Top Stories category, Page 28
Hempfield woman charged in Christmas stabbing
A Hempfield woman is charged with aggravated assault and child endangerment after state police say she stabbed a man during an argument on Christmas. Mia Lou Riser, 26, was involved in a dispute with a man at a Hempfield apartment around 6 p.m. Thursday, according to a criminal affidavit. The...
‘Aaron’s the GOAT’: Steelers O-linemen revel in gift of ATVs from Aaron Rodgers
It was Christmas Eve, after all. And this group of football lifers was well aware of a longstanding tradition of the sport that the quarterback gifts his offensive linemen something at the end of each season. The element of surprise, Pittsburgh Steelers linemen confess, wasn’t exactly present Wednesday after practice....
Lions fan urges Steelers’ DK Metcalf to ‘tell the truth’ about altercation
Saying that racism is one of the few things that can get under his skin, the Detroit Lions fan involved in last week’s in-game altercation with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf implored Metcalf to set the record straight. During a news conference in Michigan called by a law firm...
Bitty & Beau’s, coffee shop known for inclusive hiring, quietly closes Strip District store
A coffee shop chain staffed by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, a group dramatically underemployed nationwide, has permanently shuttered its only Pittsburgh-area location. Bitty & Beau’s Coffee on Tuesday closed the doors on its shop in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. “Unsustainable financial loss” led to the shutdown, according to a...
At least $18.7M poured into this year’s critical Pa. Supreme Court retention races
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Special interests, organizations connected to Pennsylvania’s richest man, and groups with mysterious donors broke spending records to...
7 Brew Coffee finalizing plans for Harrison shop
A coffee shop with a drive-through only concept appears to be moving forward in Harrison. 7 Brew, a popular caffeine stop with nearly 600 locations across the country, is seeking to open along Freeport Road. The township’s planning commission approved a move by parent company, WhoBrew LLC, to consolidate three...
Allegheny River’s only floating Airbnb of its kind is in Blawnox
Full-time Pittsburgh River Rescue diver Greg Tersine spends much of his time in and around water, so building a floating house on the Allegheny River felt natural for the water-loving Blawnox resident. “I grew up on the rivers,” said Tersine, a homeowner in Blawnox and Squirrel Hill. “I was looking...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 26-28
Christmas is over! Both the craziness and the stress have ended and we have almost a week until the new year. This is the perfect time to eat too much chocolate and too many leftovers, make plans with friends and see what’s going on in the city. Harlem Globetrotters: 100...
From pro baseball to the Marines: Murrysville’s Krauza follows father’s lead
The Krauza family of Murrysville has much to be thankful for this holiday season. Their son, Michael Krauza, 28, is home until Jan. 4 during a break from his training with the U.S. Marine Corps. While 28 is older than the average recruit, Krauza’s road to military service included a...
Residents express concern over proposed Hempfield fire station location on Arona Road
A dozen residents would like Hempfield supervisors to reconsider a proposal to put a new fire station in their neighborhood, citing traffic concerns, the potential effect on property values and past underground mining. Those who live at the confluence of Arona, Harry Long and Monkey Wrench roads questioned the proposal...
What to know about the militants targeted by U.S. airstrikes in northwest Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria — The United States airstrikes that targeted Islamic State militants in northwestern Nigeria on Thursday marked a major escalation in an offensive that Nigeria’s overstretched military has struggled with for years. U.S. President Donald Trump said on social media that the “powerful and deadly” strikes in Sokoto state...
What you need to know about Highmark First Night in Pittsburgh
Downtown Pittsburgh will put on its holiday best to host the annual Highmark First Night, presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Cultural District will be ringing in the new year with a jam-packed lineup of performances, activities, fireworks and a midnight ball-raising. Tens of thousands of people are expected...
Temperatures will take a dip Monday as brutal cold expected
Winter weather is delivering a one-two punch across the region this weekend. Following Friday’s bout of freezing rain, temperatures are expected to plummet more than 30 degrees Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. “It looks like it’s probably one of those days where temperatures are warmest in...
East Carolina hit harder by transfers, staff defections than Pitt leading into Military Bowl
The current landscape of college sports, with the fluidity of movement for coaches and players alike, breeds tumultuous offseasons. Unfortunately for teams and their fan bases across the nation, the tumult is increasingly encroaching upon the calendar. Look no further than Lane Kiffin’s pre-College Football Playoff departure from Ole Miss...
Robotic-assisted technology diagnoses lung cancer more quickly
When Leslie Keebler contracted the flu last winter, early-stage lung cancer was not on her radar. The 62-year-old from Munhall, a former smoker, underwent breathing treatments and a round of steroids before a lung scan revealed a suspicious spot. Her physicians at Allegheny General Hospital on Pittsburgh’s North Side recommended...
Judges swap dockets in Westmoreland court shuffle
Two Westmoreland County judges will swap dockets in January as part of a shakeup of the county’s court system. President Judge Christopher Feliciani will return to criminal court after a year presiding over civil cases. He will take over the criminal caseload handled by Judge Scott Mears, while Mears will...
Icy road conditions on tap Friday for Pittsburgh-area motorists
Roads in the Pittsburgh area are about to get icy. The second of two clippers — storm fronts starting in Canada and sweeping past the Great Lakes into Western Pennsylvania this week — has led the National Weather Service to put Pittsburgh under a winter storm watch. Up to a...
Oakmont Elks lodge Christmas dinner blends tradition, community, holiday spirit
The dozens of meals that volunteers served at an Elks lodge in Oakmont on Thursday afternoon felt as much about tradition as they did the spirit of Christmas Day. About 50 people gathered to break bread at 2 p.m. in the Washington Avenue lodge’s dining room — and the details...
Trump says U.S. struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he’d launched a “powerful and deadly strike” against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after he spent weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians. The president’s post did not include information about how the strike was carried out and...
No ham, no hassle: Chinese buffet, Jewish-run bookstore give Christmas a different spin
Greg Schmitt didn’t need a ham dinner with green beans and scalloped potatoes to celebrate Christmas with his family Thursday. Instead, the Tarentum man traded in the traditional holiday spread for a plateful of piping-hot General Tso’s chicken at a modest Chinese buffet. “It’s nice to have a place to...
Vandergrift woman pleads guilty to endangering 5 children
A Vandergrift woman pleaded guilty last week to endangering five children who were found living in deplorable conditions. Heidi L. Beer, 35, was sentenced Dec. 19 in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court to serve between three and 23 months of incarceration after pleading guilty to numerous counts each of endangering...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh market rank drops (again); November sweeps ratings
Talk about a lump of coal in the local TV Christmas stocking: Pittsburgh’s market rank will drop another position as Nielsen downgrades the region from No. 27 to No. 28 nationally for 2026. Salt Lake City leapfrogged Pittsburgh, jumping one spot from No. 28 to No. 27. The practical impact...
2 injured in Forest Hills shooting
Two people were wounded and taken to hospitals Thursday morning following a shooting in Forest Hills, according to Allegheny County Police. The victims — a woman and a man — were transported in critical but stable condition, according to police. Detectives are investigating. Police were dispatched to the 400 block...
A Powerball player in Arkansas has won a $1.817 billion lottery jackpot
A Powerball player in Arkansas won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner. The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous...
Trump warns against infiltration by a ‘bad Santa,’ defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve by quizzing children calling in about what presents they were excited about receiving, while promising to not let a “bad Santa” infiltrate the country and even suggesting that a stocking full of coal may not be so bad. Vacationing...
