Top Stories category, Page 839
Deluzio, Shaffer square off in Pa.’s 17th Congressional District
Iraq War veteran and voting rights attorney Chris Deluzio faces former Ross Commissioner Jeremy Shaffer in a race to replace U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania’s newly redrawn 17th Congressional District. Deluzio, 37, of Aspinwall, earned the Democratic nomination to run for the seat in the Nov. 8 election, while...
Penn State cancels its Center for Racial Justice after faculty push for funding decision
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — Penn State will not launch its Center for Racial Justice, a key...
Police recover gun matching description of firearm used in Brighton Heights shootings
Pittsburgh police arrested two teenagers they say were involved in Friday’s shooting at a Brighton Heights church that left six people injured and caused a scene described as “chaotic.” Shawn Davis, 19, of McKees Rocks and Hezekiah Nixon, 16, of Pittsburgh are facing multiple charges including attempted homicide, aggravated assault...
Suspect in assault at Pelosi home had posted about QAnon
The man accused of breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s California home and severely beating her husband with a hammer appears to have made racist and often rambling posts online, including some that questioned the results of the 2020 election, defended former President Donald Trump and echoed QAnon conspiracy theories....
Poland picks U.S., Westinghouse to build its first nuclear power plant
WARSAW, Poland — Poland has chosen the U.S. government and Westinghouse to build the central European country’s first nuclear power plant, part of an effort to burn less coal and gain greater energy independence. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said late Friday on Twitter that Poland would use the “reliable, safe...
South Korea in shock, grief as 153 die in Halloween crowd surge
SEOUL, South Korea — Concerned relatives raced to hospitals in search of their loved ones Sunday as South Korea mourned the deaths of more than 150 people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who got trapped and crushed after a huge Halloween party crowd surged into a narrow alley in...
2 young children killed, firefighter injured in Wilkinsburg blaze
A fire tore through a Wilkinsburg home early Saturday, trapping and killing two children, officials said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victims as a boy and a girl: Novad Arman Loveings, 7, and Brecc Loveings, 6. The blaze broke out about 1:40 a.m. at a home in...
Powerball jackpot at $825 million — 2nd largest in game’s history
DES MOINES, Iowa — With no one winning an estimated $700 million Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, the big prize for Saturday’s drawing has grown to an estimated $825 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. No one has matched all six numbers and won the Powerball jackpot since Aug. 3....
Post-Gazette, Butler Eagle granted temporary injunction against striking union members
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Butler Eagle officials have been granted a preliminary injunction against five unions involved in the P-G strike, after accusing them of throwing projectiles at company vehicles, puncturing vehicle tires and threatening employees and vendors. Post-Gazette employees belonging to unions representing production, distribution and advertising workers went on...
Norwin superintendent addresses board member’s controversial social media post, school director defends it
Norwin’s top administrator Friday pushed back against a school director’s social media posts this week that used a meme of a Halloween costume titled “(expletive) Retard” and signed the post with “Reeee..,” a sound that some autistic persons sometimes make when overstimulated. Superintendent Jeff Taylor said in an emailed statement...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit says worker shortages, other issues contributing to service cuts
The pandemic hit public transit agencies hard, especially with decreases in ridership and large service cuts, and Pittsburgh Regional Transit has not avoided those issues. Starting on Nov. 20, PRT will reduce service hours by nearly 2%, which will impact 11 bus routes and the blue line light-rail route, according...
Boulevard of the Allies/Parkway East ramp closure set for entire weekend; more detours next week
Construction fatigued Pittsburghers will have another road project and accompanying detour to look out for this weekend. PennDOT has announced the closure of the westbound I-376 (Parkway East) ramp to northbound Boulevard of the Allies from Friday at 8 p.m. continuously through 5:30 a.m. Monday morning. All ramp traffic will...
Ross police sergeant claims defamation against township, police association
A Ross police sergeant is suing his employer and former police union, accusing them of defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress stemming from unfounded allegations that he improperly shared a video from a juvenile sex crime investigation. Joseph Serowik, 51, has worked for the Ross police department since 2004...
Hempfield man pleads guilty to incident with teen babysitters
A Hempfield man was ordered Friday to serve two years on probation in connection with an incident in 2018 that prompted two teenage babysitters to flee his home. Gregory Bittner, 40, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of corruption of a minor and simple assault after two 15-year-old girls claimed he...
102-year-old former bank building on market in Verona
In the market for a building with serious pillar presence? A former bank in downtown Verona that towers above its neighboring buildings along Allegheny River Boulevard is listed for sale at $424,900. The property was previously a PNC bank and most recently the Verona Variety Store. It originally listed for...
Washington County is charging people to search court documents — an unusual and undue burden, experts say
This story first appeared in Spotlight PA’s Investigator newsletter, which offers behind-the-scenes looks at our reporting and a roundup of the best accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free. HARRISBURG — A Western Pennsylvania county is imposing a $10.50 “search fee” on public requests for court documents, a...
Police: 6 people shot outside Brighton Heights church
Update: Police later corrected information to reveal that five people were shot, and one person was injured while trying to escape the melee. The Rev. Nicita Moses was speaking from the pulpit in her church during a funeral service in Brighton Heights on Friday afternoon when shots started to ring...
Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen announce divorce after 13 years
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen have finalized their divorce, they announced Friday, ending the 13-year marriage between two superstars who respectively reached the pinnacles of fashion and football. Brady and Bündchen posted statements on Instagram late Friday morning, each saying they had “amicably” reached the decision. Checks of court dockets...
3 shot, wounded in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood
Three people were wounded in a North Side shooting late Thursday. Pittsburgh police said a total of 34 rounds were fired on the 100 block of Rhine Place in Spring Hill around 11:55 p.m. Thursday. A woman suffered a gunshot wound to the arm, a second woman was struck in...
Intruder attacks Pelosi’s husband, calling, ‘Where is Nancy’
SAN FRANCISCO — The husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was attacked and severely beaten with a hammer by an assailant who broke into the couple’s San Francisco home early Friday, searching for the Democratic leader and shouting, “Where is Nancy, where is Nancy?” The assault on the 82-year-old Paul...
Vandergrift police shock man who bit officer, fought with others arresting him for warrants
Vandergrift police say a man wanted on multiple warrants had to be repeatedly shocked with a stun gun after he ran from officers and then bit one of them in the arm while being taken into custody. Antjuan Dewayne Smith, 39, of the 2600 block of Brown Avenue in Hempfield...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Oct. 28-29
Natural wonders — like dinosaurs and other spooky specimens, talented teens and musical geniuses — are in the spotlight this weekend in Pittsburgh. Tyrannosaurus time Dinosaurs roam the earth again in the Jurassic World Live Tour, coming this weekend to PPG Paints Arena, 1001 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh. Show times are...
5 things to watch in Week 9 of high school football
Almost everyone has an off year once in a while, yet Mars coach Eric Kasperowicz and North Catholic’s Pat O’Shea have never had a team miss the playoffs in their head coaching careers. That might change after this week. Kasperowicz’s teams reached the playoffs eight consecutive years at Pine-Richland from...
Officials look to market shuttered Westmoreland test track
Westmoreland County officials will continue to pursue development of a $20 million test track facility despite the shuttering of Argo AI, a marquee tenant at the East Huntingdon site. “There’s a strong demand for test track space, and I’m pretty confident we will be able to back-fill this facility with...
8 found dead after house fire in Tulsa area; homicide feared
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Eight people were found dead Thursday in a burning Tulsa-area house in what was being investigated as multiple homicides, police said. The fire was reported about 4 p.m. Thursday in a quiet residential area of Broken Arrow, 13 miles southeast of Tulsa. Broken Arrow police said...
