Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 81
Accused gunman in Bondi Beach shooting charged with 15 counts of murder
SYDNEY — An accused gunman in Sydney’s Bondi Beach massacre was charged with 59 offenses including 15 charges of murder on Wednesday, as hundreds of mourners gathered in Sydney to begin funerals for the victims. Two shooters slaughtered 15 people on Sunday in an antisemitic mass shooting targeting Jews celebrating...
Morning Roundup: Fayette woman dies days after being struck by vehicle in Uniontown; fire in Dormont
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Dec. 17: Fayette woman dies days after being struck by vehicle in Uniontown A Fayette County woman died nine days after being hit by a car, state police said late Tuesday. Jane A. Nara, 78, of Uniontown was...
Caregivers in Pa. are celebrating a rare pay boost, but long-term funding issues linger
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Public funding for child care, home services for older adults, and disability support will increase under Pennsylvania’s...
Some furloughed Westmoreland County workers recalled as commissioners weigh additional returns
More than a third of the Westmoreland County employees furloughed in October have returned to work, commissioners said Tuesday. “More are scheduled to come back next month,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. Cash flow issues that resulted from a four-month state budget impasse and a subsequent freeze on allocations for mandated...
Springdale Council approves data center despite resident resistance
Saying its hands were tied, Springdale Council approved an application to construct an AI data center in the borough. After months of meetings and debate, council voted, 5-2, Tuesday night to approve a conditional-use application from developer Allegheny DC Property Co. to build a massive complex at the site of...
Trump orders blockade of ‘sanctioned oil tankers’ into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on Maduro
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country’s economy. Trump’s escalation comes after...
House Speaker Mike Johnson rebuffs efforts to extend health care subsidies, pushing ahead with GOP plan
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders are determined to push ahead with a GOP health care bill that excludes efforts to address the soaring monthly premiums millions of Americans will soon endure as pandemic-era tax credits for people who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act expire at year’s end. Speaker...
Pittsburgh City Council grants historic designation to Westinghouse Park
In 1871, George Westinghouse bought a property in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood that would be his home for the next 50 years. He built a mansion called Solitude, where he would conduct experiments, dig a gas well and create a personal laboratory as he became a flourishing inventor and engineer....
Pete Hegseth says he won’t publicly release video of boat strike that killed survivors in the Caribbean
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday the Pentagon will not publicly release unedited video of a U.S. military strike that killed two survivors of an initial attack on a boat allegedly carrying cocaine in the Caribbean, as questions mounted in Congress about the incident and the overall buildup...
NBC’s Tom Llamas talks broadcasting from Pittsburgh
Tonight at 6:30 on WPXI, Tom Llamas will anchor “NBC Nightly News” from a familiar – but undisclosed for security reasons – Pittsburgh location as part of NBC News’ “Reporting for America” campaign, an effort to report from communities nationwide, not just from the media centers on the coasts. Llamas...
Pittsburgh mulls skipping annual $10M earmark for anti-violence program
Pittsburgh City Council has promised nothing is off limits as it tries to fix what members claim is a broken budget. On Tuesday council President R. Daniel Lavelle put his money where his mouth is. The Hill District Democrat proposed deferring a $10 million payment next year to a program...
UPMC Presbyterian’s billion-dollar tower gets opening date
UPMC’s $1.3 billion hospital tower in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood finally has an opening date. On Jan. 24, 2027, scores of patients at UPMC Presbyterian will be transferred from the existing building to a new, 17-story facility right next door. Once all patients are moved, the old structure will become administrative...
Killing outside McKeesport bar leads to prison for woman who conspired
A woman acquitted of homicide in a 2020 shooting outside a McKeesport bar but convicted of conspiring to commit the crime is headed to prison for up to 14 years. Gabrielle Parker, who police arrested as the shooter, was sentenced Tuesday in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Parker faced the...
Investigators release video timeline of the Brown campus shooting suspect’s movementsVideo
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Authorities on Tuesday released a new video timeline and a slightly clearer image of the man suspected in the Brown University shooting, though investigators provided no indication that they were any closer to zeroing in on his identity. Investigators have been canvassing Providence homes, yards and dumpsters...
‘You are definitely ready’: Roger Goodell says of Pittsburgh hosting NFL Draft
The countdown to the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh continues, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell believes the Steel City is prepared to handle the spectacle. “You are definitely ready. You know, this town knows all about football, and how to celebrate football, and that’s what it’s all about,” Goodell told TribLive...
Kraft Heinz names new CEO to oversee its breakup
Steve Cahillane, the food and beverage industry veteran behind Kellogg’s recent split, has been tapped by Kraft Heinz to manage its pending breakup. The packaged food giant with dual headquarters in Pittsburgh and Chicago announced Cahillane’s hire as CEO on Tuesday. He’ll start Jan. 1, replacing Carlos Abrams-Rivera after about...
Susie Wiles, White House chief of staff, criticizes Bondi and opines on Trump in Vanity FairVideo
WASHINGTON — Susie Wiles, President Donald Trump’s understated but influential chief of staff, criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and offered an unvarnished take on her boss and those in his orbit in interviews published Tuesday in Vanity Fair that sent the West Wing into...
Prosecutors will charge Rob Reiner’s son Nick with 2 counts of murder in killing of his parents
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors said Tuesday that Rob Reiner’s son Nick Reiner will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of his parents, which stunned their communities in Hollywood and Democratic politics, where both were widely beloved. Nick Reiner, 32, is suspected in the death of...
Chipotle eyes Irwin as 1st Pa. site of its new design
A nationwide Mexican food chain is planning to make Irwin the first site in Pennsylvania with an updated interior design for its restaurants. Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to build a restaurant next year at the site of the Denny’s along Route 30, said Bill Zuccarello, construction manager for Chipotle. The...
Morning Roundup: 3 jailed in alleged rape of 2 teens in Kennedy; rescuers save dog from scamper on Allegheny River ice
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 16: 3 men jailed in alleged rape of 2 teens in Kennedy Three men are behind bars after Allegheny County Police said they restrained two girls, ages 14 and 16, and raped them in a Kennedy home,...
Powerball jackpot soars to estimated $1.25 billion — 6th largest in game’s history
Powerball’s top prize soared to an estimated $1.25 billion after no one won the jackpot in Monday’s drawing. That’s the sixth-largest jackpot in the game’s history, and the second largest in 2025. Monday’s winning numbers were 23, 35, 59, 63, 68 and 2 on the Powerball. The lottery said ticket...
Steelers vs. Dolphins: What they’re saying in Miami after loss
The Miami Dolphins added to their cold weather losses Monday after falling to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-15. But, according to Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, the game time temperature of 17 degrees was irrelevant. “I don’t think the weather was a factor,” McDaniel said in post-game remarks to the media....
‘We weren’t going to win on Saturday’: Plow, salt crews weather weekend snowstorm
Hempfield Public Works Director Austin Erhard was upfront with his plowing and salting crews as nasty weather began to roll in this past weekend. “I was very clear with them: We weren’t going to win the day on Saturday,” he said. “We just weren’t going to be able to have...
Army Corps of Engineers receives another $32M for Parks Township remediation work
Another $32.4 million is on the way to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help remediate a former nuclear waste dump in Parks Township. Known as the Shallow Land Disposal Area by federal agencies, the 44-acre site will soon enter what’s set to be a yearslong cleanup process. The...
Feats of Strength: Dominant 3rd quarter, newcomer contributions push Steelers past Dolphins
In many ways, Monday night’s 28-15 win over the Miami Dolphins was a 180-degree flip from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ last home performance against Buffalo. The team was excellent in the third quarter. It built on a 7-3 lead at halftime instead of letting one evaporate. “Renegade” got cheered. Mike Tomlin...
