Top Stories category, Page 239
Brush fire season comes in like a lion
Josh Wiegand already has had enough of Pennsylvania’s early wildfire season — and it’s only beginning. As chief of West Deer Volunteer Fire Company No. 3, he has responded to five large brush fires in just the past week, with this week’s warmup creating conditions ripe for wildfires. “There is...
Appeals court lifts blocks on Trump’s orders restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs
WASHINGTON — An appeals court Friday lifted a block on executive orders seeking to end government support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs, handing the Trump administration a win after a string of setbacks defending President Donald Trump’s agenda against dozens of lawsuits. The decision from a three-judge panel allows...
Vance hopeful ‘high-level’ TikTok deal will be completed by early April
Vice President JD Vance said Friday he is hopeful a deal to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. will be wrapped up by the early April deadline. “There will almost certainly be a high-level agreement that I think satisfies our national security concerns, allows there to be a distinct American...
Porch roof collapse in Oakland sends revelers crashing onto people below; at least 16 hospitalized
At least 16 young adults were hospitalized after a porch roof collapsed Friday afternoon at an off-campus house in Oakland near the University of Pittsburgh, creating a chaotic scene during a St. Patrick’s Day weekend celebration. Witnesses told TribLive there were about 20 students on the roof of a porch...
Senate passes six-month funding bill hours before shutdown deadline
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a six-month spending bill Friday hours before a government shutdown, overcoming sharp Democratic opposition to the measure and sending it to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. The vote was 54-46. Democrats voiced frustration that Republicans went ahead with a measure they said...
Judge imprisons Moon man for role in distributing ‘staggering’ amount of drugs
Carrying a Marshalls shopping bag stuffed with cash, Kijana Lowe left his Moon residence on the morning of Nov. 13, 2021, according to a federal affidavit. He drove to a Motel 6 in Coraopolis, parked his rental car near the motel entrance and flashed his headlights. A male met him,...
New Kensington man accused of assaulting another man with a baseball bat
A New Kensington man remains behind bars after, police say, he beat another man with a baseball bat, sending him to the intensive care unit. Brian Douglas Mikesell, 50, was charged with two counts of felony aggravated assault and a misdemeanor count of possessing an instrument of crime. Mikesell was...
Missing 63-year-old New Derry man found deceased
A New Derry man reported missing last month was found dead Friday, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. A search and rescue team found John J. Dofollo, 63, just before 11:30 a.m. in a Conemaugh River tributary in Derry Township. Carson said Dofollo’s death is not suspicious. His cause...
2 plead guilty to Arnold drive-by shooting, high-speed police chase through several A-K Valley towns
Two Pittsburgh residents pleaded guilty Friday to their role in a drive-by shooting more than two years ago in Arnold. The incident ended with a high-speed chase through part of the Alle-Kiski Valley and a collision with a police vehicle. Tishan Lowe Jr., 33 and Imani Patterson, 27, were charged...
Oz pledges to fight health care fraud but makes no commitments on Medicaid funding cuts
WASHINGTON — Dr. Mehmet Oz promised senators on Friday to fight health care fraud and push to make Americans healthier if he becomes the next leader of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. But the former heart surgeon and TV personality dodged several opportunities to say broadly whether he...
What’s Pi Day all about? Math, science, pies and more
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Math enthusiasts around the world, from college students to rocket scientists, celebrate Pi Day, which is March 14 or 3/14 — the first three digits of an infinite number with many practical uses. Many people will mark the day with a slice of pie —...
Police investigate alleged financial issues at Pennsylvania’s largest youth football league
The largest youth football league in Pennsylvania is part of a police probe as officers investigate accusations of financial impropriety. Its former president suddenly and unexpectedly resigned this week. The league, which includes 44 organizations and 140 teams across seven counties, is under investigation by the Greene County Regional Police,...
New Pittsburgh Housing Authority board nominees tour Manchester with Gainey
Jala Rucker loves Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood so much she tells her kids that when she dies, she wants to be buried in her backyard. She loves her neighbors. She loves that her kids are known in the area. She loves how the tight-knit Manchester community prides itself on keeping its...
Mark Madden: Steelers should pursue long-term path, timetable that’s best for the franchise
The Steelers offseason is all over the place. The highlights of free agency so far: • Recycling a quarterback they never trusted previously. • Getting a second-string running back to go with their other second-string running back. • Adding a 34-year-old cornerback. The Steelers might sign a 33-year-old fullback, which...
Mars Area driver dies following bus crash that injured 7 students
A Mars Area school bus driver has died following a March 6 bus crash that injured seven elementary students. In a letter posted on the school district website, officials with the school and bus contractor A.J. Myers & Sons announced the death of the driver, William “Bob” Miller. The crash...
Ex-Pirates manager Clint Hurdle turns 25 ‘Hurdle-isms’ into a book of ‘wit and wisdom’
Just like fathers and sons often form a bond tied together by baseball, Clint Hurdle started loving the game the day his dad, Big Clint, asked him, “Do you want to go outside and play catch?” The former Pittsburgh Pirates manager was 5. A flame was lit. Hurdle, now 67...
American Airlines Boeing 737 catches fire at Denver airport
DENVER — Twelve people were taken to hospitals after an American Airlines plane landed at Denver International Airport on Thursday and caught fire, prompting slides to be deployed so passengers could evacuate quickly. All of the people transported to hospitals had minor injuries, according to a post on the social...
Revolving door: Pittsburgh police leadership in limbo as 5th chief of Gainey’s tenure takes over
Not much can faze Elizabeth Pittinger, the eyes of police oversight in Pittsburgh for the past 27 years. But even the longtime executive director of the Pittsburgh Citizen Police Review Board is alarmed by the recent revolving-door leadership that has fomented turmoil in the 758-officer force. “We’ve never had anything...
What to know about tariffs: Experts warn of harm, but some want ‘pound of flesh’
The trade war launched by President Donald Trump against Canada, China and Mexico and what could end up involving countries around the world is unprecedented, national economic and legal experts say. “Businesses no longer have any idea how to plan,” said Timothy Meyer, an international business law professor at Duke...
March megastorm may bring blizzards, tornadoes, flooding and even fires across much of U.S.Video
More than 100 million people in the country will be in the path of an intense March storm starting Friday as the sprawling multi-day system threatens fires, blizzards, tornadoes, and flooding as it tracks eastward across the Great Plains. Scientists said the storm’s strength and potential for far-reaching impacts is...
Some universities are freezing hiring and laying off staff as Trump cuts federal funding
Universities across the country have announced hiring freezes, citing new financial uncertainty as the Trump administration threatens a range of cuts to federal contracts and research grants. Some have announced layoffs. Johns Hopkins University said Thursday it is eliminating more than 2,200 workers because of a loss of funding from...
Democrats sit out primary for Westmoreland County row offices
No Democratic candidates have filed to run for Westmoreland County row offices this year, further weakening a political brand that dominated the area just two decades ago. Two Republican incumbents — newly appointed Register of Wills Jon Wian and first-term Coroner Tim Carson — face opposition in this spring’s Republican...
Wall Street tumbles 10% below its record for first ‘correction’ since 2023 on Trump’s trade war
NEW YORK — Wall Street’s sell-off hit a new low Thursday after President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war dragged the S&P 500 more than 10% below its record, which was set just last month. A 10% drop is a big enough deal that professional investors have a name for it...
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to partly allow birthright citizenship restrictions
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to partly take effect while legal fights play out. In emergency applications filed at the high court on Thursday, the administration asked the justices to narrow court orders entered by district judges in Maryland,...
Highmark Health reports $209M in 2024 losses
Despite reporting $209 million in operating losses for 2024, Highmark Health executives said they are optimistic about the future of the Pittsburgh-based health care insurer and provider. Officials on Thursday released the 2024 earnings report. Highmark’s $11.7 billion in cash and investments and net assets of $9.8 billion mean it...
