Top Stories category, Page 520
Supreme Court wrestles with major challenges to power of federal regulators
WASHINGTON — Conservative Supreme Court justices on Wednesday voiced support for weakening the power of federal regulators, but it was not clear whether a majority would overturn a major 40-year-old decision. Billions of dollars are potentially at stake in front of a court that, like the rest of the federal...
Saint Vincent College introduces new aviation degree
A new major at Saint Vincent College will propel students to careers in aviation and help them earn a license to become a pilot. The unique partnership behind the offering has been in the works for about a year, said officials from the Unity college, Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, Community...
What a new federal rule banning funny roadway signs means for Pennsylvania
Have you ever noticed the electronic sign “Don’t Drive Star Spangled Hammered” on the Parkway West and chuckled? Well, that and other similar quirky messages are going away in a couple years. They will be banned in 2026. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has given states two years to implement...
Sen. John Fetterman to pen political memoir with ‘Friday Night Lights’ author
Pennsylvania’s U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s unconventional political career, along with his many personal battles, sounds like the stuff of Shakespeare. Now, it will be a book that the hoodie-wearing Democrat is planning to write, with the help of “Friday Night Lights” author Buzz Bissinger. All this is according to a...
Resident warming frozen pipes sparks fire at Hempfield mobile home
A resident using a heat gun Wednesday morning to thaw pipes in a Hempfield mobile home sparked a fire that heavily damaged the home, according to fire Chief Anthony Kovacic. The resident escaped unharmed and called 911 about 10:30 a.m. Firefighters extinguished the flames, leaving about half of the Flamingo...
‘This will be a game-changer’: Duquesne University opens medical college
Students in the inaugural class of Duquesne University’s medical college will learn the intricacies of human anatomy through the time-tested method of dissecting cadavers. But they also will slip on a high-tech headset with eyewear and instantly see before them a hologram of the human body. They can walk around...
Demolition of Tree of Life building begins, making way for memorial design
As contractors braved the bitter cold Wednesday and started demolishing parts of the Tree of Life-Or L’Simcha building, Carole Zawatsky grew nostalgic. The head of a nonprofit working to rebuild the Squirrel Hill synagogue where 11 Jewish congregants were killed during a Shabbat service Oct. 27, 2018, Zawatsky said her...
Top House Democrats endorse Rep. Summer Lee in contested primary
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, is gathering some major support ahead of her contested spring primary, as she hopes to hold on to her seat during what is likely to be an expensive and competitive election. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, endorsed Lee on Wednesday, her highest...
Frigid conditions persist, shuttering and delaying over 300 schools in Western Pa.
More than 300 schools in Western Pennsylvania delayed or canceled classes Wednesday morning in the face of continued frigid temperatures, sub-zero wind-chill readings and lingering snow. Pittsburgh Public Schools closed for a second straight day Wednesday, a move its leaders announced Tuesday night. Other districts, such as Greensburg-Salem, Hempfield Area...
Morning Roundup: 1 shot in Homestead; Beaver County man killed in crash
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Jan. 17: 1 hospitalized in Homestead shooting A man was hospitalized Wednesday morning after being shot in the back in Homestead, Allegheny County Police said. The non-fatal shooting was reported at about 4:20 a.m. in the 1000 block...
TV Q&A: With SportsNet Pittsburgh changing tiers on Comcast, what does that mean for regional sports network fees?
Q: I’m one of the subscribers to Comcast’s Xfinity Popular TV package that will apparently be losing access to SportsNet Pittsburgh on Jan. 16 to watch Penguins and Pirates games. I have been paying $13.30 as a regional sports fee. I wonder if that fee will be removed since I...
Editorial: Are passengers, airports served by JetBlue-Spirit ruling?
In April 2022, JetBlue Airways decided to make a bid for Spirit Airlines. The move came after Frontier Airlines attempted a merger. Three months later, Frontier walked away, leaving JetBlue as the only remaining suitor. This was a big deal, but it left some worried about what it meant going...
Penn-Trafford unites general, special education students through bocce
Penn-Trafford High School is one of the latest Western Pennsylvania schools to start an interscholastic sports team that purposely fills its roster with students who have intellectual disabilities and ones who don’t. Penn-Trafford’s new bocce team is part of the Special Olympics’ 13-year-old Unified Champion Schools program, which uses sports...
Unused metal detectors from Acrisure Stadium to be donated to Leechburg schools
Leechburg Area School District plans to boost security thanks to a sharp-eyed school security officer and the generosity of officials at Acrisure Stadium. Mike Kapustik, a security guard at Leechburg schools, recently noticed unused metal detectors inside a storage area during a visit to Acrisure Stadium. “One of our security...
Police: Pittsburgh man dies in crash along Freeport Road in O’Hara
A Pittsburgh man has died after being involved in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday evening along Freeport Road in O’Hara, Allegheny County Police reported. Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased as Michael Vernon, 74. An Allegheny County emergency dispatcher said the wreck occurred around 6:30 p.m. near the intersection...
Lawmakers announce bipartisan effort to enhance child tax credit, revive tax breaks for businesses
WASHINGTON — The chairmen of the top tax policy committees in Congress announced a bipartisan agreement Tuesday to enhance the child tax credit and revive a variety of tax breaks for businesses, a combination designed to attract support from lawmakers of both political parties. The roughly $78 billion in tax...
Shooter who killed 5 people at Colorado LGBTQ+ club intends to plead guilty to federal hate crimes
DENVER — The shooter who killed five people and endangered the lives of over 40 others at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs plans to plead guilty to new federal charges for hate crimes and firearm violations under an agreement that would allow the defendant to avoid the death penalty,...
Water conservation to continue as Beaver Run Reservoir level rebounds
Despite recent rains and snowfall that helped boost water levels at Beaver Run Reservoir, mandatory conservation remains in place for about 56,000 Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers. Authority officials said water levels have rebounded at the reservoir that straddles Bell and Washington townships. The reservoir serves the northern half...
Bitter weather prompts Allegheny County, Pittsburgh to extend ‘Code Blue’ action
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services and the city of Pittsburgh have extended the current “Code Blue” action until 8 a.m. Monday. “Code Blue” is declared when the National Weather Service forecasts the air temperature to fall below 26 degrees between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. The plan can...
South Side businesses laud police crackdown on East Carson Street corridor
An ongoing police crackdown on the South Side is making the bustling East Carson Street entertainment district safer, police officials, business owners and local community members said Tuesday. “It’s had a monumental effect on the (South Side) Flats since its inception,” John DeMauro, owner of Urban Tap gastropub on East...
New Kensington chimney fire prompts warning to ensure chimneys are clean
New Kensington’s fire chief urged homeowners Tuesday to have chimneys professionally cleaned after firefighters responded to a chimney fire in the city. Fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said firefighters found a thick buildup of creosote — a flammable, tar-like byproduct of any burning wood — in the chimney of a...
Snow causes headaches, similar storm could return by week’s end
Western Pennsylvania is in for another round of snow by the end of the week, meteorologists warned. Tuesday morning’s snowfall dropped about 2 to 4 inches across the region. It caused about 200 school cancellations and more than a few headaches for commuters. Across Allegheny County, the average snowfall was...
Eastbound I-70 reopens between Arnold, Smithton following multi-vehicle crash
The eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 reopened to traffic around 5 p.m. following a multi-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon, state police said. The eastbound lanes between Exit 44 (Arnold City) and Exit 49 (Smithton) were closed because of the accident, which was reported at 3:43 p.m around mile marker 46, according...
Federal lawsuit challenges Pine-Richland transgender policy
A Pine-Richland parent is suing the school district over its transgender nondiscrimination policy, alleging it violates parents’ rights to raise their children as they see fit. The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court by conservative group America First Legal, is causing concern among parents of transgender children in the district...
U.S. judge grounds JetBlue-Spirit merger; local airport official optimistic
The planned $3.8 billion merger of JetBlue Airways with Spirit Airlines was struck down Tuesday by a federal judge who feared it would hurt competition among low-cost airlines. Spirit Airlines, based in Miramar, Fla., is the lone scheduled carrier serving Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. “We are going to...
