Creating art for U.S. coins is tricky. These Pa. artists have made a career of it.
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. PHILADELPHIA — If you’ve got coins in your pocket, purse, or wallet, you’re likely carrying around...
Actor Michael Keaton to be honored as Man of the Year by Harvard’s Hasty Pudding theater group
BOSTON — Actor Michael Keaton is set to be honored Friday as the 2026 Man of the Year by Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals. The theater group, which dates to 1844 and claims to be the world’s third-oldest still operating, said Keaton will receive his Pudding Pot award at a...
In Minnesota, sending a child to school is an act of faith for immigrant families
MINNEAPOLIS — In some ways, 10-year-old Giancarlo is one of the lucky ones. He still goes to school. Each morning, he and his family bundle up and leave their Minneapolis apartment to wait for his bus. His little brother hefts on his backpack, even though he stopped going to day...
Trump’s aggressive tactics force a reckoning between local leaders and Washington
WASHINGTON — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston regularly games out responses to threats like destructive tornadoes or hazardous waste leaks. He’s added a new potential menace: the federal government. When President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to some U.S. cities last year over the objection of local leaders, Johnston said...
Census Bureau plans to use survey with a citizenship question in its test for 2030, alarming experts
ORLANDO, Fla. — The U.S. Census Bureau plans to use a survey form with a citizenship question as part of its practice test of the 2030 census, raising questions about whether the Trump administration might try to make a significant change to the once-a-decade headcount that failed during the president’s...
U.S. strikes another alleged drug-trafficking boat in Eastern Pacific
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Thursday that it has carried out another deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. U.S. Southern Command said on social media that the boat “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged...
Man killed in Uniontown shooting; person of interest sought
Pennsylvania State Police in Uniontown and the Fayette County District Attorney’s office are investigating a fatal shooting Thursday night. Police were called to Dunlap Street around 5 p.m., where they found 20-year-old Lemaur Thompson Jr., who they said had been shot while walking in the area. He was taken to...
Hempfield alum Jasmine Jones sprints past challenges to reach Olympic dream
She crashed once, then seven more times, whipping around sharp turns in a twisting bobsled going over 90 mph. Key people were watching. People who held the keys to unlocking her Olympic dream. People who now had doubts. Jeannette native Jasmine Jones also was a wreck emotionally. The sprinter-turned-Olympic bobsled...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Feb. 6-8
It’s a busy weekend for sports fans, with both the Olympics and the Super Bowl filling up the schedule. But it’s a busy weekend in Pittsburgh too. Don’t forget to check out these events. Monster Jam This weekend, you won’t have to stay out on the frozen roads to see...
‘I’m capable’: Special Olympics athlete Sheena Black to compete in national games
When Sheena Black found out she would be competing in track and field at the Special Olympics USA Games this June in Minneapolis, she couldn’t contain her excitement. After 34 years as a Special Olympics athlete and earning 259 medals, she will have her first chance at running on the...
Here are 5 things to do in Westmoreland this weekend: Feb. 6-8
Between the Olympics and the Super Bowl, this is a big weekend for all types of sports fans. But for those who aren’t interested — or those who need a break — this is a big weekend for events in Westmoreland County, too. Here are a few options. ‘Chicago: The...
Man pardoned in U.S. Capitol riot pleads guilty to threatening Hakeem Jeffries
CLINTON, N.Y. — A New York man accused of threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries pleaded guilty Thursday, a year after President Donald Trump pardoned him for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Christopher P. Moynihan, 35, also agreed to serve three years of probation. During...
Senate GOP blocks push for legal action over Epstein law
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leadership blocked a Democrat-backed measure Thursday that would direct the chamber to take legal action over the Justice Department’s much-criticized handling of the Jeffrey Epstein documents. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, on the floor, criticized the Trump administration’s response to the law Congress passed last year...
Trump administration launches TrumpRx website for discounted drugs
NEW YORK — The Trump administration on Thursday launched TrumpRx, a website it says will help patients buy prescription drugs directly at a discounted rate at a time when health care and the cost of living are growing concerns for Americans. “You’re going to save a fortune,” President Donald Trump...
Nature on ice: Ohiopyle State Park is a wonderland as it welcomes Winterfest
Ohiopyle State Park is dressed in its winter finest in preparation for Winterfest this weekend. Snow-related activities will be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Sugarloaf recreation area, 950 Sugarloaf Road. There’s 10 inches of snow near the park offices along Route 381, or Main Street, and...
Republicans reject complaint about Tulsi Gabbard as Democrats question time it took to see it
WASHINGTON — The Republican leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees have rejected a top-secret complaint from an anonymous government insider alleging that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard withheld classified information for political reasons. The responses this week from Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. Rick Crawford mean the...
Make-A-Wish grants Super Bowl dream for Pittsburgh teen
Connor Hennick, a 14-year-old, has dreamed of going to the Super Bowl for as long as he can remember. Now, the self-declared lifelong Steelers fan is headed to the San Francisco Bay Area for the Super Bowl LX through Make-A-Wish. The Hennick family, of McCandless, arrived at their hotel around...
Independence Health continues to narrow operating losses
Hefty losses have slowed for Independence Health System in the months leading up to its acquisition by West Virginia University Health System. The five-hospital network said Wednesday its operating losses fell to $7.3 million in the second half of last year, down from $16.3 million over the same span in...
Oakmont Bakery harassed over ICE arrest
It appears no one is safe from public ire when it comes to the nation’s debate over immigration, not even a popular local bakery. Marc Serrao, co-owner of Oakmont Bakery, said his business has faced harassment on social media and via telephone since the arrest of Oakmont resident Jose Flores...
Chairman of prominent law firm Paul Weiss resigns after release of emails linking him to Epstein
Brad Karp, chairman of one of the country’s most prestigious law firms, has resigned from his position after the release of emails revealing his exchanges with Jeffrey Epstein, a high-profile departure in the fallout among those with ties to the late convicted sex offender. A statement Wednesday from Paul, Weiss,...
3 dead, 6 hurt after car hits bicyclist and crashes into Los Angeles grocery storeVideo
LOS ANGELES — Three people were killed and six others were hurt after a car collided with a bicyclist and then slammed into a grocery store Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles, authorities said. The crash was reported shortly after noon at a 99 Ranch Market in the city’s Westwood neighborhood,...
Moving goal post: Lawyer thinks Oakmont ICE arrest the result of new immigration priorities
It appears politics, not immigration law, sparked the arrest of Jose Flores in Oakmont last week, the man’s lawyer suggested. “Jose’s legal posture in the country is one that allows him to remain and work lawfully in the U.S. while his case is being adjudicated and, for the last 30...
Scott Township man detained by ICE in Plum being held in West Virginia jail
Vishavdeep Singh, the Scott Township man detained by ICE agents in Plum on Wednesday, is being held in Northern Regional Correctional Facility and Jail near Moundsville, W.Va., according to ICE records. Singh, 22, was detained at the office of District Judge Mike Doyle after, police say, he attempted to flee...
Pino’s gets shoutout in ‘The Pitt’ as ‘the best Italian in town’
The owners of Pino’s Contemporary Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar in Point Breeze were met with an exciting surprise last week: Their restaurant was mentioned on an episode of the hit HBO Max show “The Pitt.” “We did a double take,” said Jen Mico, who owns the restaurant with her...
Dropkick Murphys guitarist Tim Brennan on St. Patrick’s Day tour, new ‘Citizen I.C.E.’ song and more
It may be a few more weeks until St. Patrick’s Day arrives on March 14, but when it comes to the Dropkick Murphys, it might feel like the band is celebrating the holiday year-round. “We bring a little bit of St. Patrick’s Day to wherever we are every night, I...
