Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 3
1st responders help man stuck on Harrison Hills cliff return to safety
Chivalry isn’t dead. Thursday night’s rescue in Harrison Hills Park proves it. According to Citizens Hose Fire Chief TJ Bajack, a man and his girlfriend were walking along the Rachel Carson Trail, a 45-mile hiking trail that starts in Harrison, when the woman dropped her phone down the hillside. The...
Plum boy has perfect women’s March Madness bracket, the only person in ESPN’s nationwide contest
Otto Schellhammer isn’t just one in a million. He’s one in 41.2 million. The 14-year-old from Plum is the creator of the last perfect bracket standing after the opening weekend of the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments — from more than 40 million entries across all the major contests. The...
Pennsylvania officials warn of PennDOT text phishing scams
If you’ve received a text message recently from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, it’s definitely a phishing scam, state officials say. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration Thursday put out a notice — alongside PennDOT, Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission — warning of text phishing scams “currently targeting Pennsylvanians.”...
Police respond to shootout at Edgewood Towne Center
One person was injured in a shooting Thursday afternoon at Edgewood Towne Center, police said. The incident occurred shortly before 3:15 p.m. TribLive news partner WTAE footage showed officers in the parking lot near the Wendy’s at the South Braddock Avenue shopping plaza. “First responders determined that two males had...
State education secretary, lieutenant governor visit Point Park for food accessibility initiatives
Point Park University sophomore Chloe Humway believes on-campus resources like a free food pantry and community garden can be vital to students. And to some, those resources can be the deciding factor when attending a college, she said. “It is almost like a life-changing thing,” Humway said. “We have a...
GoFundMe launched to support TSA workers at Pittsburgh International Airport
The Allegheny County Airport Authority Charitable Foundation launched a GoFundMe campaign Thursday, aiming to lift up government workers hit hard by the partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown caused by the ongoing federal budget deadlock. By 4:30 p.m., the GoFundMe had raised more than $4,000 for Transportation Security Administration (TSA)...
Candle studio joins pop-up businesses fueling Downtown’s NFL Draft push
The temperature Tuesday afternoon in Downtown Pittsburgh didn’t climb much above freezing. But patrons at Kayla Branca’s new candle workshop, The Studio by PGH Candle, said they felt something warm wash over them upon entering the Wood Street store. Branca made the shop’s opening official this week with an oversized...
Westmoreland commissioner warns sheriff’s deal with ICE could lead to ‘hellish territory’
Westmoreland County commissioners and Sheriff James Albert could be headed for a showdown over potential dealings with federal immigration officials. Albert on Thursday insisted he will deploy his deputies to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and provide crowd control during operations in Westmoreland County, despite claims from commissioners...
AG-led raids targeting illegal guns lead to seizures in Pittsburgh, Rankin
Local police and agents from the state Attorney General’s Office last week arrested two teens and seized three guns after securing search warrants for homes in Pittsburgh and Rankin, the agency announced Thursday. Authorities said they arrested Daonte King, 18, on gun charges after searching his Mount Washington home March...
Pool party: A modernized Oliver Bath House delights swimmers
Renee Gielewski has decades of fond memories at Pittsburgh’s century-old Oliver Bath House, interrupted only by its six-year closure for renovations. With the historic swimming pool recently opened once again, the 83-year-old Gielewski is already hard at work making new memories. For the last few weeks since the pool invited...
‘Nobody’s coming to save you’: Wife of ex-UPMC doctor facing attempted murder charges testifies 1 year later
Arielle Konig thought her husband, a former UPMC anesthesiologist who used to live in Mt. Lebanon, was joking at first when he threatened her after the troubled couple snapped a selfie while strolling down a Hawaiian hiking trail last year. Then, she testified Tuesday in an Oahu courtroom, Gerhardt Konig...
Coroner identifies man found in Youghiogheny River
Authorities in Fayette County used fingerprints and rapid DNA testing to confirm the identity of a man whose body was found earlier March 15 in the Youghiogheny River near Dawson. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Bob Baker on Thursday announced the man’s identity as William Guidi, 42, of Somerset. Baker had...
Early exit: Pirates’ Paul Skenes doesn’t survive 1st inning at Mets in opener
It was a short-lived Opening Day for Paul Skenes, as the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner didn’t survive the first inning of the season opener Thursday afternoon against the New York Mets. It was a stunning early exit at Citi Field, as Skenes was yanked with two outs...
The AI doctor is in: Survey suggests nearly one-third of Americans rely on chatbots for medical advice
An estimated one-third of U.S. adults are asking artificial intelligence to play doctor, according to a survey released Wednesday by KFF. The health policy nonprofit recently collected answers from more than 1,300 Americans as part of wider poll on how people sought medical information over the past year. The results...
Nicolás Maduro’s lawyer argues against U.S. blocking funding for drug trafficking case defense
NEW YORK — Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were back in a New York courtroom Thursday as they seek to have their drug trafficking indictments thrown out over a geopolitical dispute over legal fees. The hearing opened with the defense and prosecution arguing over whether Maduro should...
Trump says he’ll sign order to pay TSA agents as Congress struggles to reach funding deal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he would sign an order instructing the Homeland Security secretary to immediately pay Transportation Security Administration agents as Congress struggles to reach a deal to end the budget impasse that has jammed airports and left workers without paychecks. Trump announced his decision in...
Mandatory life in prison for 2nd-degree murder is unconstitutional, Pa. Supreme Court rules
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Thursday that mandatory life in prison without parole for those convicted of second-degree, or felony, murder is unconstitutional. In a 72-page opinion, Chief Justice Debra Todd, writing for the majority, said such an automatic sentence is “inconsistent” with the protection guaranteed under the state constitution...
Pittsburgh’s budget is a mess: What you need to know
Pittsburgh’s $693 million budget is back on the drawing board … again. Earlier this month, Mayor Corey O’Connor flagged serious concerns about the city’s finances. He said this year’s budget — the plan that finances every facet of city operations — faced a shortfall of up to $40 million. Crafting...
Market Square brawl reignites Downtown Pittsburgh safety concerns weeks before 2026 NFL Draft
A Market Square brawl last weekend has renewed pressure on business owners and elected leaders to crimeproof one of Downtown Pittsburgh’s most visible public spaces — just weeks before hundreds of thousands of visitors descend on the city for the 2026 NFL Draft. About 40 people wreaked havoc around 5:30...
Pittsburgh in line for damaging winds, isolated flash flooding Thursday night
Pittsburghers looking to soak up sunshine and warm temperatures should do so while there’s light Thursday, as storms forecast for the evening are expected to segue into cooler conditions this weekend. Temperatures are forecast to reach into the low 70s Thursday, said Jared Rackley, meteorologist for the National Weather Service...
Pittsburgh area 8th grader has the last remaining perfect women’s NCAA bracket
The only perfect bracket left after the opening weekend of the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments — from more than 40 million entries across all the major contests — was produced not by some college basketball expert or betting guru but an eighth grader from suburban Pittsburgh. His name is...
For Don Kelly, 1st Opening Day as Pirates manager represents a fresh start in dream job
Don Kelly has made no secret that he cherishes every moment of managing the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the season opener at the New York Mets on Thursday marked the first Opening Day as their skipper for the Mt. Lebanon and Point Park alum. Kelly shared an inspired message with his...
U.S. Postal Service to hike prices as war drives up fuel costs
The U.S. Postal Service plans to raise prices to offset rising transportation expenses including the cost of fuel, a sign that the beleaguered mail carrier is feeling the strain of higher oil prices as the war in Iran continues. The USPS will increase prices by 8% on some packages until...
State files charges against 2 companies for allegedly unlawfully storing, disposing of hazardous waste
The State Attorney General’s Office has filed charges against two companies for allegedly unlawfully storing and disposing hazardous waste from a facility in Beaver County. One Brewery Place, Inc. and M. Ultra Investment Group were charged this week with a felony regarding management of hazardous waste and several related misdemeanors....
U.S. troop movements fan fears of a risky ground attack on IranVideo
WASHINGTON — Even as President Donald Trump pushes for talks to end the war against Iran, the U.S. has ordered thousands of troops to the region, fueling fears that the president is gearing up for exactly the sort of risky ground invasion that he once campaigned against. Iran has publicly...
