Top Stories category, Page 7
Authorities believe ‘Today’ show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother was taken against her will
TUCSON, Ariz. — Authorities believe the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie was kidnapped, abducted or otherwise taken against her will, and the sheriff said Monday it’s imperative she’s found soon because she could die without her medication. Nancy Guthrie was last seen around 9:30 p.m. Saturday at...
Ruthie’s Diner fire started in kitchen of Ligonier Township restaurant, fire marshal saysVideo
A fire that destroyed landmark Ruthie’s Diner started in or near a cooking appliance in the kitchen, said state police fire marshal Trooper Chet Bell. The Jan. 20 blaze at the Ligonier Township diner has been ruled accidental and Bell said in a news release that he continues to investigate...
Speaker Johnson faces tough choices as partial government shutdown drags and debate over ICE deepens
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson faces tough days ahead trying to muscle a federal funding package to passage and prevent a prolonged partial government shutdown as debate intensifies over the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement operations. Johnson signaled he is relying on help from President Donald Trump to ensure...
Pa.’s budget impasse ended in November. It’s already time to talk about the next budget
Here we go again. Pennsylvania’s latest budget impasse, which dragged on for 135 days, just ended in mid-November. Now, less than three months later, state government leaders are preparing to begin the often-tortured process of trying to hammer out a budget for the coming fiscal year. The budget process formally...
Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow — predicting no early springVideo
PUNXSUTAWNEY — Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather Monday, a forecast sure to disappoint many after what’s already been a long, cold season across large parts of the United States. His annual prediction and announcement that he had seen his shadow was translated by his handlers in...
Sen. John Fetterman supports ICE agents’ mask use amid rising doxxing threatsVideo
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, during a Fox News interview on Sunday, said he was in support of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents wearing masks to protect them and their families from being identified and pursued by left-wing protesters. “Some of those agents wearing masks, primarily that’s driven by...
Opponents of Homer City power plant and data center air concerns at community gathering
At a community meeting Sunday about the natural gas-powered data center project near Homer City, activists and residents expressed concerns ranging from environmental to economic and health impacts. The afternoon event was organized by Concerned Residents of Western PA, a group formed to oppose the planned 4.5-gigawatt power plant and...
‘A little scary’ and a lot dangerous: People reminded to stay off frozen rivers
It is highly dangerous and widely discouraged to walk on frozen rivers. But that hasn’t stopped some people from doing it anyway. Videos and news footage from this weekend have shown people walking and sliding across the frozen Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, near Point State Park and the North...
Top Justice Department official plays down chance for charges arising from Epstein files revelations
WASHINGTON — A top Justice Department official played down the possibility of additional criminal charges arising from the Jeffrey Epstein files, saying Sunday that the existence of “horrible photographs” and troubling email correspondence does not “allow us necessarily to prosecute somebody.” Department officials said over the summer that a review...
Kennedy Center to close for 2 years for renovations in July, Trump says, after performers’ backlash
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Sunday he will move to close Washington’s Kennedy Center performing arts center for two years starting in July for construction, his latest proposal to upturn the storied venue since returning to the White House. Trump’s announcement on social media follows a wave of cancellations...
Abu Dhabi royal bought stake in Trump’s Crypto venture, WSJ reports
An Abu Dhabi royal signed a secret deal with the Trump family to buy a stake in their cryptocurrency venture, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing company documents and people familiar with the matter. Emissaries of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan inked a deal with Eric Trump to purchase...
Texas stunner: Democrat Taylor Rehmet flips Republican state Senate district Trump won by 17 pointsVideo
Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a reliably Republican state Senate district in Texas in Saturday’s special election, continuing a string of surprise victories for Democrats across the U.S. in the year since Donald Trump returned to the White House. The Republican president immediately distanced himself from the loss in a district...
What to know about the partial government shutdown
WASHINGTON — The partial government shutdown is vastly different from the record closure in the fall. That is mostly because this shutdown, which started Saturday, does not include the whole of government and may not last long, even as it now drags into the new week. The House had hoped...
More winter weather leads to heavy snow, canceled flights and, in Florida, falling iguanas
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A huge swath of the U.S. from the Gulf Coast into New England was mired in extra-cold temperatures Sunday after a bomb cyclone brought heavy snow and hundreds of flight cancellations to North Carolina, flurries and falling iguanas in Florida, and more misery for thousands who are...
5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and father return to Minnesota from ICE facility in Texas
Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were detained by immigration officers in Minnesota and held at an ICE facility in Texas, have been released following a judge’s order. They have returned to Minnesota, according to Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro. The boy and his dad, Adrian Conejo Arias, who...
Making the grade: School districts vary when configuring grade levels in buildings
A realignment of grade levels in Burrell School District buildings has offered more opportunities for students this school year. Students had more clubs, career exploratory classes and leadership prospects because of a district realignment that followed the closure of Stewart Elementary in August 2025. Effective this school year, Bon Air...
Joe Starkey: Mike McCarthy mentioned ‘1137 Greenfield Ave.’ Quite a woman lives behind that door
“My heart is full. My focus is singular. It’s time to bring another championship back to this great city. And with that, I just want to make sure when we do get that trophy, the seventh trophy in the case, we’ll start that victory parade at 1137 Greenfield Ave.” —...
Jury selection set to begin for Thomas Stanko, charged in Unity woman’s deathVideo
Jury selection in the criminal homicide trial of a Unity man charged with killing his former girlfriend is scheduled to begin Monday morning in a Westmoreland County courtroom. Thomas G. Stanko, 55, was charged in 2022 with criminal homicide in connection with the disappearance of Cassandra Gross five years earlier....
Editorial: Elections don’t wait for a spotlight to matter
Everyone knows 2026 is an important election year. It is a midterm, carrying the familiar post-presidential pressure that takes the political temperature of the country. In Pennsylvania, it is also a gubernatorial year. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the presumptive Republican nominee, recently secured an endorsement from President Donald Trump, and...
Recovery group marks 70th anniversary of ditching of B-25 bomber in Mon River
It’s been 70 years since a B-25 bomber ran out of fuel, splashed down on the Monongahela River near today’s Homestead Grays Bridge and was never seen again. A group fascinated by the story, and not giving up hope that the plane or parts of it may yet be found,...
Health care workers gather in Pittsburgh to honor Alex Pretti, call for end to ICE brutality
As evening fell on Pittsburgh Saturday, nurses and health care workers gathered beside the Fred Rogers Memorial on the North Shore to honor Alex Pretti, the nurse killed by federal agents in Minneapolis, and call for an end to ICE brutality and violations of freedom. The location was chosen, organizers...
Constitution Under Construction: Built for change
Constitution Under Construction is an ongoing series exploring the history, relevance and importance of amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Declaration of Independence was never a system of government. It was a statement of intent. What followed it showed that the Founding Fathers wanted to build something different — and...
Another record low: Temps dip to minus 11 degrees overnight
Western Pennsylvania set another record low Saturday. Temperatures were recorded at minus 11 degrees at 5:29 a.m. at the National Weather Service’s offices in Moon Township, said meteorologist David Shallenberger. The previous record for Jan. 31 was minus 5 degrees, set in 2019, Shallenberger said. “This is most likely a...
New Kensington couple homeless after house fire; crews fight flames in sub-zero temps
A New Kensington home is destroyed following a fire early Saturday morning. Crews were dispatched at 12:47 a.m. to the 500 block of Oates Boulevard, New Kensington Fire Chief Ed Saliba Jr. said. “In my lifetime — I’ve been on the books as a firefighter for 40 years — this...
Bocce builds bridges for people of all ages and abilities
Abigail Gerthoffer wasn’t sure what she was getting into when she joined Burrell High School’s unified bocce team during her sophomore year. She just knew the team aligned with her values and personal mission to have a positive effect in the world. With no prior experience playing bocce, Gerthoffer jumped...
