Top Stories category, Page 593
Biden goes into 2024 with the economy getting stronger, but voters feel horrible about it
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden goes into next year’s election with a vexing challenge: Just as the U.S. economy is getting stronger, people are still feeling horrible about it. Pollsters and economists say there has never been as wide a gap between the underlying health of the economy and public...
Lawmakers consider declaring 2023 ‘Taylor Swift Era’ in Pennsylvania
Taylor Swift’s widespread popularity could soon be commemorated by the Pennsylvania state legislature. Three Democratic state representatives from suburban Philadelphia — Danielle Friel Otten of Chester County, Jennifer O’Mara of Delaware County and Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz of Berks County, where Swift grew up — introduced a resolution Friday to declare 2023...
Morning roundup: Fire in Washington County; man accused of firing AR-15 outside club; man charged with raping child
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Dec. 11: Fire in Washington County One person was evaluated by paramedics after a fire in Washington County on Sunday night, according to TribLive news partner WTAE-TV. The fire was reported a little before 11:30 p.m. in the...
Tim Benz: Steelers’ back-to-back losses made history, but we’ve seen this before
It felt stupid, didn’t it? Tracking all those AFC games Sunday to see how they would impact the Steelers and the playoff standings. What a fruitless endeavor after how the Steelers performed in their last two games, losing both at home against teams (the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots)...
Teen accused in New Ken murder case 1 of 2 back in custody after fleeing Westmoreland detention center
Police detained two teenagers, including one charged with second-degree murder related to a shooting in New Kensington last year, who escaped from the Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center in Hempfield on Saturday night. The teenagers were taken into custody in Fayette County, state police announced early Monday morning. Robert A....
‘Hospice is more about living better,’ transitional care director says of misunderstood program
A few days remain before Robert Patterson will mark his 97th birthday, on the day after Christmas. No one can be sure how many more candles he’ll add to his cake. He and his wife, Joyce, who is 90, have experienced declining physical health, including taxing respiratory conditions. It got...
Public meeting, safety plan, state oversight required before implosion of Springdale power plant
The former power plant in Springdale could still be imploded, but a judge has ordered more government oversight and a public meeting before that happens. In an order filed Sunday, Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay Jr. requires the two sides — Springdale residents who want to block...
Concordia’s live Nativity draws hundreds in Jefferson Township
Concordia Lutheran Ministries hosted its 10th annual live Nativity program Sunday at its Haven II building on Marwood Road in Jefferson Township. Amber Walchesky of the Cabot section on Winfield, who attended the event with her husband, Jarod, and two daughters, Maylee, 3, and Braelynn, 1, said they were there...
Trump says he won’t testify again at his New York fraud trial. He claims he has nothing more to say
NEW YORK — Donald Trump said Sunday he has decided against testifying for a second time at his New York civil fraud trial, posting on social media a day before his scheduled appearance that he “very successfully & conclusively” testified last month and saw no need to do so again....
Battles rage across Gaza as Israel indicates it’s willing to fight for months or more to beat Hamas
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Battles raged across Gaza on Sunday as Israel indicated it was prepared to fight for months or longer to defeat the territory’s Hamas rulers, and a key mediator said willingness to discuss a cease-fire was fading. Israel faces international outrage after its military offensive, with...
Biden invites Zelenskyy to the White House amid a stepped-up push for Congress to approve more aidVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has invited Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to the White House on Tuesday as the U.S. administration steps up the pressure on Congress to provide billions more in aid to Kyiv in its war with Russia. The visit is intended “to underscore the United States’ unshakeable...
Tennessee residents clean up after severe weekend storms killed 6 and damaged neighborhoodsVideo
NASHVILLE — Central Tennessee residents and emergency workers cleaned up Sunday from severe weekend storms and tornadoes that killed six people and sent more to the hospital while damaging buildings, turning over vehicles and knocking out power to tens of thousands. Officials confirmed that three people, including a toddler, died...
Building the Valley: The Teen Spot after-school program helps Highlands students connect to community
Organizers of an after-school program for Highlands teens peg it as a home away from home. But The Teen Spot, geared toward students in grades six through 12, is also a learning facility, life skills provider and extended family for many of the 70 participants. “These are my kids,” said...
Pitt researcher who said colleagues purposely exposed her to allergens sues university
The assaults weren’t with weapons, the woman says, but lotions, soaps and potpourri. A former Pitt faculty member who has severe allergies to certain strong fragrances is suing the university because, she said, they failed to protect her from colleagues who brought fragrant items into the office or wore perfumed...
Crews battle blaze at Loyalhanna Township home
Six fire departments worked to put out a blaze that caused significant damage to a Loyalhanna Township home Sunday morning. Emergency personnel were dispatched to the single-story home on Louise Street around 7:35 a.m., said Bill McClelland, assistant fire chief for Saltsburg Volunteer Fire Department. Slickville fire officials arrived first...
Westmoreland County, state police search for teens who fled juvenile detention center
Two teenagers escaped from the Westmoreland County Juvenile Detention Center in Hempfield Saturday night. Robert A. Cogdell, 14, and Braedon M. Dickinson, 16, both of Connellsville, fled on foot from the detention center about 8:30 p.m., according to state police. Westmoreland County Park police are leading the investigation with assistance...
Celebrate the holidays with these quintessential Pittsburgh attractions
While Kaufmann’s department store decked out for Christmas in Downtown Pittsburgh isn’t on the list of Pittsburgh holiday musts anymore, there are still plenty of things to see and do during the holidays in the city. These are the places and events that are quintessential Pittsburgh at Christmastime. “A Musical...
Months after schism, former and current United Methodist churches pick up the pieces
This is the busy season for Pastor Dylan Parson. Like many Methodist pastors, he leads not just the Hill Top congregation in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood but a charge of churches including Spencer and Fairhaven. Each building is within about 5 miles of the other on the south side of the...
3 dead, nearly 2 dozen injured as tornado tears through Tennessee
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Three people are dead, including a child, and nearly two dozen were being treated at a local hospital after a tornado tore through the middle of Tennessee on Saturday, officials said. Police and firefighters in Clarksville were responding to reports of damage in the northern part of...
NRA has surprising defender in free speech case before the Supreme Court: the ACLU
NEW YORK — In a case of politics making strange bedfellows, the National Rifle Association will be represented by frequent nemesis the American Civil Liberties Union in an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court. The New York-based civil liberties group confirmed Saturday it will provide legal representation for the gun-rights...
Pitt volleyball team reaches NCAA Final Four by beating Louisville
In the past six seasons, Dan Fisher’s teams at Pitt have won more women’s volleyball matches than any other Division I school in the country. Trouble is Fisher’s Panthers haven’t won the big prize of an NCAA championship. Perhaps that trend is about to end. For the second time this...
Steelers 4 Downs: George Pickens seems frustrated with lack of targets. Does he warrant them?
1. Deserving of the ball? A common refrain among Pittsburgh Steelers fans seeking answers for their team’s struggling offense has been a plea to get more opportunities for George Pickens. But the numbers are mixed on if the receiver is being ignored by the play-callers and quarterbacks, or if Pickens...
Liz Magill, University of Pennsylvania president, resigns as antisemitism testimony draws backlash
PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania’s president has resigned amid pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing during which she was unwilling to say under repeated questioning that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. The departure of Liz...
New U.S. aid for Ukraine seems out of reach as GOP ties it to border security
WASHINGTON — A deal to provide further U.S. assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President Joe Biden. The impasse is deepening in Congress despite dire warnings from the White House about the consequences of inaction as Republicans insist on pairing the aid with...
Hometown Holiday Festival draws a crowd at Burrell High School
Hundreds of people visited Burrell High School on Saturday for its first Hometown Holiday Festival, featuring musical performances, local craft vendors, food trucks and family activities. Nicole Butler, supervisor of Lower Burrell EMS, spent the day filling an ambulance for Toys for Tots of Tarentum. She said the organization serves...
