Top Stories category, Page 554
‘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...
What’s that? Robot stands guard at Hempfield concrete business
Editor’s note: “What’s That?” is a recurring feature in the Tribune-Review’s Westmoreland Plus edition. If there’s something you’d like to see explored here, send an email to gtrcity@tribweb.com. A 10-foot statue may surprise some motorists as they pass by the front entrance to a Hempfield concrete company. The steel creation...
Feats of Strength: Mason Rudolph, Diontae Johnson help Steelers outlast Ravens
Who predicted this for the Steelers coming into 2023-24? After beating a skeleton crew from the Baltimore Ravens, 17-10, in Saturday’s regular-season finale, the Steelers ended the year 5-1 in the AFC North. If the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, all four AFC North teams will finish...
‘It’s not up to us’: Steelers’ playoff fate in hands of AFC foes on final day of regular season
BALTIMORE — The good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers is they ended the regular season on a three-game winning streak Saturday after sweeping the first-place Baltimore Ravens with a 17-10 victory at M&T Bank Stadium. It helped the Steelers reach 10 wins for the first time since the 2020 season...
Winter weather batters both U.S. coasts; Sierra snow shuts down I-80; East Coast storm into Monday
BOSTON — Winter weather battered both U.S. coasts Saturday as New Englanders braced for an even more potent mix of snow and freezing rain through the weekend and a Sierra Nevada storm packing heavy snow shut down a stretch of interstate and briefly knocked out power to tens of thousands...
Steelers hold on against Ravens, hope for help to reach playoffs
BALTIMORE — A driving rain pelted M&T Bank Stadium through Saturday afternoon and night, and the adverse conditions made it difficult for the Pittsburgh Steelers to hold onto the ball against the Baltimore Ravens. The dismal weather, however, did nothing to dampen the Steelers’ playoff chances. The Steelers increased their...
T.J. Watt’s knee injury reportedly Grade 2 MCL sprain, prognosis in doubt for playoffs
BALTIMORE — The knee injury suffered by Pittsburgh Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt on Saturday is reportedly a sprained MCL, leaving his status in doubt after the Steelers qualified for the playoffs that begin next week. Watt was injured with 3 minutes, 59 seconds left in the third quarter...
Friends remember late Lower Burrell bar owner ‘Mogie’ Magill as loving, passionate
Hundreds of people attended a celebration of life Saturday for David “Mogie” Magill, a popular Lower Burrell restaurant owner who was shot and killed a little over two weeks ago. And as family members and friends remembered of Magill, 64, it was clear to see what prompted the large turnout...
Trump downplays Jan. 6 on the anniversary of the Capitol siege and calls jailed rioters ‘hostages’Video
NEWTON, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump, campaigning in Iowa Saturday, marked the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol by casting the migrant surge on the southern border as the “real” insurrection. Just over a week before the Republican nomination process begins with Iowa’s...
Emergency medical technician struck by sliding car on icy hill in Harrison
What started as a routine traffic control call on Saturday afternoon escalated when an emergency medical technician was hit by a car in Harrison. The EMT was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where she was reported to be in stable condition, according to authorities. As wintry weather hit...
Fans celebrate the return of PiratesFest
A sea of black and gold flooded the third floor of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon as fans attended the annual PiratesFest. The event was last held in 2019 at PNC Park. The announcement of its long-awaited return caused quite the excitement and...
Mark Madden’s Hot Take: Mike Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons doesn’t compare to Bill Cowher’s playoff wins
Mike Tomlin extended his record of no losing seasons ever to 17 years when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat Seattle last week. That emboldened Tomlin’s defenders. “The media is so dumb. Why do we do the media? Bunch of jackasses,” said Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, taking a break from...
Federal officials order grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners after plane suffers a blowout
Federal officials on Saturday ordered the immediate grounding of some Boeing 737 Max 9 jetliners until they are inspected after an Alaska Airlines plane suffered a blowout that left a gaping hole in the side of the fuselage. The required inspections take around four to eight hours per aircraft and...
‘Skill’ games become popular, ubiquitous but may not stay legal
Frequent Pittsburgh Mills walker Paul Tyree recently noticed a new form of entertainment during his fitness jaunts around the inside of the Frazer shopping mall. A four-game skills gambling kiosk, each with large, colorful digital displays and an accompanying chair occupy the middle of a corridor that’s visible from Macy’s,...
Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls are set to rise again
Pennsylvania Turnpike toll rates are set to rise starting Sunday for the 16th consecutive year. Here’s what motorists can expect: • A 5% increase. • For passenger vehicles, the most common toll will increase from $1.80 to $1.90 for E-ZPass customers and $4.40 to $4.70 for Toll by Plate. •...
Pittsburgh police: Missing Braddock girl found safe Saturday
A 17-year-old girl with Down syndrome who went missing after she was dropped off early Friday morning at Sto-Rox High School has been found safe, Allegheny County Police said Saturday afternoon. The girl, Kayla Durler, of Braddock, was last seen at a nearby bus stop in Stowe shortly before 10...
Pennsylvania case at center of challenge to police use of Google search data
Civil liberties advocates are mounting a new challenge to the use by police of Google search data for help in solving criminal cases, as the practice draws greater scrutiny nationwide. After a Pennsylvania woman was raped in 2016, police submitted a search warrant to Alphabet’s Google for information about users...
Iowa principal wounded in school shooting risked himself to protect students, police say
PERRY, Iowa — An Iowa principal critically injured in a school shooting put himself in harm’s way as he tried to protect students from a teenage shooter armed with a shotgun and a handgun, state authorities said Friday. Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger and six other staffers and students...
New round of Epstein documents offers another look into his cesspool of sexual abuse
NEW YORK — Nearly 100 more court files were unsealed Friday in a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein, providing yet more detail about the late millionaire financier’s sexual abuse of underage girls and interactions with celebrities. The latest round of documents included additional excerpts of testimony from people who worked for...
Snowstorm forecast prompts vehicle restrictions on Pennsylvania Turnpike, other major routes
Vehicle restrictions will be in place beginning Saturday on portions of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and other major highways in the state as officials prepare for an expected weekend snowstorm. Starting at noon, PennDOT restrictions will take effect on the section of the toll road stretching from the New Stanton exit...
Biden invokes George Washington, calls Trump a threat to democracy
President Joe Biden pitched his reelection as a defense of democracy Friday, visiting a historic Revolutionary War site to accuse Republican Donald Trump and his supporters of having “abandoned the truth” about what happened at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The president, speaking at a campaign event in Blue...
Records reveal gun arrests for suspect in Monroeville police shooting
The man accused of shooting a Monroeville police sergeant after robbing a cookie shop Wednesday night is a convicted criminal with a history of arrests on gun charges dating back nearly a decade. Jamal Brooks, who is charged with wounding the sergeant while spraying his marked police car with 16...
River Road from Apollo to Vandergrift reopens following widespread fuel spill
River Road from Apollo to Vandergrift reopened Saturday morning after a truck leaving Apollo Plaza had its fuel tank damaged Friday afternoon, dumping hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel onto the road. According to Armstrong County 911 dispatchers, the road was reopened by about 7:18 a.m. Saturday, and the spill...
