Top Stories category, Page 11
Craft distilleries make industry, community connections
Throughout the 1700s and 1800s, Western Pennsylvania was the epicenter of American whiskey production. Before the Prohibition era, Pennsylvania cornered the market in rye whiskey. It wasn’t until 2011 that a distillery returned to the state. Matt Strickland, the master distiller for Iron City Distilling, wants to honor that history....
‘Read the room’: Western Pennsylvanians weigh in on cellphone etiquette
Pastor James Arter of First Evangelical Lutheran Church and Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in Leechburg vividly recalls the moment he experienced a cellphone etiquette faux pas during a funeral viewing. Arter witnessed a female snapping selfies with her phone over an open casket that contained the deceased. “I had...
Shapiro, Garrity set stage for Pa.’s high-stakes race for governor
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro didn’t mention his likely Republican opponent by name once last week when he launched his reelection campaign with a 26-minute speech in Pittsburgh. President Donald Trump’s name didn’t come up either. Shapiro’s likely opponent in the race for governor, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, took a different...
Progressive Pa. group targeting Fetterman launches website to get contributions refunded
A progressive Pennsylvania group that has already pledged to back a primary opponent against Sen. John Fetterman in 2028 has unveiled a website that will help unhappy donors get refunds for their contributions to him. The Pennsylvania Working Families Party on Friday said PrimaryFetterman.com will be the hub for its...
Judge rules feds in Minneapolis immigration operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal officers in the Minneapolis-area participating in its largest recent U.S. immigration enforcement operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities, including when these people are observing the agents, a judge in Minnesota ruled Friday. U.S. District Judge Kate Menendez ruled in a case...
Fire leaves Hempfield house with significant damage
A man was taken to a hospital Friday afternoon suffering from smoke inhalation caused by a fire in his house along Mt. Pleasant Road in Hempfield, a township fire official said. Hempfield Deputy Fire Chief Ben Rudd said he did not know the identity of the affllicted man, who was...
Police say Harmar man shot and burned down his own home, fired guns at nearby houses
A Harmar man fired gunshots at his and neighbor’s homes before torching his residence early Friday morning, according to police. David John Benec, 65, of Harmar is charged with arson, discharging a firearm into a structure and recklessly endangering another person. Around 4 a.m. Friday, police arrived at the scene...
Staffing is top priority as UPMC Magee-Womens nurses head into 1st contract talks
The newly formed nurses unions at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital will get to flex their power at the bargaining table for the first time Wednesday. Their priorities for their inaugural contracts include stronger health insurance, longer paid parental leave and better pay for experienced staff. But their top ask is improved...
Frankie’s Friends in New Kensington helps rescue 40 cats from hoarding situation
Frankie’s Friends nonprofit veterinary clinic in New Kensington is seeking help from the public after saving a hoard of 40 cats from a Westmoreland rescue shelter. Officials declined to name the rescue organization because no charges have been filed against it. The investigation continues. “The cats are sick, skinny —...
Special tax diversion proposed to help revitalize Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority officials are eyeing a tax diversion as the next step in ongoing efforts to revitalize Downtown in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. The authority’s board on Thursday voted to start the process of implementing a Transit Revitalization Investment District, known as a TRID. The diversion...
Judge delays ruling on Millvale’s $2M emergency loan request
A judge Friday delayed his ruling on Millvale’s emergency request to take out a $2 million loan to fend off a potential budget crisis. Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge John T. McVay, Jr. said he needs the consultant guiding debt restructuring for the municipality of 3,300 residents to testify before...
Will Mupeta disliked police but now wants to join the force — a high school program changed his mind
Will Mupeta didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. Then he attended a career fair the city of Pittsburgh hosted Downtown. He learned about public safety jobs and wondered whether a career as a firefighter or EMT might be in his future. That encouraged him to sign...
District attorney rules police shooting of Derry Township man as justified
The use of deadly force by police in fatally shooting a Derry Township man in November was ruled justified by Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli. State and Latrobe police faced an immediate threat of serious bodily injury or death when they responded to a domestic disturbance and were met...
Shapiro backs plan with Trump admin to slow rising electricity prices amid data center surge
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s partnership with NOTUS, a nonpartisan news organization that covers government and politics with the fresh eyes of early career journalists and the expertise of veteran reporters. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore — both possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidates...
Video cameras to record unique presentation on history of the U.S. at Palace Theatre
The story of the birth of the United States will collide with Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra musicians in a unique performance that will include video cameras stationed around Greensburg’s Palace Theatre. Saturday will be a night of firsts: the first time “The Unlikely Union: A Storytelling Symphony of America” will have...
Trump takes the unusual step of thanking Iran for canceling executions of political prisoners
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took the unusual step on Friday of thanking the Iranian government for not following through on executions of what he said was meant to be hundreds of political prisoners. “Iran canceled the hanging of over 800 people,” Trump told reporters while leaving the White House...
Pittsburgh International Airport adds nonstop flight to Los Angeles on United
United Airlines announced Friday it’s reintroducing daily nonstop service between Pittsburgh International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, with flights starting March 29. United — which last flew a direct connection between the airports in 2014 — will become the third airline offering this route. Breeze Airways has done so...
Attackers kidnap, pistol-whip podcaster in Wilkinsburg
A woman who was restrained, blindfolded, pistol-whipped and held for ransom managed to escape her kidnappers at the BP gas station on Ardmore Boulevard in Wilkinsburg on Thursday night, according to police. An arrest warrant for one of two suspects — 19-year-old Dontae Stevens, of Wilkinsburg, identified by the victim...
O’Connor ramps up Clean and Lien program attacking blight in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor on a frigid Friday morning stepped over scraps of multicolored wrappers and chunks of concrete in a blighted lot on Dove Way in Knoxville. Behind him sat a city dump truck packed full of trash that crews had cleaned from the property that morning: heaps of...
Mark Madden: Getting the right quarterback will be paramount for Steelers’ next coach
As the Pittsburgh Steelers begin the process of hiring a new coach, the profile of most candidates seems similar: another team’s defensive coordinator, in his late 30s to mid-40s, no prior NFL head coaching experience. There are exceptions, but here’s betting the job goes to a younger version of Mike...
Pa. gets $193M from federal rural health fund amid warnings it won’t offset Medicaid cuts
Pennsylvania has big plans for its $193 million award from a federal rural health fund, including investments in telehealth, recruiting health care workers and supporting ambulance services. But the nine-figure infusion from the Rural Health Transformation Program, announced last month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is overshadowed...
Pitt, IUP launch initiatives to transform campus culture through dialogue
For the most part, students weren’t afraid to have difficult conversations on controversial topics when Gwen Torges started teaching at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1997. That’s no longer the case. “There has always been, and will always be, people who say ‘that’s not me,’ but there were always...
TV Talk: ‘CBS Evening News’ to broadcast from Pittsburgh
This evening, Pittsburgh will be the backdrop for what’s become perhaps the most controversial network newscast in America, as CBS brings its retooled “Evening News” to KDKA-TV. The broadcast, airing at 7 p.m., is part of a market-by-market tour for newly installed anchor Tony Dokoupil and editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, a...
‘Age in place’ living boasts home elevators, river views in OakmontVideo
The elevator entrance inside the garage of a newly built brownstone is the first clue that the residence at Overlook Brownstones has designed modern living solutions for aging-in-place along the Allegheny River in Oakmont. The state-of-the-art elevator travels from the garage to all four floors of the brick brownstone at...
Canada agrees to cut tariff on Chinese EVs in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products
BEIJING — Breaking with the United States, Canada has agreed to cut its 100% tariff on Chinese electric cars in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday. Carney made the announcement after two days of meetings with Chinese leaders. He said there would...
