Top Local and National News Stories
Planned fight between young people escalates to shooting that kills 2 at North Carolina park
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A planned fight among young people escalated into a mass shooting at a North Carolina park Monday morning that left two people dead, authorities said. The shooting happened around 10 a.m. at Leinbach Park, which is near Jefferson Middle School, Winston-Salem police said in a social media...
Chance of severe weather during NFL Draft is ‘quite low,’ meteorologist saysVideo
Weather conditions over the past couple of days have seemed more reminiscent of late in the football season than late April, with low temperatures plunging into the 30s. But highs are expected to climb back into the 70s in time for this week’s NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, potentially reaching the...
Pittsburgh City Council approves new, costlier version of 2026 budgetVideo
A slate of budget amendments pitched by Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor’s administration on Monday earned council’s unanimous approval. The newest iteration of the budget anticipates the city spending over $721.5 million in operating expenses this year and aims to remedy what O’Connor saw as glaring issues in earlier versions of...
West Deer fracking well raises concerns about noise, air quality in Bairdford
Vicki Austin says her West Deer neighborhood can get pretty loud. Austin’s home is about 850 feet from EQT’s Leto fracking well, near the heart of the West Deer community of Bairdford. EQT took over the well from Olympus Energy LLC last year. “It’s like living in an industrial site,”...
Going responsibly at the NFL Draft: Porta-potty etiquette 101
As fans flood Downtown Pittsburgh and the North Shore during the NFL Draft, there’s one thing that hopefully won’t be flooding: all of the portable toilets. From trash to smell to even potential physical altercations, there are plenty of pitfalls to porta-potties. Having somewhere to go on the go is...
Greensburg to unveil 1st comprehensive zoning update in decades at public open house
The first comprehensive update to Greensburg’s zoning in decades is nearing completion. A public open house is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall to share information about the proposal before planners send it to council for approval. The goal of the update was to make the map easier...
How did Pittsburgh come to have 90 unique neighborhoods?Video
When out-of-town football fans come to Pittsburgh for the 2026 NFL Draft this week, they’ll find a patchwork of 90 unique neighborhoods, each with its own history, character and atmosphere. The draft itself will be held in the North Shore, a riverfront area best known for the stadiums where the...
Clip of young Pirates fan giving baseball to girl warms hearts on social media
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jake Mangum on Sunday tossed a baseball to a young fan in the stands — but it’s what the boy did next that is warming hearts on social media. The boy, donning a Pirates hat and a baseball glove, immediately hands the ball off to a young...
Powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes off Japan, tsunami alert issued
TOKYO — A powerful earthquake struck off the northern Japanese coast, and the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami alert in the region, sending residents to rush over to safer grounds. So far, no major injuries or damages have been reported. The quake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 occurred...
Trump offers mixed messages about path ahead for U.S. war against Iran
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump offered mixed messages on Monday about the path ahead for the U.S. war against Iran, declaring that he was in no rush to end the conflict while also expressing confidence that further negotiations with Tehran will soon take place in Pakistan. With the 14-day ceasefire...
3 taken to hospital following incident in Penn Hills
Three people were transported to the hospital from a Penn Hills home early Monday morning, an Allegheny County 911 dispatcher said. Police and EMS were dispatched to the 700 block of Jefferson Road around 2:42 a.m., she said. Police were still on the scene around 5:30 a.m., according to the...
Ligonier Country Market vendors face uncertain season after zoning, lease setbacksVideo
Lori Lentz of North Huntingdon sells pure homemade baking extracts from her Irwin store, Vnlla Cncpt. But she really benefits from the booth she has operated in the spring, summer and fall at the Ligonier Country Market. Yet the popular market — where vendors sell produce, flowers, beef, poultry, eggs...
Primanti’s for beginners: Do’s, don’ts, tips and tricks for eating Pittsburgh’s legendary sandwichVideo
The region’s restaurants have been busy preparing for a massive influx of guests. Frequently topping visitors’ “must-try” lists is Primanti Bros., maker of the so-called “Pittsburgh sandwich” that has become synonymous with the city itself. As locals well know, the iconic sandwich, served on thick-cut Italian bread, features grilled meat,...
From ‘Steel City’ to ‘eds and meds’: As Pittsburgh welcomes NFL Draft, it isn’t so easily defined anymoreVideo
When a Pittsburgh sports team appears on national television, it’s a sure bet that one of the commentators will refer to the team’s hometown as “the Steel City” in one way or another. But even as the Steel Curtain defense was helping propel the Steelers to the first of four...
Freeze watch, frost advisory issued for Western Pa.
Get your winter coats back out, Western Pennsylvania. A freeze watch and frost advisory were issued by the National Weather Service in Moon — starting Monday. The frost advisory will be effect from 2 to 10 a.m. Monday, and the freeze watch will be in effect from Monday evening through...
Shapiro wants to eliminate 3 ‘niche’ tax credits; supporters say they should be expanded
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — For the second year in a row, Gov. Josh Shapiro is asking Pennsylvania lawmakers to scrap three...
Louisiana man kills 8 children and shoots his wife and another woman in Shreveport
SHREVEPORT, La. — A Louisiana man fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, in an attack on his family that stretched across two houses in a Shreveport, Louisiana, neighborhood left shaken by one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings in recent years, police said. The gunman’s wife, who...
Businesses can claim refunds for Trump tariffs ruled unconstitutional starting Monday
NEW YORK — A refund system for businesses that paid tariffs which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump imposed without the constitutional authority to do so is scheduled to launch Monday. Importers and their brokers will be able to begin claiming refunds through an online portal beginning at...
Canada’s prime minister says economic ties with U.S. are a weakness that must be corrected
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a video address released Sunday that Canada’s strong economic ties to the United States were once a strength but are now a weakness that must be corrected. In the 10-minute address, Carney spoke about his government’s efforts to strengthen...
Fears of looser standards as the FBI and Justice Department scramble to fill a depleted workforce
WASHINGTON — The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild a depleted workforce after a wave of departures over the past year, with leaders easing hiring requirements and accelerating recruitment in ways that some current and former officials see as a lowering of long-accepted standards. The FBI has used...
U.S. seizes Iranian-flagged ship near Strait of Hormuz and Tehran vows to respondVideo
WASHINGTON — The United States attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, and Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a fragile ceasefire into question days before it expires. It was the first...
3-alarm fire displaces 13 in Allentown
A residential structure fire early Sunday morning in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood left 13 people displaced from two homes. Pittsburgh Fire was dispatched just after 5 a.m. Sunday to the 1500 block of Arlington Avenue. What started as a 1-alarm fire “quickly grew to three alarms,” according to Pittsburgh Public Safety...
Editorial: Good start, Harrisburg. Now finish the budget
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is giving people reason to be optimistic. The lawmakers gave their approval Tuesday to the 2026-27 budget. The good news? This is the earliest a budget has moved this far in nine years. The bad news? This is not the finish line. Pennsylvania’s legislators —...
Tim Benz: Forget ‘Flip the Script.’ After Game 1 loss, the Penguins need a playoff rewriteVideo
The Penguins “Flip the Script” rallying cry for the playoffs is quickly taking on a different tone. Because after the team’s 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in the postseason opener Saturday night, that script is going to need a total rewrite. “We were just off in a lot of...
‘We need to regroup’: Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin preaches need for reset ahead of Game 2Video
Inside the Pittsburgh Penguins’ locker room late Saturday night, there was a lot of agreement in the postgame takeaways offered by players. After the Penguins dropped the opening contest of their first-round series to the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-2, at home, the consensus centered around improvements being required before Game 2...
