Top Stories category, Page 6
Shapiro proposes record $53.3B in spending for coming fiscal year
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday unveiled a proposed $53.3 billion budget for the coming fiscal year that would use nearly $4.6 billion, or more than half, of the state’s largest reserve fund to balance. Shapiro said in an address to a joint session of the state House and Senate that...
Renderings show how NFL Draft will take over Downtown Pittsburgh and North Shore
The NFL, VisitPittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday offered the first glimpse of the official 2026 NFL Draft site renderings. The images offer a preview of how the city’s largest tourism event will unfold, revealing a two-site draft campus stretching across Pittsburgh’s North Shore and Downtown for the April...
Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg to accept Hometown Hero banner applications
The Greensburg Community Development Corporation is accepting applications for its annual Hometown Hero banner program. The installation, launched in 2020, honors Greensburg and Southwest Greensburg residents who have left an impact on the community — including military veterans, first responders and local officials. Nearly 70 people were honored in May...
Guilty plea appealed again in Jeannette football stadium shooting
A Jeannette man serving a 25-year prison sentence for the shooting death of a romantic rival has appealed his conviction. The incident occurred outside of Jeannette’s high school football stadium in 2019. Greg A. Harper, 46, unsuccessfully attempted last year to withdraw a guilty plea to third-degree murder. He entered...
Trump signs bill to end partial government shutdown, setting stage for next fight
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a roughly $1.2 trillion government funding bill Tuesday that ends the partial federal shutdown that began over the weekend and sets the stage for an intense debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding. The president moved quickly to sign the bill after the House...
NASA delays astronauts’ lunar trip until March after hydrogen leaks mar fueling testVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is off until at least March because of hydrogen fuel leaks that marred the dress rehearsal of its giant new rocket. It’s the same problem that delayed the Space Launch System rocket’s debut three years ago. That first test flight was...
Morning Roundup: 2 flown from high-rise fire in Washington County; North Versailles businesses reportedly damaged by gunfire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Feb. 3: 2 flown from Washington County fire Two people were transported by medical helicopter following a fire Monday evening at a high-rise apartment in Washington County, according to county 911 officials. More than half-dozen fire crews were...
Western Pa. casinos report mixed results despite 5th year of statewide gambling revenue growth
For the fifth consecutive year, gambling revenue statewide reached a record high in 2025, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Gambling revenue hit nearly $6.8 billion last year, the board said, which is a 10.7% increase from 2024 and more than double the state’s 2016 figure of $3.2 billion....
Years after Cassandra Gross disappeared, her mother says the unanswered questions never go awayVideo
Tucked away at Kathe Gross’ house is a turquoise plastic tote filled with the memories of heartbreak. There are note cards and scraps of paper bearing names and phone numbers, handwritten notes Gross compiled on anything she could find as phone calls and information poured in after the 2018 disappearance...
Oakmont ICE arrest spurs new policy on cooperation with law enforcement at Riverview School District
The Riverview School Board has found itself front and center in the nation’s debate over immigrant deportations. The board’s agenda meeting Monday served in part as a place for residents to express frustration following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest in Oakmont on Thursday. Jose Flores, 47, was detained by...
Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation ahead of contempt of Congress vote
WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalized. Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House...
Trump says Republicans should federalize state voting rules
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called on Republicans to seize control of election processes from individual states, signaling that he may push for drastic measures to change the dynamics of the midterm elections. “Amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it,” Trump said in an interview Monday with former FBI...
Gov. Shapiro wants to ban cellphones from Pennsylvania schools
Gov. Josh Shapiro is backing a proposal to ban cellphones from Pennsylvania classrooms, joining a growing chorus of parents, teachers, and officials seeking to curb school disruptions and detach kids from addictive devices. “It’s time for us to get distractions out of the classroom and create a healthier environment in...
Every Homeland Security officer in Minneapolis now being issued a body-worn camera, Kristi Noem says
WASHINGTON — Every Homeland Security officer on the ground in Minneapolis, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be immediately issued body-worn cameras, Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday, in the latest fallout after the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal agents. Noem said the...
Officials warn people to stay off frozen Pittsburgh rivers
First responders have a simple message after seeing reports and videos of people walking on frozen Pittsburgh rivers: Don’t do it. “Don’t put yourself at risk to get injured — because our first responders have to put their lives on the line to help you,” said Pittsburgh EMS Chief Amera...
Jury seated in Westmoreland County for trial of Thomas Stanko in 2018 death of Cassandra Gross
It took nearly eight years to bring Thomas G. Stanko to a courtroom in the death of Cassandra Gross, but it took only a single day to choose the 12 people who will decide his fate. Seven men and five women were seated Monday in Westmoreland County to serve as...
Virginia man in ‘au pair affair’ case convicted of murdering wife and another man in elaborate ruse
A Virginia man having an affair with the family’s Brazilian au pair was found guilty Monday of murdering his wife and another man that prosecutors say was lured to the house as a fall guy. Brendan Banfield, a former IRS law enforcement officer, told police he came across Joseph Ryan...
Masked federal agents who fatally shot Alex Pretti identified, ProPublica reports
The two federal agents who shot and killed Alex Pretti during anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis were identified Sunday in a report. Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, were identified as the shooters in government documents, ProPublica reported. They had not been named publicly prior to ProPublica’s reporting Sunday. Ochoa...
Mayor lauds Pittsburgh teen for securing 20,000-pound cereal donation
Ender Lin combined a love of cereal and a desire to help his neighbors to secure a massive food donation that will feed thousands of families in the Pittsburgh region. Ender, 13, of Squirrel Hill, penned a letter to Kellogg, telling the company about “all the amazing things” done by...
Southern U.S. enters 2nd week of biting cold and prolonged outagesVideo
RALEIGH, N.C. — Four homes blasted by icy wind on an eroding North Carolina island collapsed into the ocean and Florida farmers anxiously waited for frozen plants to thaw Monday as people across the eastern half of the United States coped with more than a week of sub-freezing weather. Thermometers...
Broken plows, inexperienced drivers contributed to Pittsburgh’s snow removal woes, mayor says
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor on Monday pointed to broken-down snowplows and inexperienced drivers as key reasons the city struggled last week to clear nearly a foot of snow from the streets. O’Connor said he hopes to remedy both problems before next winter. “We did what we could,” O’Connor said, adding...
Turning Point USA announces alternative Super Bowl halftime show, including Gabby Barrett
One of Pittsburgh’s own, the country singer Gabby Barrett, was announced as a performer in Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” — a counterpoint to the Super Bowl halftime show Sunday night. The alternative halftime show will compete with Bad Bunny’s performance as part of the game, held at Levi’s...
Fundraiser for family of Oakmont man detained by ICE raises more than $75K
An online fundraiser to aid the family of a man taken into ICE custody in Oakmont on Thursday had collected more than $75,000 as of Tuesday evening. Jose Flores, 47, was handcuffed and placed in an unmarked SUV by ICE agents Thursday morning in front of his 8-year-old daughter, Lily....
Expert witness for Fern Hollow bridge victims claims engineering firms missed problems prior to collapse
An expert retained by the victims of the Fern Hollow bridge collapse said the three engineering firms contracted to inspect the span failed to uphold the standard of care required for professional engineers. David B. Mrowiec, a civil engineer based in Virginia, reached that conclusion after reviewing thousands of pages...
Pittsburgh Public Schools building closure plan discussions back on the table
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board unanimously voted to reopen the discussion on a reconfiguration plan, which had raised the possibility of closing nine schools. On Wednesday, the Future-Ready plan was reintroduced by Eva Diodati, school board director for District 7. “I didn’t want to delay any longer than necessary. There’s...
