Top Stories category, Page 817
High school junior, football player, dies after shooting Tuesday in Monessen
Officials have identified a Monessen High School student who died after being shot Tuesday evening in Monessen. Amari Altomore, 16, of Monessen died in an area hospital following the shooting at 8:10 p.m. at 649 S. 14th St., Monessen, according to a report from the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office. The...
Coraopolis man sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for possessing child porn
A Coraopolis man has been sentenced to spend the next five years in federal prison after he was convicted of possession of child pornography. The sentence was imposed on Christopher A. Sennett, 34, by U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon, federal authorities announced Tuesday. Sennett was found guilty of possession of...
Landmark same-sex marriage bill wins Senate passageVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed bipartisan legislation Tuesday to protect same-sex marriages, an extraordinary sign of shifting national politics on the issue and a measure of relief for the hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples who have married since the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision that legalized gay marriage nationwide. The...
Judge orders machine recounts in 4 Westmoreland voting precincts
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday ordered machine recounts of election results from four voting precincts, but in doing so rejected requests to review by hand each ballot cast this month in the race for governor and U.S. senator. Voters in five of the county’s 307 voting precincts filed court...
Oath Keepers boss guilty of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 caseVideo
WASHINGTON — Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was convicted Tuesday of seditious conspiracy for a violent plot to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential win, handing the Justice Department a major victory in its massive prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. A Washington, D.C., jury found Rhodes guilty of sedition...
Study: U.S. gun death rates hit highest levels in decades
NEW YORK — The U.S. gun death rate last year hit its highest mark in nearly three decades, and the rate among women has been growing faster than that of men, according to study published Tuesday. The increase among women — most dramatically, in Black women — is playing a...
Gas driller pleads no contest to polluting Pennsylvania town’s water
MONTROSE — Pennsylvania’s most active gas driller pleaded no contest Tuesday to criminal charges, capping a landmark environmental case against a company prosecutors say polluted a rural community’s drinking water 14 years ago and then tried to evade responsibility. Residents of the tiny crossroads of Dimock in northeastern Pennsylvania said...
Gainey, Pittsburgh council debate plan to move cable bureau under mayor’s office
Pittsburgh City Council members said they aren’t comfortable with Mayor Ed Gainey’s proposal to move the city’s cable bureau under the control of the Mayor’s Office. Gainey’s proposed 2023 budget calls for moving the cable bureau, the print shop, the nonemergency 311 line and various communication staff under his office’s...
Jeannette man sentenced for 2019 fatal shooting outside of high school football game
A Jeannette man told a judge he was trying to protect himself when he shot and killed another man in 2019 outside a high school football stadium. “It happened so fast,” said Greg Harper as he explained the circumstances surrounding the Sept. 6, 2019 killing of 48-year-old Dameian Williams in...
Pittsburgh man sentenced to life for 2019 slaying of Monroeville woman
One of two men found guilty of first-degree murder after they killed a Monroeville woman and stole her car more than three years ago was sentenced on Tuesday to spend the rest of his life in prison. Ramonta Yancey, 29, of Pittsburgh was also ordered by Allegheny County Common Pleas...
Twitter ends enforcement of covid misinformation policy
Twitter will no longer enforce its policy against covid-19 misinformation, raising concerns among public health experts that the change could have serious consequences if it discourages vaccination and other efforts to combat the still-spreading virus. Eagle-eyed users spotted the change Monday night, noting that a one-sentence update had been made...
Bethel Park man pleads to killing man in wheelchair while DUI
A Bethel Park man who was driving under the influence of marijuana when he struck and killed a man in a motorized wheelchair in Homestead pleaded guilty on Tuesday. Eric Walker, 51, pleaded guilty to causing an accident involving death while not licensed, driving under the influence, careless driving and...
Michigan’s high court pauses Ethan Crumbley parents’ case in Michigan school shooting
DETROIT — The Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday sent the involuntary manslaughter case of the parents of accused Oxford High shooter Ethan Crumbley back to the Court of Appeals to consider whether there was sufficient evidence for James and Jennifer Crumbley to stand trial. The Michigan Court of Appeals in...
Judge rules in favor of Quaker Valley School District on high school construction project
An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge on Nov. 28 ruled in favor of Quaker Valley School District’s plans to build a new, $95 million high school. Senior Judge Joseph James issued his six-page opinion overturning the Leet Township zoning board, which in March refused to grant a special exception for...
Daycation: Steubenville, Ohio, boasts world’s largest display of life-sized nutcrackers
Experience a whimsical and traditional holiday walking tour of 200 life-sized nutcrackers on display in historic Steubenville, Ohio, located about 40 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. The Steubenville Nutcracker Village offers a free, 24/7 nutcracker self- guided outdoor tour opportunity through Jan. 7. Billed as the world’s largest collection of life-sized nutcrackers,...
Man carjacks delivery driver’s car in Homewood, police say
Police are investigating a carjacking that took place in Homewood on Monday. A delivery driver reported she had stopped to drop off a package in the 500 block of Rosedale Street when a man jumped into the vehicle and drove away after verbally threatening her, Pittsburgh police said. The vehicle...
Hempfield man accused of punching state trooper
A Hempfield man is accused of punching a state trooper in the face Monday afternoon, according to court papers. Nathan J. Delligatti, 43, was jailed on $25,000 bail on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Troopers said they were called to Delligatti’s Johnston...
Rejecting undated mail ballots disproportionately impacts communities of color in Pa., data shows
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. This article is available for reprint under the terms of Votebeat’s republishing policy. Pennsylvania’s policy of rejecting undated and incorrectly dated absentee and mail ballots is more likely to...
5 things we learned: Kenny Pickett continues to limit mistakes for Steelers in 2nd half of rookie season
Five things we learned from Steelers 24, Colts 17: 1. Protecting the ball Entering the bye week, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett was among the league leaders with eight interceptions. As the calendar flips to December and the Steelers prepare to play their final six games, Pickett remains on eight interceptions....
A day for charity: Nonprofits get ready for Giving Tuesday
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is a bright day for the team at the Westmoreland Food Bank. Leaders at the center, which serves upward of 7,000 families in the Westmoreland region, look forward to the day as a kickoff to a wintertime season of giving. “You think about the holidays, and...
Westmoreland, Allegheny election results certified; precinct petitions still under review
With the exception of the vote counts from five of the county’s 307 precincts, the Westmoreland County Board of Elections on Monday gave its final certification to the Nov. 8 election results. Petitions filed challenging the results of the vote counts of the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races in five precincts...
Why some Western Pa. hospitals choose to remain independent
Editor’s note: This is the final part of a three-day series examining the rapidly changing health care landscape in Western Pennsylvania. Lynn Botelho has lived her life traveling the globe, navigating some of the world’s most time-honored academic institutions. But when she was handed a cancer diagnosis, she looked no...
Over 30 Pittsburgh organizations receive nearly $1 million in Stop the Violence Grants
Over 30 Pittsburgh organizations received nearly $1 million in Stop the Violence Grants, according to city officials. Organizations could get funding for a variety of community initiatives, ranging from academic supports and sport programs to family-strengthening activities and mental health counseling for high-risk individuals. “These grants are valuable for the...
Nonpartisan journalism is vital to the future of Pa. Here’s how you can keep it going.
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. Huge stories will shape Pennsylvania’s future next year. With a new administration in the governor’s office and a shift in power...
Kenny Pickett guides Steelers past Colts for 1st comeback win
INDIANAPOLIS – For the second week in a row, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost momentum and a lead in the second half. Kenny Pickett was determined that, unlike a week earlier, the Steelers wouldn’t lose the game, too. After blowing a 13-point lead in the third quarter Monday night, the Steelers...
