Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 51
Local governments step up to tax skill games in absence of state regulations
The lack of state taxes on so-called “skill games” is leaving regulation of the devices, and any tax revenue they could provide, up to municipalities. Pennsylvania currently provides no regulation on the games, even as they proliferate across the state in gas stations, convenience stores, bars and even grocery stores....
Newly formed Alle-Kiski Emergency Service Authority could become model for failing system
Pioneer Hose Chief Rick Jones believes that a newly formed paid EMS authority in Brackenridge, Harrison and Tarentum will be a game changer. Jones, of Brackenridge, was named to the board of the Alle-Kiski Emergency Service Authority, approved Wednesday by the three municipalities. Under the agreement, property owners will pay...
Nasty job becomes a nice social-media opportunity for Monroeville manVideo
Working in abandoned and foreclosed houses can be a dirty job. A real dirty one, depending on the hygiene or hoarding habits of former residents. It’s not a vocation for everyone. A strong stomach and equally strong sense of humor can come in handy. But Corey Heider, 38, of Monroeville,...
Judge denies motion to dismiss charges in 16-year-old Samantha Lang murder case
A Westmoreland County judge has cleared the way for a 16-year-old cold case murder trial to proceed, rejecting a Derry Township man’s argument that the charges were filed too late. In a ruling issued this week, Common Pleas Court Judge Tim Krieger denied a motion to dismiss homicide and burglary...
4 Yough students mourned at candlelight vigil
It was practically every day after school that neighbor Felicity Martini was knocking on Laura Fronczak’s Yukon door, asking if her daughters could come out to play when they were younger. Fronczak and daughter Brianna Brown, 14, remembered Martini, one of four teens killed in a fiery car crash last...
TSA workers might get paid Monday, but their worries and airport woes could linger for longer
NEW YORK— Transportation Security Administration officers could get their first full paychecks in more than six weeks as early as Monday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday instructing the Homeland Security secretary to pay them immediately. But travel experts and labor leaders said the mammoth security...
Peoples Gas proposes raising average monthly bill by $16
Peoples Gas wants to raise rates for the average residential customer by just over $16 a month, according to a request filed Friday with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The hike would amount to another $163 million in annual revenue for the gas utility, which serves more than 700,000 homes...
Multibillion-dollar Nvidia deal brings quiet Saxonburg-based manufacturer Coherent into the spotlight
Coherent executive Steve Rummel offered a peek under the hood Friday at the Saxonburg-based manufacturer’s multibillion-dollar deal with Nvidia, a stock market darling and driving force behind much of the artificial intelligence industry. The agreement was announced March 2 and continues some 20 years of collaboration between the companies. Over...
Nude woman arrested after assaulting customers in White Oak Giant Eagle, police say
A North Huntingdon woman faces multiple charges after she removed all of her clothes and was fighting inside a White Oak Giant Eagle, police said. On Thursday, White Oak police officers responded to a call from a Giant Eagle on Lincoln Way for a report of a disturbance in the...
Slippery Rock raises dining, parking, some academic fees
Parking permits and dining, technology and student life fees will increase for Slippery Rock University students next school year. SRU’s Council of Trustees on Friday approved a new fee structure that increases non-academic fees, as well as academic fees for the physician assistant, nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy programs....
Sheetz, PRT to offer free transit on T for NFL Draft in Pittsburgh
Sheetz announced it will provide free transit on the T and Monongahela Incline during the upcoming NFL Draft to make travel easier for fans and visitors. The announcement was made in partnership with Pittsburgh Regional Transit on Friday. Free rides will be available from Thursday, April 23, to Saturday, April...
He suddenly couldn’t speak in space. Pittsburgh astronaut says his medical scare remains a mystery
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The astronaut who prompted NASA’s first medical evacuation earlier this year said Friday that doctors still don’t know why he suddenly fell sick at the International Space Station. NASA astronaut and Pittsburgh area native Mike Fincke said he was eating dinner Jan. 7 after prepping for...
Tim Benz: Penguins need a few more exclamation point wins before putting a period at the end of their playoff drought
A common writing tip is to avoid using the exclamation point too much. You know, save it for truly exclamatory moments. If you use it all the time, how can anyone tell which statements are really standing out? That goes for any type of writing: news, sports, advertising, books, fiction,...
Former Pittsburgh teacher sues district, claiming officials hindered new job opportunities
A former Pittsburgh Public Schools teacher is suing the district, claiming he was not given due process following an exchange with a student last year and that response to the incident has hindered his ability to work. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Dino DeIuliis, includes claims of constitutional violations...
Innamorato issues order to improve restaurant permit process following Health Department changes
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato on Monday signed an executive order aimed at streamlining the county’s restaurant permitting process. The effort will engage multiple departments to assess where the food permitting process could be improved while maintaining public health and safety. A news release from her office states the order...
Catholic churches see a surge of new converts
People are joining the Catholic Church in surprising numbers. This Easter, the Archdiocese of Detroit will receive 1,428 new Catholics into the church, its highest number in 21 years. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will have its most in 15 years. In the Diocese of Des Moines, the count is jumping...
Bigger classrooms, better accessibility and rooftop playground highlight new Brentwood elementary school
When finished, the new Brentwood Elementary School will feature dedicated space for support classrooms, wider and more accessible hallways, and a rooftop playground. Construction of the new school, located at 30 West Willock Road, is scheduled to be ready for the first day of school Sept. 8. It brings together...
Mark Madden: All the tools, but no toolbox; Pirates’ biggest problem might be Oneil Cruz
The Pirates should trade Oneil Cruz. There must be some MLB team still impressed by his amazing athleticism and willing to ignore that he’s 27 and hasn’t yet learned how to play baseball. Beyond occasional flashes, Cruz is useless. Cruz is a .233 lifetime hitter, a tragic .172 against left-handed...
Pittsburgh region saw slight decline in population last year, new census data shows
Newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the Pittsburgh region’s population shrank slightly recently. The data includes population estimates for American counties from July 2024 to 2025. All but three counties in the eight-county Pittsburgh metropolitan statistical area saw a decline in population, according to a dataset compiled...
Savannah Guthrie to return to ‘Today’ on April 6 after mother’s disappearance
After a two-month absence sparked by her 84-year-old mother’s apparent abduction, Savannah Guthrie will return to NBC’s “Today” show next month, saying in an interview that aired Friday “joy will be my protest.” Hoda Kotb said after her emotional interview with her former co-host aired that Guthrie will return April...
House weighs next steps for bill to fund most of Homeland Security but not immigration enforcement
WASHINGTON — The Senate early Friday approved Department of Homeland Security funds to pay Transportation Security Administration agents and most other agencies but not the immigration enforcement operations at the heart of the budget impasse that has jammed airports, disrupted travel and imposed financial hardship on workers. The deal, which...
Forecasters extend flood warning for Pittsburgh area; power outages affecting thousands
The National Weather Service has extended a flood warning until 10:30 a.m. Friday in the aftermath of overnight thunderstorms. Between flashes of lightning and wind gusts reaching nearly 50 mph Thursday night, the Pittsburgh area collected between 1.25 and 2.25 inches of rain, said Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist for the NWS’s...
Upper Burrell residents notified of surveying for fracking lateral lines
Upper Burrell will soon undergo surveying for lateral fracking lines that could connect to natural gas company EQT’s Hermes well pad in neighboring Murrysville. Township residents received letters this week from Wisconsin consulting firm Verdanterra, which will conduct the surveying. “While surveying for well lateral locations, we may require access...
Some Pa. lawmakers call for suspending state taxes on gas and dieselVideo
With average gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, and diesel prices nearly $2 a gallon higher, some Pennsylvania lawmakers are exploring temporarily suspending the state’s taxes on both. “Everybody is talking about affordability, but what are we doing about it? I think we can do something,” state Sen. Lisa...
Feds accuse 3 of crime spree involving kidnapping, robbery, carjacking, gun and drug charges
Two men and a woman from Greensburg, Pittsburgh, and West Mifflin have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of kidnapping, carjacking, robbery, and breaking federal gun and postal laws, among others. The 14-count indictment names as defendants Armoni Burton, 25, of Greensburg; Ausaun Porter, 22,...
