Top Stories category, Page 57
Social media influencer charged after jumping into Pittsburgh zoo enclosure
Police have charged an Ohio social media influencer with hopping a fence on his birthday last month at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium’s elephant enclosure, where he was nearly trampled twice by the animal. “Almost elephant food,” the man, 19-year-old Noah Thomas, captioned a video of the encounter posted to...
2 injured in Unity crash
Two people were taken to hospitals Friday after a crash on Route 30 in Unity shut down part of the highway, according to state police. Troopers said Robert W. Reed, 60, of Latrobe, turned from the middle lane of Route 30 east onto Wimmerton Boulevard around 6 a.m. when the...
Steelers vs. Bengals: What they’re saying in Cincinnati after Steelers’ loss
One headline that roared Friday morning in the Cincinnati Enquirer summarized most of what those in Ohio’s third-largest city were saying after the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers the night before at Paycor Stadium: How Joe Flacco saved the Bengals’ season in win over Steelers. “See, Cincinnati Bengals can...
Airing of Grievances: Lousy Steelers defense manifests Mike Tomlin’s fears about Joe Flacco
After the Cincinnati Bengals upset the Pittsburgh Steelers 33-31 on “Thursday Night Football,” Joe Flacco was conducting an interview on the field with the Prime Video network team. While Flacco was speaking, a large group of remaining fans started chanting “Thank-you, Cleve-land!” over and over again. As Steelers coach Mike...
Inside-out: Open space outside, privacy inside become homebuyer priorities in wake of pandemic
Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series on real estate market trends in Western Pennsylvania. The pandemic may have ended, but its impact on how people live — and buy homes — hasn’t. Real estate agents say the once-coveted “open concept” is not as popular as buyers reshape...
Financial pain for many Pa. service providers will continue after budget impasse ends
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Schools and nonprofits that provide critical services to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable have not received billions in payments...
Joe Flacco, Bengals knock off Steelers with last-second field goal
CINCINNATI – Now, the rest of the country knows why Mike Tomlin was so upset about the Cleveland Browns trading Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Starting for the second time in five days for his new team — and less than 10 days after he was acquired in a...
Verona high-rise evacuated after police say man intentionally set off sprinklers
Authorities evacuated a seven-story senior high rise in Verona on Thursday night after police said a man intentionally set off sprinklers inside the building. The incident, reported just after 6 p.m., displaced nearly 60 residents of A.J. Demor Towers, according to Verona police Chief Tom Dessell. Dessell said the displaced...
In a first, strike in Caribbean leaves survivors, U.S. official says
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military carried out a new strike on Thursday against a suspected drug vessel in the Caribbean, and in what is believed to be the first such case, there were survivors among the crew, a U.S. official told Reuters. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity,...
Coroner’s ruling pending in Westmoreland jail inmate’s death
A female inmate was found dead in a jail cell this month, the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office said Thursday. Deputy Coroner Al Lonzo said Amber Knepshield, 32, was pronounced dead at 12:22 a.m. in a Westmoreland County prison cell Oct. 3. Lonzo said the office is awaiting results from an...
Leda Health, a Pittsburgh company that makes at-home rape kits, settles false claims lawsuit
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office on Thursday announced a settlement with a Pittsburgh company that sells at-home rape kits. Under the terms of the settlement, Leda Health must provide a written warning that its products do not meet the same standards as hospital-based evidence collection services. The state sued Leda...
Trump barred from deploying troops to Chicago, for now
CHICAGO — A federal appeals court won’t allow President Donald Trump to deploy — at least for now — troops to Illinois as part of his crackdown known as Operation Midway Blitz, according to a decision published Oct. 16. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit based in...
Trump says he will meet Putin in Budapest, touting progress in Ukraine talks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Thursday to another summit to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, a surprise move that came as Moscow feared fresh U.S. military support for Kyiv. Trump said he and Putin could meet within the next two weeks in...
Pitt trustee loses lawsuit claiming lack of access, retaliation
A longtime University of Pittsburgh trustee who sued during a bitter dispute with the board and its chairman has lost his case. John H. Pelusi Jr., who joined the board in 1994 and became an emeritus member last year, sued the board and its chairman, Jonathan J. Verbanac Sr., in...
Israel, Hamas trade blame over truce violations amid delay in return of dead hostages
CAIRO — Israel said on Thursday it was preparing for the reopening of Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt to let Palestinians in and out, but set no date as it traded blame with Hamas over violations of a U.S.-mediated ceasefire. A dispute over the return of hostages’ bodies held by...
In surprise move, head of U.S. military for Latin America to step down
WASHINGTON — The admiral who leads U.S. military forces in Latin America will step down at the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday, in a surprise move amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. A source familiar with the matter told Reuters...
Trump wants more U.S. babies. This is his plan to lower costs, expand access to IVF
WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump announced a plan aimed at expanding access to in vitro fertilization, seeking to fulfill a 2024 campaign promise by launching a new effort to lower IVF costs for families. Trump’s plan, which he unveiled Thursday in the Oval Office, also calls for eliminating red tape...
John Bolton, former Trump adviser, charged with sharing classified information
John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, was charged on Thursday in a sweeping indictment that accuses him of sharing sensitive government information with two of his relatives for possible use in a book he was writing. The indictment marked the third time in recent weeks the Justice...
Arnold man charged after kids test positive for cocaine
An Arnold man faces three counts of endangering the welfare of children after his 5-, 3- and 1-year-old each tested positive for cocaine. Westmoreland County detectives say they began investigating Josiah Hughes, 30, in May with a case involving child endangerment, according to the District Attorney’s Office. A ChildLine report...
State-owned universities to recruit former students who never completed degrees
If you’re one of the 130,000 people who obtained course credits at one of the state system’s colleges but never finished your degree, you’ll be hearing from the university soon. Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education will be rolling out a program reconnecting with and recruiting former students who didn’t...
Roughly 46,000 troops won’t be paid during the government shutdown
Roughly 46,000 full-time U.S. military members are without pay during the federal government shutdown despite President Donald Trump’s push to pay active duty troops. The impacted service members, known as dual-status technicians, are full-time employees of the National Guard and other military reserve units who under federal law must wear...
Pittsburgh, Strip District merchants compromise to resolve bike lane brouhaha
Pittsburgh’s bike-lane battle appears to be over. The Strip District Business Association on Thursday struck a reluctant compromise with the City of Pittsburgh on plans to convert a portion of Penn Avenue to a one-lane road with a bike lane. The city initially wanted to add a protected bike lane...
Plans for future of Penn State’s closing campus properties to be set by 2027
A second round of meetings with Penn State leadership and communities where branch campuses are closing, and what the future holds for those properties, will soon be underway, university administration said Thursday. Seven branch campuses — New Kensington, Fayette, Shenango, Mont Alto, DuBois, Wilkes-Barre and York — will close at...
Research shows annoying sounds might not be in your ears, but in your brain
The sound of someone sniffling can be irritating, but that has almost nothing to do with the sound itself, new Carnegie Mellon University research shows. “It’s not the sound, it’s how I feel about the person sitting next to me, and how it’s rude to sniffle,” said Laurie Heller, a...
Report claims Heritage Valley Sewickley, St. Clair hospitals perform needless back surgeries
Two Pittsburgh-area hospitals and one near State College are being called out by a health care think tank for performing what it calls unnecessary back surgeries. A report released earlier this month by the Massachusetts-based Lown Institute says around 38% of spinal fusions performed at Heritage Valley Sewickley weren’t warranted,...
