Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 807
Arkansas Gov. Sanders slams Biden for ‘woke fantasies’
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders painted a dystopian portrait of the country in her rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night, leaning heavily into Republican culture war issues and accusing Biden of pursuing “woke fantasies.” Speaking from the governor’s mansion in...
Site prep work begins on senior housing project in Irwin
More than $1 million of site preparation work has started on a 50-unit senior citizen housing project in Irwin. Workers are removing a large swath of trees for the building to be constructed across from the Norwin Public Library and an access road for the Westmoreland County Housing Authority’s Grand...
Jeannette woman accused of trying to steal her own dog found not guilty of most charges
A Jeannette woman accused of robbery, theft and assault after she attempted to take back her own dog was found not guilty of most charges against her. Cynthia Finch, a 30-year-old mother and college student, described herself as the “victim” of the situation, in which her dog watcher apparently took...
In State of the Union, a feisty Biden calls for bipartisanshipVideo
WASHINGTON — In a State of the Union address that began as a bipartisan appeal, President Biden appeared combative and feisty at times as he sparred with Republicans over his legislative record, the federal deficit and border security. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., at one point tried to quiet hecklers...
Democrats sweep all 3 state House special elections, party to control chamber
The Democrats handily won in all three state House special elections Tuesday night, which will give them a majority in the House for the first time since 2010. The margin of representation would be 102 Democrats to 101 Republicans. According to unofficial returns from the Allegheny County Elections Division, the...
Allegheny County Police assisting Pittsburgh officers in patrolling Downtown
The Allegheny County Police Department is sending officers into Downtown Pittsburgh to assist an understaffed Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. Officials with the county police and Pittsburgh’s public safety department confirmed that county police began assisting in the Downtown area Monday. Allegheny County uniformed police officers in marked cars will be...
Poorer districts win challenge to Pennsylvania public school funding
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania judge ruled Tuesday that the state’s system of funding public schools falls woefully short and violates students’ constitutional rights, siding with poorer districts in a lawsuit launched nearly a decade ago in pursuit of billions of dollars in additional annual aid. Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn...
Fallen McKeesport officer remembered for passion, as outside law enforcement steps in
Fallen McKeesport police Officer Sean Sluganski was remembered Tuesday for his passion and personality as the community mourned what Mayor Michael Cherepko described as “an extremely tragic loss.” “You could see (Sluganski’s) passion, you could see his personality,” Cherepko said during a news conference outside McKeesport City Hall. “He was...
Conservative groups look beyond Trump for 2024 GOP nominee
NEW YORK — Two major conservative groups have signaled they are open to supporting someone other than Donald Trump in the 2024 race for the White House, the latest sign from an increasingly vocal segment of the Republican Party that it’s time to move on from the former president. David...
Penn State lands on group’s 10-worst list for free speech
On top of the fallout Penn State University experienced after a tumultuous Proud Boys appearance on campus last fall, now an individual rights group is labeling the university weak on free speech. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) placed Penn State on its latest national “10 Worst Colleges...
Schools, youth leagues to get first dibs for Pittsburgh’s athletic fields
Pittsburgh’s schools and youth athletic teams will have first dibs on the city’s athletic fields under legislation approved Tuesday by City Council. The legislation creates a priority list to determine who gets to use the city’s athletic fields first. Council members acknowledged that there are often various groups vying for...
Navy divers begin pulling up Chinese spy balloon debrisVideo
WASHINGTON — Navy divers began pulling pieces of the downed Chinese spy balloon from the depths of the ocean floor on Tuesday, using sophisticated reconnaissance drones dubbed the Kingfish and the Swordfish to locate the debris. After collecting all of the balloon’s white fabric and shell structure found floating on...
Check out the guest list for local elected officials at State of the Union address
The State of the Union speech is a tradition that surrounds the presidency, but members of the House and Senate participate in their own traditions. Members of Congress can bring a guest to the State of the Union speech. Local representatives from Southwestern Pennsylvania are bringing guests to Tuesday’s speech,...
Biden aims to deliver reassurance in State of Union address
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night, seeking to overcome pessimism in the country and concerns about his own leadership. His...
5 Pa. Jehovah’s Witnesses accused of child sex abuse following grand jury investigationVideo
Five members from Jehovah’s Witness congregations from across Pennsylvania are facing child sex abuse charges as the state’s acting attorney general continues to urge survivors to come forward and report their abuse. The charges against the five men are the result of an investigating grand jury, and in each case...
Residents worry about going home, toxic gas from derailmentVideo
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — Brittany Dailey stood outside her hotel watching black smoke darken the sky 10 miles to the west as crews burned toxic chemicals from tanker cars that derailed just down the street from her home. The faint smell of chlorine hung in the air Monday night while...
Watch: President Biden’s State of the Union address
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to deliver his second State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The annual speech, delivered before a joint session of Congress, typically provides a president with his single largest audience of the year, usually in the tens of millions. An estimated 38.2...
TV Talk: Why do Super Bowl ads feel less super these days?Video
Fox sold out its “Super Bowl LVII” commercial inventory with some spots going for $7 million for 30-seconds of ad time, but with many companies releasing their spots in advance of the big game, have the ads become less of an event if you can watch them days before Sunday’s...
Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians could lose Medicaid coverage soon
HARRISBURG — The federal government’s pandemic-era prohibition against kicking people off Medicaid is ending, meaning that hundreds of thousands of people in Pennsylvania face losing the free health insurance in the coming year. Many people who stand to lose Medicaid coverage don’t know the changes are coming, say officials at...
Lucky player in Seattle suburb wins $754.6M Powerball prize
AUBURN, Wash. — A single winning ticket for a $754.6 million Powerball jackpot was sold at a department store in a Seattle suburb, Washington state lottery officials said Tuesday. The winning numbers drawn Monday night were 5, 11, 22, 23, 69 and the Powerball 7. The winning ticket was bought...
Greensburg remains mum on city probe of police following chief’s arrest, resignation
Greensburg officials aren’t yet ready to comment on their plan for moving the police department forward nearly two weeks after the force’s former chief, Shawn Denning, was arrested on federal drug charges. The city launched its own internal probe after an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration resulted in Denning’s...
Iconic Kings restaurant chain down to just 5 locations since 2015 sale
Kings Family Restaurants, an iconic Western Pennsylvania chain that once boasted 30 locations and created a darker counter-confection to its rival’s Smiley Cookie, has been whittled down to just five sites. Patrons who went to the Kings at 315 Hyde Park Road in Allegheny Township on Sunday learned the eatery...
Details of McKeesport officer’s fatal shooting emerge; man charged
The man accused of killing a McKeesport police officer and wounding another Monday afternoon was said to be experiencing PTSD and told witnesses just moments before the shooting that the police were trying to kill him and asked them to record his interaction with them, according to court documents. The...
White House: Improved surveillance caught Chinese balloonVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials said Monday that improvements ordered by President Joe Biden to strengthen defenses against Chinese espionage helped to identify last week’s spy balloon — and to determine that similar flights were conducted at multiple points during the Trump administration. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said...
Pittsburgh Turkish community working to help victims of the earthquake in Turkey
A Pittsburgh group is working to raise money for relief efforts after Monday’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated areas of Turkey and Syria. Benjamin Aysan, community outreach coordinator at the Turkish Cultural Center Pittsburgh, said the community organization is directing those who want to help victims of the earthquake to...
