Top Stories category, Page 675
Religious items from closed Guardian Angels Parish find new home — across the globe
Two ornate altars that graced St. Ladislaus Church in Natrona for more than 100 years will be used again for prayer — across the globe on the South Pacific island of Tonga. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the town of Nukualofa acquired the cream-colored altars, a baptismal font,...
Westmoreland closes juvenile detention center amid state investigation, staffing shortages
Westmoreland County’s juvenile detention center is temporarily closed amid ongoing state child welfare investigations and staffing issues that resulted in an inability to properly staff and secure the 16-bed facility in Hempfield. Director Rich Gordon confirmed that state investigators are conducting a review of operations in the wake of two...
Pa. antlerless deer licenses soon available in stores, online
Change is in the air this Pennsylvania hunting season. Hunters in the state soon will be able to buy their 2023-24 antlerless deer licenses wherever hunting licenses are sold. The new process will go into effect at 8 a.m. Monday when sales begin for general hunting and furtaker licenses. Hunters...
Russia says Wagner Group’s leader will move to Belarus after his rebellious march challenged Putin
The head of the private Russian military company Wagner will move to neighboring Belarus as part of deal to defuse rebellion tensions and the criminal case against him will be closed, the Kremlin said Saturday. Yevgeny Prigozhin’s troops who joined him in the uprising will not face prosecution and those...
Medical examiner: Remains found in Sharpsburg might be part of burial ground
Skeletal remains uncovered this week in Sharpsburg are human, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Friday. The remains were found by a utility crew earlier in the week while working on private property along Short Canal Street. The Medical Examiner’s Office said it is continuing its investigation of the...
Walk or run, this busy spot on Pitt campus has a new name
So, will it be Gallagher Walk or Gallagher Run? University of Pittsburgh trustees Friday renamed a spot in the heart of campus for departing Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, saying it reflected a transformational project during his nine-year tenure, and something else about him. The plaza and walkway that were chosen wrap...
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro affirms support for funding private school vouchers amid budget push
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A coalition with wealthy backers is pushing Pennsylvania lawmakers to use public dollars to create tuition vouchers so K-12...
2nd suspect arrested in 2021 Pitcairn shooting death, police say there are 2 more
Police have arrested a second suspect in the 2021 fatal shooting of a young man in Pitcairn — and they’re looking for two more people they say are also responsible for his death. Finel Javon Thompson, 21, of Wall, was charged Friday with criminal homicide, tampering with evidence, recklessly endangering...
Xylazine-laced fentanyl is causing wounds and scrambling efforts to stop overdoses
WASHINGTON — A powerful animal sedative in the illicit drug supply is complicating the U.S. response to the opioid crisis, scrambling longstanding methods for reversing overdoses and treating addiction. Xylazine can cause severe skin wounds, but whether it is leading to more deaths — as suggested by officials in Washington...
Interstate 95 reopens to some traffic less than 2 weeks after collapse in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Interstate 95 reopened Friday less than two weeks after a deadly collapse in Philadelphia, a quicker-than-expected rebuild to get traffic flowing again on a heavily traveled stretch of the East Coast’s main north-south highway. Workers put the finishing touches on an interim six-lane roadway that will serve motorists...
Wildlife Works caring for albino raccoon found at Somerset County lumberyard
A rare albino raccoon is in the care of a Westmoreland County wildlife rescue after it was found with its two siblings at a Somerset County lumberyard, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The three baby animals were captured Tuesday by state Game Warden Andy Harvey at Berlin Lumber, southeast...
Pittsburgh’s Ritual House starts summer with new, lighter dishes
Ritual House, which opened in February in the Union Standard Building in Downtown Pittsburgh, served up a new menu on Wednesday. The plan is to change up the offerings seasonally. Executive chef Edwin Smith and pastry sous chef Zoe Peckich have brought their American cooking styles and modernized dishes with...
Highmark Health cuts 118 jobs
Highmark Health laid off 118 employees this week across the regional health insurer’s operations, the company said. The layoffs occurred across all departments and included a small number of management positions, said Lynn Seay, a Highmark Health spokeswoman. With the layoffs announced Wednesday, Highmark has eliminated 259 positions this year,...
Kinzua skywalk reopens after inspection prompted by high winds
The skywalk at Kinzua Bridge State Park has reopened after high winds prompted an emergency inspection and a temporary closure, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The McKean County structure was closed Wednesday and was inspected Thursday. The skywalk stretches 225 feet above the valley floor...
$8.8M in covid funds earmarked for water, sewer projects in Westmoreland
As many as 50 farms and other properties in East Huntingdon could have municipal water service this fall when water lines are extended to tap into the municipal system. It’s a project that might never have happened without funding from Westmoreland County, according to East Huntingdon Supervisor Joel Suter. “It’s...
The latest on Titan submersible tragedy and what’s next in recovery efforts
The desperate search to find the missing Titan submersible turned into a recovery effort Thursday after officials announced the vessel imploded sometime this week, killing all five aboard, near the Titanic shipwreck. Deep-sea robots will continue searching the sea floor for clues about what happened deep in the North Atlantic....
22 suspected drug dealers arrested in sweeping Western Pa. raid
Twenty-two of 24 men who federal prosecutors say sold cocaine and fentanyl in Western Pennsylvania have been arrested in a sweeping raid that began last month, according to court documents. Law enforcement began arresting suspects in late May following a nine-count federal indictment. They are accused of dealing 5 kilograms...
Morning roundup: Rostraver woman pleads guilty to credit union theft
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, June 23: Woman pleads guilty to $340,000 theft from credit union A Rostraver woman pleaded guilty this week to taking $340,200 from a Monessen-based federal credit union almost seven years ago, then staging a fire in the safe...
New affordable housing development to cater to seniors in Pittsburgh’s Fairywood
A new development will bring affordable housing for senior citizens to Pittsburgh’s Fairywood neighborhood. Officials broke ground Thursday on Cedarwood Homes, a 46-unit development at the former Fairywood School site. “We’re going to make sure the people who live here can age in place and they can do it with...
Fayette County Courthouse struck by bullet, judge’s chair hit
The Fayette County Courthouse was placed on lockdown Thursday after shots were fired and a bullet struck the building. Officials said a bullet went through a window and struck a judge’s chair while she was sitting in it. She was not injured, and there no reports of other injuries. The...
Judge blocks Wyoming’s 1st-in-the-nation abortion pill ban while court decides lawsuit
CHEYENNE — Abortion pills will remain legal in Wyoming for now, after a judge ruled Thursday that the state’s first-in-the-nation law to ban them won’t take effect July 1 as planned while a lawsuit proceeds. Attorneys for Wyoming failed to show that the ban wouldn’t harm the plaintiffs before their...
Paul Kengor: The absurdity of a $15 beer
I recently attended a Pirates game. As readers know, that’s no small step for me. I boycotted Major League Baseball after its ideological commissioner, Rob Manfred, needlessly thrust our beloved national pastime into the nastiness of partisan politics. Manfred and MLB boycotted the city of Atlanta in protest of Georgia’s...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 23-25
It’s the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Art appreciation The Ohringer gallery in Braddock will host an exhibition featuring the work of artist Cue Perry. It runs Saturday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 640 Braddock Ave. It will be Perry’s first solo exhibition. The works...
Shadyside stabbing suspect’s bond revoked, judge orders him back to jail
A district judge on Thursday revoked a Shadyside man’s bond and ordered him back to Allegheny County Jail after the district attorney’s office said he presented a threat to the community. Jasper Jacob Hilliard, 21, faces charges including attempted homicide in connection with the stabbing of a 72-year-old man on...
Pennsylvania House lawmakers pass bill to recruit more educators by offering $10K stipends
HARRISBURG — Faced with a rising number of Pennsylvania teachers leaving the profession, state House lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill to recruit more educators by giving student teachers a stipend while they’re in the classroom. The legislation seeks to remove the barriers for prospective teachers, whose work in the...
