Top Stories category, Page 971
Fewest Americans collecting jobless aid since 1970
Applications for unemployment benefits inched down last week as the total number of Americans collecting aid fell to its lowest level in more than 50 years. Jobless claims fell by 2,000 to 184,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which levels out week-to-week volatility,...
Funeral services planned for 2 teens killed at Pittsburgh Airbnb party
Arrangements have been finalized for two teens killed on Easter Sunday after a shooting at a party in a rented house on Pittsburgh’s North Side. About 200 people were inside the home, rented as an Airbnb, when the shooting started, witnesses and police said. Jaiden Za’mar Brown, of North Braddock,...
How, when to observe the Lyrid meteor shower in Western Pa.
The annual Lyrid meteor shower will peak on Friday, giving Western Pennsylvanians the opportunity to view the spectacle that could bring more than a dozen meteors per hour into view. NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told Space.com that this year’s Lyrid shower should produce about 18 visible meteors per hour,...
Biden announces heavy artillery, other weapons for Ukraine
President Joe Biden on Thursday announced an additional $800 million in military aid to help Ukraine fight back in its strong but increasingly difficult battle against the Russian invasion, but he also warned that Congress will need to approve even more assistance if the U.S. is to keep up its...
Want to volunteer on Earth Day? Here are events happening all over Western Pennsylvania
If you’re looking for an Earth Day project, local, state, federal and nonprofit officials have plenty of them happening all across the region. Here are some of the opportunities available for volunteering: Army Corps of Engineers The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host several volunteer days. A lake-shore cleanup...
‘Most wanted’ man in Allegheny County arrested after window tint violation
A man listed on the Allegheny County Sheriff’s “most wanted” list has been arrested after police say they pulled him over for a traffic violation. On April 19, Jefferson Hills Police pulled over Cyon Taylor, 30, on Route 51 for a window tint violation. Taylor allegedly provided a false ID...
Many say Biden not tough enough on Russia: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — Many Americans still question whether President Joe Biden is showing enough strength in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine, even as most approve of steps the U.S. is already taking and few want U.S. troops to get involved in the conflict. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center...
Successful growth of baby mussels in Kiski River indicates continued health of waterways
Several years ago, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy biologists documented the first freshwater mussels — eight species in all — found in the Kiski River in over a century. Then, last summer, the biologists implanted some baby mussels in concrete silos in the Kiski, as well as a dozen other waterways, to...
Police: Man in critical condition after shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side
A man is in critical condition after he was shot in Pittsburgh’s Spring Hill neighborhood early Thursday morning. Pittsburgh Police and medics responded to the shooting at around 3 a.m. in the 1700 block of Rhine Street. The man, who was shot in the abdomen, was taken to a local...
Simmering public vs. private dispute leads Bishop Canevin contingent to protest at Carlynton track meet
The always-contentious public vs. private debate usually sticks to high school football and basketball, but a track meet became the backdrop for an unprecedented student protest. Athletes from Carlynton and Bishop Canevin compete on the same track team through a co-op, but a number of Canevin boys decided not to...
Final tree planting set at Flight 93 National Memorial
A reforestation project at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County is coming to an end with the final saplings going into the hallowed ground Friday and Saturday. Donna Gibson, executive director of Friends of Flight 93, said the project’s completion is bittersweet. It’s been worthwhile to see the...
Parachute demo at Nats Park causes brief Capitol evacuationVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday evening when police identified an aircraft that they said posed “a probable threat” — but the plane was actually carrying members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, who then parachuted into Nationals Park for a pregame demonstration. The alert from the...
Fox Chapel man accused in 2 separate killings said Satan compelled him to kill; offers plea of guilty, but mentally ill
Adam Rosenberg said he was compelled to kill by Satan and had designs of becoming a serial killer. He had already shot two people to death and intended to kill more, he told a forensic psychiatrist. “Why didn’t he become a serial killer?” asked defense attorney Casey White. “I believe...
Justice Department to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The notice came minutes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention asked the Justice Department to appeal...
Greensburg Salem dedicates track complex to late inspirational coach Steve Snider
Coaches Nathan and Matthew Snider were on opposing sides Wednesday, April 20 as their respective teams — the Greensburg Salem Golden Lions and the visiting Hempfield Area Spartans — faced off in a varsity track meet. But before the running and jumping began, the two brothers shared a sense of...
More than 100 gather to pray for peace in wake of Pittsburgh’s Airbnb shooting
More than 100 people gathered Wednesday afternoon at Allegheny Center Alliance Church on Pittsburgh’s North Side to pray for peace and call for an end to gun violence. The gathering came just three days after a deadly shooting at a nearby Airbnb rental property left two 17-year-old boys dead and...
Trial for Vandergrift woman accused in killing of Greensburg cousin to begin Thursday
Testimony in the murder trial of a Vandergrift woman accused in the 2018 shooting death of her cousin is expected to begin Thursday morning. A jury was seated Wednesday in Westmoreland County to hear evidence in the case against Ashley Croft. Prosecutors claim Croft, 38, shot and killed her 31-year-old...
Mentor works to counsel, support teens following Pittsburgh Airbnb shooting
A Monroeville man who said he serves as a mentor for several teens who attended the deadly Airbnb party on Pittsburgh’s North Side over the weekend said overcrowded conditions at the party led to the gunfire that left two dead and nine others wounded. The teens who spoke with Jamal...
5 takeaways from Spotlight PA’s Republican gubernatorial debate
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 — Five of the nine Republican candidates running to be Pennsylvania’s next governor participated in a debate hosted by Spotlight...
Police: Handguns, AR-15-style weapon used in Pittsburgh Airbnb shooting
Pittsburgh police said Wednesday that multiple types of firearms, including a rifle, were used in Sunday’s shooting at an Airbnb party that left two teens dead and nine other people wounded. Chief Scott Schubert had previously said ballistic evidence suggested that more than one person fired shots when gunfire broke...
City Winery upscale eatery, concert venue coming to Pittsburgh’s Strip District
City Winery, a national chain offering food and wine experiences paired with intimate live performances, is coming to Pittsburgh’s Strip District. A late fall opening is projected for the space at the westernmost end of The Terminal at 16th and Smallman streets. Founded in 2008 by Michael Dorf, City Winery...
Pittsburgh places Airbnb legislation on hold in wake of deadly North Side shooting
Pittsburgh City Council did not act Wednesday on proposed legislation to regulate Airbnb and other short-term rental properties, opting to slow down the process so it can look at possible changes to the proposal and seek public comment. Legislation introduced Tuesday was expedited to appear on the agenda for Wednesday’s...
911 calls reveal Dwayne Haskins was walking to get gas when struck, killed by dump truck
Dwayne Haskins was walking to get gas for his disabled car when he was struck and killed by a dump truck April 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to a pair of 911 calls. The calls were obtained by a Miami television station and released Wednesday. Haskins, 24, was pronounced...
2 plead guilty to roles in 2020 protests in Pittsburgh
A Pittsburgh man who has spent years advocating for LGBTQ rights pleaded guilty Wednesday to his role in a day’s worth of protests in September 2020 in Downtown. Kenneth McDowell, 35, of the city’s Spring Garden neighborhood, will serve two years of probation after pleading guilty to harassment, disorderly conduct...
Steelers announce return to Saint Vincent College for training camp after 2-year absence
Shoulder pads will be popping, footballs will be flinging and fans will be packing the hillside at Saint Vincent College again this summer. After a two-year absence because of the pandemic, the Pittsburgh Steelers will return to the Unity campus to conduct training camp this year, the team announced Wednesday....
