Top Stories category, Page 516
Butler Treasure Hunting Club finds untold value in camaraderie, friendship
There’s a place where rings of gold and silver line dining room tables, jewels sparkle under the lights and historic coins of every size are within reach. Where is this modern day El Dorado? It’s on Main Street in Butler County. Brotherhood of the hunt The Butler Treasure Hunting Club...
‘A big fumble’: Pittsburgh’s clunky rollout of plastic bag ban sows confusion
Jake Diettrich, manager of Market Outlet, a Pittsburgh produce shop, has been grappling since January with the city’s plastic bag ban. Diettrich has had to calm grumbling patrons, swap his stock of outlawed plastic bags for pricier paper ones and contend with worries that the bag ban and mandatory fees...
Takeaways from South Carolina primary: Donald Trump’s Republican home field advantage is everywhere
NEW YORK — Donald Trump trounced Nikki Haley on Saturday in the South Carolina primary, a victory that emphatically punctuated the depth and breadth of his support among Republican primary voters as he vanquished his lone remaining major opponent in her home state. Trump did not even have to mount...
Trump wins South Carolina, beating Haley in her home state
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Donald Trump won South Carolina’s Republican primary Saturday, beating former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley in her home state and further consolidating his path to a third-straight GOP nomination. Trump has swept every contest that counted for Republican delegates, with wins already in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and...
Pitt breaks away from Virginia Tech for 79-64 victory
For 48 hours this week, Jeff Capel kept a secret. He knew something about his team that maybe some others didn’t think was possible after Pitt’s sorry performance Tuesday in a loss at Wake Forest. When his players reported to practice Thursday, the past was nothing more than a bad...
Game savers: Seton Hill trainers honored for reviving heart attack victim
John Palumbo is a regular at Seton Hill men’s basketball games, but he didn’t get to see the Griffins’ last home game two weeks ago. That’s when he was stretchered out of the gym after suffering what officials described as a “widow maker” heart attack but was revived by Seton...
Israel war cabinet to meet as Gaza cease-fire talks progress
Israel’s war cabinet is expected to convene Saturday night for a briefing on efforts advancing in Paris toward a deal to pause the fighting in Gaza and return hostages held there. Israeli media, citing people familiar with the situation, reported talks on Friday involving the Israeli delegation and representatives from...
What to know about Shapiro’s pitch to legalize marijuana, its chances in the Pa. legislature and more
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 — In his state budget pitch, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro called for the Pennsylvania legislature to legalize recreational marijuana. Shapiro is not breaking new...
1 dead, 3 wounded in Marshall-Shadeland shooting
Pittsburgh police said one person was killed and three others wounded in a shooting early Saturday morning in front of a bar in the city’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. Authorities said police received calls at 2:10 a.m. to respond to a dispute at 703 Social Club along Brighton Road. When they arrived,...
South Buffalo couple charged with animal cruelty after officers recover 64 dogs, cats and rabbits
Two people in South Buffalo each face more than 200 counts of animal cruelty and neglect after humane officers rescued 64 animals from a farm. Officials said some were wounded, including one missing a leg and another that couldn’t use its back legs. Many were living in inches of feces....
Family Promise House in Brackenridge offers temporary space for homeless families
Expectant mom Bridget Ashby was down on her luck and found herself without a place to live when “God stepped in.” Ashby and her 7-year-old son have a warm bed to sleep in this week with the opening of Family Promise House in Brackenridge. The transitional housing facility, run by...
Small, nonthreatening balloon intercepted over Utah by NORAD
SALT LAKE CITY — A small, nonthreatening balloon spotted flying high over the mountainous Western United States was intercepted by a fighter jet over Utah on Friday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command. NORAD fighter pilots sent in the morning to investigate the balloon determined it was “not...
Private U.S. spacecraft is on its side on the moon, company says
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private U.S. lunar lander tipped over at touchdown and ended up on its side near the moon’s south pole, hampering communications, company officials said Friday. Intuitive Machines initially believed its six-footed lander, Odysseus, was upright after Thursday’s touchdown. But CEO Steve Altemus said Friday the...
Pittsburgh police say missing 11-year-old girl has been found
Pittsburgh police say an 11-year-old girl who went missing from the city’s Homewood North neighborhood has been found. Alayna Hines was last seen at about 3:30 p.m. Friday at her home, police said. Pittsburgh police issued an update Saturday reporting that she had been found safely but offered no further...
West Virginia University police investigate campus burglaries and arsons
West Virginia University police are investigating multiple burglaries and arsons reported this week inside the school’s Life Sciences Building, including one faculty office targeted twice in two days. The university issued an alert Friday following the incidents on its Downtown campus. In the first burglary, reported Wednesday morning, testing material...
Data prompts Pittsburgh police chief to empty stations of overnight desk officers
No one will be manning Pittsburgh’s police precincts overnight any longer under policy changes announced Friday by Chief Larry Scirotto for the 743-officer force. The changes, which have already begun, affect all six zone stations across the city and the new Downtown substation from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m., seven...
‘I couldn’t be more thrilled’: Pirates reward Mitch Keller’s perseverance, bank on his future
BRADENTON, Fla. — As Mitch Keller thanked his Pittsburgh Pirates coaches and teammates for their support, the All-Star right-hander and staff ace got emotional. He paused to collect his composure and focused on his future. “It’s a really exciting time to be a Pirate,” Keller said, “and I couldn’t be...
Trump urges Alabama to protect in-vitro fertilization access after court ruling
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump urged Alabama’s legislature to protect the availability of in-vitro fertilization after the state high court ruling that threatens to make it harder for people to access fertility treatments. “Under my leadership, the Republican Party will always support the creation of strong, thriving, healthy American families....
Real estate broker sues over lost dough after deal to sell Beto’s pizzeria falls flat
The owner of Beto’s, one of Pittsburgh’s oldest and most well-known pizzerias, planned to sell the restaurant last year for $2.1 million before taking the property off the market. Now, a year later, the broker who found a potential buyer in a Las Vegas attorney, is suing the shop’s owner...
Former Pittsburgh police commander charged with spying on officers, recording conversations
A former Pittsburgh police zone commander is charged with spying multiple times on several of his officers, secretly recording up to 75 hours of their conversations. Matthew Lackner, 50, of Mt. Lebanon, was charged Friday by Allegheny County Police with four counts of illegal use of wired or oral communications,...
Piatt ready to seek Pittsburgh OK for waterfront ‘Esplanade’ project with giant Ferris wheel on the North Side
After years of delays, developers are on the verge of officially proposing a massive waterfront development project on Pittsburgh’s North Side that would feature a nearly 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel. Canonsburg-based Piatt Cos. first proposed the project dubbed Esplanade along the banks of the Ohio River in the city’s Chateau neighborhood...
MLB’s new uniforms don’t pass the eye test for Pirates players in spring training
BRADENTON, Fla. — Some Pittsburgh Pirates players have grumbled privately about the new MLB uniforms, expressing their dissatisfaction with the differences. The names and numbers are visibly smaller. The mesh material on the game jerseys and pants is stretchier and, with home whites, can be see-through. By adding mesh to...
Audit: Jeannette underpaid pension funds nearly $190K; city manager says issue has been resolved
Jeannette underpaid its three pension funds by $189,356 in 2021, and the state auditor general’s office said turnover in the fiscal office in 2020 and 2021 contributed to the error. The compliance audit of the city’s fire, police and nonuniformed pension plans recommended that Jeannette add the amount, plus interest,...
Student loan forgiveness plan in Pennsylvania wipes out $45.1M in debt for 5,600 borrowers
The Biden administration this week canceled $1.2 billion in student debt nationwide. In Pennsylvania, that means 5,600 borrowers with a total of $45.1 million in debt have had their loans wiped clean, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The agency on Friday released a state-by-state breakdown of where the...
Councilmen say there’s not much Springdale can do with railroad intersection
There’s not much that Springdale Borough can do with an apparently complicated railroad crossing near Colfax Street. About 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, a tractor-trailer’s dolly legs got stuck under the rail at the Colfax Street crossing, police said. The driver, unable to get the rig off the tracks, evacuated the truck...
