Top Stories category, Page 861
CBO: Biden’s student debt plan would cost $400 billion over 30 years
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s plan for student debt cancellation will cost the federal government about $400 billion over the next 30 years, according to new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. The figures were released Monday in response to a request from Republican lawmakers who oppose Biden’s plan in...
Kennywood shooting puts spotlight on park security, metal detectors
The triple shooting inside Kennywood Park has raised questions from park-goers and national security experts about the facility’s security measures and screening technology that is supposed to detect prohibited firearms. An altercation between two groups of juveniles led to a 39-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy being shot in the...
Pa. election 2022: No constitutional amendments on Nov. 8 ballot, but big ones are looming
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 voters will not see any proposed constitutional amendments on this year’s November ballot, but that is almost certain...
Garage floor collapses after car pulls into it in Penn Hills
A Penn Hills man pulling into his garage fell a few feet Sunday after a slab collapsed. Penn Hills Fire Marshal Chuck Miller said it happened at 10:30 a.m. along the 300 block of Bon Air Road. Firefighters said the driver had exited the vehicle by the time responders arrived,...
Pittsburgh seeking donation for 107th annual holiday tree
Though Christmastime is not quite here, Pittsburgh officials are getting ready to deck the halls. The city’s Department of Public Works Forestry Division on Monday announced it is looking for Pittsburgh’s 107th annual Christmas tree, which will be on display in front of the City-County Building on Grant Street throughout...
Pumpkin grown in Harrison City snares top prize at Ohio festival
A Harrison City man squashed the competition at a pumpkin festival in Ohio. Erik Gunstrom’s 2,405-pound entry won first place in the 58th annual Barnesville, Ohio, Pumpkin Festival on Wednesday, beating the next runner-up by more than 40 pounds. Last year’s winner at that festival was 2,195 pounds. Gunstrom, an...
Bam! NASA spacecraft crashes into asteroid in defense testVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A NASA spacecraft rammed an asteroid at blistering speed Monday in an unprecedented dress rehearsal for the day a killer rock menaces Earth. The galactic grand slam occurred at a harmless asteroid 7 million miles away, with the spacecraft named Dart plowing into the small space...
Common Pleas judge rules Pittsburgh ‘facility fee’ for professional athletes unconstitutional
An Allegheny County Common Pleas judge last week struck down a City of Pittsburgh fee levied against professional athletes who play here, calling the fee an unconstitutional tax. Judge Christine Ward granted a motion for summary judgment filed by three athletes, as well as the players associations representing Major League...
Gun found near Kennywood shootings stolen from Ohio vehicle, police say
The gun found near a triple shooting in Kennywood Park was stolen from a vehicle in Columbus, Ohio about a year ago, Allegheny County police said Monday. Police have not yet identified a suspect in Saturday night shootings, but they said a trace of the firearm recovered near the scene...
Westmoreland County begins testing of voting machines in preparation for general election
Westmoreland County election officials Monday began the lengthy week-long process of testing all the voting machines and scanners to ensure they are operating properly before being sealed and transported to voting sites beginning seven days before the Nov. 8 election. The tests to be conducted on all 889 voting machines...
Man pleads guilty but mentally ill to 2020 Brighton Heights fatal shooting
A North Side man pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Monday to third-degree murder for killing his neighbor two years ago. Laron Smith, 26, will be sentenced by Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Anthony M. Mariani on Jan. 5 for the shooting death of Ernest Mills Jr., 28. Mills, who...
Wolf takes lawsuit on constitutional changes to lower court
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is taking another shot at a lawsuit that argues Republican lawmakers improperly bundled together five proposed state constitutional amendments to get them approved by the Pennsylvania Legislature. Wolf’s new lawsuit filed late last week in Commonwealth Court is similar to the litigation he previously...
White House: New rule will show ‘true cost’ of plane tickets
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced a new initiative Monday that would eventually allow consumers to see a more complete price on airline tickets — including baggage and change fees — before they buy, as the White House continues to search for ways to lower costs for Americans amid persistently...
Amazon to hold holiday shopping event in October
Amazon said Monday that next month it will hold a second Prime Day-like shopping event, making it the latest major retailer to offer holiday deals earlier this year to entice cautious consumers struggling with tighter budgets. During the Oct. 11-12 event, Amazon Prime members will get early access to discounted...
Pennsylvania bucks nation with gas prices continuing to fall
While the streak of declining gas prices came to an end nationally, average prices in Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh area are continuing to fall. AAA is reporting the national average at $3.73. That’s about 5 cents per gallon higher than a week ago, but 14 cents less than a month...
Vehicles struck by gunfire in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood
Pittsburgh police are investigating several vehicles damaged by bullets in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood. Police responded to the area of 18th and Mary Street around 1 a.m. Monday morning, after receiving a ShotSpotter notification for 12 rounds for the 100 block of 18th Street, according to the Trib’s news partner...
15 dead, 24 wounded by gunman in ‘Nazi’ T-shirt at school in Russia
MOSCOW — A gunman opened fire in a school in central Russia on Monday, killing 15 people and wounding 24 others before shooting himself dead, authorities said. The shooting took place in School No. 88 in Izhevsk, a city 960 kilometers east of Moscow in the Udmurtia region. Russia’s Investigative...
Tim Benz: Steelers have no one to blame but themselves for extra-loud ‘elevator music’ on QB situation
Up until now, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has avoided snapping despite repeated speculation about the status of his starting quarterback. He was asked (once again) about the prospect of replacing Mitch Trubisky — and/or offensive play caller Matt Canada — after the team’s 29-17 loss in Cleveland on Thursday...
‘It happened so quick,’ Kennywood shooting victim says in TV interview
One of the three people shot Saturday night at Kennywood Park said he “felt a shockwave” through his body after he was hit, he told Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV during an interview Monday. Brandon Ward, whom police identified as being 39, said he was standing with his wife at the...
More than 7,000 participate in Pittsburgh Great Race
More than 7,000 runners and walkers laced up their shoes to participate Sunday in the Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race. Rain was no deterrent for the largest 10K in the state, which marked its 45th year. Squirrel Hill runners Nick Wolk and Jennifer Bigham were first to...
Poll: Most Democrats say ditch Biden as 2024 nominee; Trump is preferred candidate among Republicans
A majority of U.S. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents want the party to replace President Joe Biden as its nominee in the 2024 presidential election, according to a Washington Post-ABC poll reported on Sunday. Just 35% of this group prefer Biden for the nomination, while 56% say the Democratic Party should...
New witch-themed Halloween festival slated for Vandergrift
Unleash the magic broomsticks! The inaugural Witching Hours Night Market is scheduled for the night of Oct. 15 in Vandergrift. Its organizers say more than 70 vendors are booked. The event will be held rain or shine, and Grant Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic. The market was organized...
Mellon Foundation bolsters effort to address chronic absenteeism in region’s schools
Schools are back in session for in-person learning, but in some cases, students are simply not showing up. And these are not just kids ditching a class or two. Millions of students are now being classified by the U.S. Department of Education as chronically absent after missing 10% or more...
Ian strengthens into a hurricane, heads toward Cuba, FloridaVideo
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Forecasters say Tropical Storm Ian has strengthened into a hurricane as it moves closer to Cuba on a track expected to take it to Florida in the coming days. Ian was forecast to intensify rapidly and become a major hurricane as soon as late Monday. Authorities in...
Fight between juveniles led to shootings inside Kennywood Park, police say
Two teenagers and a man were injured in a shooting inside Kennywood Park late Saturday night during an altercation between two groups of juveniles, Allegheny County Police said early Sunday morning. A 39-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy were shot in the leg, and another 15-year-old boy suffered a grazing...
