Top Stories category, Page 134
Point Park University partners with hotel to house 90 freshmen off campus
Point Park University has signed a contract with Wyndham Grand hotel in Downtown that will place up to 90 freshmen in off-campus housing at the start of the upcoming semester. “The location of the Wyndham is really advantageous for us, as it’s only a 5- to 6-minute walk to campus,”...
Trump announces George Strait, Sylvester Stallone, Kiss for Kennedy Center Honors; says he’ll host the awards show
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday named country music star George Strait, “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor, the rock band Kiss and actor-singer Michael Crawford among the first batch of Kennedy Center Honors nominees under his leadership as the center’s chairman and said he’ll host the awards...
Blue swirl in sky spurs sighting reports across Western Pa. and beyondVideo
National Weather Service staff at its Moon office got a few odd calls Tuesday night about a strange-looking blue swirl moving across the sky. “We had a couple of calls on the overnight shift,” said NWS Meteorologist Andrew Kienzle. The swirl was created by a SpaceX rocket launch, experts said....
French president says Trump wants to achieve ceasefire at Alaska summit; Zelenskyy says Putin ‘is bluffing’
BERLIN — President Donald Trump was “very clear” in a virtual meeting Wednesday with European leaders that the U.S. wants to achieve a ceasefire at the upcoming U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska, French President Emmanuel Macron said. In the same meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, he told the group that...
Editorial: Is it finally time for legal marijuana in Pennsylvania?
President Donald Trump is mulling a move on marijuana. The president said Monday his administration was considering rescheduling the substance, moving it from Schedule I to a Schedule III. Scheduled drugs are medications or other substances classified based on their impacts. Marijuana is a Schedule I drug, meaning it has...
Proposed laws, school policies target cellphone use in schools
Tony Aquilio is all in favor of using technology as an educational tool. But even Aquilio, Penn-Trafford High School’s principal, admits access to personal cellphones can be bad for learning while in school. This year, Penn-Trafford School District heads into the academic year with a new cellphone policy in place,...
Hold your horses: Danish zoo seeks domestic animals as fodder, but U.S. zoos eschew practice
The way lions, tigers, bears and eagles hunt, kill and ultimately eat their prey can be a grisly, brutal business that some humans prefer not to think about. When these animals are kept captive in zoos and animal parks, they aren’t exactly spoon-fed meals. In Denmark, people can donate their...
Penn State ramps up lobbying, but it’s difficult to tell who or what it’s trying to influence
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a daily newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
Woman’s body recovered from Monongahela River near Pittsburgh’s South Side Marina
First responders recovered the body of a woman from the Monongahela River on Tuesday evening near Pittsburgh’s South Side Marina. According to a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety, city police, firefighters, medics and River Rescue crews were dispatched to the 2600 block of South Water Street at about 6:30 p.m....
Man taken to hospital following vehicle, e-bike crash in Arnold
A man was taken to a hospital after he was riding his e-bike and was hit by a Jeep in Arnold on Tuesday night, police said. At around 9 p.m., first responders from Arnold and New Kensington responded to the intersection of Constitution Boulevard and Drey Street in Arnold, near...
GOP-controlled Pa. Senate advances budget, transit plans
The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate advanced proposals Tuesday to end the state’s budget impasse and address funding problems at transit agencies for the next two years. Both proposals passed along party lines, with all of the chamber’s 27 Republicans voting in favor and the 22 Democrats present opposing. For the measures...
Clairton Coke Works employees stay focused despite deadly blast
Richard Tikey stood by anxiously until every last one of his colleagues was accounted for after a deadly blast Monday morning at the Clairton Coke Works. He felt it was his duty as vice president of the plant’s union local to stay on scene, assist emergency responders and field concerns...
White House orders review of exhibits at Smithsonian museums ahead of nation’s 250th birthday
WASHINGTON — The White House is ordering a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions ahead of the country’s 250th birthday with a goal of aligning the institution’s content with President Donald Trump’s interpretation of American history. In a letter sent Tuesday to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch III,...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee tours creek near Yukon hazardous waste landfill at request of concerned residents
It’s hard not to notice the bright yellow signs in nearly every yard while driving down Milbell Road in Yukon, South Huntingdon. “SAY NO TO MAX. NO HAZARDOUS WASTE LANDFILL EXPANSION,” they read. Past the Dzubak residence at the end of the rural road, long after pavement switches to gravel,...
National debt reaches record $37 trillion, the Treasury Department reports
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government’s gross national debt has surpassed $37 trillion, a record number that highlights the accelerating debt on America’s balance sheet and increased cost pressures on taxpayers. The $37 trillion update is found in the latest Treasury Department report issued Tuesday which logs the nation’s daily finances....
U.S. Steel: No indications of safety concerns prior to Clairton blastVideo
A U.S. Steel executive said Tuesday there were no indications of safety concerns leading up to the explosion a day earlier at the company’s Clairton Coke Works that killed two workers and injured 10 people. “It was a normal course of business yesterday,” said Scott Buckiso, senior vice president and...
Charges pending in Harrison crash that killed 11-year-old girl
Roxanne Bonnoni’s family might finally get closure. Authorities are poised to file charges nearly a year after the 11-year-old was struck and killed near her home in the Natrona section of Harrison. “Before charging decisions were made, it was important that the District Attorney had the opportunity to meet with...
Pittsburgh’s Terrible Trolley makes a comeback after restoration
When Kimberly Sever was 9 years old, she came up with an idea for how the city could honor her beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. Following her grandmother’s advice, she wrote a letter to then–Pittsburgh Mayor Richard Caliguiri. “I had this idea that maybe the city could have a trolley painted black...
Trump’s takeover of Washington law enforcement begins as National Guard troops arrive
WASHINGTON — The new picture of law enforcement in the nation’s capital began taking shape Tuesday as some of the 800 National Guard members deployed by the Trump administration began arriving. The city’s police and federal officials, projecting cooperation, took the first steps in an uneasy partnership to reduce crime...
ShotSpotter hastens police response but has little impact on arrests, audit finds
The ShotSpotter gunshot detection system has helped Pittsburgh police respond to shootings more quickly but has not led to a surge in arrests or any significant decrease in gun-related incidents, according to a report this week from the city’s controller. Pittsburgh first launched a ShotSpotter pilot program in a 3-square-mile...
Decisive vote expected from Buffalo Township supervisors on proposed solar farms
After a summerlong controversy surrounding two proposed solar farms, Buffalo Township supervisors are expected to cast a final vote to approve or reject the projects at their meeting Wednesday night. A vote already has been delayed twice. The first holdup happened in June after a group of residents opposed to...
Judge rules Seton LaSalle student can play in football scrimmage while awaiting court action
Quarterback Anthony Smith can be on the field for Seton LaSalle at a football scrimmage this weekend, a judge ruled Tuesday. But his ability to play the rest of his sophomore season is up in the air. He remains ineligible when the season starts in two weeks after the PIAA...
Despite dangers, South Huntingdon man who died at Clairton Coke Works loved his job
Tim Quinn joined generations of Southwestern Pennsylvanians 17 years ago seeking a good-paying job with benefits at a local steel mill. A few years after the South Huntingdon man graduated from Yough Senior High School, Quinn followed his father, Tom, into U.S. Steel Corp.’s Clairton Works, the nation’s largest coke-producing...
1 person flown to hospital after 3-vehicle crash involving dump truck in Washington Township
One person was airlifted to a hospital by medical helicopter after a three-vehicle crash Tuesday morning in Washington Township. The wreck, around 10:30 a.m. near Meyer’s Schreck RV along Route 66, involved a Jeep SUV, a pickup truck and a dump truck, according to Washington Township police Sgt. Dakota Drew....
Iron City Car Cruise returns for 2nd year; brewery vows traffic jams won’t recur
The Pittsburgh Brewing Co. this month hopes to repeat the massive turnout it had for last year’s inaugural Iron City Car Cruise — without the massive traffic jam that came with it. After experiencing traffic snarls during last year’s car cruise, the brewery has been working to make adjustments for...
