Top Stories category, Page 544
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...
Westmoreland County looks to data to improve human service efforts
The concept behind the movie “Moneyball” is coming to Westmoreland County government. Data and analytics will become a central component of how and where the county Human Services Department spends its money and crafts future programs. Human Services Director Rob Hamilton said officials will spend the next year integrating data...
More snow expected in Pittsburgh area over the weekend
With more than a few inches of snow already on the ground early Friday, forecasters with the National Weather Service in Moon expect 2 to 4 inches more during the day in the Pittsburgh region. A winter weather advisory remained in effect early Friday in much of the area and...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Jan. 19-21
We’ve made it to the weekend. There is some snow in the forecast. Here are some ways to spend it. Brew House Arts An exhibition at Brew House on the South Side puts surveillance on view. Opening this weekend, “Blank Tape,” curated by Lena Hansen, is inspired by the ubiquity...
New Kensington record store owner buys out Allentown shop, opening 2nd location
As more big retailers stop carrying physical media, and more people find limitations to streaming, New Kensington record store owner A.J. Rassau believes there will be more demand for what he offers. That’s his hope, at least. And after investing a half-million dollars to take in more than 100,000 vinyl...
TV Talk: WQED-TV GM looks ahead, plans station move from Oakland
It’s been six months since Jason Jedlinski took over as president of WQED Multimedia, so I wanted to check in on what he’s learned so far, where things stand regarding the station’s spate of technical hiccups and what’s on the horizon regarding local linear TV programming. But first, some news:...
How do superintendents make the call to cancel school in bad weather?
When the weather gets bad, Mike Porembka hops in his truck and hits the road at 4 a.m. The Greater Latrobe School District superintendent drives around the district — from downtown Latrobe to Unity — gathering information and assessing road conditions and temperatures. Ultimately, he must decide whether to cancel...
Greater Latrobe board to tour schools after pausing pricey plan to revitalize facilities
Greater Latrobe School Board members who last month halted plans for at least $182 million in proposed construction and renovations are scheduled to tour the district’s five schools Saturday to look at building needs. “I feel some of the board members just need to have the opportunity to walk through...
Westmoreland County workers reject contract offer, intend to strike
After months of failed contract negotiations, members of a union representing more than 500 Westmoreland County employees plan to notify the county Monday of their intent to go on strike in 10 days. Union members rejected the county’s latest proposal on Thursday, according to a news release from Service Employees...
Authorities identify man killed in crash on Pittsburgh’s South Side
Authorities have identified the man who was killed in a crash Thursday afternoon on Pittsburgh’s South Side. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Jeffrey Thomas Neel, 58, of California. Pittsburgh police said crashed on Pittsburgh’s South Side when he lost control of his vehicle and hit...
U.S. appeals court issues narrow win for gun advocates in Pa. case
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that adults between ages 18 and 20 in Pennsylvania may openly carry guns – but only during a state of emergency. The narrowly tailored 2-1 decision – prompted by a lawsuit filed by a group of plaintiffs that included a Verona woman — set...
Train hits disabled vehicle on tracks in Derry Township
A freight train hit a disabled vehicle early Thursday evening on the railroad tracks in Derry Township, a Westmoreland County Public Safety supervisor said. A woman, who was not identified, got out of the vehicle and was walking around when firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after the accident at...
Utility shut-off protections in Pa. would be expanded to summer months under bill
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 lawmakers have until the end of 2024 to reauthorize a key area of state law that protects low-income utility customers from sudden...
Hunter Biden agrees to deposition with House Republican after months of defiance, committee says
WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden has agreed to appear before House Republicans for a private deposition next month, ending months of defiance from the president’s son, who had insisted on testifying publicly. The House Oversight Committee announced Thursday that the two parties have agreed for Hunter Biden to sit for a...
Icy blast gripping U.S. blamed for 14 deaths in Tennessee; Oregon braces for another round of coldVideo
NASHVILLE — At least 14 deaths in Tennessee have been linked to a storm system that blanketed the state in snow and sent temperatures plummeting, as bitterly cold weather kept an icy grip Thursday on a swath of the U.S. stretching from Oregon to the Northeast. Tennessee officials updated the...
Robinson launches reelection bid in pivotal Pa. Senate district
State Sen. Devlin Robinson, R-Bridgeville, on Thursday announced his reelection campaign in a pivotal Southwestern Pennsylvania district that could help determine which party controls the Senate. Robinson, a Marine veteran who served in the Gulf War following the September 11 attacks, said he is running for reelection in District 37...
Congress votes to avert a shutdown and keep the government funded through early March
WASHINGTON — Congress sent President Joe Biden a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a looming partial government shutdown and fund federal agencies into March. The House approved the measure by a vote of 314-108, with opposition coming mostly from the more conservative members of the Republican conference....
Pittsburgh braces for snowstorm, urges drivers to stay off roads Friday, closes HOV lanes
With a major snowstorm heading for the Pittsburgh region, city officials are urging residents to stay off the roads Friday as they prepare to clear streets with a depleted fleet of plows. The snowstorm is expected to start after midnight with flurries changing to mostly snow after 3 a.m., with...
Mogie’s Irish Pub in Lower Burrell to reopen with late owner’s children at helm
Kelsie Magill plans to carry on in her late father’s footsteps. “My goal is to live up to what he believed in — and then some,” said Magill, 22. That includes reopening her father’s popular Lower Burrell bar and restaurant. Magill and her brother, Connor, two of David “Mogie” Magill’s...
