Top Stories category, Page 610
Officials celebrate Pa.’s 2 hydrogen hubs, but many details remain shrouded in secrecyVideo
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. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania officials are celebrating the Biden administration’s announcement that it will invest $1.6 billion to build hydrogen hubs partially located in the state...
Feds award nearly $25M to Pittsburgh high-tech energy projects
Two projects seeking to advance high-tech energy efforts in the Pittsburgh area were recently awarded nearly $25 million from the U.S. Department of Energy. Duquesne Light is receiving $19.7 million to enhance grid flexibility and improve the power system’s resilience against extreme weather events caused by climate change, while Carnegie...
$43M CCAC facility to focus on robotics, other advancing technologies
Justin Starr spent years working in Pittsburgh’s robotics industry and saw first-hand the disconnect between the skills students often leave colleges with and those his industry desperately sought. “We always had great success on the engineering end, but when it came to getting technicians to do things like actually build...
Republicans nominate Mike Johnson for House speaker after Emmer’s withdrawal, desperate to end chaos
WASHINGTON — Republicans chose Rep. Mike Johnson as their latest nominee for House speaker late Tuesday, hours after an earlier pick, Rep. Tom Emmer, abruptly withdrew in the face of opposition from Donald Trump and hardline GOP lawmakers. Johnson of Louisiana, a lower-ranked member of the House GOP leadership team,...
Braddock woman faces charges after shooting incident on Route 30 in Unity
A Braddock woman is charged with attempted homicide after state police said she fired a gun at her boyfriend’s vehicle while both were traveling on Route 30 in Unity, according to court papers. The man was not hurt. The shooting stemmed from an argument Markale D. Younger, 27, had with...
After season high in penalties, Mike Tomlin says Steelers must adjust to officiating crewsVideo
Eleven times during Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Rams, officials threw flags against the Pittsburgh Steelers. A season-high eight were accepted, and another triggered a crucial offset of a Rams penalty that would have given the Steelers an important late first down. During his weekly news conference Tuesday, Steelers...
Jenna Ellis becomes latest Trump lawyer to plead guilty over efforts to overturn Georgia’s electionVideo
ATLANTA — Attorney and prominent conservative media figure Jenna Ellis pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony charge over efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia, tearfully telling the judge she looks back on that time with “deep remorse.” Ellis, the fourth defendant in the case to enter...
Child endangerment tip leads to arrest of several sex offenders
Detectives with the Allegheny County Sheriff’s office arrested five sex offenders Monday night, Sheriff Kevin M. Kraus announced Tuesday. A tip on the location of a child endangerment suspect led to the arrest of four of the five — Joseph Neidermeyer, 34, and Lee Chew, Amber Avery and Anthony Ditton,...
Morning Roundup: Westmoreland vape shop burglarized; Hopewell schools targeted in ransomware attack
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Oct. 24: Unity vape shop burglarized A Unity vape shop was burglarized Monday night, Tribune-Review news partner WTAE-TV reported. A person wearing a mask was caught on surveillance cameras around 9:40 p.m. using a rock to break into...
Greensburg man gets 10-year prison sentence for city crime spree
A Greensburg man will serve up to 10 years in prison for a six-month crime spree throughout the city last year. Cory Jording, 25, pleaded guilty to charges in eight separate cases including the robbery of convenience stores and other retail businesses that ended with his arrest in January. According...
Tech startup for sexual assault survivors moves to Lawrenceville
A health care tech startup that provides at-home early evidence kits for sexual assault survivors has moved its headquarters to Pittsburgh. Leda Health has officially moved from the Brooklyn borough of New York City to Lawrenceville. The Butler Street location is under construction, with the goal to be completed Nov....
PennWest Edinboro, Erie among places prepping for total eclipse
Western Pennsylvania science professors and astronomy buffs didn’t exactly have a riveting view of the recent annular solar eclipse. Most bemoaned the cloudy, rainy weather forecast and said they were already looking ahead and making plans for the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, when Erie will be in...
Man who killed Upper St. Clair woman resentenced to life in prison instead of death
A man previously convicted of killing a 78-year-old Upper St. Clair woman in 2003 and given the death penalty appeared in court Tuesday and was resentenced to a life prison term. Patrick Stollar, 45, was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2008. Two days later, a jury recommended he be...
Hempfield Area considering search policy changes in wake of gun incidents
Hempfield Area School District may soon have more leeway on how frequently students can be searched for contraband, amid rising parent and student concerns following security incidents at the district. A new section to the district’s search policy, defining rules for the use of metal and weapons detectors, was approved...
Indictment window extended 5th time in federal drug charges against ex-Greensburg police chief
A federal judge on Monday granted U.S. prosecutors a fifth time extension for filing a potential indictment concerning drug-related charges against Shawn Denning, the former Greensburg police chief. A criminal complaint charging Denning with two counts of aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine and three counts of aiding and...
‘Superfog’ near New Orleans blamed for highway crashes that killed at least 7Video
NEW ORLEANS — At least seven people were killed Monday after a “superfog” of smoke from marsh fires and dense morning fog caused a series of wrecks on Interstate 55 near New Orleans that left a long stretch of mangled and scorched cars, trucks and tractor-trailers. An estimated 158 vehicles...
Lawyer for Unity man charged with girlfriend’s killing claims authorities can’t prove crime was committed
The lawyer for a Unity man charged with killing his former girlfriend more than four years ago said authorities may not have jurisdiction to prosecute the case in Westmoreland County. Thomas Stanko maintains he did not kill Cassandra Gross, said his attorney, Marc Daffner, during a pretrial hearing Monday. Gross,...
Bad tech, staffing shortages hinder Pa. as it reassesses health care coverage for thousands
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. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is struggling with faulty technology, persistent staffing shortages, and flawed procedures as it reassesses health care coverage for hundreds of thousands of...
Wilkinsburg man gets 25 to 50 years for killing Tarentum woman
A Wilkinsburg man will serve 25 to 50 years in prison for killing the mother of his child in Tarentum in 2021. DaShawn Frederick, 28, pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree murder, making terroristic threats and endangering the welfare of children. The sentence was negotiated. Investigators said Frederick had been in...
Detroit police say they’ve identified several people of interest in synagogue president’s killing
DETROIT — Investigators have identified several people of interest in the fatal stabbing of a Detroit synagogue president but would not talk about their connections to the woman during a press conference Monday. Authorities found 40-year-old Samantha Woll’s body outside her home early Saturday after a caller told police about...
Former major leaguer Tom Walker, father of longtime Pirate Neil Walker, dies at age 74
Tom Walker, who once threw a 15-inning no-hitter in the minor leagues and was one of the last people to see Roberto Clemente alive, died Monday, according to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was 74. Over the past several seasons, Walker was a fixture around PNC Park where he watched as...
Stowe man gets at least 21 years in prison for killing 2-year-old girl
Javonne Swinton read the letter she wrote to her daughter. “How I miss you so much,” it began. “You are a soul so pure of love and happiness, it can heal broken hearts.” Brielle Swinton, who would have turned 5 in February, was killed on Dec. 30, 2021, by her...
Pilots on Horizon Air jet say 3rd pilot in the cockpit tried to shut down engines
PORTLAND, Ore. — An off-duty pilot riding in the extra seat in the cockpit of a Horizon Air passenger jet tried to shut down the engines in midflight and had to be subdued by the crew, according to a pilot flying the plane. Authorities in Oregon identified the man as...
It’s Day 20 with no House speaker, and lower-level names are starting to reach for the gavel
WASHINGTON — On Day 20 without a House speaker, Republicans found themselves starting over Monday — bumbling ahead with few ideas about who will lead, what they are fighting over and when they will get Congress working again. Republicans gathered late in the evening to hear quick speeches from the...
Ross woman gets prison sentence for fatal hit-and-run
A Ross woman is headed to prison for fatally striking a woman with an SUV and then fleeing the scene after drinking at a nearby bar in January. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Kelly Bigley on Monday sentenced Erin Lee Petroski, 40, to three to six years in prison in...
