Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 7
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...
Fire hydrants headed to Harmar neighborhood after resident concerns
After a fire gutted a riverside home in Harmar’s Werner Camp neighborhood last summer, one neighbor called the lack of fire hydrants on the property Werner Camp’s “Achilles’ heel.” It meant that fire crews had to shut down Freeport Road and a set of railroad tracks to drag hundreds of...
Top counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns over Trump’s Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threatVideo
WASHINGTON — Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing his concerns about the justification for military strikes in Iran and saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is...
Meteor lights up sky in Pittsburgh region as social media eruptsVideo
The western sky — and social media — lit up Tuesday morning when a meteor streaked over Western Pennsylvania skies and into the atmosphere over northeast Ohio. Jared Rackley, an employee with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, caught video of the large fireball as the suspected meteoroid entered the...
New retail space planned in Harmar in place of demolished church
Geoffrey Alexander, the owner of Harmar’s One Alexander Center, says he’s planning to add retail space along Freeport Road at the site of the former St. Francis of Assisi Church. He said crews finished demolishing the church early this month. The small church had been closed since 2024, according to...
Cup of Joe: It was Fenway Sports Group that made this magical Penguins season possible
Cup of Joe: Starkey on sports in 400 words or less (or in this case more) They established themselves as a cold and distant corporate entity from the moment they arrived — and it kind of still feels like they never did arrive. They never really connected to the fan...
Surprise snowfall sets Western Pa. record, as some remain without power
Monday started mild across the Pittsburgh region and ended as the snowiest 60-degree day on record, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. “Most places got between 2 and 5 inches, but there were a couple of localized areas that got over 6,” said Bill Modzelewski, meteorologist. “Our office...
Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills selling off fixtures, shelves as clearance sale continuesVideo
A new closing sale of sorts has started at Macy’s at Pittsburgh Mills. The anchor store, which announced its plans to leave the Frazer mall this spring, is selling its store fixtures, shelving units and more. A post on Facebook marketplace lists tables, holiday decor, art, clothes and accessory racks,...
Iran keeps up attacks on neighbors after Israel says it killed 2 of its top officials
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Israel said Tuesday it killed two senior Iranian security officials in a major blow aimed at further weakening the Islamic Republic’s leadership as it faces its greatest test in decades. Iran, which confirmed the killing of Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council,...
Urban Tap earns clean inspection report weeks after video of rat walking near its tapsVideo
The South Side bar made locally famous by a video of a rat walking on its beer taps has gotten a clean bill from the Allegheny County Health Department. Urban Tap on East Carson Street posted a copy of the inspection report, which notes “no evidence of rodent activity” and...
Costco adds fertility treatments to its discount services
Costco, the membership warehouse club known for selling bulk items at discount, is now offering lower prices for fertility treatments. Costco members will be able to save up to 80% on certain fertility medications like Follistim through the big-box store’s pharmacy programs, People reported. Some medications can cost thousands of...
Affordable housing development moving ahead in Larimer
Expanding its work to an adjacent neighborhood, East Liberty Development, Inc. is seeking to build eight affordable housing units in Larimer. ELDI held a public meeting March 5 with the Larimer Consensus Group to present updated plans and talk with people in the community. Six of the properties will be...
New mental health diagnosis could impact guilty plea in St. Clair murder-for-hire case
A new mental health diagnosis could impact the planned guilty plea of a 20-year-old man who admitted to killing a St. Clair woman in her home at the request of her daughter. Robert Jack, 20, was the key witness during a weeklong trial in Westmoreland County court in February. His...
Pittsburgh faces longer allergy seasons, study findsVideo
Allergy season in Pittsburgh kicks off in spring, but symptoms like sneezing, itchy eyes and congestion are starting sooner and lingering longer, a study shows, as warmer temperatures extend the pollen season. Climate Central, a nonprofit organization that researches climate science, released a study that showed Pittsburgh’s freeze-free season, which...
How a single word caused a Pittsburgh homicide mistrial
The witness’s testimony was supposed to be simple. Pittsburgh police Officer Andrew Dice was expected to describe for jurors an interaction he’d heard at the Allegheny County Jail when dropping off a homicide suspect. Ambrose Sample Jr., charged with fatally shooting his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend during a child custody exchange on...
United Arab Emirates briefly closes airspace as Israel strikes Lebanon and Tehran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Explosions sounded over Dubai early Tuesday as the United Arab Emirates’ military worked to intercept incoming Iranian fire that caused the country to briefly close its airspace as Israel launched new strikes in war in the Middle East. The Israeli military said early Tuesday it...
What happened to Daphy? Haitian woman’s death prompts Pittsburgh immigration lawyer to question ICE procedures
An immigration attorney is raising questions about a Haitian woman’s death in Pittsburgh this month days after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took her into custody and then released her with an electronic ankle monitor. Daphy Michel, 31, of Charleroi was found unresponsive at a bus shelter on March 2...
O’Connor’s budget headaches included inheriting millions in unpaid Pittsburgh Water bills
Last summer, the City of Pittsburgh got a $5.2 million water bill for six months of service. It didn’t pay. So when Mayor Corey O’Connor took over from Ed Gainey in January, he took on both that debt and the rest of Pittsburgh Water’s 2025 charges. The total owed to...
Storms cancel more flights as TSA remains under pressure from partial government shutdownVideo
ATLANTA — Thousands of flights across the U.S. were canceled or delayed Monday as powerful storms swept across the eastern half of the country and a partial government shutdown affecting airport security screeners dragged into a second month. The disruptions come at an already challenging time for air travel, in...
Penn Hills mother now charged with homicide in death of 3-year-old son
Police on Monday charged a Penn Hills woman in the death of her 3-year-old son. Lagomau Malu, 23, was arrested last week after her son Devin died at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Doctors at the Lawrenceville hospital told police the boy had suffered 11 fractures, which “are indicative of...
Lower Burrell man to seek insanity defense in fatal shooting of Mogie’s Irish Pub tavern owner
A Lower Burrell man accused of killing a popular tavern owner plans to use an insanity defense at his murder trial. Nathan Salem, 47, is scheduled for trial in Westmoreland County court in June for the Dec. 21, 2023, fatal shooting of David “Mogie” Magill. Prosecutors say Magill, 64, was...
