Top Local and National News Stories
New oral weight loss medication expected to be cheaper and more accessible
A pill version of the GLP-1 weight-loss drug Wegovy is expected to debut in the U.S. in early January. But how will the pills stack up against the already widely used injectables? Doctors in Western Pennsylvania said the pills will be a welcome addition to GLP-1 drug options for their...
Explosion at a Bucks County nursing home kills at least 2, governor says
BRISTOL — A thunderous explosion Tuesday at a nursing home just outside Philadelphia killed at least two people, collapsed part of the building, sent fire shooting out and left people trapped inside, authorities said. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a news conference several hours after the explosion that at...
Dreaming of a white Christmas? Dream on
If you’re dreaming of a white Christmas in Western Pennsylvania this year, you’ll have to keep dreaming. There is no snow in the forecast for Thursday, according to Andrew Kienzle, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Moon. Highs in Western Pennsylvania are expected to be in the upper 40s...
Gainey to let 2026 Pittsburgh budget become law without his signature
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey plans to let next year’s $693 million, City Council-backed budget — and the 20% property tax hike set to come with it — become law without his signature. Gainey, in a letter Tuesday to council President R. Daniel Lavelle, called the 2026 budget he initially pitched...
Federal agency recommends 2 safety recommendations in Clairton Coke Works plant
An independent, nonregulatory federal agency investigating a deadly explosion at the U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works plant this fall issued two interim safety recommendations Tuesday. The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board recommends U.S. Steel thoroughly evaluates all buildings at the Clairton facility that are currently occupied or could...
Plum’s Make-A-Wish telethon cracks $1.25 million all-time total in 25th edition
When Rick Berrott started Plum’s Make-A-Wish telethon in 1999, the event lasted a few hours and was filmed on VHS tapes. But in its 25th edition on Monday and Tuesday, students stayed on the digital airwaves for more than 12 hours to crack an all-time total of $1.25 million. Berrott,...
Heinz History Center to rename Sports Museum after Franco Harris
On Dec. 23, 1972 — 53 years ago — Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris made National Football League history with the Immaculate Reception. The Senator John Heinz History Center is celebrating the football legend by changing the name of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum to the Franco Harris Sports...
Pa.’s top election official battles DOJ demand for voter data
Pennsylvania’s top election official wants a judge to toss out a lawsuit by the federal government demanding “highly sensitive personal information” about the state’s voters. The U.S. Department of Justice sued Pennsylvania in September after the state initially failed to turn over data about its nearly 9 million registered voters....
Medicaid paid more than $207 million for dead people. A new law could help fix that
WASHINGTON — Medicaid programs made more than $200 million in improper payments to health care providers between 2021 and 2022 for people who had already died, according to a new report from the independent watchdog for the Department of Health and Human Services. But the department’s Office of Inspector General...
Experts worry federal nursing designation could stifle professional pipeline
A move by the Trump administration to exclude nursing from a list of professional degrees for student loan purposes could have far-reaching impacts on the future of the profession, medical experts say. “Nursing is a serious profession that is about lifelong learning,” UPMC Chief Nurse Executive Maribeth McLaughlin said. “The...
Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and wife welcome new baby boy
Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and his wife, Maria, have something extra to celebrate this holiday season. On Tuesday, Allegheny Health Network announced that the couple’s third son, Suede, was born at AHN Wexford Hospital on Sunday afternoon. The McCutchens announced the impending arrival of their fifth child several months ago....
Cranberry approves next step for Meijer superstore development
Cranberry supervisors have moved forward with plans for Henderson Crossing, a mixed-use development anchored by a Meijer grocery store and a Meijer Express gas station. A proposed development would give Meijer a 159,000-square-foot supercenter in the township, officials previously told TribLive. After a public hearing, supervisors on Dec. 11 granted...
Voluminous new Epstein document release includes multiple Trump mentions, but little revelatory news
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has released tens of thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included multiple mentions of President Donald Trump but added little new revelatory information to the long-anticipated public file on the late financier and convicted sex offender. The release is the...
Supreme Court keeps Trump’s National Guard deployment blocked in the Chicago area, for now
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow the Trump administration to deploy National Guard troops in the Chicago area to support its immigration crackdown. The justices declined the Republican administration’s emergency request to overturn a ruling by U.S. District Judge April Perry that had blocked the deployment...
Recycle your Christmas trees here in Allegheny County
The Allegheny County Parks Department will again offer its Christmas Tree Recycling Program this holiday season. Residents can drop off natural Christmas trees from Friday through Jan. 18, at any of the county’s nine parks. Drop-off is available daily from 8 a.m. until dusk. All lights, decorations, tinsel and stands...
Search continues for missing Avonmore man
On the fourth day of searching, emergency officials continue to search for the body of Cory Dominic Cook. Darrick Gerano, executive director of Murrysville Medic One, said Tuesday morning that the search is ongoing. Manor Township police had reported Monday evening that Cook had been found. Crews are searching for...
Steelers’ DK Metcalf suspended 2 games by NFLVideo
The NFL announced a two-game suspension for DK Metcalf on Monday evening, almost exactly 24 hours after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ top wide receiver was involved in an altercation with a fan during a game at Detroit’s Ford Field. Metcalf was suspended by the league “for conduct detrimental to the NFL...
Powerball jackpot soars to $1.7 billion after another night with no big winner
The Powerball jackpot has jumped to an eye-popping $1.7 billion, after the 46th drawing passed without a big winner. The numbers drawn Monday night were 3, 18, 36, 41, 54 and the Powerball 7. Since Sept. 6, there have been 46 straight drawings without a big winner. The next drawing...
Tax trifecta: Pittsburgh property owners take it on the chin
For Pittsburgh property owners, there’s no escaping a triple tax whammy. The city and school district are raising property taxes in 2026, piling on the pain of a 36% hike by Allegheny County that took effect this year. With the three tax increases, a Pittsburgh resident with a property assessed...
Hempfield Township doubles property taxes; supervisors approve pay increase
Hempfield supervisors on Monday gave final approval to double property taxes in 2026. The property tax millage rate will go from 3 to 6 mills to create a 3-mill fire tax to fund the fire department. It’s the first time property taxes have increased in Hempfield in more than three...
Hempfield Area joins Chartiers Valley in piloting AI weapon detector created with Carnegie Mellon research
Hempfield Area will join a group of 15 school districts nationwide expected to pilot an AI-driven weapon detection system designed with the help of a Carnegie Mellon University scientist. CurvePoint, based in Pittsburgh’s North Shore, was launched about a year ago by CEO Skip Smith and Chief Scientist Dong Huang,...
Body of missing Avonmore man found after multiday search, EMS official explains the difficult recovery process
Authorities confirmed Tuesday that the body of 31-year-old Cory Dominic Cook has been recovered, ending a multiday search along the Allegheny River near Manor Township in Armstrong County. Cook’s body was pulled from the Allegheny River around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to a press release by Armstrong County Coroner Brian...
U.S. regulators approve Wegovy pill for weight loss
U.S. regulators on Monday gave the green light to a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval handed drugmaker Novo Nordisk an edge over rival Eli Lilly in the race to market an obesity...
Kiski School sued for racial discrimination alleged by Black ex-employees
A Black couple who spent more than two decades working at The Kiski School have sued the 137-year-old private school and its headmaster, claiming racial discrimination. The civil rights lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Pittsburgh, alleges “racial discrimination and retaliation for opposing racial discrimination,” as well as violations...
After another death, advocates say ‘dangerous’ ICE facility in central Pa. must close
Advocates renewed calls to close the Moshannon Valley Processing Center during a press conference Monday after a man died at the privately-owned immigration detention facility near Philipsburg last week. Fouad Saeed Abdulkadir, 46, from the African country of Eritrea, died Dec. 14 in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. His...
