Top Stories category, Page 553
Florida Republicans oust state party chairman facing rape allegations in critical election year
TALLAHASSEE — The Republican Party of Florida ousted Chairman Christian Ziegler in a special vote on Monday as police investigate a rape accusation against him — a move that came a week before Gov. Ron DeSantis competes in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucus. A majority of about 200 members approved the...
School funding, permitting at top of Pa. legislature’s 2024 agenda
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — In the new year, Pennsylvania lawmakers plan to put a lot of their energy into changing permitting processes, getting a long-sought constitutional amendment over the...
New Pittsburgh City Council members, controller take office; Lavelle elected council president
Pittsburgh City Council on Monday got two new members and elected a veteran councilman as its leader. Bob Charland, D-South Side, and Khari Mosley, D-North Point Breeze, were sworn in, replacing retiring councilmen Bruce Kraus and Ricky Burgess, respectively. R. Daniel Lavelle, D-Hill District, is council’s new president. “We have...
Mark Madden: Mason Rudolph saved the Steelers’ season
Even if the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wild-card game at Buffalo ends their season, at least we get to witness two great quarterbacks go toe-to-toe. In the blue and red corner, Josh Allen. He’s not afraid to throw an interception. He takes chances and reaps reward. Big man. Big arm. Twenty-nine touchdown...
Man accused of felony aggravated assault following West Deer bar fight
A West Deer man faces a felony aggravated assault charge after, police say, he hit a man with a pool cue. Michael Richard Skiles, 49, was arrested and charged Friday. A preliminary hearing before District Judge Tom Swan is scheduled for Jan. 24. West Deer police said they, along with...
Morning Roundup: Vehicle crashes at Monroeville Turnpike toll booth
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Jan. 8: Vehicle crashes at Monroeville Turnpike toll booth Two vehicles sustained significant damage following a crash Monday morning at the Pennsylvania Turnpike toll booths in Monroeville. The crash occurred shortly after 5:30 a.m., said Cpl. Cameron Craig...
Madden Monday: Mason Rudolph should start at QB going into ’24; Penguins’ power play ‘abjectly stinks’
Despite a strong finishing kick to the 2023-24 regular season, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X isn’t expecting the Pittsburgh Steelers to push their stay in the playoffs beyond the first weekend. During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Madden says to look for the Steelers to be one-and-done...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ completely unpredictable path to a totally believable regular-season result
In the end, the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers took a completely unpredictable path to a totally predictable result for their regular season. They finished 10-7, in third place of their own division and in an AFC wild-card spot behind two other teams from the AFC North. How predictable was that? Well,...
Propulsion problems plague Astrobotic’s lunar lander, mission success in doubt
Dire propulsion problems might have doomed a Pittsburgh’s company’s effort to put the first commercial lunar lander on the moon. Hours after a successful pre-dawn launch Monday from a Florida spaceport, Astrobotic issued a grim update on the status of Peregrine, the spacecraft it is seeking to land on the...
‘Here I am 3 years later, loving it’: Live Casino Pittsburgh hosts free dealer school
When Frank McClain left his 30-year career in the floral industry because of burnout, he did not expect he would become a table games dealer at Live Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield. But when the casino hosted its first dealer school in August 2020, McClain could not pass up the opportunity....
Canceled flights are piling up as Alaska, United are stuck without their grounded Boeing jetsVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — Alaska Airlines and United Airlines grounded all of their Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners again on Sunday while they waited to be told how to inspect the planes to prevent another inflight blowout like the one that damaged an Alaska jet. Alaska Airlines had returned 18 of...
1 in custody after Mt. Lebanon SWAT situation
A suspect is in custody after a SWAT situation in a Mt. Lebanon residential neighborhood on Sunday. Allegheny County 911 dispatch said police were called around 3 p.m. to the 200 block of Broadmoor Avenue in the Sunset Hills. A Mt. Lebanon Police Department Facebook post said that Mt. Lebanon...
Defense secretary remains hospitalized as details emerge about delays in notification, even to BidenVideo
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin remained in the hospital Sunday as more details emerged about key decision-makers, even President Joe Biden, being kept in the dark for days that the Pentagon chief had been in the intensive care unit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Pentagon’s failure to...
Congressional leaders announce an agreement on spending levels, a key step to averting shutdown
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders have reached an agreement on overall spending levels for the current fiscal year that could help avoid a partial government shutdown later this month. The agreement largely hews to spending caps for defense and domestic programs that Congress set as part of a bill to suspend...
Winter storms dump snow on both coasts as icy roads make for hazardous travelVideo
BOSTON — A major winter storm bringing heavy snow and freezing rain to some communities spread across New England on Sunday, sending residents scurrying for their shovels and snowblowers to clear sidewalks and driveways. Winter storm warnings and watches were in effect throughout the Northeast, and icy roads made for...
Steelers clinch No. 7 seed in playoffs, will play at Buffalo in wild-card round
After getting help to reach the postseason earlier in the day, the Pittsburgh Steelers discovered Sunday night that they will be heading to Buffalo for a matchup against the Bills in the wild-card round. The game will be played at 1 p.m. Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y., where the Steelers...
$10 million athletic complex proposed for North Huntingdon
The owner of a North Huntingdon business who organizes and manages youth sports leagues is proposing a $10 million, privately owned, indoor-outdoor sports complex at the township’s public works property. Shane Larkin, owner of the N Zone Sports — Westmoreland franchise, said the proposal he presented to the North Huntingdon...
Beach-themed eatery on the market in Gilpin
A little slice of the beach life is for sale in Gilpin — shoes optional. The popular Barefoot Bar & Grill on Schenley Road was listed Monday for $325,000 by Chrissy Heinle of Realty One Group. Jim McKee, Barefoot co-owner, said the decision to sell comes with mixed emotions but...
A lot is riding on Astrobotic moon lander set for launch Monday on new Vulcan Centaur
While United Launch Alliance is gunning for its first successful launch of the new Vulcan Centaur rocket early Monday, NASA and commercial company Astrobotic have their own high hopes for success for the moon-bound payload. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine lunar lander will become the first mission to fly under NASA’s...
U.S. sees a drop in illegal border crossings after Mexico increases enforcement
EAGLE PASS, Texas — Daniel Bermudez’s family had fled Venezuela and was headed to the U.S. to seek asylum when the freight train they were riding through Mexico was stopped by immigration officials. His wife tried to explain that her family had permission to go to the U.S. Instead, they...
Snow accumulation largely over, but icy road hazards could remain a threat, meteorologists say
While much of the snow pile-up risk has passed, Western Pennsylvanians should still be on the lookout for potential driving hazard conditions, meteorologists say. Following Saturday’s snowstorm, some snow showers are expected on Sunday, “with little or no accumulation,” but ice could still form in some areas when temperatures drop...
5 things we learned: Let the scoreboard watching begin for Steelers
Five things we learned from Steelers 17, Ravens 10: 1. Scoreboard watching Steeler Nation rightfully will have its eyes fixed on the 1 p.m. game between Jacksonville and Tennessee. A Jacksonville victory means the Steelers will have to wait until the outcome of the Buffalo-Miami game Sunday night to see...
‘Violence can’t be the answer’: Pittsburghers with Palestinian roots reflect as war in Gaza enters 4th month
Pittsburgher Ahmed Arafat grew up in Gaza under the specter of war. Then on Dec. 24, Israel Defense Forces fatally shot his cousin while his cousin’s children watched. The man was waving a white flag at the time, trying to evacuate his home, Arafat said. But Arafat, a tech worker...
Realtors see rebound for housing market in 2024, spurred by lower interest rates
Western Pennsylvania’s housing market took a hit last year that real estate agents attributed to higher mortgage rates that priced some buyers out of the market and fewer homes being available for those ready to make a move. “All the companies were down about 131⁄2%,” said Dennis A. Cestra Jr.,...
Innovative Polish Hill company looks to future of robotics, technology
Need a robot that can crawl up a metal wall? How about one with suction cup legs that can go almost anywhere? It won’t be long until robots with those abilities and more become common. In fact, you can see them now in Pittsburgh’s Polish Hill neighborhood. HEBI Robotics is...
