Top Stories category, Page 237
‘Our daughter has drowned’: Parents of missing Pitt student speak outVideo
The parents of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki said through tears Tuesday they believe she has drowned. “Both sides of the authorities have shown us how high the ocean waves were at the time of the incident, and both sides of the authorities have clarified the person of...
Roundup: Walnut Grill closes Waterworks location; winning lottery ticket sold in Fayette County
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, March 17: Walnut Grill’s Waterworks location closed After 16 years of business, Walnut Grill’s location at The Waterworks near Aspinwall has closed its doors. Owners posted on social media thanking everyone who supported the business over the years....
Cancer survivors support those newly diagnosed through AHN’s Ambassador Program
Rachel Machen recalls getting a string of online mammogram reminders from her physician’s office and pushing them to the bottom of her to-do list. “I’m young, and I had no family history. I felt so healthy,” said Machen, 44, of Oakmont. “My diagnosis came as a 100% shock.” Machen spent...
Pine-Richland board gives itself final power over book selections at school library
After months of tumultuous debate, the Pine-Richland School Board voted 5-4 Monday night to pass a new library policy, amid outcry from community members who have labelled it a “book ban.” The policy places the final power to add or remove district library books in the hands of the school...
Man charged with arson for fire that damaged 2 Millvale homes
A man has been charged with arson and other offenses in connection with a fire in Millvale. Stephen Ebner, 41, no address given, is accused of damaging two homes along the 1100 block of Evergreen Ave. by fire in the early morning of March 6. Allegheny County Police and the...
Hempfield Area parents, students raise concerns about potential changes to high school gifted program, pool
As Hempfield Area administrators consider changes to the high school gifted education program and renovations to the district’s pool, parents and students laid out their concerns to the school board. Three parents and two middle school students spoke during a board meeting Monday night about changes being considered for the...
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill more than 400 Palestinians and shatter ceasefire with HamasVideo
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing at least 404 Palestinians, including women and children, according to hospital officials. The surprise bombardment shattered a ceasefire in place since January and threatened to fully reignite the 17-month-old war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered...
Trump administration guts board of U.S. Institute of Peace. Group says DOGE arrives
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration fired most of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace and sent its new leader into the Washington headquarters of the independent organization on Monday, in its latest effort targeting agencies tied to foreign assistance work. The remaining three members of the group’s board...
Man shot on Pittsburgh’s Brookline Boulevard
A man was shot Monday afternoon in the abdomen in Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood. Pittsburgh police found the victim, an adult who authorities did not name, suffering from gunshot wounds in the 800 block of Brookline Boulevard about 5 p.m. The man had been shot twice near Brookline Boulevard at Flatbush...
Man charged with using $190 bottle of tequila as deadly weapon heads to trial
A Beaver County man in January bought a $190 bottle of tequila at a Pittsburgh bar and smacked another man in the head with it, knocking him unconscious and fracturing his skull, police said. Now the accused and two other men involved in the sidewalk brawl are heading to trial...
PRT bus strikes girl, 11, in Hill District
A Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus on Monday afternoon struck an 11-year-old girl in the Hill District. The girl was taken to UPMC Childrens’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Her condition was stable, according to Adam Brandolph, a transit agency spokesperson. Details about her injuries are unknown. The bus, an 81 Oak Hill...
Acme residents describe scene as tornado tore through their community; twister traveled nearly 8 miles
Malinda Urbanic was sitting down to lunch Sunday with her family at home in Acme when they saw debris blowing around in a nearby field. “And I mean it was huge stuff,” she said. The windows on their enclosed front porch shattered. The utility poles in their front yard snapped....
Medical cannabis companies are spending big to have a say in Pa.’s legal weed future
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. HARRISBURG — Pro-cannabis interests spent at least $1.6 million lobbying the Pennsylvania legislature in 2024 as lawmakers weighed a legalization scheme that could see major...
Aspinwall police seek suspect accused of harassing homes that display Trump flags
Aspinwall police are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man they say is targeting homeowners that display banners and flags with President Donald Trump’s name. Aspinwall Chief David Nemec confirmed Monday that two separate incidents involving the same male suspect occurred in the fall and most recently on...
Grove City College names its 10th president
Bradley J. Lingo will serve as Grove City College’s next president following a unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees. In July 2025, Lingo will replace Paul J. McNulty, who served since 2014 as the school’s ninth president, following his retirement at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. “Brad...
‘It was horrifying’: Pitt student recalls porch collapse
As St. Patrick’s Day dawned Monday in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, there were remnants of the revelry gone awry that left more than a dozen University of Pittsburgh students hurt when a porch roof collapsed during a daytime party Friday. Students partied throughout the weekend following the collapse, although it left...
Lottery officials: $2.6M winning ticket, sold in Murrysville, remains unclaimed
Someone who visits the Murrysville Shop’n Save is holding a Pennsylvania Lottery ticket worth more than $2.6 million, and time is running out to claim the prize. Lottery officials said Monday that a winning ticket from the May 8 Cash 5 with Quick Pick drawing remains unclaimed. Lottery winners have...
2nd New Kensington gun store robber sentenced to 30 months in prison
The second man convicted of stealing dozens of firearms from a New Kensington gun store in a smash-and-grab robbery last year will serve 2½ years in federal prison. Steyn Sarduy, 19, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Nora Barry Fischer as part of a plea agreement in the...
Clairton man charged in South Side shooting during St. Patrick’s Day celebrationVideo
A Clairton man remains jailed after being charged with shooting someone early Sunday during St. Patrick’s Day revelry in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood. The victim, who was shot in the buttocks, was taken to UPMC Mercy hospital. City camera footage showed Joseph Vance Brown, 20, fire multiple shots after running...
‘A total loss’: Firefighters battle blaze at home in Cook
A family was displaced by a fire that destroyed their residence in Cook on Monday morning. Firefighters worked from about 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to smother the flames that swept through the house, near Hauger-Hood Road. The cause of the fire appears to be accidental, said Chestnut Ridge Assistant...
Trump, Putin will speak on Tuesday about the war in Ukraine
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as efforts continue to end to the war in Ukraine, a move that could represent a possible pivot point in the conflict and an opportunity for Trump to continue reorienting American foreign policy. Trump disclosed...
The latest: Passport revoked from person of interest in Pitt student’s disappearance
An attorney for a man identified as a person of interest in the case of missing University of Pittsburgh student Sudiksha Konanki asked for his release Monday, a day after he spoke with authorities in the Dominican Republic. Dominican officials told ABC News on Sunday that authorities confiscated the passport...
4 tornadoes confirmed in Westmoreland, Indiana counties, damage assessment, cleanup continues
At least four recorded tornadoes touched down in Western Pennsylvania as part of Sunday’s severe weather. The National Weather Service on Monday confirmed four EF-1 tornadoes, the second-lowest rating used by the organization. Three were in Westmoreland County. One traveled from Bear Rocks to Acme to Donegal, according to NWS...
‘Sky’s the limit’: Robert Morris students, alumni look forward to NCAA Tournament
Brett Magulick could sense the anticipation Sunday in Robert Morris University’s UPMC Events Center as this year’s NCAA Tournament bracket was announced. “This is kind of uncharted territory for RMU, and you could tell that everyone’s excited to be here,” said Magulick, 19, a freshman at the university. “You can...
Free stores ‘believe in people’ to provide for others, keep afloat
Sarah Daugherty thinks she would have struggled to provide for her family had it not been for Poppin’ Tags Free Store in West Deer. Daugherty, of Leechburg, said she learned of the store on Facebook years ago and has been able to use it to pick up clothes for her...
