Top Stories category, Page 8
Nemacolin confirms layoffs
Nemacolin confirmed Wednesday it has laid off an undisclosed number of employees. A statement from the Fayette County resort said the workforce reduction followed changes in available room inventory that have impacted guest volume and operational demand. “While difficult, these adjustments are intended to position Nemacolin for long-term stability, and...
Pittsburgh Council to interview Lando, department heads under oath
Pittsburgh City Council next week will use a new power to interview under oath the mayor’s picks to run city departments and bureaus. Council has previously conducted public interviews with a mayor’s pick for department heads and bureau chiefs before voting on whether to approve. But council members last year...
Man shot on Pittsburgh’s East Hills Drive, site of multiple homicides last year
A man was critically injured Wednesday morning after a shooting in Pittsburgh’s East Hills. Pittsburgh police said they were dispatched around 8:20 a.m. to the 2300 block of East Hills Drive, where they found the injured man inside a home. The man, who authorities have not named, had been shot...
Health department installs free naloxone vending machine in Pittsburgh
The opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone is available for free at a new vending machine in Downtown Pittsburgh. The machine, outside the Allegheny County Human Services building at 1 Smithfield St., will provide around-the-clock access to the medication. Naloxone — often known by its brand name Narcan — is being...
Congress funds agency investigating Clairton Coke Works blast
The federal Chemical Safety Board, which has been targeted for elimination by President Donald Trump, is likely to keep its funding and continue investigating a deadly explosion in August 2024 at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. An appropriations bill passed by Congress earlier this month would give the board $14...
‘Sad to see’: Ruthie’s Diner in Ligonier Township destroyed by blazeVideo
Rob Iscrupe saw no signs of smoke at 6 p.m. Tuesday when he clocked out from his shift as a dishwasher at Ruthie’s Diner. By Wednesday morning, he was surveying the icy mass of charred wood that remained where the longtime Ligonier Township landmark once stood. The building was destroyed...
Greensburg resident, former Hillandale Farms CEO, donates another $53.5M to Pitt
With his latest donation, $53.5 million, former Hillandale Farms CEO Orland Bethel has continued his tradition of supporting the University of Pittsburgh. Bethel, who splits time between Greensburg and Florida, has donated nearly $100 million to the university since 2018. The reason, he said, is simple. “Of course, Dr. Lee’s...
House committee takes first step to hold the Clintons in contempt of Congress in Epstein probe
WASHINGTON — A House committee advanced resolutions Wednesday to hold former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress over the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, opening the prospect of the House using one of its most powerful punishments against a former president for the first...
Air Force One returns to Washington area due to minor electrical issue, White House says
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plane, Air Force One, returned to Joint Base Andrews about an hour after departing for Switzerland on Tuesday evening. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the decision to return was made after takeoff when the crew aboard Air Force One identified “a minor electrical...
Historic Downtown Pittsburgh buildings set to become mixed-income apartments
A pair of historic commercial and manufacturing buildings in Downtown Pittsburgh will be transformed into mixed-income housing, part of a broader effort to revitalize the Golden Triangle and attract new residents and businesses. Boston-based Beacon Communities on Tuesday announced the start of construction at 901-903 Liberty Ave., two buildings that...
Trump cancels tariff threat over Greenland, says NATO agreed to ‘framework’ of future Arctic deal
DAVOS, Switzerland — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he was scrapping his planned tariffs on eight European nations in an effort to force U.S. control over Greenland, pulling a dramatic reversal shortly after insisting he wanted to get the island “including right, title and ownership.” In a post on...
East End Cooperative Ministry temporarily halts program offering free lunch
East End Cooperative Ministry this week announced it is temporarily halting its Community Meals program, which offered free lunch each day to anyone in the community. The East Liberty nonprofit said the program won’t be available “for the foreseeable future.” In an online announcement, the ministry said resources and funding...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit now offering sign language interpreters through app
Live American Sign Language interpreters are now available to riders of Pittsburgh Regional Transit through an app. Deaf or hard-of-hearing riders can launch the Aira ASL app to be connected with a professional interpreter within seconds, the authority said in a news release. The app uses the rider’s smartphone camera...
‘Potential deals emerging’ at some closing Penn State campuses, trustee says
Penn State officials say the process to repurpose seven of its closing commonwealth campuses is making “steady progress.” “There are three or four potential deals emerging, arrangements emerging, a few others that we are still working to hammer out — who will be the anchor, who will be the tenant,...
Man fatally stabbed in Friendship hours after police responded to roommate dispute
Pittsburgh police early Wednesday arrested a man they say fatally stabbed his roommate hours earlier in their home in Pittsburgh’s Friendship neighborhood. Police were dispatched around 6 p.m. Tuesday to a home in the 200 block of South Aiken Avenue for “a dispute between roommates,” Pittsburgh Acting police Chief Jason...
Editorial: Can we talk? Colleges invest in civil discourse
Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh are spending nearly $5 million to teach students how to talk to one another. IUP received a $2.29 million federal grant to create a Center for Dialogue and Civic Life. Pitt was awarded about $2.7 million to build a regional model...
Pa. Game Commission considers Saturday start before Thanksgiving for deer seasonVideo
For Mike Shipley, the Monday after Thanksgiving was a holiday tradition that died in 2019. That was the year the Pennsylvania Game Commission shifted its hunting schedule to start two days earlier, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, ending a decadeslong ritual of hunters heading into the woods the first Monday after...
Ruthie’s Diner in Ligonier Township damaged by fire
A fire broke out at Ruthie’s Diner Tuesday night, emergency officials said. Multiple companies were called around 8:10 p.m. for a report of fire coming through the roof at the longtime roadside diner. Route 30 in Ligonier Township was closed in both directions Tuesday night. As of 10:20 p.m., Mutual...
Chad Amond, passionate advocate for Westmoreland County, dies at 51
Chad Amond shared his passion for Westmoreland County at countless events, pushing for growth, collaboration and development in the place where he grew up, leading the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce for 11 years. Amond died Monday after a battle with primary progressive aphasia, which forced him to step down...
Trump-appointed prosecutor who pursued indictments against Trump’s foes is leaving post
WASHINGTON — Lindsey Halligan, who, as a hastily appointed Justice Department prosecutor, pursued indictments against a pair of President Donald Trump’s adversaries, is leaving her position as her months-long tenure has now concluded, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Tuesday night. Halligan’s departure from the role of interim United States attorney...
Westmoreland sheriff: Rescinding 2006 court order could save at least $250K in overtime
Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert has asked a county judge to rescind a two-decade-old court order that requires his deputies to transport jailed inmates to district judge offices for preliminary hearings. Albert said the move could save taxpayers at least $250,000 in annual overtime costs and refocus his deputies’ job...
Here are a few possible snow scenarios to watch in Western Pa.
The National Weather Service sees three possible snowy scenarios for Western Pennsylvania this weekend. In a Facebook post Tuesday, the weather service broke down the forecast and outlined some potential outcomes. Meteorologist Colton Milcarek said it will be a few days before a single clear prediction emerges. “It’s really up...
Justice Department subpoenas Gov. Walz, others in immigration enforcement obstruction investigation
MINNEAPOLIS — Federal prosecutors served six grand jury subpoenas Tuesday to Minnesota officials as part of an investigation into whether they obstructed or impeded federal law enforcement during a sweeping immigration operation in Minneapolis-St. Paul area, a person familiar with the matter said. The subpoenas, which seek records, were sent...
Forecasters warn of a ‘potentially catastrophic’ storm from Texas to the CarolinasVideo
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...
Broadband expansion on hold as feds miss self-imposed deadline to review Pa.’s spending plan
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 — Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand broadband access in Pennsylvania is still on hold, after federal...
