Top Stories category, Page 523
Steelers prefer to ignore odds, history against them as underdog No. 7 seed vs. Bills
Damontae Kazee’s locker is two stalls over from Levi Wallace’s at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Kazee seemingly was minding his own business while a five-minute interview was being conducted between Wallace and a pair of media members after the final practice of this past week. There was no reason to...
Millions of Americans face below-zero temperatures as storms bring blast of Arctic air, snow and ice
Subfreezing temperatures across much of the U.S. left millions of Americans facing dangerous cold over the weekend as Arctic storms knocked out electricity to tens of thousands in the Northwest, brought snow to the South, and walloped the Northeast with blizzard conditions that forced the postponement of an NFL game....
Pa. needs to spend $5.4B to close gap between rich and poor schools, report advanced by Dems says
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 will need to spend at least $5.4 billion to close the gap between rich and poor school districts, according to a long-awaited...
Building the Valley: Freeport graduate makes the cut with new salon business
A Freeport native has opened her first business — in her hometown. Jamie Bieranowski opened Bier Beauty on Jan. 4 at 227 Fifth St. The salon offers complete hair, nail and waxing services, with an emphasis on brides, color and haircuts. “The salon is co-ed and all ages are welcome,”...
Recovery community adapts to help addicts kick fentanyl
Stephanie Taylor’s path to sobriety was more well-worn than winding. She was first arrested in 2015, at age 25, after selling cocaine to a police informant out of her mother’s Vandergrift home. Taylor went to jail, rehab and a halfway house — what she calls an “insane cycle” — three...
Fentanyl’s deadly rise: Pervasive opioid becomes symbol of America’s drug problem
Fentanyl arrived right on time for Stephanie Taylor. “My tolerance was so high, it was taking more and more (heroin) to get my fix, to get me to that feel-good feeling I was searching for,” she said. Taylor, 35, a Vandergrift native who today is more than four years into...
‘Finally at peace’: Remembering Hannah Kunkel, whose pediatric cancer battle was chronicled by the Trib
Hannah Kunkel lived knowing full well that her life could be cut short at any moment. At age 5, she was diagnosed with a rare, ruthless type of brain cancer that killed every child who ever got it. Doctors at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh told her parents that Hannah would...
John Kerry to step down as U.S. climate envoy
WASHINGTON — John Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on climate, is stepping down from the Biden administration in the coming weeks, according to two people familiar with his plans. Kerry, a longtime senator and secretary of state, was tapped shortly after Joe Biden’s November 2020 election to take on the...
U.S. says Texas blocked border agents from entering park to try to save 3 migrants who drowned
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The U.S. Homeland Security Department said Saturday that Texas denied federal agents access to a stretch of border when they were trying to rescue three migrants who drowned. The federal government’s account came hours after U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar said the Texas Military Department and Texas National...
Massachusetts considers banning book bans in response to rise in challenges
BOSTON — A bill making its way through the Massachusetts legislature would block efforts to ban books from school and public libraries. Lawmakers of the Joint Committee on Education heard testimony from advocates and opponents of “An Act regarding free expression,” which would prevent the removal of books from school...
As shutdown looms, congressional leaders ready stopgap bill to extend government funding to March
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders are preparing a stopgap bill to keep the federal government running into March and avoid a partial shutdown next week. The temporary measure will run to March 1 for some federal agencies whose approved funds are set to run out Friday and extend the remainder of...
Astrobotic’s lunar lander on path toward Earth, likely to burn up in atmosphere
Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic on Saturday said its lunar lander is likely to come back toward Earth and is expected to burn up in the atmosphere. The North Side space company on Monday saw its Peregrine lunar lander launch into space with lofty goals for a soft landing on the moon. Problems...
Steelers’ Mason Rudolph latest member of 2018 QB class to write his postseason story
It is not Mason Rudolph’s intention to bring some credibility to the 2018 quarterback class of which he is a mid-round member. His sole objective Monday afternoon is to help the Pittsburgh Steelers win a playoff game for the first time in seven seasons. Still, if he’s able to lead...
Steelers fans have mixed reactions to shifting playoff game to Monday but express confidence in team’s chances
For Rick Porrado of Murrysville, the Steelers playoff game shifting to Monday afternoon means a lot more than just a change in his viewing schedule. Porrado owns Rick’s Sports Bar in Murrysville — and he usually isn’t even open on Monday nights. By early Saturday afternoon, he was beginning to...
Latrobe native chosen to lead Michigan State UniversityVideo
The Spartans are getting a Wildcat in the administration. Michigan State University officials announced recently that Greater Latrobe High School alum Kevin Guskiewicz was elected to serve as the university’s next president. Guskiewicz, a 1984 Wildcat graduate, will begin his term in early March, university officials said. The university’s board...
Analysis: Slowing inflation suggests Biden’s policies are helping, but American voters are still hurting
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden can make an increasingly strong case that he’s helped fix inflation — if only he can get voters to believe him. Figures issued this past week reflected a historic level of progress on battling high prices, hinting that inflation could be near the Federal Reserve’s...
Pa.’s poorest school districts were slated for a funding boost, but aid went to construction instead
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. BELLEFONTE — Pennsylvania’s poorest districts won’t receive $100 million in new money to help fill vacancies and reduce funding deficits after lawmakers diverted those dollars...
District attorney: Arnold shooting victim was 1 of 3 people who broke into Fourth Avenue home
A Pittsburgh man who was shot and killed Friday night was one of three people who police said broke into an Arnold home just before the shooting took place. Allen L. Austin Jr., 29, was pronounced dead after being found about 6 p.m. Friday in the 1600 block of Cherry...
Pittsburghers, punk fans celebrate Erik Bauer’s book documenting 25 years of shows
The crowd that packed a Point Breeze bookshop Friday to celebrate a book release by Pittsburgh-bred photographer Erik Bauer could’ve been pulled right out of a 1981 punk show at Oakland’s now-shuttered Electric Banana. Or cheering on The Bats, a local post-punk outfit led in May ‘84 by Pulitzer Prize-winning...
Winter storm forces postponement of Steelers-Bills playoff game
With a winter storm expected to hit the Buffalo area Saturday and Sunday, New York officials and the NFL decided to move the Steelers-Bills AFC wild-card game to 4:30 p.m. Monday. The game was scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday. Due to public safety concerns in light of the ongoing weather emergency...
Weekend of ferocious winter weather could see low-temperature records set in U.S. heartland
O’FALLON, Mo. — Icy winter weather blanketed the U.S. on Saturday as a wave of Arctic storms threatened to break low-temperature records in the heartland, spread cold and snow from coast to coast and cast a chill over everything from football playoffs to presidential campaigns. As the three-day Martin Luther...
As a new generation rises, tension between free speech and inclusivity on college campuses simmers
Generations of Americans have held firm to a version of free speech that makes room for even the vilest of views. It’s girded by a belief that the good ideas rise above the bad, that no one should be punished for voicing an idea — except in rare cases where...
War in Gaza, election factor into some of the many events planned for MLK holiday
As communities nationwide prepare this weekend to celebrate the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with events ranging from parades to prayer services, some will take a cue from the slain civil rights icon’s history of protest to demonstrate against the war in Gaza and draw attention to a looming...
Few power outages reported Saturday evening after heavy winds wreaked havoc earlier
With a heavy wind advisory in effect through Sunday across Southwestern Pennsylvania, plenty of residents are waking up to news of a downed tree in their area. As of 8:30 a.m., PennDOT officials in Westmoreland County were reporting several downed trees either blocking the road or laying on utility wires...
Injured Citizens Hose EMT Kelly Jackson on the road to recovery
Injured Citizens Hose emergency medical technician Kelly Jackson is coming home — or at least closer to it. After nearly a week in a Pittsburgh hospital, the Tarentum woman was transferred late Thursday to Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison to continue physical therapy. “She’s doing pretty good,” said Lori Miller,...
