Top Stories category, Page 505
Shapiro’s budget proposal seeks funding increase to merge state-owned universities and community collegesVideo
A unified system of 10 Pennsylvania state-owned universities and 15 community colleges would see a near-historic, 15% increase in state funding under Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2024-25 state budget, which was unveiled Tuesday. The increase would support his plan, announced last month, to overhaul the state’s higher education system and...
Pittsburgh halts free spay/neuter program after scam by suburban pet owners, officials say
Suburban pet owners, some with designer dogs, faked their addresses to access free, taxpayer-subsidized spay and neuter services meant for use by Pittsburgh residents, the city said Tuesday, as it announced an abrupt pause to the program. The suburbanites were using city addresses of friends and family members to get...
FAA tells Congress not to raise mandatory retirement for pilots until it can study issue
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is warning Congress not to raise the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots until the agency can study whether older pilots would raise safety risks. FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker said in a letter to two key senators that pilot fitness is critical to safety,...
Bloomfield’s Station restaurant set to close its doors
Time is running out to dine at Station in Bloomfield. After nine years, the restaurant is closing. The reason? Chef Curtis Gamble is moving to Tennessee later this year. “We’ve been through a lot in this space,” Gamble said in a statement. “The irony of this is that we’re doing...
Barcelona Wine Bar opens in the Cultural District
Pittsburgh, meet Barcelona Wine Bar. And you’re invited to the party. That’s the message from Barcelona general manager Autumn Williams. “Our goal is to have a party every night in the restaurant,” Williams said. “And to have a party, you need people at the party.” On that note, reservations are...
Court cases lead to new voting districts in some states. Could it affect control of Congress?
Since most Americans last voted for Congress, thousands of people have been added to certain voting districts — and subtracted from others — under new political maps enacted following court rulings. The sum of that redistricting math, assuming no major political shift in either major party’s direction, figures to provide...
Opioid settlement money is supposed to expand syringe services; Pa. nonprofit lost $150K because of them
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. BOLIVAR — Kim Botteicher decided to speak out about her work offering syringe services in Westmoreland County, hoping to prompt change that she believes would...
Madonna electrifies with theatrics in Pittsburgh ‘Celebration’ stop
Madonna certainly brought electricity to Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena on Monday night in her “Celebration Tour.” The “Queen of Pop” performed a repertoire spanning her over-40-year career — all while sporting a knee brace. She kicked things off with “Nothing Really Matters” after a slideshow of pictures of her life...
Morning Roundup: Kennywood sets opening date; vehicle strikes pedestrian in Butler
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Feb. 6: Kennywood announces 2024 schedule Kennywood is scheduled to open its 126th season on April 20. The amusement park released its schedule for the season on its website. Ticket prices start at $39.99. Kennywood also is hiring...
Singer-songwriter Toby Keith dies after battling stomach cancer
NORMAN, Okla. — Toby Keith, a sometimes polarizing figure in country music who crafted an identity around his macho, pro-American swagger, has died. He was 62. The “Beer For My Horses” singer-songwriter, who was battling stomach cancer, died peacefully Monday surrounded by his family, according to a statement posted on...
Study finds elevated levels of forever chemicals in rivers near Western Pa. wastewater plants
Wastewater treatment plants in Western Pennsylvania are dumping what’s known as forever chemicals into Pittsburgh’s rivers, a new study shows. The report from the nonprofit Women for a Healthy Environment focuses on per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), man-made chemicals used in many industrial and consumer products. It found a higher...
Elementary principal named acting superintendent at Leechburg Area
Leechburg Area School Board members Monday appointed David Leech Elementary School Principal David Keibler as the district’s acting superintendent. The move was made after former acting superintendent Peter Emery D’Arcangelo abruptly resigned last week, citing “an erosion of trust” among himself and school board members. D’Arcangelo was set to start...
Senate Republicans resist advancing on border policy bill, leaving aid for Ukraine in doubt
WASHINGTON — Facing a torrent of criticism from conservatives, Senate Republicans on Monday resisted advancing on a bipartisan proposal intended to clamp down on illegal border crossings, signaling a likely defeat in Congress that would leave leaders with no clear path to approve wartime aid for Ukraine. In a dramatic...
With climate change, is it time to consider a Category 6 hurricane?
In a warming world where rising ocean temperatures give fuel to a new breed of ultra-strong hurricanes, does a wind scale that maxes out at Category 5 go far enough? Or could there be a Category 6 hurricane? Researchers raise those questions in a study, released on Monday, that analyzes...
Pennsylvania Capitol protest against state investing in Israel bonds ends with scores of arrestsVideo
HARRISBURG — Police took more than 100 people protesting the Pennsylvania state government’s investments in Israel into custody Monday, shutting down a demonstration on the steps of the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg. A spokesperson for the Department of General Services, which includes the Pennsylvania Capitol Police, said 126 people were...
Raising taxes on the table as Pa. weighs how to pay for education court ruling
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 — Pennsylvania likely needs billions of dollars to shore up its public schools following a landmark court ruling, but lawmakers are entering a new...
Walnut Grill in Collier getting a makeover
Walnut Grill in Collier is temporarily closed. The establishment is expected to reopen in a few months with a new name, a new look and a new menu concept. “It is time for something different,” said Kirk Vogel, president and co-founder of Walnut Grill Holdings, which owns the restaurant. “We...
Bob Beckwith, retired firefighter in famous image with Bush after 9/11, dies at 91
NEW YORK — Bob Beckwith, a retired firefighter whose chance encounter with the president amid the rubble of ground zero became part of an iconic image of American unity after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has died. He was 91. Beckwith died Sunday night in hospice care after dealing with...
North Strabane man pleads guilty to killing bald eagle, half of ‘magical’ pair
For 18 years, Linda Carnevali stood almost every day at the kitchen window of her Washington County townhouse and watched a pair of bonded bald eagles who lived in the tree across from her home. They would soar from their large nest, swoop into the lake to fish and rebuild...
Dartmouth reinstates SAT test requirement. Will Pa. colleges follow?
The pandemic that drove students from campuses in March 2020 also accelerated a decadeslong shift away from using the SAT/ACT in college admission. By last spring, more than 8 in 10 colleges nationally and in Pennsylvania no longer required standardized tests. That trend could be reversing itself — at least...
Pittsburgh ends pilot potty program Downtown as permanent facilities open
The temporary public bathrooms that rolled out several months ago in Downtown Pittsburgh are gone, replaced by a more permanent solution. New public restrooms have opened inside the nearby Smithfield-Liberty Parking Garage, Richard Hooper, a spokesman for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, said Monday. The nonprofit Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and Mayor...
King Charles III diagnosed with cancer, will halt public duties as he undergoes treatment
LONDON — Britain’s King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer and has begun treatment, Buckingham Palace said Monday. Less than 18 months into his reign, the 75-year-old monarch will suspend public engagements but will continue with state business, and won’t be handing over his constitutional roles as head of...
Bethel Park McDonald’s franchisee sued over sex assault by manager settles with teen victim for $4.35M
A $4.35 million settlement announced Monday for a former McDonald’s employee who was sexually assaulted at age 14 at her Bethel Park workplace by her manager, a registered sex offender, is one of multiple legal actions embroiling the Pittsburgh-area franchisee. The franchisee — Rice Enterprises, a Baldwin Borough-based company that...
Americans have saddled themselves with credit card debt. Now renters and the poor are falling behind
NEW YORK — While the U.S. economy is broadly healthy, pockets of Americans have run through their savings and run up their credit card balances after battling inflation for more than two years. Experts worry that members of these groups — mostly lower- and middle-income Americans, who tend to be...
Cyberattack takes down some online services for Pennsylvania Court
Portions of the Pennsylvania Courts’ website that had been down since Sunday as a result of a cyberattack appeared to be back in operation Monday afternoon. A statement released by Chief Justice Debra Todd on Sunday said the attack affected online services such as filing systems, docket sheets, electronic payment...
