Top Stories category, Page 843
Experts: Fetterman’s health unlikely to impact the Pa. Senate race
Tuesday night’s debate between Democratic Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz will be the first and only meeting of the two candidates before the Nov. 8 election. Its outcome could go a long way in deciding who wins a seat that political pundits say could determine...
Community festivals, events increase exposure for local merchants
Mary Wilmes usually closes up her Greensburg gift shop, Penelope’s, at 5 p.m. But when there’s a Greensburg Night Market event, she is open until 9. It makes for a long day, but she says it’s worth it. “It’s been very, very good. It brings a lot of people to town,”...
Community meetings set in search for next Pittsburgh police chief
Beth Pittinger thinks about Pittsburgh Police’s next chief and sees a world of opportunity. The director of the Citizens Police Review Board believes retired Chief Scott Schubert’s successor, who Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey plans to appoint after a national search, could be a beacon for accountability. “It would need to...
Braddock man who served 18 years for crime he didn’t commit struggled to find his way after release
Drew Whitley spent more than 6,000 days incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit. Just 33 when he entered Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections in 1989 for the killing of a woman who worked at a McDonald’s restaurant in Duquesne, Whitley was 50 years old by the time DNA evidence cleared...
Kenny Pickett throws 2 late interceptions, Steelers can’t rally in loss to Dolphins
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — It was a game Mike Tomlin thought the Pittsburgh Steelers literally let slip through their fingers. On a day when Kenny Pickett, making his first prime time start, threw three interceptions, the Steelers defense had four chances to pick off passes and came away empty-handed in...
Trump company set for criminal trial in off-books pay scheme
NEW YORK — More than three years after Manhattan prosecutors started investigating Donald Trump — after going to the Supreme Court twice to gain access to his tax records — the only criminal trial to arise from their efforts is about to begin. No, the former president isn’t going on...
Fire tears through Arnold homes; no injuries
No injuries were reported when fire damaged three homes Sunday night in Arnold. Firefighters responded shortly before 9 p.m. to the 1400 block of Taylor Avenue, where a home undergoing renovations caught fire, according to Chris O’Leath, public information officer for the Arnold Volunteer Fire Department. “They found a house...
Arnold fire company’s fundraiser lost some vendors but not community support
A food truck and fireworks fundraiser in Arnold, rescheduled this month because of inclement weather, went off with out a hitch Sunday evening. People from multiple communities packed Fifth Avenue around Drey Street for the third annual extravaganza for Citizens Volunteer Fire Company No. 1. “It’s a good layout,” said...
Boris Johnson out of race to be next U.K. prime ministerVideo
LONDON — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Sunday he will not run to lead the Conservative Party, ending a short-lived attempt to return to the prime minister’s job he was ousted from little more than three months ago. His withdrawal leaves former Treasury chief Rishi Sunak the strong...
GOP voters told to hold onto mail ballots until Election Day
ATLANTA — Republican activists who believe the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump have crafted a plan that, in their telling, will thwart cheating in this year’s midterm elections. The strategy: Vote in person on Election Day or — for voters who receive a mailed ballot —...
Biden: ‘Legitimate’ for voters to weigh age as he nears 80
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — President Joe Biden joked that it’s difficult acknowledging he’s about to turn 80, but said he’s physically and mentally capable of serving a potential second term in the White House. Biden, who turns 80 on Nov. 20, said it’s “totally legitimate” for voters to question whether...
Cheney: Jan. 6 panel has not ruled out Trump’s live TV testimony
WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Capitol riot won’t give Donald Trump the chance to turn a possible live TV appearance of his subpoenaed testimony into a “circus” and “food fight” as lawmakers try to ensure he complies with their demands, the panel’s vice chair said Sunday. The committee...
Report: Salman Rushdie lives, but loses use of eye and hand
NEW YORK — Salmon Rushdie’s agent says the author has lost sight in one eye and the use of a hand as he recovers from an attack from a man who rushed the stage at an August literary event in western New York, according to a published report. Literary agent...
After ‘America’s Got Talent’ run, singer Aubrey Burchell settles into life after the limelightVideo
After spending the summer performing under Hollywood’s bright lights, Aubrey Burchell quietly finds herself back in the fluorescent glow of the North Huntingdon Target store. The 2019 Norwin High School graduate who wowed national NBC audiences on “America’s Got Talent” and prompted Simon Cowell to crow, “We are just witnessing...
Where governor candidates Mastriano, Shapiro stand on rural health care, broadband and agriculture
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 — People who live in rural Pennsylvania face unique barriers to health care, broadband, and economic opportunities. About 3.4 million...
Smashing Pumpkins pick up slack in Pittsburgh concert after Jane’s Addiction cancelsVideo
The aptly named “Spirits on Fire” tour, starring alternative rock icons Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addiction was easily one of the most anticipated rock shows scheduled to hit Pittsburgh in 2022. But many Jane’s Addiction fans left PPG Paints Arena disappointed Saturday night, because the Perry Farrell led band, scheduled...
New Leechburg fall festival draws crowd to borough park
Sherry Lockhart of Leechburg couldn’t help but take a trip down memory lane as she petted some of the animals brought to the borough by a Worthington-based farm Saturday afternoon. She affectionately stroked the chin of Samson, a nearly 2-year-old Brahman steer, as she thought about her days growing up...
Illegal border crossings to U.S. from Mexico hit annual high
SAN DIEGO — A surge in migration from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua in September brought the number of illegal crossings to the highest level ever recorded in a fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The year-end numbers reflect deteriorating economic and political conditions in some countries, the...
West Virginia spring’s waters still drawing devotees
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Every couple weeks, Lauren Lee stuffs a few dozen gallon jugs into a big black laundry bag. She brings it to a covered pavilion right in the middle of Berkeley Springs State Park, which itself is right in the middle of downtown Berkeley Springs, West Virginia....
Alex Jones seeks new trial after $1B Sandy Hook verdict
HARTFORD, Conn. — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has asked a Connecticut judge to throw out a nearly $1 billion verdict against him and order a new trial in a lawsuit by Sandy Hook families, who say they were subjected to harassment and threats from Jones’ lies about the 2012 Newtown...
Ex-teacher brings retro classroom vibe to new School House Bakery in Unity
Shoppers have a new option for sweet treats in Unity, with the Oct. 7 opening of the School House Bakery in the Latrobe 30 Plaza. Display cases are filled with grab-and-go cookies, brownies, scones, cupcakes, small cakes, muffins, seasonally flavored cinnamon rolls and more, all baked on site. Young patrons...
Jail officials across Pa. sound alarm as mental health crisis puts people at risk, survey finds
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. County jails across Pennsylvania lack the resources to address a growing mental health crisis, putting some of the most vulnerable incarcerated...
Most outside spending on Pa. governor’s race has one aim: to defeat Doug Mastriano
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 — In the nationally watched race for Pennsylvania governor, Democrat Josh Shapiro has outspent Republican rival Doug Mastriano by tens...
Norwin director objects to book on inclusion, diversity used in second grade classroom
A Norwin School Board member has criticized a children’s book read to some Norwin second graders because he claimed it celebrated sexuality while emphasizing diversity and inclusion, with drawings of same-sex couples with children, interracial couples and rainbow-colored items, which could symbolize gay and lesbian pride. “I feel it is...
City Council, activists call for $10 million ‘food justice fund’ from federal covid money; mayor says money isn’t available
In a public hearing this week, Pittsburgh City Council members and activists called for the creation of a $10 million “food justice fund” using American Rescue Plan Act dollars, though the Mayor’s Office said that federal funding isn’t available for such an initiative. Councilwoman Deb Gross late last year sponsored...
