Top Stories category, Page 884
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...
Ex-Shaler substitute teacher convicted in Capitol riots
The former Shaler substitute teacher accused of attacking a police line during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection was convicted by a federal judge Tuesday on several felony charges. Robert Morss, 29, of Glenshaw; Geoffrey William Sills, 31, of Mechanicsville, Va.; and David Lee Judd, 36, of Carrollton, Texas — were...
Man gets 3 to 6 years for fatal shooting over marijuana in Stowe
Peyton Wiser’s defense attorney described his client as a kind, gentle teen who took in injured animals and homeless friends when they needed help. But the prosecution said Wiser also sold marijuana and, when confronted for selling bad product, chose to shoot a man twice in the head instead of...
Parkway East billboard features faces of people killed by fentanyl to raise awareness about drug’s danger
A billboard along the Parkway East a few miles east of Pittsburgh shows the faces of 92 people with a tragic connection. All of them died of fentanyl poisoning. “The fentanyl crisis is only getting worse in our country, and it’s not getting the coverage it needs to educate people,...
Pittsburgh eyes homelessness solutions, including tiny houses
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday introduced legislation in an attempt to find immediate solutions to Pittsburgh’s homelessness issues, including a proposal to build tiny houses on city-owned land. The measure, sponsored by Council President Theresa Kail-Smith and Councilwoman Deb Gross, classified homelessness in the city as a “public health emergency”...
Doctor accused UPMC surgeon of drug use and ‘compromised patient care’
The attorney for the doctor who filed a whistleblower complaint against the head of UPMC cardiothoracic surgery published his client’s original anonymous complaint in court on Tuesday. Written in all capital letters and displayed on the projection screen, the complaint was filed by Dr. Jonathan D’Cunha against Dr. James Luketich...
2 men convicted in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A jury on Tuesday convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, delivering swift verdicts in a plot that was broken up by the FBI and described as a rallying cry for a U.S. civil war by anti-government extremists. The result...
Nursing homes in Lower Burrell, North Huntingdon among 24 statewide set to strike
Employees of nursing homes in Lower Burrell and North Huntingdon are among those at 24 long-term care facilities in the state who voted to strike, claiming unfair labor practices and a lack of accountability, according to union officials. Four of the nursing homes are owned by Comprehensive Healthcare, which operates...
Top UPMC surgeon testifies about suboxone use
A secretly recorded conversation between the head of UPMC’s department of cardiothoracic surgery and the doctor treating him with suboxone for a previous problem with prescription narcotics is at the center of a hearing in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Dr. James Luketich, who is the subject of a federal...
Freezing state officials’ pay this year ‘is the right thing to do,’ Pa. lawmaker says
Pennsylvania’s rank-and-file lawmakers could see their salaries rise above $100,000 in December, but some members are seeking legislation to freeze or eliminate the automatic pay raises they receive. House State Government Committee Chairman Seth Grove, R-York County, said he supports a pay freeze to ensure — at least this year...
Pittsburgh restaurant worker accused of spiking co-worker’s drink with degreaser
A Downtown Pittsburgh sports bar employee is accused of spiking a co-worker’s drink two weeks ago with pipe degreaser, causing co-worker’s upper and lower lips to turn red and feel a burning sensation, Pittsburgh police said. Gregory Evans Jr., 30, of Pittsburgh’s North Side, is accused of putting the degreaser...
Dr. Oz denies report of Trump regret during campaign stop at Westmoreland Fair
Dr. Mehmet Oz rejected media reports that surfaced over the weekend that suggested former President Donald Trump had soured on his U.S. Senate candidacy. “It’s not true. It’s not true at all. He’s been very supportive, offering advice. His team has been helpful as well, and he’ll be coming to...
Allegheny County Councilman Tom Duerr not seeking reelection
The youngest Allegheny County councilman said Monday that he will not seek reelection next year. Councilman Tom Duerr, D-Bethel Park, became the youngest elected official in Allegheny County government history when he was elected in 2019 at 24. In a tweet, Duerr said he would not seek reelection because he...
Trump seeks special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump asked a federal judge Monday to halt the FBI’s review of documents recovered from his Florida estate earlier this month until a neutral special master can be appointed to inspect the records. The request was included in a federal lawsuit, the first...
Commonwealth Court orders Pa.’s health department to release information on medical marijuana program
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 — A panel of Commonwealth Court judges has ordered the Wolf administration to reveal how many medical marijuana patients have...
Driver in fatal Salem crash is Pennsylvania State Police trooper from Uniontown
A Pennsylvania state trooper remains on the job after his involvement in a fatal Aug. 17 crash in Salem, officials said Monday. A BMW driven by Tyler J. Strini, 27, of Homer City did not slow down for stopped traffic, troopers said. Strini, assigned to Troop B in Uniontown, joined...
Bishop Zubik undergoes spinal surgery with ‘no complications’
Bishop David Zubik on Monday successfully underwent surgery to address ongoing issues he has had with collapsing discs, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said. “According to his surgeon, everything went as planned,” officials said in a news release. “There were no complications,” He was treated at UPMC Mercy Hospital in...
Gas prices fall for 10th straight week as parts of Pa. near $4 mark
The streak of falling gas prices continued for a 10th straight week despite some areas seeing prices rise slightly last week, an industry analyst said. The average price also continued to fall in Pennsylvania, where some counties are now within a few cents of $4, according to AAA. The national...
Dr. Anthony Fauci announces departure from government service
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the covid-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service. Fauci, who serves as President...
