Top Stories category, Page 86
Noise, traffic top of mind for Cheswick residents as data center project looms next door
In the end, Cheswick officials won’t have any say over the data center proposed next door in Springdale. But that didn’t stop more than two dozen borough residents from quizzing developers about the potential effects the project could have on their community. Concerns about noise pollution and traffic congestion took...
Fort Pitt Tunnel reopens in both directions after vehicle fire had closed both sides
Fort Pitt Tunnels have reopened to traffic in both directions, PennDOT announced shortly before 8 p.m. Both inbound and outbound tunnels where shutdown after a vehicle caught fire in one of the tunnels. The initial alert was reported at 6:15 p.m. PennDOT announced at 7:48 p.m. that the inbound (eastbound)...
Rob Haus officially becomes Arnold police chief, ending tumultuous 12 months
Arnold Mayor Shannon Santucci has appointed Rob Haus as the city’s new police chief. Santucci announced the appointment at Tuesday’s council meeting, ending a year of uncertainty as to who would lead the department on a permanent basis. Haus has been leading the department on an interim basis as former...
Senate Republicans barely defeat effort by Democrats to force release of Epstein files
WASHINGTON — In a close vote, Senate Republicans defeated an effort Wednesday by Democrats to insert language into Congress’ annual defense authorization bill that would have forced the public release of case files on the sex trafficking investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein. The Senate voted 51-49 to dismiss the...
Jury convicts East Huntingdon man wounded in shootout with state police
A Westmoreland County jury on Wednesday rejected defense claims that an East Huntingdon man’s shootout with state police last year was covered up by investigators to shield authorities from allegations of improper use of force. Jurors deliberated nearly five hours before returning 18 guilty verdicts against James R. Miller Jr.,...
Pa. politicians denounce political violence in wake of Charlie Kirk killing
Politicians throughout Pennsylvania reacted with shock and horror to the shooting death Wednesday of Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. Kirk was killed while speaking at a college in Utah, almost a year after his visit to the University of Pittsburgh. After...
Authorities say a student is dead after shooting 2 peers and then himself at Colorado high school
DENVER — A student shot two of his peers Wednesday at a suburban Denver high school before shooting himself and later dying, authorities said. The handgun shooting was reported around 12:30 p.m. at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, about 30 miles west of Denver in the Rocky Mountain foothills....
Shaquille O’Neal gifts Pittsburgh wrestler ‘Firefly’ new carVideo
When Shaquille O’Neal discovered Tamara Humphries’ wrestling page online and asked how he could support her, she responded with one request: a new car. The Pitt Johnstown freshman wrestler known as “Firefly” is a Brashear High School alumna and spoke out on social media that she’s struggled to attend wrestling...
Westmoreland halts spending; threatens service cuts, layoffs amid state budget impasse
Westmoreland County leaders said a looming financial crisis could result in layoffs, service cuts and facility closures without a quick resolution to the ongoing state budget impasse in Harrisburg. The county commissioners this week instructed department heads to limit spending as part of an initial phase of mandatory cost-containment measures....
Tenants displaced by Squirrel Hill apartment fire take it ‘one day at a time’
Matthew Stock has his keys, wallet and phone but little else. He suspects the rest of his possessions were lost Tuesday in a fire that gutted a nearly century-old apartment building on Forward Avenue in Squirrel Hill. The 35-year-old is unemployed and was looking for a new job before the...
High school seniors’ math, reading scores declining, national report says
High school seniors’ math and reading comprehension are on the decline, according to a national report. The National Center for Education Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Education, administered the National Assessment of Educational Progress to a sample of students from 1,500 schools throughout the country from January to...
Audits flag longer response times for Pittsburgh police, EMS; urge better 911 center staffing
A pair of audits from the Pittsburgh and Allegheny County controllers on Wednesday recommended increased staffing for the county’s 911 call center, more focus on tracking emergency response times and improvements to programs that ensure first responders’ well-being. “While funding and operational challenges exist in each of our respective governments,...
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk fatally shot in act of ‘political assassination’ at Utah collegeVideo
OREM, Utah — Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, was shot and killed Wednesday at a Utah college event in what the governor called a political assassination carried out from a rooftop. “This is...
‘Kissing bug’ disease on the rise in U.S.
A deadly malady known as “kissing bug” disease is now an endemic illness in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nation is seeing a rise in the illness, which is officially known as Chagas disease. It can be life-threatening and is transmitted through...
Jewish woman who vandalized Pittsburgh synagogue gets probation
A Jewish woman accused of conspiring with an alleged Hamas sympathizer to vandalize two Jewish organizations in Pittsburgh last summer was sentenced Wednesday in federal court to five years probation. Talya A. Lubit, 25, pleaded guilty in May to misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit a crime against the United...
2nd public trial added for Pittsburgh airport’s new terminal
The Allegheny County Airport Authority said Wednesday it has added a second public trial of Pittsburgh International Airport’s new terminal to test systems and processes ahead of the official opening later this year. The airport’s first public trial is scheduled for Sept. 20. Over 2,000 members of the public are...
Judge accepts plea deal in East Hills double homicide over objections of victims’ family
The two women pleaded with the judge not to accept the deal. They had just listened to the prosecutor describe the injuries the killer inflicted on their loved ones. Valorie Crumpton, who was 72, sustained nine fractures to her skull, multiple broken ribs, a laceration to her abdomen and a...
FBI investigating threatening letters sent to 3 Pittsburgh Jewish groups
The FBI and Pittsburgh police are investigating threatening letters sent by mail to three Jewish organizations in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, including the Tree of Life, since Friday. Shawn Brokos, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh’s community security director, on Wednesday confirmed the existence of the threats. Brokos said the...
Interest in Flight 93 memorial remains strong on 24th anniversary of 9/11 attacksVideo
As the Flight 93 memorial prepares for the 24th observance of the 9/11 attack, National Park Service leaders note interest in the site remains high. Between 2021 and 2024, the Somerset County memorial saw an average annual visitation of just under 375,000 people, according to National Park Service statistics. That’s...
What’s with all the orange around Downtown Pittsburgh?
Some of Pittsburgh’s Downtown businesses have been lit up in orange and more joined in on Tuesday evening for Hunger Action Day. The buildings will continue to illuminate orange throughout September, according to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. In addition to Acrisure Stadium, other buildings in the city include...
Solar canopy proposed at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport
Officials at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport are exploring a company’s proposal to add a canopy of solar panels above some of its parking spaces, to save on the Unity facility’s electric bills and to take advantage of related energy credits. Under the proposal from Veregy, which has an office in...
Advanced practitioners at UPMC’s Magee-Womens Hospital vote to unionize
A group of 60 advanced practitioners has voted to join hundreds of nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in forming a union. The advanced practitioners — including certified registered nurse practitioners, neonatal nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and other positions — voted to join SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, following about 800 nurses...
Sept. 11 events planned across the region
Several events are planned around the region to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in addition to the ceremonies planned at the National Flight 93 memorial in Somerset County. Connellsville Connellsville will host a remembrance ceremony at 7 p.m. Thursday at Veterans Plaza, 168 E. Crawford Ave. Pixel...
Harris says leaving reelection decision to Biden was ‘recklessness,’ but defends his abilities
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Kamala Harris says it was “recklessness” for Democrats to leave it to President Joe Biden to decide whether to continue seeking another term last year, but she defends his ability to do the job, according an excerpt of her new book. Harris, in an excerpt...
U.S. high school students lose ground in math and reading, continuing yearslong decline
WASHINGTON — A decade-long slide in high schoolers’ reading and math performance persisted during the covid-19 pandemic, with 12th graders’ scores dropping to their lowest level in more than 20 years, according to results released Tuesday from an exam known as the nation’s report card. Eighth-grade students also lost significant...
