Top Stories category, Page 883
Uvalde school board fires police chief after mass shooting
UVALDE, Texas — The Uvalde school district’s embattled police chief was fired Wednesday following allegations that he made several critical mistakes during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead. In a unanimous vote, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s board of trustees...
Pitt-Greensburg welcomes first-year students for fall semester
Upperclassmen, alumni, faculty members and family pitched in Wednesday to help first-year students settle into campus residence halls at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. Final enrollment figures weren’t available for the fall semester, but university President Robert Gregerson said, “Enrollment is up from last year. We had a really...
Federal student loan forgiveness is welcomed in Westmoreland, but overdue for some
Virginia native Grace Merrbach was all smiles Wednesday when she learned of the student loan forgiveness program announced the same day by President Joe Biden. “I’m very excited,” said the 21-year-old senior biology major at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. “That gets rid of all of my student debt...
Owners of Trump House in Youngstown not liable for 2016 crash, appeals court rules
The owners of a shrine to former President Donald Trump in Youngstown are not liable for a vehicle crash nearly six years ago that injured two people, a state appeals court has ruled. The Pennsylvania Superior Court this week affirmed a previous ruling by Westmoreland County Common Pleas Judge Chris...
Study: Pfizer covid pill showed no benefit in younger adults
WASHINGTON — Pfizer’s covid-19 pill appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults, while still reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk seniors, according to a large study published Wednesday. The results from a 109,000-patient Israeli study are likely to renew questions about the U.S. government’s...
Memo sheds light on decision to clear Trump in Russia probe
WASHINGTON — Justice Department officials who evaluated then-President Donald Trump’s actions during the Russia investigation concluded that nothing he did, including firing the FBI director, rose to the level of obstruction of justice and that there was no precedent for a prosecution, according to a memo released Wednesday. The nine-page...
Highland Park Bridge ramp to Route 28 North reopens in Aspinwall
Good news for motorists who cross the Allegheny River to get to northbound Route 28. The ramp carrying traffic from the Highland Park Bridge to Route 28 North opened to traffic at 6 p.m. Wednesday. The ramp has been closed since late March to enable crews to do reconstruction work,...
Doctor testifies about treating UPMC head of cardiothoracic surgery with suboxone
The doctor who continues to treat UPMC’s head of cardiothoracic surgery with suboxone testified Wednesday that he kept no patient records of his interactions with Dr. James Luketich. Dr. David Wilson also testified that he never reviewed Luketich’s previous treatment records or saw records from an addiction treatment facility where...
UPMC profits, investment income drop in 1st half of the year
Hospitals across the country, including local health care giant UPMC, reported massive earnings in 2021, but those large profits appear to be slowing down significantly in 2022 thanks to increased operating costs and losses from investment activities. UPMC reported $82 million in operating income — revenue minus operating expenses —...
Developer floats idea of diverting taxes to pay for road improvements in Hempfield housing project
A developer planning to build more than 260 homes at the former Valley Green Golf & Country Club is gauging if Hempfield Township, Hempfield Area School District and Westmoreland County would approve using a tax diversion program to pay for road improvements. “This is not a tax break,” said Michael...
National sheep judge impressed by Westmoreland Fair lamb show contestants
Brian Barkley has judged sheep shows throughout the United States and Canada. He called the youth participants in the Westmoreland Fair’s market lamb show “exceptionally good.” “I was really pleased with how good they were,” said Barkley, from Bedford County. Dozens of spectators filled the fair’s Small Arena on Tuesday...
Submerged pickup at Bridgeport Dam was stolen, police say, but details murky
A Chevrolet pickup truck that was pulled out of a reservoir at Bridgeport Dam earlier this month was reported stolen in 2004, according to Westmoreland County Park Police Chief Henry Fontana. But any other details about the theft remain a mystery. Fontana said police were able to get a VIN...
Biden’s student loan plan: What we know — and don’t
NEW YORK — President Joe Biden said Wednesday that many Americans can have up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt forgiven. That amount increases to $20,000 if they qualified for Pell grants. Here’s what we know so far and what it means for people with outstanding student loans: Who...
Biden announces big student loan forgiveness planVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced detailed plans to deliver on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need — along with measures to lower the burden of repayment...
Highlands looks to combat poor student attendance with rewards, repercussions
Highlands High School Principal Laura Burns said students find greater success in the classroom when they attend school regularly. But getting kids to school appears to be a problem. Administrators are fighting to buoy dismal attendance rates at the high school, as data show that only about 70% of the...
Ukrainian refugee and her daughter find a home in Sewickley
When Russia began its war with Ukraine six months ago, Katerina Boyko thought it would be over in three days. She could not have imagined that the war would still be raging half a year later, and that she and her 13-year-old daughter Alexa would end up living half a...
U.S. says airstrikes in Syria intended to send message to Iran
WASHINGTON — U.S. military airstrikes in eastern Syria were a message to Iran and Tehran-backed militias that targeted American troops this month and several other times over the past year, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, told reporters that the U.S. airstrikes overnight on...
Pittsburgh firefighter treated for heat exhaustion at house fire in Allegheny West
A Pittsburgh firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion after battling a fire that broke out early Wednesday at a home in Allegheny West, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Fire crews responded shortly after 12:40 a.m. to the 900 block of Western Avenue, according to Allegheny County emergency dispatchers. The...
Investigation continues for car pulled from Allegheny River in Oakmont
Oakmont police are trying to find out who owns an old model Pontiac Firebird — and how it got into the Allegheny River. The submerged sports car was discovered upside down Tuesday afternoon by kayaker Ian Simmers, 13, of Verona. Ian said he was out on the river with his...
Florida Democrats choose Rep. Crist to challenge DeSantis
MIAMI — U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist won the Democratic nomination for governor in Florida on Tuesday, putting him in position to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis this fall in a campaign that the Republican incumbent is eyeing as the first step toward a potential White House run. U.S. Rep. Val Demings...
Fetterman addresses union supporters at Pittsburgh rally, but avoids media questions
Hundreds of union members held a rally Tuesday at the United Steelworkers headquarters in Downtown Pittsburgh to support Democrats that the union endorsed, including congressional candidate Chris DeLuzio, state House candidate Dr. Arvind Venkat and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman. It was one of Fetterman’s first public appearances in Pittsburgh...
After delay, Biden readies student loan help, payment pause
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday is set to announce his long-delayed move to forgive up to $10,000 in federal student loans for many Americans and extend a pause on payments to January, according to three people familiar with the plan. Biden has faced pressure from liberals to provide...
U.S. senators request State Department declare Oakmont man jailed in Russia ‘wrongfully detained’
A bipartisan group of 10 U.S. senators, including both of Pennsylvania’s, signed on to a letter Tuesday requesting Secretary of State Antony Blinken designate Oakmont native Marc Fogel as being “wrongfully detained” under federal law. The Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act is named in honor of former...
More than 100 classified Trump docs recovered back in January
WASHINGTON — The National Archives and Records Administration recovered more than 100 documents bearing classified markings, totaling more than 700 pages, from an initial batch of 15 boxes retrieved from Mar-a-Lago earlier this year, according to newly public government correspondence with the Trump legal team. The numbers make clear the...
Meta reveals future of realistic avatars at offices in Pittsburgh
The future of ultra-realistic human avatars has started, and technology for it is being developed in Pittsburgh. Meta, the Menlo Park, Calif.- based global tech company that operates Facebook, Oculus and other tech firms, provided a media tour of its Strip District offices on Tuesday. The company moved into the...
