Fiber cuts leave Verizon customers in SOS mode
Verizon customers across Western Pennsylvania were left without cell service Tuesday, sparking hours of frustration and a flood of complaints online. Verizon Communications Inc. confirmed the outage was caused by fiber cuts that disrupted wireless service across the region, according to a statement sent to TribLive. As the outage stretched...
Breeze Airways offers new flights out of Pittsburgh International Airport
Breeze Airways will now offer a multi-route expansion out of Pittsburgh International Airport — bringing nonstop service to Cancún, Mexico, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, as well as Vero Beach, Fla. Service to Vero Beach will begin Oct. 1, and flights to Cancun and Punta Cana will begin Jan. 7,...
Report identifies 3 UPMC hospitals at risk of closure from Medicaid cuts
Three UPMC hospitals in Southwestern Pennsylvania are at risk for closure as cuts to Medicaid go into effect, according to a new report from consumer watchdog Public Citizen. UPMC Mercy, UPMC McKeesport and UPMC Greene were among the 446 U.S. hospitals identified as vulnerable because of recent financial losses and...
3 area colleges get boost to dual enrollment programs
Area colleges received a financial boost to support dual enrollment programs, where high school students take college-level courses and simultaneously earn both high school and college credits. Butler County Community College and the Community College of Allegheny County received about $347,800 each, and the Indiana University of Pennsylvania received $349,500,...
Endangered mussels disappearing beneath Western Pennsylvania rivers
Beneath the surface of the Allegheny River, some of the region’s most endangered creatures are quietly disappearing. Freshwater mussels — small, often overlooked creatures buried in the riverbed — are in steep decline across Western Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While largely unseen, the species are...
Pittsburgh Phipps family connected to Kentucky Derby win
Golden Tempo’s Kentucky Derby win came with a Pittsburgh connection. The champion thoroughbred is owned by St. Elias Stable and Phipps Stable, USA Today reported. Ogden Phipps, who spoke at Saturday night’s Kentucky Derby news conference, pointed out his five sisters, three children, nieces and nephews standing behind him, according...
Morning Roundup: State police nab suspected child sex abuser in sting operation
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, May 4: State police nab suspected child sex abuser in sting operation The Fayette County District Attorney’s office in a news release said Pennsylvania State Police arrested a man last week on sexual abuse of children charges in...
Woman stabbed by unknown man in Aliquippa
A woman was expected to be OK after being stabbed by an unknown man early Sunday morning in Beaver County, according to state police. Aliquippa officers went to the 400 block of Franklin Avenue around 1 a.m. for a report of a woman who had been stabbed once in the...
PennWest California professor to study AI education in Brazil on Fulbright Scholar award
A Pennsylvania Western University professor will be researching artificial intelligence and higher education during a trip to the Amazon this summer. Mark Lennon, a business professor at PennWest California, was selected as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Brazil. In June, he will travel to the University of the Amazon in...
New Jersey man accused of shooting woman at Moraine State Park in Butler County
A New Jersey man shot a woman multiple times during an argument at Moraine State Park in Butler County early Saturday morning, according to state police. State police charged Jevonn J. Brown, 31, with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment. State police said troopers from the Butler barracks responded...
Spirit Airlines goes out of business after 34 years, ending operations immediately
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Spirit Airlines, an impish upstart that shook the industry with its irreverent ads and deep discount fares, announced Saturday that it has gone out of business after 34 years. The ultralow cost airline that once operated hundreds of daily flights on its bright yellow planes...
Despite lack of rinks, roller skating is picking up steam in Southwestern Pa.
Back before Facebook, iPhones and TikTok videos, the social scene looked very different. In the latter half of the 20th century, kids found many different ways to look cool, have fun and hang out with their friends. And that’s when roller rinks flourished. Full of colorful lighting, pop hits and...
As 2-hour barrier falls, marathon runners credit tech, training advances for faster finishing times
Despite being the top finisher at his first marathon in 2023, Will Loevner noticed ways he could shave seconds — even minutes — off his time. At the California International Marathon in Sacramento in December, the Indiana Township man dropped seven minutes from that initial marathon time in Cleveland, finishing...
Western Pennsylvania confectionaries weigh in on chocolate trendsVideo
Scanning the candy bars at the checkout line at the grocery store or the case at your favorite sweet shop may evoke nostalgia with classic confections. But chocolate, like everything else, can be trendy. Chocolate makers and retailers in Southwestern Pennsylvania have seen a balance between what Confectionery News calls...
Political handicappers give Western Pa. incumbents the upper hand in midterms
Only one congressional incumbent from Southwestern Pennsylvania is considered vulnerable in this year’s pivotal midterm elections, and that congressman, U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, faces a minimal threat, a new analysis shows. Deluzio is unopposed in the May 19 primary but will face a Republican challenger in November. Beaver...
Affordability talks ripple across colleges as Pitt slashes tuition for some
The University of Pittsburgh’s pledge of free tuition for low-income students could have a ripple effect across higher education in the region, according to one expert. Competing colleges should be nervous, said Katie Smith, a professor in Temple’s College of Education and Human Development. “Programs like this are a really...
Trail association hosts Spring Hiking Weekend in Laurel Highlands
Eric Knopsnyder enjoys the exercise benefits that hiking provides. But there’s more to it than that. “There’s also the mental aspect of getting away from traffic, away from people, out into the woods,” said Knopsnyder, director of public relations for Go Laurel Highlands. “It’s such a healthy way to enjoy...
Steelers to interview for training camp jobsVideo
The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking for people who want to work at the team’s training camp from mid-July through mid-August at Saint Vincent College near Latrobe. There will be open interviews 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the first floor of the Fred M. Rogers Center on the Saint...
Assault charge against Knoch teacher dismissed
Assault and harrassment charges against Carly Miller, a former Knoch Primary School teacher, were dropped Thursday, more than a year after she was charged. Miller, 36, of Hampton had been charged with simple assault and harassment for a November 2024 incident, during which police said she struck an autistic student...
Pitt regional campuses to offer free tuition for students of families making $75K or less
Pennsylvania residents whose households make $75,000 or less will be eligible to attend a University of Pittsburgh branch campus tuition-free. Pitt on Thursday announced its Regional Campus Tuition Pledge that will begin this fall. Students whose household adjusted gross income is $75,000 or less would pay nothing in tuition at...
IUP’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine gets state system approval
Indiana University of Pennsylvania has cleared another hurdle in establishing an osteopathic medicine college. IUP announced Thursday that its doctor of osteopathic medicine degree program was approved by Christopher Fiorentino, chancellor of the Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. It’s part of the process for any state system university to...
Deluzio, Hegseth spar during heated congressional hearingVideo
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred during a contentious congressional hearing Wednesday over accounts that a U.S. command post in Kuwait was unprepared for an Iranian drone attack that killed six troops and injured dozens more. When Deluzio asked Hegseth whether there was anything else that...
War and uncertainty in Iran fail to cool a red-hot U.S. stock market
Gas prices are higher. Grocery prices are higher. And the stock market is higher, a combination that, at a glance, wouldn’t seem to make much sense. While the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz roil international commerce, technology stocks have jumped nearly 20% this month...
Mon Valley Independent marks 10th anniversary in printVideo
The Mon Valley Independent in Monessen will mark 10 years since it reshaped itself from its predecessor, the Valley Independent, and published its first edition on May 2, 2016. The newspaper will host a 10th-anniversary celebration this weekend. After the Valley Independent ceased publication at the end of 2015, Moe...
Meal plan, fees raised at PennWest, room rates adjusted
Meal plan costs, fees and some room rates are increasing at Pennsylvania Western University. The cost of 19-week and 14-week residential meal plans will increase by $100 per semester, said Wendy Mackall, PennWest spokeswoman. It reflects a 4.1% increase from PennWest’s vendor. The current 19-week plan is $2,475 and the...
