Top Stories category, Page 543
Can DeSantis come back against Trump? Here’s what history says
TAMPA, Fla. — Before the frost could thaw on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ middling Iowa caucuses performance, he’d already moved on. First came a quick trip and makeshift rally in South Carolina, which holds its primary in February. Then came another flight back up to New Hampshire for a CNN town...
Burrell swim co-op with Kiski causes some waves
While Burrell School District is eyeing a swimming cooperative agreement with Kiski Area for the next two years, it’s unclear what the future may hold for Burrell’s pool. And that’s causing some waves between the Bucs’ swimming community and school officials. Burrell swimmers, parents and swim team alumni took their...
Massive blaze in Homestead reignites Sunday following multi-injury fire the day before
A multi-building fire in Homestead reignited on Sunday after crews battled a massive blaze for hours the day before. Allegheny County dispatch said Sunday one of the three buildings that ignited Satuday rekindled on Sunday morning for about 30 minutes before being put out again. The new fire started at...
Indiana Township dad continues backyard hockey rink tradition
The more than 2,700-square-foot ice hockey rink in Ken Kieffer’s Indiana Township backyard is a far cry from the first rink he made as a kid. “It was a dam in a creek that flowed into Pine Creek,” said Kieffer, 46, a plumber who grew up in Shaler. He was...
Man slain in Coraopolis shootings identified, 3 others wounded
An Aliquippa man was killed and three others wounded during a shooting Saturday morning in Coraopolis. Allegheny County Police said the shooting was reported at about 1:45 a.m. along the 800 block of Fourth Avenue. First responders to the scene found a man dead from apparent gunshot wounds. The Allegheny...
Norwin senior citizens could get property tax break for volunteering at schools
Senior citizens in Norwin School District could get a tax break for volunteering in the district. The school board this week tasked school administrators with researching how the district could create what state law calls a “senior tax reduction incentive volunteer exchange” (STRIVE) program. School Board President Matt Thomas said...
Saint Vincent College eyes next step in wetlands rehab, improved stream quality
Before the arrival of the 21st century, Loyalhanna Creek ran orange through Latrobe. That was before a system of wetlands was developed next to the Saint Vincent College campus to treat water draining from abandoned mines and remove some of the iron pollutants that discolored the creek downstream. The wetlands...
Las Vegas pair get federal prison terms in fraud scheme targeting elderly Pittsburgh-area residents
Two Las Vegas men will spend time in federal prison for their roles in an international fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims including Pittsburgh-area residents. Bethel Park police, Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations were among agencies involved in a probe that led to the...
Microsoft: State-backed Russian hackers accessed emails of senior leadership team
BOSTON — State-backed Russian hackers broke into Microsoft’s corporate email system and accessed the accounts of members of the company’s leadership team, as well as those of employees on its cybersecurity and legal teams, the company said Friday. In a blog post, Microsoft said the intrusion began in late November...
Woman sues Kennywood, says cheese from Potato Patch fries burned her hand
A Mt. Lebanon woman is suing Kennywood, alleging that she got second-degree burns after the hot cheese from her Potato Patch fries dripped onto her hand. Charmaine Charles Halsel said she was at the park around 5:45 p.m. on July 2, 2022, when she ordered the famous fries. When the...
Lawsuit alleges UPMC’s monopoly on health care harms skilled nursing staff
An Erie nurse is suing UPMC alleging that the medical system’s monopoly on health care in the region has led to depressed wages, unfair working conditions and chronic under-staffing. The lawsuit, which closely mirrors a complaint filed by two unions asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate potential antitrust claims...
JetBlue, Spirit say they will appeal ruling that blocked merger
NEW YORK — JetBlue and Spirit Airlines said Friday they will appeal a federal judge’s ruling this week that blocked their plan to combine into a single carrier. The airlines said they filed a notice of appeal with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, following the terms of their...
Pittsburgh engineer played vital role in Astrobotic mission
Four more minutes, and Pittsburgh’s flailing lunar lander could have been lost in space. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic did not become the first commercial company to successfully land on the moon. But without the quick thinking of a Pittsburgh-based engineer, the company’s lander, which traveled more than 30,000 miles from Earth and...
Examining potential offensive coordinator candidates for Steelers
For only the second time since 1999, the Pittsburgh Steelers will go outside the organization to find their offensive coordinator. Coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday that he wants to bring in a newcomer as the full-time replacement for Matt Canada, who was dismissed in November midway through his third season...
Bell Acres CEO, 81, headed to prison for tax fraud after delay requests fail to sway judge
A Bell Acres man convicted of the largest tax fraud ever in Western Pennsylvania is scheduled to report to federal prison on Monday. In September, a judge ordered Joseph Nocito, 81, to serve one year and one day in federal prison. But last month Nocito asked that his sentence be...
26th Annual Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit postponed
The 26th annual Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit that was set to take place this weekend has been postponed due to the weather and covid concerns. A new date has not yet been announced. The Pittsburgh Racial Justice Summit was founded in 1998 by volunteers of the Black & White Reunion...
Carnegie Mellon University hit by cyberattack, informs 7,300 people possibly affected
Carnegie Mellon University informed about 7,300 people that their personal information may have been compromised in an August cyberattack that was quietly investigated by law enforcement and the university. The breach impacting one of the nation’s top schools for computing was acknowledged by the university as higher education in general...
Malpractice case that ensnared top UPMC surgeon settled
A medical malpractice lawsuit that pitted high-profile UPMC surgeons against one other amid romantic entanglement, secret recordings and fraud allegations has settled. Details of the settlement were not disclosed in paperwork filed Jan. 5 to end the case in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. A spokesman for UPMC, one of...
Allegheny County Airport Authority pays CEO nearly $255K bonus
The Allegheny County Airport Authority board on Friday authorized a massive bonus for CEO Christina Cassotis. Cassotis received a $254,718 bonus, equal to about 45% of her 2023 salary, airport authority spokesman Matt Neistein said. She also received a 6% pay raise, bringing her 2024 salary to just over $600,000....
Valley High School principal uses TikTok to share new student arrival procedure
Valley High School Principal Jon Banko is a TikTok influencer — at least in the New Kensington-Arnold School District. Many educators have made quite the name for themselves on the social media platform, racking up millions of “likes,” but Banko isn’t after fame. He’s simply looking for another way to...
Viral ‘orange peel theory’ can reveal whether relationship is sweet or sour
If you haven’t yet heard of the “orange peel theory,” it’s probably time to get up to speed — especially with Valentine’s Day on the horizon. It’s a viral trend that originally got its start on TikTok in the fall, as reported by the New York Times. Now, it’s taken...
IUP gets $500K donation for medical college project
Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s bid to open the state’s first college of osteopathic medicine on a public campus is getting a financial lift from IUP’s alumni association. The organization’s board of directors has authorized a $500,000 donation toward the endeavor that was first announced in December 2022, university officials said...
Lunar lander from Pittsburgh’s North Side burns up in atmosphere after failed moon mission
After traveling for 10 days and hundreds of thousands of miles in space, a Pittsburgh company’s lunar lander appears to have burned up in the atmosphere Thursday afternoon after returning to Earth. The spacecraft, the first American effort to attempt a moon landing in decades, closed the book on its...
3 major Pittsburgh bridges set to get $132M in renovations
Millions of dollars in federal funds will go to help repair and upgrade three major Pittsburgh bridges, federal and state officials announced Thursday. A total of $132 million will help repair steel components, joints and bearings on the McKees Rocks, West End and Fort Duquesne bridges, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey,...
Morning Roundup: Police recover 60 animals — 10 dead — at Butler County home
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Jan. 19: Police find 60 animals — 10 dead — at Butler County home A total of 60 animals were recovered — and several found dead — when Pennsylvania State Police executed a search warrant for animal cruelty...
