Top Stories category, Page 7
Plane departing Pittsburgh International Airport forced to turn around due to ‘aircraft issue’
An American Airlines plane that departed from Pittsburgh International Airport Thursday morning was forced to turn around due to an “aircraft issue,” according to an airport spokesman. American Airlines flight 1845 was headed to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, but returned to Pittsburgh “shortly after takeoff,” Pittsburgh International Airport spokesman...
Hempfield Area School Board reopens bidding for $150M high school projectVideo
Hempfield Area School District is soliciting new bids for its high school renovation, a massive undertaking now carrying an estimated $150 million price tag. The move marks a formal restart for the project, which has been stalled for about 30 months after initial bids exceeded the district’s projections. Superintendent Mark...
Homicide rate declines sharply in dozens of U.S. cities, a new report shows
Data collected from 35 American cities, including Pittsburgh, showed a 21% decrease in the homicide rate from 2024 to 2025, translating to about 922 fewer homicides last year, according to a new report from the independent Council on Criminal Justice. The report, released on Thursday, tracked 13 crimes and recorded...
Freeport Council president resigns to take tax collector role
Former Freeport Council President Rick Fennell stepped down last week to take up a new role. He’ll serve as the borough’s tax collector after an unsuccessful search for an alternative candidate. No one ran for the post in last year’s general election, and no candidate emerged with more than five...
Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County approves new budget that keeps water, sewer rates level
Water and sewer rates for Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County customers will remain unchanged for at least the next year. Authority board members this week approved a $129.7 million budget for the multi-county agency that keeps its current rate structure in place after two straight years of increases. “We always...
Joe Starkey: Kyle Dubas is the star as Penguins return to EdmontonVideo
Yes, it was Sidney Crosby versus Connor McDavid again as the Pittsburgh Penguins made their once-a-year visit to Edmonton on Thursday. But the real star at the moment is Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas. After striking out more than Jack Suwinski early in his Penguins tenure, Dubas has suddenly become...
RFK Jr. talks new food pyramid, avoids controversial vaccine changes in Harrisburg visit
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited Harrisburg on Wednesday, giving an address that roped Pennsylvania’s agricultural prowess into his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, particularly the recent revision of federal dietary guidelines. But the most enthusiastic supporters weren’t exactly there to hear about the new food pyramid. Although not a perfect...
‘Sinners’ makes history, setting Oscars nomination recordVideo
Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” led all films with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday, setting a record for the most in Oscar history. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters showered “Sinners” with more nominations than they had ever bestowed before, breaking the 14-nomination...
Forecasters warn of a ‘potentially catastrophic’ storm from Texas to the Carolinas
ATLANTA — With many Americans still recovering from multiple blasts of snow and unrelenting freezing temperatures in the nation’s northern tier, a new storm is set to emerge this weekend that could coat roads, trees and power lines with devastating ice across a wide expanse of the South. The storm...
Trump’s European threats could make it harder for future U.S. leaders to repair ties
WASHINGTON — Barely a month into his presidency, Joe Biden had a message for Europe. “America is back,” Biden told the Munich Security Conference in 2021. “The transatlantic alliance is back.” It was a promise Biden delivered often as he sought to cast the disruptions of his predecessor, Donald Trump,...
Morning Roundup: Police investigate graffiti; Parkway closures; car into Denny’s
Here are some of the latest news items happening this morning, Thursday, Jan. 22: Police investigate graffiti with racial slur at Homewood South auto body shop Pittsburgh police are investigating after graffiti containing a racial slur was found at an auto body shop in Pittsburgh’s Homewood South neighborhood. The owner...
Lawmakers, pet advocates push bill spurred by pet cremation scandal
State Sen. Nick Pisciottano said the state’s framework for pet cremation oversight is “a little like the Wild West.” The legislator, whose district includes Plum, Monroeville and parts of the Mon Valley, proposed Senate Bill 950 to strengthen consumer protection and criminalize the mistreatment of pets after their deaths. “Pets...
Trump faces tough political, market hurdles in his bid to erode Fed independence
The Federal Reserve’s independence is under threat by the Trump administration, but experts say the central bank is built to resist executive influence better than most U.S. institutions. In his quest to gain more control over the Fed, Trump will have to jump though hoops in the Supreme Court and...
Former Uvalde officer acquitted in trial over police response to Robb Elementary attack
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A former Uvalde police officer was acquitted Wednesday of charges that he failed in his duties to confront the gunman at Robb Elementary during the critical first minutes of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Jurors deliberated for more than seven hours before...
Police: $30K harp stolen from Bethel Park home, taken to Point State Park before man jumped in river
A full-sized harp that a man lugged to Pittsburgh’s Point State Park on Wednesday afternoon — before disrobing and jumping into the freezing river — had been stolen, police said Thursday. The harp, which is worth about $30,000, was stolen from a Bethel Park home, Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Cara Cruz...
Community feedback sought for proposed New Kensington-Arnold building realignment
New Kensington-Arnold Superintendent Christopher Sefcheck says a proposed realignment of the district’s buildings is “the most serious undertaking this district has taken in years” — and officials are seeking the public’s input for those plans. Sefcheck plans to send notifications to parents, staff and community members Thursday morning seeking volunteers...
Woman pleads guilty in deadly red-light motorcycle crash in Downtown Pittsburgh
A Greene County woman pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter this week for fatally striking a motorcyclist after running a red light in Downtown Pittsburgh on a summer night in 2024. According to a criminal complaint, Amy Robinson, 47, of Waynesburg, crashed a Ford F-150 truck into James Christopher’s Harley-Davidson motorcycle...
Summer Lee votes to hold Clintons in contempt of Congress for defying Epstein-related subpoenas
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, voted Wednesday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas to testify before the House Oversight Committee as part of its Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Lee was one of nine Democrats on the Oversight...
Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo saysVideo
WASHINGTON — Federal immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to forcibly enter people’s homes without a judge’s warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press, marking a sharp reversal of longstanding guidance meant to respect constitutional limits on government searches. The memo authorizes...
Poor insurance reimbursements place Pa. hospitals at risk of closure, report says
Insufficient insurance reimbursements could drive more than a dozen Pennsylvania hospitals to close within five years, according to a report released Wednesday by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. The industry group hired consultancy Oliver Wyman to create the report. In its analysis, the New York City-based firm focused...
‘I don’t have a lot of hobbies’: Danny Smith leaves Steelers, but is coaching 51st straight year
Danny Smith was 67 years old at the time, well in the at-risk range for contracting the virus that spawned a pandemic. But testing positive for covid-19 late during the 2020 season left Smith with only minor cold-like symptoms during his NFL- mandated banishment from Pittsburgh Steelers headquarters. “For me to...
Highlands teachers seal 5-year, early-bird contract
Highlands School District teachers locked up a five-year contract that awards them a 3.5% average salary increase each year through 2030. The school board on Tuesday approved the contract with the Highlands Education Association, well ahead of the current agreement’s June 30 expiration. “The deal is the result of a...
Point Park to expand mental health initiatives, suicide prevention
Expansion of Point Park University’s initiative to improve mental health and suicide prevention on campus aims to be more proactive and meet a growing need. “We want to make mental health more visible, accessible and more a part of everyday campus life,” said Cassandra Moffat, director of the university’s counseling...
Pittsburgh chef, restaurant receive semifinalist nods in James Beard awards
A Pittsburgh area chef and restaurant were honored as semifinalists by the James Beard Foundation for its 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards. The semifinalists were announced Wednesday in the prestigious national awards, which recognize “leaders who collectively embody the breadth of American culinary excellence.” Jamilka Borges, executive chef and co-owner...
Greensburg native, a federal judge in Va., questioned legitimacy of Trump-appointed prosecutor
A federal district judge, who excoriated a former Justice Department prosecutor for pursuing indictments against political adversaries of President Donald Trump, grew up in Greensburg and earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Vincent College. David Novak, a Trump-appointed district judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, is one of two...
