Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 6
Springdale borough manager resigns after stormy 9-month tenure
Springdale is searching for a new borough manager after Terry Carcella, who had served as manager since last May, resigned ahead of council’s meeting Tuesday night. Carcella said he submitted his resignation last week but declined to offer a reason for his departure. He said he did not plan to...
Boards of Pittsburgh Public Theater, Pittsburgh CLO approve mergerVideo
The leadership of Pittsburgh Public Theater and Pittsburgh CLO announced Wednesday that the boards of both companies have voted to merge into a new cultural institution. “This theater will be a dynamic destination in the city’s Cultural District as part of the broader Downtown revitalization already underway, energizing audiences of...
O’Connor to speak at Point Park University commencement
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor will be Point Park University’s featured commencement speaker this spring. The commencement ceremony is scheduled for May 8 at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus. “As a true Pittsburgher, Mayor O’Connor understands this region as well as anyone,” Point Park University President...
Pittsburgh police chief orders review after ICE arrest outside Zone 3 station
Pittsburgh’s police chief has ordered a review of footage recorded by officers’ body and dashboard cameras during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest outside a city police station last week. Pittsburgh police did not intervene in the incident, which took place last Thursday near the Zone 3 station on East...
Juniper Grill, Atria’s and 1930 Cigar Bar now open in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Three restaurant concepts have opened in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Juniper Grill, Atria’s and 1930 Cigar Bar opened on Tuesday at 2350 Railroad St. The two restaurants and cigar lounge occupy 11,000 square feet and replace the former Italian restaurants Osteria 2350 and Cioppino. The new establishments are operated by Restaurant...
Kraft Heinz seals deal as NFL official condiment partner ahead of draft in PittsburghVideo
Heinz ketchup is taking over the condiment stand as the exclusive topping for concessions at Acrisure Stadium. The same will apply across the NFL after a five-year agreement announced Wednesday named Kraft Heinz Co. as the league’s first-ever official condiment partner. The deal is expected to drive fan engagement with...
Trump’s tariffs are hurting American manufacturers instead of helping them
WASHINGTON — Jay Allen is a fan of President Donald Trump, and voted for him on the belief that the Republican would cut taxes and trim regulations, helping his manufacturing business in northeast Arkansas. But the tariffs at the core of Trump’s economic agenda have wreaked havoc on his company,...
Morning Roundup: Shooting in Homewood South injures 1; dog-fighting ring suspected in Beaver County
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 18: Homewood South shooting A man was shot in the stomach early Wednesday in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South neighborhood, authorities said. Crews responded at about 12:45 a.m. to the 7200 block of Kelly Street for a ShotSpotter alert...
Trial begins in Stowe homicide
Richard and Tianias Johnson were supposed to be picking up some pans to use for Thanksgiving dinner. Her son, Michael Dean, was expecting them. But when the Johnsons arrived at Dean’s house in the 800 block of Benwood Avenue in Stowe on Nov. 22, 2023, he didn’t answer the door....
Pittsburgh police union fears city’s fiscal straits could harm contract prospects
Pittsburgh police union leaders fear city officials may plead poverty Wednesday morning when they furnish new information to arbitrators preparing to set the terms of the police bureau’s next contract. Last week Mayor Corey O’Connor revealed the city’s finances were in worse shape than he knew and warned this year’s...
Still little word from Springdale officials on ICE agreement as residents protestVideo
For the second straight council meeting, Springdale Borough officials stayed mum about the police department’s agreement to cooperate with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The cooperation agreement with ICE resulted in the arrest of a Peru-born resident, Randy Cordova-Flores, more than a month ago. Like February’s council meeting, council...
Summer Lee moves to impeach Attorney General Pam Bondi as GOP-led committee subpoenas her
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and five Democratic colleagues on Tuesday introduced articles of impeachment against Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of files related to the late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and what the lawmakers described as the politicization of the Justice Department. Separately Tuesday, the GOP-controlled House...
Robinson man found guilty of defrauding government in defense contracts
A Robinson man accused by the federal government of making a $500,000 profit by substituting lower-quality parts to fulfill military contracts was found guilty on Tuesday of wire fraud and failure to pay taxes. Donald Smith, 75, could face federal prison when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge J....
Pittsburgh budget woes vindicate Controller Rachael Heisler, who issued early warnings
For two years, Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler raised one red flag after another about the city’s precarious finances. She wrote letters, held press conferences and mercilessly skewered former Mayor Ed Gainey’s final budget proposal as “not an honest document.” Few took her alerts to heart. Public officials, from the former...
Gas prices near $4: What’s driving the spike in Pa.Video
Gas prices surged again Tuesday, climbing to just shy of $4 a gallon across Southwestern Pennsylvania — a fresh hit for motorists already bracing for higher costs. Lynda Lambert, a spokesperson for AAA East Central, said the spike is being driven by the escalating war in Iran, which has rattled...
Police: Toxic breast milk likely killed 15-month-old toddler in Mt. Pleasant Township
A 15-month-old boy who died from a methamphetamine overdose last year likely ingested the drug through breast milk, according to state police. “His only form of survival was to consume breast milk that was toxic,” Trooper Steve Limani said. An investigation into the Feb. 12, 2025, death of Thomas Blaesser...
Bus gunman’s blunders spur swift arrest in Pittsburgh Regional Transit shooting
Police said they were quickly able to arrest an 18-year-old for shooting a person on a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus last weekend in part because the teen showed his face on camera and used a phone app to pay for his fare. Michael Andrews of Pittsburgh was charged with shooting...
From 70 degrees to snowfall: Pittsburgh region gets weather whiplash with high winds, snow
March madness took on a literal meaning across southwestern Pennsylvania early this week as a sudden burst of winter weather disrupted a string of springlike days. While the snowfall didn’t reach historic proportions, the region saw a wild temperature swing, dropping from a high of 70 degrees Sunday to 24...
Trump fumes at NATO for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, and embraces going it alone
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday NATO and most other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, grousing that he has been unable to rally support behind his war of choice in Iran that he insists he’s conducting for the good of the world,...
Pittsburgh parents sue pool drain maker after suction severely injures daughter, 3, at Mexican resort
The parents of a 3-year-old Pittsburgh girl who nearly died after she became trapped by suction from a wading pool drain at a resort in Mexico last year are suing the drain’s manufacturer. Adam Quatrini and Carolina Maria Vélez, of Shadyside, filed the lawsuit on Monday in federal court in...
Woman pleads guilty to fatal stabbing with pocketknife in Homewood
A Homewood woman will serve four to 10 years in state prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter for fatally stabbing a woman she knew following an hours-long argument. Maurissa Plummer, 22, did not make any statement on her behalf during a brief plea hearing before Allegheny County Common...
Pittsburgh Zoo explores opening aquarium on North Shore
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is exploring plans for a new standalone aquarium on the North Shore. The proposed Pennsylvania Aquarium is in the conceptual stage, with an economic impact study underway to assess its feasibility and potential funding sources. “To have an aquarium – a full, large, major aquarium...
Mt. Lebanon school district faces a $1.2M million shortfall next year
Mt. Lebanon school officials have a few weeks to make up a $1.169 million shortfall in the district’s budget for next year. Patricia Connolly, the district’s director of operations, told the school board this week she is projecting just above $130 million in expenses and $128.8 million in revenues next...
Man charged with planting pipe bombs before the Jan. 6 riot argues Trump’s mass pardons apply to him
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s sweeping act of clemency for rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol also should apply to a man charged with planting pipe bombs near the national headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties on the eve of the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, the suspect’s attorneys...
Former South Greensburg fire chief accused of theft seeks evaluation for disorders including gambling addiction
The former South Greensburg fire chief will be evaluated by a psychiatrist while he awaits the outcome of a felony theft case against him. A motion for the evaluation filed by defense attorney Brian Aston indicates Matthew White, 49, of Hempfield needs a forensic evaluation to determine his mental health...
