Top Local and National News Stories

Joel Bauman has been involved in college admissions for 30 years, and he can’t remember a more challenging time than what he faces today. “It has become more cynical,” said Bauman, senior vice president for enrollment management at Duquesne University, “but you can’t blame families, given the financial situation.” Colleges...

The Pittsburgh Steelers are back in primetime for their matchup in California. They will visit the San Diego Chargers on “Sunday Night Football.” Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. Sunday. The game will be broadcast on NBC, with Mike Tirico on play-by-play alongside analyst Cris Collinsworth and sideline reporter Melissa...

Keith Edmonds zapped an unarmed homeless man so many times with his Pittsburgh police-issued Taser that the city paid an $8 million court settlement after the man died. Aaron Fetty, another Pittsburgh police officer, was accused of sexually assaulting a co-worker while off duty. Philadelphia police Lt. Marc Hayes texted...

The Westmoreland County Food Bank this week received a $75,000 emergency grant to help feed hungry residents. The money from the Community Foundation of Westmoreland County is needed to assist the food bank as uncertainty over federal SNAP benefits funding continues amid the federal shutdown, according to Executive Director McCrae...

On a remote mountain in North Vietnam, 19-year-old Andy Nigut’s body lay limp. Terrified and going in and out of consciousness, he was struggling to breathe. The young Marine attempted to scream for help but quickly realized something sharp was lodged in his throat after his battalion was attacked Oct....

A 64-year-old man was found dead inside a home damaged by fire Saturday morning in Pittsburgh, according to police. The fire was reported around 5 a.m. on Parviss Street in Brighton Heights. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames billowing from the upper floors and roof of the house,...

For 12 hours on June 16, 2024, Nicole Virzi sat in an interrogation room at Pittsburgh police headquarters, repeatedly denying she hurt her best friend’s 6-week-old son who she’d been watching the night before. Over the course of the day, the Ph.D. student in clinical psychology consistently told detectives she...

The extensive use of cellphone towers to track the movements of a Hempfield man accused of bludgeoning to death an acquaintance and dumping his body in a remote area in Loyalhanna led to his arrest this week, state police said Friday. Tracking the movements of the suspect, Joseph C. Zvara,...

The residents of a four-unit townhouse building in Springdale were put out of their homes Saturday after an SUV crashed into the back of it, shearing a natural gas meter, authorities said. The woman driving the SUV was not seriously hurt, and no other injuries were reported, Springdale fire Chief...

The motorcycles of the VFW Riders rumbled at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and 10th Street in Pittsburgh, waiting to get the Pittsburgh Veterans Day Parade underway. With a wave of the hand from the parade marshal, they headed down Liberty Avenue on Saturday to a huge American flag suspended...

Many would say a man of 38 years would not have much in common with a man of 80. But through their service in the Marine Corps, Adam Elliott and James Walters are more alike than unalike. Each enlisted as teens. “The brotherhood that we have as Marines is far...

Five years ago, Ernesto Camacho Jr. wanted to open doors for other artists by running his own gallery. He succeeded. But Camacho and his partner, Brian DeFelices, ran out of space at The Manos Gallery in Tarentum, which has lead to them beginning the pursuit of new goals across the...

Coming off a resounding election win Tuesday night, Corey O’Connor tempered his victory speech with a dose of reality. “The road that we will travel is long and steeply uphill,” Pittsburgh’s mayor-elect warned a jubilant crowd of supporters. Come January, O’Connor acknowledged, he will take over a city facing serious...

After Justin Snodgrass pleaded guilty to DUI in 2021, he knew his driver’s license would be suspended for two years. For a year after that, he’d have to breathe into an alcohol-detection device to start his car. Snodgrass, 43, of White Oak, said he turned in his license as required...

Both drivers died who were involved in a crash Friday afternoon on Interstate 70 in Washington County. Both people, a man and a woman, were from West Virginia; they were traveling by themselves. Washington County Coroner Timothy Warco identified woman as Donna K. Havens, 59, of Wheeling. Warco said Havens...

Art students at St. Joseph High School in Harrison spent a recent class learning the techniques of charcoal drawing — again. They were scheduled to be learning to use paints, but with government funding largely cut off because of the state’s ongoing budget impasse, the school doesn’t have money to...

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump on Saturday floated a potential compromise amid the impasse over the U.S. government shutdown, urging Republicans to redirect federal money that currently goes to health insurance companies under the Affordable Care Act and give it to individuals. “I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the...

Tens of millions of Americans are spending the weekend anxious and hungry, as they await resolution of political and legal wrangling over federal food assistance. The Supreme Court late on Nov. 7 allowed the federal government to make only partial payments for now. The dispute ended up in the highest...

Khalil Taylor scored four touchdowns as No. 1 Pine-Richland earned a convincing 42-10 victory over No. 8 Shaler (4-8) in the WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinals Friday night. Taylor, a Division I recruit, scored on a 90-yard kickoff return, a 30-yard pass from Aaron Strader, a 9-yard interception return and an...

A group of live entertainment venue owners and promoters are urging Pittsburgh officials to help them stay afloat, pitching ideas like an exemption from the city’s 5% amusement tax. Adam Valen, director of marketing at local concert promoter Drusky Entertainment, said the live entertainment industry is struggling. He urged City...

Grocery giants Walmart, Target and Aldi are trumpeting their Thanksgiving meal deals as more affordable than ever. But those retailers are doing exactly what shoppers are doing, trading down to cheaper private-label alternatives or offering fewer items. Walmart’s meal this year features nine Great Value private-label brand items out of...

WASHINGTON -The U.S. Senate on Friday rejected legislation that would resume paychecks for hundreds of thousands of federal workers during the longest shutdown in U.S. history, as Democrats and Republicans remained at odds over how to reopen the government. The measure received 53 yes votes to 43 no votes in...

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to withhold for now about $4 billion needed to fully fund a food aid program for 42 million low-income Americans this month amid the federal government shutdown. The court’s order, known as an administrative stay, gives a...

Fire destroyed or extensively damaged three rooms at Budget Inn on East Byers Avenue in New Stanton on Friday afternoon. Multiple fire departments responded to the fire, which was reported at noon, according to the Westmoreland County Public Safety department. Several people were moving out of the motel Friday afternoon...

Before things really gear up for the holiday season, take advantage of this less-busy weekend with tons of happenings around the city. Try these out! Pet Expo Do you have a pet? Do you want a pet? Do you have family or friends with pets? This would be a great...