Top Stories category, Page 542
W.Va. Sen. Joe Manchin announces he won’t run for president in 2024
WASHINGTON — West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced on Friday that he is not running for president, saying he didn’t want to be a “spoiler.” “I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential run,” he said in a speech at West Virginia...
Jaromir Jagr’s return to Penguins sparks flood of memories from teammates
Jiri Hrdina remains a passing acquaintance of Jaromir Jagr in their home country, now called Czechia. As a scout with the Dallas Stars, Hrdina occasionally crosses paths with Jagr, still an active player in Czechia’s top hockey league, the Extraliga ledního hokeje (ELH or Czech Extraliga for those of the...
Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of Putin, has died, Russian authorities say
Alexei Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, died Friday in the Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence, Russia’s prison agency said. He was 47. The stunning news — less than a month before an election...
Morning Roundup: Zoo announces elephant calf’s death; snow could impact evening commute
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Feb. 16: Pittsburgh Zoo announces death of elephant calf An elephant calf died after a sudden and brief illness, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium announced. The calf, named Tsuni, was 2 years old and lived with a herd...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Feb. 16-19
It’s the weekend — three days off for some with Presidents Day on Monday. Here are some ways to spend it. Ghost Hounds The Ghost Hounds will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at the Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks. The blues-rock group announced singer and songwriter Orianthi, who has performed...
Hempfield Area out $2.4M in payments to architectural firm for high school project
Hempfield Area School District paid more than $2.4 million to departing firm Core Architects for work on its now-stalled $150 million high school renovation project, according to district business manager Paul Schott. Core Architects resigned from the ambitious project last week by sending the district a letter, according to Ryan...
Deteriorating railroad bridge causes concern for Indiana Township officials, residents
An old train bridge continues to cause big safety concerns for officials in Indiana Township. The 127-year-old concrete bridge over Little Deer Creek Valley Road has been steadily deteriorating since the 1990s. Police Chief Steven Colucci said he is determined to navigate the situation with bridge owner Canadian National Railroad....
Potential covid quarantine guidance change draws mixed reactions
Eleanor Nicholson of Apollo says she isn’t that concerned about covid. “Maybe (it’s) because I’ve never really had it. Nobody in my family has,” she said. Her opinion hasn’t changed with the reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could drop the five-day waiting period for people who...
Baldwin Borough mom follows partner to prison in overdose death of infant son
Tracy Humphreys was a drug addict for 35 years. She described herself as a horrible mother who put drug use before her children. Heroin, meth, cocaine, gabapentin — she took whatever she could get her hands on. Sixteen months ago, Humphreys got clean in jail. She said she found God....
In fiery testimony, Fani Willis hits back at misconduct claims that threaten future of Trump caseVideo
ATLANTA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took the witness stand Thursday and forcefully pushed back against what she described as “lies” about her romantic relationship with a special prosecutor during an extraordinary hearing over misconduct allegations that threaten to upend one of four criminal cases against Donald Trump....
FBI informant charged with lying about Joe and Hunter Biden’s ties to Ukrainian energy company
WASHINGTON — An FBI informant has been charged with lying to authorities about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company, a claim that is central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress. Alexander Smirnov falsely reported in June 2020 that executives...
Russia has obtained a ‘troubling’ emerging anti-satellite weapon, the White House says
WASHINGTON — The White House publicly confirmed on Thursday that Russia has obtained a “troubling” emerging anti-satellite weapon but said it cannot directly cause “physical destruction” on Earth. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said U.S. intelligence officials have information that Russia has obtained the capability but that such...
Kansas City shooting elicits social media reactions, calls to action
During the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration and parade on Valentine’s Day, gunfire erupted — leaving one dead and over 20 injured, including children, according to the Associated Press. The AP reported the shooting occurred despite the presence of more than 800 police officers in the building and nearby....
Human resources director for Penn Hills School District accused of harassment
A Penn Hills School District administrator is accused of physically harassing an adult at Linton Middle School. Robert Kollar, the district’s director of human resources, placed his midsection on the alleged victim’s back and neck on Dec. 12, according to a summary citation filed in the case. The citation did...
Cleveland-Cliffs to shutter West Virginia tin plant, lay off 900 after tariff ruling
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Cleveland-Cliffs announced Thursday that it is shutting down a northern West Virginia tin production facility indefinitely and plans to lay off 900 workers after the International Trade Commission voted against imposing tariffs on tin imports. The trade commission ruled earlier this year that no anti-dumping and countervailing...
Study: More people die after smoking drugs than injecting them
NEW YORK — Smoking has surpassed injecting as the most common way of taking drugs in U.S. overdose deaths, a new government study suggests. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called its study published Thursday the largest to look at how Americans took the drugs that killed them. CDC...
Lyme disease case counts in U.S. rose by almost 70% in 2022 due to change in how it’s reported
NEW YORK — Lyme disease cases in the U.S. jumped nearly 70% in 2022, which health officials say is not due to a major increase of new infections but instead a change in reporting requirements. Reported cases surpassed 62,000 in 2022, after averaging about 37,000 a year from 2017 through...
Homebuilder: Waiting list for housing at former Valley Green golf course
Infrastructure work on a housing development proposed at the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club is expected to start in the next couple months, as long as Hempfield supervisors approve the township’s part of the project. Chrissy Shuster, a co-owner of RWS Shuster Homes, said there’s a waiting list...
Monroeville officials: Hobby Lobby welcome, just not at convention center
Monroeville municipal and tourism officials want to make it clear to Hobby Lobby: the arts and crafts business is welcome to come to town, but they don’t want it taking the place of the Monroeville Convention Center. Monroeville Mayor Nick Gresock and Visit Monroeville Board Chair Amanda Settelmaier sent a...
Altoona murder suspect arrested after jumping from Pittsburgh airport garage roof
Allegheny County Police took a homicide suspect from Altoona into custody Wednesday after he suffered serious injuries jumping from the second floor of a Pittsburgh International Airport parking garage. Officers responded around 8 a.m. to a report of a jumper, later identified as Joshua Leyo, 30, police spokesman Jim Madalinsky...
Springdale Township trailer home gutted by fire
Fire gutted a trailer home Thursday morning along Spring Street in Springdale Township. Crews were dispatched to the fire about 11:15 a.m., said Allegheny Valley Assistant Fire Chief Jay Zangrille. It took about 25 minutes for firefighters to knock down the fire. No one was in the trailer at the...
Trump’s New York hush-money case will start March 25 — the 1st of his criminal trials
NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s hush-money trial will go ahead as scheduled with jury selection starting March 25, a New York judge ruled Thursday, turning aside demands for delay from the former president’s defense lawyers, who argued it would interfere with his campaign to retake the White House. The decision...
Group of Penn State trustees pushes to name football field after Joe Paterno in private meetings
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. STATE COLLEGE — Penn State trustees and high-ranking university representatives met privately twice in January to discuss whether to name the football field at Beaver...
Police: Shooting after Chiefs Super Bowl parade seemed to stem from dispute among several people
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The mass shooting that unfolded amid throngs of people at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration appeared to stem from a dispute between several people, authorities said Thursday. Police Chief Stacey Graves said that the 22 people injured in the shooting ranged between the ages...
Morning roundup: Man shot outside Pittsburgh bus station
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Feb. 15: Man shot in foot outside Pittsburgh bus station A man was shot in the foot Wednesday night outside the Greyhound bus station in Pittsburgh, police said. The shooting at 11th Street and Penn Avenue was reported...
