Top Stories category, Page 23
U.S. plans to ‘run’ Venezuela and tap its oil reserves, Trump says, after operation to oust Maduro
CARACAS, Venezuela — Hours after an audacious military operation that plucked leader Nicolás Maduro from power and removed him from the country, President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil reserves to sell to other nations. The dramatic...
Ligonier Township native winds up 45 years of trimming hair in BlairsvilleVideo
Butch Rabic still gives his customers a trim in the same early 20th-century chair he inherited from his predecessor when he took over a Blairsville barber shop in 1980. Though he doesn’t ring up bills on it, he also uses a vintage cash register that can key in a top...
Cremation overtakes burial as people rethink death, cost and tradition
A generation ago, burial was the default and cremation the exception. Today, the roles are rapidly reversing. By 2035, 80% of Americans will opt for cremation over burial, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. That’s a stunning figure, considering that just 55 years ago, only 5% of people chose...
A less-deadly year: In 2025, Pittsburgh notched fewest killings in decades, mirroring national trend
The gunfire didn’t stop in 2025, but it quieted, more than it has in years. Pittsburgh recorded 35 homicides last year, the fewest since at least the turn of the century, part of a broader regional and national downturn in violent crime. From New York City and Los Angeles to...
Fix unclear for smashed Allegheny Township traffic light
It could be summer by the time the traffic light at the Route 356 and 56 split in Allegheny Township is replaced, officials said. A wreck at the intersection Dec. 20 took down the traffic light, and since then, stop signs have been put up in its place. Allegheny Township...
Another turnpike toll hike takes effect. Here’s why and what it will cost you
John Brady can’t figure out why the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission keeps raising tolls. “It’s just hard to justify the hike every single year. You would think they would do it every other year,” said Brady, of Hampton, who travels with his wife, Deb, from the Butler Valley exit to the...
Zohran Mamdani’s first full day as NYC mayor: subway rides, new offices and backlash from Israel
NEW YORK — Less than 24 hours after throngs of ecstatic supporters poured into Manhattan for his history-making inauguration, Zohran Mamdani began his first full day of work with a routine familiar to many New Yorkers: trudging to the subway from a cramped apartment. Bundled against the frigid temperature and...
Liberty Avenue lane closures in Pittsburgh’s Strip District to start Monday
A portion of Liberty Avenue in the Strip District will close starting Monday as Pittsburgh Water replaces a water valve under the road. Three of four lanes of the street will be closed from 2525 to 2625 Liberty Ave., including both outbound lanes and one inbound lane. A detour will...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit closes Oakland bus lane after 45 years
After nearly a half-century in operation, buses will no longer look like they’re going in the wrong direction on Fifth Avenue in Oakland starting next week. On Sunday, Pittsburgh Regional Transit will close the outbound bus lane on Fifth Avenue — which has been flowing against traffic in the heart...
2 guards injured in attack at Westmoreland jail
Two guards at the Westmoreland County Prison were hurt after authorities said they were attacked by a man being booked into the facility on terroristic threats charges filed by Greensburg police, according to court papers. Javaun M.A. Miller, 26, of Greensburg was arrested Sunday after witnesses at an East Pittsburgh...
Police: Bradenville man shot, killed as he ate New Year’s Eve dinner at Hempfield home
It appeared to be a first date — James Thomas picked up Chinese food on New Year’s Eve and took it to a Hempfield home where he planned to hang out with the woman living there. State police said Thomas, 47, was eating his meal when Robert D. Naugle Jr.,...
How to maximize PTO in 2026
Workers in Western Pennsylvania scheduling days off for 2026 might get some help from the calendar. Most federal holidays this year fall either on or close to a weekend, allowing for more maximization of paid time off than usual. Days off can be tacked onto federal holidays and weekends to...
Suspected deadly mountain lion attack in Colorado is not the first such harrowing encounter
A solo hiker who authorities believe was killed by a mountain lion on a remote Colorado trail on New Year’s Day was not the first person to encounter a big cat in the area in recent weeks. Gary Messina said he was running along the same trail on a dark...
Taxes, rent, ballots: What the new rule on postmarks means for your mail
People relying on the U.S. Postal Service to mail time-sensitive documents may need to take additional steps to make sure postmarks aren’t late if they’re cutting it close to key deadlines. A new federal rule that took effect last week clarifies the postmark — the stamp that provides proof the...
What to know about the Swiss Alpine bar fire that killed 40
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Swiss investigators believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles started a fire in a bar at an Alpine ski resort that left 40 people dead and another 119 injured during a New Year’s celebration. Most injuries, many of them serious, occurred when the blaze swept through the crowded...
Pittsburgh’s Grant Street closed for tree removal
Part of Grant Street in Downtown Pittsburgh will be closed until Friday afternoon as the city removes its Christmas tree and wreaths from the City-County Building, according to the mayor’s office. Grant will be closed between its intersections with Third and Fifth avenues until 2 p.m., the mayor’s office said...
Police charge woman after Facebook feud triggers stabbing in Shaler
A Shaler woman accused of stabbing another woman Thursday afternoon has been charged, according to Allegheny County Police. Shannon M. Jennings, 38, is charged with aggravated and simple assault, reckless endangerment of another person and harassment, according to court records. Police were dispatched to the 200 block of Hugel Drive...
O’Connor to be sworn in as Pittsburgh’s 62nd mayor in ceremony at Carnegie Music Hall
Corey O’Connor will be sworn in as Pittsburgh’s 62nd mayor Monday afternoon in a ceremony at Carnegie Music Hall in the city’s Oakland neighborhood. O’Connor, who previously served on Pittsburgh City Council for a decade before becoming Allegheny County controller, defeated outgoing Mayor Ed Gainey in the Democratic primary. He...
1850 Victorian home boasts original turret in historic Saltsburg
The next homeowner of an authentic Saltsburg Victorian residence built in 1850 will have something most homes don’t — an original turret. A three-story brick home requiring some TLC is a new listing by Howard Hanna Mt. Lebanon Realtor Santino Merante for $175,000. “This home needs some love, but the...
Faces of the Valley: 6-year-old BMX racer from Tarentum climbs to No. 1 national ranking
Not long after she began to walk, Elliana Zimmerman learned to pedal. The Tarentum youngster, now 6, went from a Fred Flinstone-style balance bike to pedaling — quickly — around a bumpy BMX track, according to her mother, Alexis. “When she was little, it made me nervous,” Alexis said. “She...
Irwin family welcomes first New Year’s baby born at Allegheny Health Network
Rachel Solis was due to deliver a baby Jan. 5. She had experienced a few labor pains of late and had the family car packed and ready to go, just in case. Her family visited relatives for a New Year’s Eve dinner, but Rachel never finished her meal. Halfway through...
Temps in the teens? No problem for Connellsville Polar Bear Plunge participantsVideo
Everyone has their own strategy for the Connellsville Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day. For Dale Kooser and Geoffrey Bittner, it’s get in and get out. “My rule, though, is it doesn’t count if you don’t dunk your head. You’ve got to go underwater,” Bittner said, decked out head-to-toe in...
Hempfield man charged with fatal shooting on New Year’s Eve
A Hempfield man is charged with criminal homicide after police said he shot and killed a man late Wednesday night. Shortly before 8:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Westmoreland 911 officials received a call from a man identifying himself as Robert D. Naugle Jr., 30, of Hempfield. Naugle told emergency...
Polar plunge draws the brave to Mon Wharf for New Year’s Day jump into Monongahela River
Brave participants jumped into the Monongahela River along the Mon Wharf in Pittsburgh Thursday morning at the annual Pittsburgh Polar Bear Plunge. Proceeds from T-shirt and other sales at the event benefited WTAE’s Project Bundle-Up....
Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes
NEW YORK — Enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight, cementing higher health costs for millions of Americans at the start of the new year. Democrats forced a 43-day government shutdown over the issue....
