for overreaching her authority by announcing mail-in ballot drop-off locations without approval from the county elections board, the plaintiffs on Monday agreed to withdraw their complaint. County Councilman at-large Sam DeMarco, R-North Fayette, the lead plaintiff, said the decision was made because...
Trump’s lawyers say it is impossible for him to post bond covering $454 million civil fraud judgment
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s lawyers told a New York appellate court Monday that it’s impossible for him to post a bond covering the full amount of a $454 million civil fraud judgment while he appeals, suggesting the former president’s legal losses have put him in a serious cash crunch....
UPMC pledges seamless transition as dental center closes
State Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, says UPMC has assured him that dental patients transferred from its soon-to-close Montefiore center “will be easily absorbed” into the University of Pittsburgh Dental School clinic without undue treatment delays. He said the hospital system said most employees from the Montefiore operation have been...
Duquesne’s Keith Dambrot to retire after 7 seasons of sharing AD Dave Harper’s vision for programVideo
In March 2017, Dave Harper set out on a solo journey, seeking to hire a coach for the struggling men’s basketball program at Duquesne. “A man on an island,” he said. “I was trying to sell a job where the perception was coaches go to die.” Yet, after 17 months...
Pittsburgh police make arrest in Allentown triple shooting that killed 1 man
Pittsburgh police have made an arrest in a triple shooting earlier this month that left one man dead in the city’s Allentown neighborhood. Quincey Gurske, 20, of Mt. Washington was taken into custody Monday morning for the fatal shooting March 3 of Marquese Freeman, also 20 and from Pittsburgh, authorities...
Mark Madden: Steelers have had a perfect offseason, choosing progress over saving face
This much should be made clear about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ reconstructed quarterback room: There’s a pecking order. Russell Wilson is the starter. He’s not on a short leash or any leash. Justin Fields didn’t come to Pittsburgh to compete with Wilson. He’s clearly the backup and in a position to...
Hempfield family fighting son’s leukemia encourages people to join transplant registry
When Lucas James’ mom came to pick him up from school two years ago, Lucas knew something was terribly wrong. “I had on-and-off fevers, and we ended up having to do a blood test,” said Lucas, 14. “I was at school when my mom had gotten notified. “She was so...
Trump ramps up dark rhetoric in Ohio stump speech for Senate candidate Bernie MorenoVideo
VANDALIA, Ohio — Former President Donald Trump claimed that he — not President Joe Biden — will protect Social Security and warned of a “bloodbath” if he loses in November as he campaigned for Senate candidate Bernie Moreno in Ohio. Trump, speaking Saturday on a wind-whipped airfield outside of Dayton,...
Putin is poised to extend his rule in highly orchestrated vote even as Russians quietly protestVideo
Russians crowded outside polling stations at noon Sunday on the last day of a presidential election, apparently heeding an opposition call to protest against President Vladimir Putin in a vote that offered them no real alternatives after he ruthlessly cracked down on dissent. Shortly after the last polls closed in...
LeBron James congratulates Duquesne, Dambrot on historic victory
The king paid respect to the Dukes on Sunday. NBA All Star LeBron James congratulated the Duquesne University men’s basketball team Sunday on their entrance into the NCAA tournament, the first time the Dukes have made the dance in 47 years. James, a four-time NBA MVP and Akron, Ohio native,...
Pennsylvania is flush with surplus cash, but it still faces a looming budget problem
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. HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro wants to spend $3.5 billion of Pennsylvania’s surplus to stabilize transit systems, fund a court-mandated K-12 education overhaul, and expand...
After 47 years, Duquesne is headed back to the NCAA Tournament
Mossie Murphy, this one’s for you. After a 47-year wait, the Dukes can go dancing again. “I’m sure he would be up in the aisle dancing,” former Duquesne great Baron “B.B.” Flenory said of Murphy, the late political consultant from Pittsburgh and Duquesne’s most visible basketball booster back when the...
Remember When: St. Patrick’s Day Flood wreaked havoc on the A-K Valley in 1936
In the winter of 1936, the Alle-Kiski Valley saw 63 inches of snowfall through February. Then March came in like a lion. During the first weeks of March, warm weather coupled with melting snow and two days of torrential rain resulted in one of the region’s worst natural disasters: the...
Building the Valley: Arnold woman fulfills dream by opening Lower Burrell bridal shop
Through all the ups and downs, fashion has always been a big part in Precious “GiGi” Jones’ life. And now, the time is right for her to open a bridal boutique in Lower Burrell. “This is my dream — to not only make people feel beautiful but to make them...
Justin Fields: What they’re saying in Chicago about trade to Steelers
Quarterback Justin Fields is a Pittsburgh Steeler. After three tumultuous seasons in Chicago, the former Ohio State star is moving on from the Bears. The Steelers traded a sixth-round draft pick in 2025 in exchange for Fields. Here’s what they’re saying about the trade in Chicago. “The trade market on...
Former CMU president recalled as visionary leader who impacted the university and region
Former Carnegie Mellon University President Jared L. “Jerry” Cohon, who led the university for 16 years, was remembered Sunday as a visionary for the university who had a great impact on the region’s economy. Cohon, 76, who died Saturday in Ligonier, “was widely respected and immensely beloved, and his leadership...
‘We received thank-you’s’: Greensburg diocese has armed police officer in every school
Police officers who work at schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg are serving as mentors to students just as much as protectors. Members of the diocese force, in its first school year of existence as a private police department, make daily rounds at the 12 schools in four...
‘Sad, dreadful feelings’: Couple’s death in house explosion rekindles memories, unanswered questions
When Rick Napoleon heard about a fatal home explosion in Crescent last week, he was overcome by sadness and empathy. The thoughts of destruction and death that he and his neighbors endured seven months ago in Plum’s Rustic Ridge community came flooding back. His home was destroyed when his neighbor’s...
Pittsburgh preps for March Madness maniacs as city again hosts the Big Dance
Sure, the Robert Morris Colonials have hung up their tricornered hats. But the Duquesne Dukes are still dribbling, and the Pitt Panthers might slip in by a whisker despite long odds. No matter how the local teams fare after the brackets are built today for March Madness, college basketball’s premier...
‘Luck of the Iris’: Donnie Iris and the Cruisers still know how to rockVideo
Attending a Rolling Stones concert is somewhat akin to looking through an ultra-powerful telescope and seeing light that has been traveling this direction practically since time began. In the context of rock ’n’ roll, Mick, Keith and company started wowing audiences just a few years after the genre’s advent. For...
