Top Stories category, Page 716
Kennywood launches Spinvasion, a new ‘extra-terrestrial’ rideVideo
Kennywood is debuting its newest addition just ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. Spinvasion, a multi-action spin ride, is the first of its kind in the U.S., according to the amusement park. The ride, which comes as part of the newly revamped Area 412 section of the park, opens Friday....
Pa. State troopers more likely to do optional searches for Black, Hispanic drivers than white ones
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. Black and Hispanic drivers were slightly more likely to face discretionary searches during traffic stops in Pennsylvania last year, according to...
Jeannette woman accused of faking abduction may owe $11,500 for emergency response
A Jeannette woman accused by police of faking her own abduction could enter a probationary program that includes the possibility of paying nearly $11,500 in restitution for costs related to the massive, hourslong search for her. Chloe Stein, 23, waived her right to a preliminary hearing Thursday after attorneys negotiated...
Harrison nurse charged in deaths of 2 patients, injuries to another
A Harrison woman is charged with killing two patients and injuring a third while she cared for them as a nurse. Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced charges Thursday against Heather Pressdee, 40, who is accused of administering unnecessary doses of insulin to patients, resulting in the deaths of two...
Baby boomers push nation’s median age to almost 39 as fewer children are born
The United States grew older, faster, last decade. The share of residents 65 or older grew by more than a third from 2010 to 2020 and at the fastest rate of any decade in 130 years, while the share of children declined, according to new figures from the most recent...
Federal rule could remove chocolate milk option in some Pa. schools
Young students could soon be without chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milks as an option at school cafeterias, if a federal proposal is approved, and some Pennsylvania officials are cautioning against the potential change. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently proposed banning flavored milk as a cafeteria option for elementary and middle...
‘On the Rocks’ tells the story of the Primadonna restaurant owner
Joseph “Joe Joe” Costanzo Jr. slept in restaurant booths at his Primadonna Restaurant in McKees Rocks. He missed family events. His wife, Donna Costanzo, said the best way to see him was to work at the restaurant. He knew most diners’ names, greeting them with a hearty hello and a...
Go beyond hamburgers and hot dogs for your summer barbecues
Is it even summer if you aren’t out on the patio grilling? According to BBQ Revolution, seven out of 10 adults in the United States own a grill or a smoker. A survey on the website showed that 72% of consumers love grilling for the flavor it adds to food,...
Man shot roommate after accusing him of eating the last Hot Pocket, police say
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A man in Kentucky’s largest city is facing criminal charges after allegedly shooting his roommate during a dispute over a Hot Pocket, authorities say. Clifton Williams, 64, was arrested on assault charges Sunday after he accused his roommate of eating their last Hot Pocket and attacked him,...
Morning Roundup: Sandcastle to open after major upgrades, new rides
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, May 25: Sandcastle to open with new slides, pools Sandcastle, Pittsburgh’s big water park, is set to open for the season on Saturday. Park officials are touting upgrades including a new waterslide and improved pools. Located in West...
Back to normal: Spike in Memorial Day travel expected
A normal Memorial Day is finally on the horizon, including ceremonies honoring veterans, family vacations and maybe even some hot dogs doused in Heinz ketchup. With the end of the covid-19 public health emergency May 11, and the halting of most pandemic restrictions, Americans have big plans for Memorial Day,...
DeSantis launches GOP presidential campaign in Twitter announcement plagued by glitchesVideo
MIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday with a Twitter announcement plagued by technical glitches, stepping into a crowded Republican primary contest that will test his strength against former President Donald Trump and criticism that he’s not ready for the national stage. The 44-year-old...
Officials identify man found in wooded area in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating the death of a man whose body was found Wednesday morning wrapped in a tarp and left in a wooded area. Police were called to the 400 block of Ardary Street in the city’s Garfield neighborhood, where they found a Black man whose body had been...
Shell Appalachia fined $10 million for air quality violations from Beaver County ‘cracker’ plant
Shell Chemicals Appalachia will pay nearly $10 million for air quality violations during the commissioning of its petrochemical plant in Beaver County. Under the agreement announced Wednesday, Shell will pay a $4.9 million civil penalty, with 25% going to local communities. Along with $5 million for environmental projects to benefit...
Questions surround timing of vote for new Harrison police chief
The Harrison Commissioners didn’t break the law but they appear to have violated the intent of the state’s Open Meetings law when they voted during last week’s agenda meeting to hire the township’s new police chief, according to an attorney for the PA NewsMedia Association. “Residents and taxpayers expect and...
Westmoreland Republican row officers secure Democratic nominations through write-in votes
Westmoreland County Treasurer Jared Squires and Controller Jeffrey Balzer were out to lunch in late April when they decided to put in motion a plan to ensure they wouldn’t have any competition for the jobs they’ve held for the last 11 years. “We realized no one was running against us....
1 year after Uvalde shooting, investigation of police response continues
AUSTIN, Texas — A criminal investigation in Texas over the hesitant police response to the Robb Elementary School shooting is still ongoing as Wednesday marks one year since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers inside a fourth-grade classroom in Uvalde. The continuing probe underlines the lasting fallout over...
Ex-Army Ranger from Glenshaw gets 5-plus years for Jan. 6 Capitol riot
A combat-hardened ex-Army Ranger from Glenshaw who breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and fought with law enforcement officers was sentenced Wednesday to 66 months in federal prison. Robert Morss, 29, a former Shaler Area School District substitute history teacher, was convicted in August by a federal judge...
Latrobe woman wins big from scratch-off Pa. Lottery ticket
When Diane Babbin sent her mother, Laura LeBlanc, to the Shop ’n Save in Latrobe last week, she was expecting to receive a thermometer, not a million dollars. “We still haven’t bought the thermometer,” Babbin joked Wednesday. The 38-year-old Latrobe woman said her son, Boston Soluri, had stayed home sick...
Tina Turner, unstoppable superstar whose hits included ‘What’s Love Got to Do With It,’ dead at 83
NEW YORK — Tina Turner, the unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do...
Leechburg Area Pool won’t receive 2nd half of pledged covid-relief money from Gilpin
An effort to raise money for a new water slide at Leechburg Area Pool is causing a splash in Gilpin. In a post Wednesday to the pool’s Facebook page, pool secretary Steve Senjan, a former Gilpin supervisor, criticized Gilpin officials for not following through on their $25,000 pledge to the...
Monessen woman accused of threatening judge, children’s bureau arrested in Washington, D.C.
A Monessen woman charged this month with threatening Westmoreland County Children’s Bureau employees and now accused of threatening a Westmoreland County judge has been arrested in Washington, D.C., police say. Precious L. Gantt, 39, was arrested by the Metro Police Department after it received a copy of a warrant obtained...
Construction to start this summer on Pittsburgh’s Homewood Field
Work is expected to start this summer on a project to update Homewood Field with a regulation-size football field and other amenities. Officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking at the site Tuesday ahead of construction on the project. “Homewood Field is a beloved and heavily used resource by the community,” Mayor...
Jeannette concert, food truck nights expand to 8 summer dates
Some homegrown heroes will take the stage for the season opener of Concert and Food Truck Thursdays in downtown Jeannette. Rock band Twisted Fate will play a free show 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Elliott Group Amphitheater at Clay Avenue and South Fifth Street. Food trucks and a...
Game Commission: 2 children attacked by bear in Northeastern Pennsylvania
A bear attacked two children on Monday in Luzerne County, causing non-life threatening injuries and the Pennsylvania Game Commission is now investigating the incident. The attack occurred while the children were playing in the driveway of their home in Wright Township in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The game commission said there are...
