Top Stories category, Page 540
Pittsburgh’s space company Astrobotic sets new lunar launch date
After its first scheduled launch for Christmas Eve was canceled, Pittsburgh space company Astrobotic has set a new date to send their lunar lander to the moon. Astrobotic announced this past week that its Peregrine lunar lander will launch Jan. 8, 2024. The company said the lander completed all integration...
America’s animal shelters are overcrowded with pets from families facing economic and housing woes
MENANDS, N.Y. — Kaine is a big, buoyant dog looking for a home. But lately, he’s spending a lot of time at the office. Animal shelters around the U.S. are bursting at the seams amid the rising cost of living, so the gray and white 7-year-old has been staying in...
U.S. released ally of Venezuela’s president in swap for jailed Americans
MIAMI — The Biden administration has released a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a swap for jailed Americans, the Associated Press has learned. Alex Saab, who was arrested on a U.S. warrant for money laundering in 2020, was released from custody Wednesday. In exchange, Maduro will free...
PennWest interim president approved for return to West Chester University
R. Lorraine “Laurie” Bernotsky will leave the interim presidency of PennWest University in June to become the 16th president of West Chester University in suburban Philadelphia. The State System of Higher Education in Harrisburg approved Bernotsky’s selection Wednesday morning at a special meeting conducted via Zoom. The vote was unanimous....
News helicopter crashes in N.J. forest, killing pilot and photographer
PHILADELPHIA — A news helicopter has crashed in a forest in New Jersey, killing the pilot and photographer on board, the television station said. “A pilot and a photographer from our news team were in the helicopter when it went down while returning from an assignment at the Jersey Shore”...
Nearly 20 tons of ice cream spills on I-80
Rolled ice cream got a whole new meaning in an incident about 90 minutes from Pittsburgh. A tractor-trailer carrying 39,000 pounds of ice cream overturned early Wednesday morning in a crash on Interstate 80 in Clarion County. The big rig rolled onto the interstate near the Emlenton Bridge in Northwest...
Morning Roundup: 4 rescued from Monongahela fire; man arrested after SWAT incident on South Side
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Dec. 20: 4 rescued from Monongahela fire Four people used an escape ladder to flee a fire in their Mon Valley home early Wednesday morning. The fire was reported at about 4 a.m. at a home along Park...
White Christmas? Warmer, drier conditions expected through holiday
Those dreaming of a white Christmas might have to wait another year. Forecasts for the Pittsburgh area show temperatures rising to seasonal averages for Wednesday through Friday, and then moving into unseasonably warm temperatures for the weekend. High temperatures on Wednesday will reach 42 degrees in Pittsburgh and 41 degrees...
Home for the holidays carries different meaning for Rustic Ridge residents this year
Rick Napoleon’s home felt so much bigger before it was gone. A steel beam crossing the width of the foundation was the only thing above Napoleon’s head as he recently stood in what had been the garage and basement of his family’s home of 18 years. The rest of the...
Rep. Scott Perry told to hand over hundreds of texts and emails in 2020 election probe
A federal judge is ordering Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania to turn over more than 1,600 texts and emails to FBI agents investigating efforts to keep President Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss and illegally block the transfer of power to Democrat Joe Biden. The ruling,...
Finished, at last: 2 southbound lanes open on Route 28 near the Highland Park Bridge
Southbound Route 28 is now fully open at the Highland Park Bridge interchange, PennDOT announced Wednesday. That means that at least two lanes of traffic can travel uninterrupted from Kittanning to Pittsburgh. The ramp from Virginia Avenue Extension to southbound Route 28 also has reopened. PennDOT officials said the new...
Pennsylvania senators, congressman urge federal committee to block foreign sale of U.S. Steel
Three Democratic U.S. lawmakers from Pennsylvania are calling for a federal committee to block the proposed sale of U.S. Steel to Japan-based Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns. In a letter Tuesday to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio said...
Allegheny County adds 32 emergency shelter overflow beds; low temps in 20s to continue
Allegheny County has added 32 overflow beds to its emergency shelter system as several nights of below-freezing temperatures are expected in the Pittsburgh area. The additional capacity, as of Monday evening, included 20 beds for single women at the Salvation Army Family Caring Center. A dozen overflow beds for any...
Pittsburgh Public Schools failed to protect Brashear student from beating, lawsuit says
A student who was severely beaten by another at Brashear High School last year is suing Pittsburgh Public Schools, saying that officials there failed to protect him even though they knew he’d been attacked by the same person three times before. According to the lawsuit, Ny’Hier Williams was savagely attacked...
Donald Trump banned from Colorado ballot in historic ruling by state’s Supreme Court
DENVER — A divided Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause and removed him from the state’s presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nation’s highest court to decide whether the front-runner for...
St. Clair man pleads guilty to child sexual assaults
A former Unity man was ordered to serve up to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to the sexual assaults of three children. Shawn Waulk, 36, of St. Clair, was originally charged in 2021 with the rape of a child and earlier this year additional charges were filed...
$142M in federal funding to address congestion, transit along Pittsburgh’s Parkway East
More than $142 million in federal funding will be spent trying to address chronic congestion and improve public transit along Pittsburgh’s Parkway East. Money also will go toward work aimed at keeping a section of the Parkway East known as the “bathtub” from flooding when it rains heavily. The Parkway...
Pitt top officials to receive 4% raises
Seven senior leaders at the University of Pittsburgh will see pay increases of 4% next year, bringing their base salaries to between $271,000 and nearly $1.1 million. The new pay levels were endorsed Tuesday morning by the Pitt Board of Trustees’ Compensation Committee and then approved by the full Board...
Pittsburgh’s foie gras ban prompts threat of lawsuit
A New York company plans to sue Pittsburgh over its ban on the French delicacy foie gras. Pittsburgh City Council on Monday voted to ban foie gras. A spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey could not immediately confirm whether the mayor planned to sign the legislation or offer additional comment on...
Former Pennsylvania death row inmate freed after prosecutors drop charges before start of retrial
YORK, Pa. — A man formerly on death row has been released from prison following dismissal of murder charges in a double slaying a quarter-century ago that he blamed on his brother, who died in prison while appealing his own death sentence in the case. Noel Montalvo, who turned 59...
Pitcairn emergency management coordinator wants ‘eye-watering’ odor addressed
There are times when Nick Turner of Pitcairn sits in his recliner, and his eyes begin to water from the odor. He doesn’t know for certain where the smell is coming from. But it has been happening for a long time and reached a level on Friday that caused one...
Driver in crash that killed Serra Catholic student asks for jail release amid injuries
The man charged with killing a 15-year-old Serra Catholic student in a school van crash in September has asked the court to release him on bond so he can address myriad injuries he suffered in the accident. William Soliday II, 43, of North Huntingdon, is charged with criminal homicide, homicide...
Pittsburgh airport offers ID-less security screening through membership
Passengers at Pittsburgh International Airport can now be cleared for departure a bit faster, thanks to a new, high-tech screening service. Airport officials announced Monday a five-year agreement with CLEAR, whose biometric identification technology allows its members to proceed to the TSA checkpoint through a priority lane and without having...
Sinkhole traps parked car on North Side
A sinkhole has claimed another car in Pittsburgh. A Toyota Prius parked along the 1500 block of Homer Street in the city’s Spring Hill neighborhood became trapped Monday after a water main break created a sinkhole that swallowed the car’s front section. Crews worked to repair the damage on Monday....
Gov. Shapiro’s job approval rating slips but remains strong as 1st year comes to a close
Gov. Josh Shapiro continues to enjoy the support of a majority of Pennsylvania voters as he nears the end of his first year in office but his approval rating is beginning to show signs of weakening, according to a statewide poll released on Tuesday. The poll released by the Commonwealth...
