Top Local and National News Stories
Oakmont Council to vote on non-cooperation resolution with ICE
Tensions were high during Oakmont’s Tuesday council meeting. Not because there’s a disagreement within the borough, but because of the anger expressed by Oakmont residents after one of their neighbors was detained Thursday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Jose Flores, 47, was taken by ICE agents that morning after...
Salvadoran family in Brentwood seeks answers as father languishes in ICE custody
Maklim Gomez Escalante texted his wife at 12:50 p.m. Jan. 20, letting her know he had arrived at the Magisterial District Court in Baldwin to testify as scheduled at 1 p.m. The text was followed by one more: “ICE agents are here.” She didn’t hear from him again that day....
Naked, knife-wielding man charged with assault at optician’s office in North Belle Vernon
A North Belle Vernon man is behind bars after, police say, he took two knives into an optician’s office Monday, knocked over several display cases and stabbed a couch and the walls, according to court papers. Borough police said Darnell Wesley Howell Sr., 54, was not wearing any clothes at...
Judge approves Millvale’s emergency request to borrow $1.9M
A judge on Feb. 3 approved Millvale’s emergency request to borrow $1.9 million so the borough can pay off its overdue debts as it works to right its financial ship. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay Jr. said he would draft his order granting Millvale’s petition after hearing...
Fetterman calls on Senate to pass rail safety bill 3 years after toxic derailment near Ohio-Pa. line
On the third anniversary of an Ohio toxic train derailment just over the Pennsylvania line, Sen. John Fetterman is demanding that Congress act on a bipartisan railroad safety bill languishing in committee. “As I’ve said before, this derailment was a tragedy, and it’s something we could have prevented,” said Fetterman...
Defense Department warns Scouts to roll back DEI or lose support
The Department of Defense warned Scouting America, formerly the Boy Scouts of America, that it risks losing U.S. military support if it does not implement changes that align with the Trump administration. In a statement posted to social media late Monday, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Irving, Texas-based organization...
Jurors in Thomas Stanko trial can hear evidence that Cassandra Gross was declared dead in 2019
In a key ruling Tuesday, a Westmoreland County judge decided that jurors in the Thomas G. Stanko criminal homicide trial may hear limited evidence that his former girlfriend, Cassandra Gross, was legally declared dead in 2019. Following a hearing, Common Pleas Court Judge Michael Stewart II ruled details of the...
Work underway to make Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle shine under lights of NFL draft
Downtown Pittsburgh is undergoing a facelift before the 2026 NFL Draft shines a massive spotlight on the city in April. Efforts include modernizing Market Square, opening pop-up retail options, filling empty storefronts with art installations and fixing cracked sidewalks, Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership President Jeremy Waldrup said in a virtual quarterly...
Clintons finalize agreement to testify in House Epstein probe, bowing to threat of contempt vote
WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton finalized an agreement with House Republicans Tuesday to testify in a House investigation into Jeffrey Epstein this month, bowing to the threat of a contempt of Congress vote against them. Hillary Clinton will testify before the House...
Fire guts Springdale Township home
A Springdale Township home is likely a total loss after a fire early Tuesday morning, according to Allegheny Valley VFC Chief Jay Zangrille. Crews were dispatched to the scene along the 700 block of Maple Street just after 2 a.m. When they arrived, firefighters discovered a fully involved house fire...
U.S. shoots down Iranian drone that ‘aggressively’ approached an aircraft carrier, military says
WASHINGTON — U.S. Central Command says a U.S. Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. In an emailed statement Tuesday, U.S. Central Command said the drone “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier with “unclear intent” and it...
Shapiro proposes record $53.3B in spending for coming fiscal year
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday unveiled a proposed $53.3 billion budget for the coming fiscal year that would use nearly $4.6 billion, or more than half, of the state’s largest reserve fund to balance. Shapiro said in an address to a joint session of the state House and Senate that...
Renderings show how NFL Draft will take over Downtown Pittsburgh and North Shore
The NFL, VisitPittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday offered the first glimpse of the official 2026 NFL Draft site renderings. The images offer a preview of how the city’s largest tourism event will unfold, revealing a two-site draft campus stretching across Pittsburgh’s North Shore and Downtown for the April...
Greensburg, Southwest Greensburg to accept Hometown Hero banner applications
The Greensburg Community Development Corporation is accepting applications for its annual Hometown Hero banner program. The installation, launched in 2020, honors Greensburg and Southwest Greensburg residents who have left an impact on the community — including military veterans, first responders and local officials. Nearly 70 people were honored in May...
Guilty plea appealed again in Jeannette football stadium shooting
A Jeannette man serving a 25-year prison sentence for the shooting death of a romantic rival has appealed his conviction. The incident occurred outside of Jeannette’s high school football stadium in 2019. Greg A. Harper, 46, unsuccessfully attempted last year to withdraw a guilty plea to third-degree murder. He entered...
Trump signs bill to end partial government shutdown, setting stage for next fight
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a roughly $1.2 trillion government funding bill Tuesday that ends the partial federal shutdown that began over the weekend and sets the stage for an intense debate in Congress over Homeland Security funding. The president moved quickly to sign the bill after the House...
NASA delays astronauts’ lunar trip until March after hydrogen leaks mar fueling testVideo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is off until at least March because of hydrogen fuel leaks that marred the dress rehearsal of its giant new rocket. It’s the same problem that delayed the Space Launch System rocket’s debut three years ago. That first test flight was...
Morning Roundup: 2 flown from high-rise fire in Washington County; North Versailles businesses reportedly damaged by gunfire
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Feb. 3: 2 flown from Washington County fire Two people were transported by medical helicopter following a fire Monday evening at a high-rise apartment in Washington County, according to county 911 officials. More than half-dozen fire crews were...
Western Pa. casinos report mixed results despite 5th year of statewide gambling revenue growth
For the fifth consecutive year, gambling revenue statewide reached a record high in 2025, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Gambling revenue hit nearly $6.8 billion last year, the board said, which is a 10.7% increase from 2024 and more than double the state’s 2016 figure of $3.2 billion....
Years after Cassandra Gross disappeared, her mother says the unanswered questions never go awayVideo
Tucked away at Kathe Gross’ house is a turquoise plastic tote filled with the memories of heartbreak. There are note cards and scraps of paper bearing names and phone numbers, handwritten notes Gross compiled on anything she could find as phone calls and information poured in after the 2018 disappearance...
Oakmont ICE arrest spurs new policy on cooperation with law enforcement at Riverview School District
The Riverview School Board has found itself front and center in the nation’s debate over immigrant deportations. The board’s agenda meeting Monday served in part as a place for residents to express frustration following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrest in Oakmont on Thursday. Jose Flores, 47, was detained by...
Clintons agree to testify in House Epstein investigation ahead of contempt of Congress vote
WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed late Monday to testify in a House investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, but the Republican leading the probe said an agreement had not yet been finalized. Rep. James Comer, the chair of the House...
Trump says Republicans should federalize state voting rules
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called on Republicans to seize control of election processes from individual states, signaling that he may push for drastic measures to change the dynamics of the midterm elections. “Amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it,” Trump said in an interview Monday with former FBI...
Gov. Shapiro wants to ban cellphones from Pennsylvania schools
Gov. Josh Shapiro is backing a proposal to ban cellphones from Pennsylvania classrooms, joining a growing chorus of parents, teachers, and officials seeking to curb school disruptions and detach kids from addictive devices. “It’s time for us to get distractions out of the classroom and create a healthier environment in...
Every Homeland Security officer in Minneapolis now being issued a body-worn camera, Kristi Noem says
WASHINGTON — Every Homeland Security officer on the ground in Minneapolis, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be immediately issued body-worn cameras, Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday, in the latest fallout after the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal agents. Noem said the...
