Top Stories category, Page 837
Butler County judge backs injunction against striking Post-Gazette workers; P-G contacts federal mediator
A Butler County judge on Tuesday backed an injunction against striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette union members and their supporters, limiting how they can picket at the Butler Eagle where the newspaper has been printed during the strike. The court order, which the Butler County Prothonotary posted online Tuesday afternoon, allows only...
Pennsylvania court: Ballots in undated envelopes won’t count
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania officials cannot count votes from mail-in or absentee ballots that lack accurate, handwritten dates on their return envelopes, the state Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday, a week before tabulation will begin in races for governor, the U.S. Senate and the state Legislature. The court directed county boards...
Man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi held without bail
SAN FRANCISCO — A San Francisco judge on Tuesday ordered the man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home, beating her husband and seeking to kidnap her, to be held without bail. Adam Lipson, a lawyer for defendant David DePape, entered a not guilty plea on DePape’s behalf...
Supreme Court clears way for Lindsey Graham testimony in GeorgiaVideo
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for Sen. Lindsey Graham’s testimony in a Georgia investigation of possible illegal interference in the 2020 election by then-President Donald Trump and his allies in the state. The court lifted a temporary hold on Graham’s appearance before a special grand...
Fayette County House candidate assaulted amid warnings about election-related threats
A candidate running for a state House seat on Monday morning called 911 after being assaulted at his Fayette County home in what would be the third time in two weeks he has had to call police to his residence. Democrat Richard Ringer said he was bloodied and knocked unconscious...
Fawn man wielding a gun shot by troopers after ignoring orders to drop weapon, police say
State police say a Fawn man was brandishing a gun and ignored repeated orders to put the weapon down before they fatally shot him early Monday. Zachary John Cervice, 50, was dead at the scene, said state Trooper Josh Black, public information officer for state police in Butler. According to...
Former Allegheny County Police officer sues over being denied religious exemption to vaccine mandate
A former Allegheny County Police officer who describes himself as a devout Catholic claimed in a federal lawsuit Monday that his employers discriminated against him by failing to grant him a religious exemption for the covid-19 vaccine mandate. The lawsuit, filed by Ronald J. Gaudelli, comes on the heels of...
Homicide arraignment held for Unity man accused of killing Cassandra Gross
Thomas G. Stanko was arraigned Tuesday in connection with the death of Cassandra Gross of Unity, the first of many court hearings her mother Kathe Gross plans to attend in the homicide case. “I’m going to every one,” Gross said outside the courtroom after Stanko, 52, of Unity, was denied...
Steelers trade Chase Claypool to Bears, add CB William Jackson from Commanders
One moment he was on the practice field at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex catching passes as the Pittsburgh Steelers went through their first workout of the bye week. The next, Chase Claypool was on his way to joining the Chicago Bears. About an hour after practice concluded early Tuesday afternoon,...
Northeast bucks trend of falling gas prices on tight supply, analyst says
While the national average price of gasoline has come down for a third straight week, the Northeast, including the Pittsburgh region, is bucking the trend because of tight supply, an industry analyst said. The national average fell about 5 cents per gallon in the past week and was averaging $3.72...
Obama will rally with Fetterman in Pittsburgh
Former President Barack Obama is coming to Pittsburgh this weekend to hold a rally for Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman. According to the Fetterman campaign, Obama will “rally voters, encouraging them to turn out and vote for Fetterman and Democrats up and down the ballot.” Details about specifics had not...
Jeannette blaze deemed suspicious by state police fire marshal
A fire that left several Jeannette residents homeless Monday was deemed suspicious. Jeannette police Chief Donald Johnston Jr. said that determination was made by a state police fire marshal. “We are conducting follow-up investigations with witnesses and neighbors,” Johnston said. The blaze swept through two Division Street homes Monday afternoon...
2 gunshot victims seek help at Pittsburgh hospital, EMS headquarters
Two men sought help early Tuesday at a Pittsburgh hospital and Pittsburgh EMS headquarters after being shot outside of the city, according to police. A 21-year-old man was dropped off at the Filbert Street EMS station in Shadyside around 3:30 a.m. Police said he had a gunshot wound to the...
Could Powerball jackpot top $1.58 billion record?
DES MOINES, Iowa — The fourth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history could soar to the largest ever if no one wins the top prize in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing. The jackpot climbed to $1.2 billion after no one matched all six numbers to win the jackpot. That makes 38 consecutive...
Pittsburgh Police investigating shooting that hurt 14-year-old boy
A 14-year-old boy was hospitalized Monday evening after Pittsburgh Police said he was shot in the ankle. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert in the 1200 block of Mohler Street near the Homewood North neighborhood around 8:50 p.m. Police said they weren’t able to find evidence of a crime scene...
WPXI reporter tapped as spokesperson for Westmoreland County DA
WPXI reporter Melanie Gillespie Jones will leave her post at the Pittsburgh television station to become the spokesperson for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. Jones, 34, of Somerset County is the station’s Westmoreland County Bureau chief and will begin work with the county Nov. 14. “Melanie will launch our...
Westmoreland judge: Shetler must remain in jail pending trial
A New Florence man acquitted of killing a police officer in 2015 will remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges that he assaulted a law enforcement official as police attempted to take him into custody on an outstanding warrant. Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Megan Bilik-DeFazio on Monday...
Judge dismisses Wilkinsburg annexation petition
An Allegheny County judge on Friday dismissed a petition that sought to initiate annexation proceedings for Wilkinsburg to be incorporated into the City of Pittsburgh. The petition, filed on Sept. 29, was dismissed in a two-page order by Senior Common Pleas Judge Joe James. In the order, James wrote that...
Allegheny County addresses minor mail-in ballot issues as Election Day approaches
The Allegheny County Elections Division is addressing what it called minor problems with mail-in ballots in response to concerns raised by the ACLU of Pennsylvania. In a letter sent to the county last week, the ACLU said some mail-in ballots were sent out without declaration envelopes. Those are the outer...
Pittsburgh’s Urban League receives $6M from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh received a record-breaking gift Monday from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Scott, who divorced billionaire Jeff Bezos in 2019, gave $6 million to the Urban League. The nonprofit’s mission is to help African Americans achieve economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. Scott has donated billions...
Why are undated mail ballots such a big deal in Pennsylvania?
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. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court is expected to soon rule on a case that could decide whether undated mail ballots can...
Mosites breaks ground on Allegheny Shores, ‘the Sharpsburg Riviera’
A groundbreaking along the Sharpsburg riverfront Monday marked the beginning of a project to reshape the land and reconnect it to the community. The Mosites Co., best known for its redevelopment of the East Liberty commercial corridor, celebrated the launch of a project formerly dubbed R47 and now called Allegheny...
7 apartment tenants lose homes in Jeannette fire
Seven apartment tenants lost their homes Monday afternoon when a fire swept through two homes in Jeannette and damaged a third. The cause of the blaze is under investigation by a state police fire marshal and Jeannette police, a city fire official said. No one was reported injured in the...
Musk floats paid Twitter verification, fires board
Billionaire Elon Musk is already floating major changes for Twitter — and faces major hurdles as he begins his first week as owner of the social-media platform. Twitter’s new owner fired the company’s board of directors and made himself the board’s sole member, according to a company filing Monday with...
Crews battle fire in Southwest Greensburg
Crews battled a house fire in Southwest Greensburg Monday afternoon, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher. The Southwest Greensburg Fire Department and South Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department responded to the 700 block of Green Street around 1:30 p.m. According to a Facebook post from the South Greensburg VFD, firefighters prevented...
