Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 87
Longest cold case in Allegheny County solved using DNA
Allegheny County’s longest cold case for an unidentified victim has been solved using DNA technology. On Wednesday, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office announced the body of an unknown homicide victim discovered over 30 years ago — described as a 5-foot-10 white male, weighing 175 pounds — was identified as...
ICE blames Biden administration for Brentwood man’s entrance into U.S.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Wednesday blamed the Biden administration for allowing a Brentwood man, now in custody, into the United States. Maklim Gomez Escalante, 35, was detained Jan. 20 after arriving at a district court hearing where he had been subpoenaed to testify in an unrelated matter....
Shapiro, neighbors trade lawsuits over ‘disputed area’ at governor’s private Montgomery County home
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — For the past six months, Gov. Josh Shapiro has been entangled in an intense but largely behind-the-scenes...
Kraft Heinz pauses split as new CEO calls challenges ‘fixable’
Kraft Heinz said Wednesday it’s pausing a planned split and launching a $600 million investment campaign to tackle what new CEO Steve Cahillane called “fixable” challenges. The company announced in September it will divide its roughly 200 brands into one firm focused on high-performing sauces and spreads and another made...
Pam Bondi clashes with Democrats as she struggles to turn the page on Epstein files furorVideo
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Pam Bondi launched into a passionate defense of President Donald Trump Wednesday as she tried to turn the page from relentless criticism of the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, repeatedly shouting at Democrats during a combative hearing in which she postured herself as...
Live updates: Jury returning to courtroom in Stanko trial
The jury in the Thomas G. Stanko homicide trial is returning to the courtroom now after about four hours of deliberations. Westmoreland County Judge Michael Stewart delivered final instructions to the jurors this morning before they moved to private deliberations just after noon. The panel is considering charges of first-degree...
Pentagon let CBP use anti-drone laser before FAA closed El Paso airspace
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon allowed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to use an anti-drone laser earlier this week, leading the Federal Aviation Administration to suddenly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to...
Suspect in Canada shooting is identified as an 18-year-old with history of police visits to her home
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The suspect in a Canada school shooting was an 18-year-old who had a history of police visits to her home to check on her mental health, authorities said Wednesday, a day after the attack that killed eight people in a remote part of British Columbia. Police...
FBI combs desert terrain for clues in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearanceVideo
RIO RICO, Ariz. — Fresh surveillance images from Nancy Guthrie’s porch the night she went missing, coupled with intense police activity across Arizona and the detention of a man had raised hopes that authorities were nearing a major break. But then the man was released after questioning, leaving it unclear...
Building the Valley: STEM Academy planned for New Kensington
A planned after-school STEM academy in New Kensington aims to put the city on the map. The nonprofit, R&D Impact Foundation plans to open the SparX Academy at 1250 Fifth Ave., said Nicole Roberts, the foundation’s director of program management. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “It’s going...
Lane remains closed on Route 28 in Harmar as engineers study area
A southbound lane of Route 28 remained closed Wednesday night between the Hulton Bridge in Oakmont and Powers Run Road in O’Hara following a rock slide Tuesday evening. The closure went into effect around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. It remained in place Wednesday night, according to the 511PA website. The closure...
Burrell sells Stewart School property for $1 in redevelopment deal
The old Stewart Elementary School property in Lower Burrell will be developed into 46 units of single-family, duplex-style condos. The Burrell School Board on Tuesday approved selling the Stewart Elementary property at 2800 Leechburg Road to developer David Ziccarelli. The property totals about 8.44 acres. “It’s been a great collaboration...
Report: Grand jury rejects indictment against Deluzio, other lawmakers over ‘illegal orders’ video
Federal prosecutors failed to secure an indictment against six Democratic members of Congress, including U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio of Fox Chapel, who released a video last year telling servicemembers they have an obligation to refuse illegal orders, The New York Times reported Tuesday night, citing four unnamed people familiar with...
The Marc Fogel Story: Finding a new normal, and working through guilt; ‘We will be thankful for generations’
On Aug. 13, 2021, Marc and Jane Fogel pulled away from their white colonial-style home in Oakmont to drive to New York City. There, they boarded a plane to Moscow to begin their final year teaching at the Anglo-American School, an elite institution built for the children of western diplomats....
Hempfield man sentenced in murder-for-hire plot against sister
A Hempfield man was sentenced Tuesday to serve at least eight years in prison for an attempt to have his sister killed in what prosecutors said was a scheme to secure their mother’s estate for himself. Peter John Cute, 65, pleaded guilty in October 2024 to solicitation to commit murder....
New Palmer Regional airport exec hopes to increase airline traffic with new terminal
A longtime employee at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will be the new executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority, which manages the airport in Unity and the Rostraver Airport. Maurice “Moe” Haas, 60, the airport authority manager, was unanimously promoted to executive director by the authority board on Tuesday,...
Springdale Police hand over resident to ICE after traffic stop, family saysVideo
Peru native Randy Cordova-Flores was driving near the corner of Lincoln and James streets in Springdale on Tuesday when local police pulled him over, according to his sister, Paulette Cordova. Soon after, he was in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. In what appears to be the first...
‘Alice never disappeared’: Home health nurses recount discovery of St. Clair woman’s death
It was unusual that Alice Robson wasn’t there when two home health nurses arrived at the St. Clair Township woman’s home to take care of her disabled grandson. It was even more unusual that J.D. Beacom was left alone, but that’s what Jennifer Fox said she encountered when arriving at...
Trump administration plans to hold back grant money for some Democratic-led states
President Donald Trump’s administration is planning to withhold some public health and transportation money from a group of Democratic-led states. Full details have not been released, including whether the states could take any steps to avoid losing the funding. The federal government cited concerns over fraud and mismanagement of taxpayer...
U.S.-Canada bridge brouhaha deepens as White House says Trump could amend a permit for the projectVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House says President Donald Trump has the right to amend a permit for a new bridge between Canada and Michigan, prolonging the latest dispute between the U.S. and its northern neighbor hours after its prime minister signaled there could be a detente. The Gordie Howe International...
FBI search of Georgia offices relied on years-old claims of fraud, affidavit shows
ATLANTA — The FBI relied on years-old claims of fraud, many of them thoroughly investigated, to obtain a search warrant to seize ballots from election offices in Fulton County, Georgia, according to an affidavit unsealed Tuesday that shows the investigation began with a referral from an administration official who tried...
Watchdog projects Pa. will end fiscal year with $3.9B budget deficit, but reserves will grow
Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office projects the state will end this fiscal year with a $3.9 billion budget deficit but still grow its largest reserve fund to a record $7.8 billion, according to a report released Tuesday. The IFO says the deficit is expected to get bigger, growing to $6.7 billion...
Sly Fox Brewing space at Highline on South Side available, equipment up for sale
A realty company is looking for someone to serve out the remainder of Sly Fox Brewing’s lease in Pittsburgh’s South Side, suggesting the Pottstown-based company’s only production facility in Western Pennsylvania is winding down. Legacy Realty Partners announced last week the nearly 6,000-square-foot space in the neighborhood’s Highline complex —...
McCandless residents, council debate resolution on local law enforcement aiding immigration
Heated discussion and commentary from residents of McCandless lasted for more than three hours during a Feb. 9 council meeting over whether the town should adopt a resolution establishing an official policy for enforcement of noncriminal federal immigration laws. Resolution 2026-3 was presented only for discussion and to give council...
Casa San José goes virtual amid increased ICE presence in Pittsburgh
Casa San José has decided to temporarily move its operations to an all-virtual format in the wake of numerous ICE detainments across the Pittsburgh region. Casa San José is a nonprofit serving the local Latino community and immigrants from Central and South America, offering free services such as case management,...
