Top Stories category, Page 138

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. HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House is advancing modest campaign finance reforms during an election year that will likely see a torrent of hard-to-trace political spending...

Two of the three covers Fall Out Boy chose for their show in Pittsburgh could not have been more appropriate. Late in their set Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena, the emo titans channeled the stadium rock energy of Queen with “Don’t Stop Me Now” and then Blur’s “Song 2,”...

HARRISBURG — A requirement for Pennsylvania voters to put accurate handwritten dates on the outside envelopes of their mail-in ballots does not run afoul of a civil rights law, a federal appeals court panel said Wednesday, overturning a lower court ruling. A divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled...

Dan Cooper is not looking for thank-you’s. Collecting clothing and monetary donations for a family affected by a fatal fire is just what the Jeannette community does. Four of Miranda John’s children — Kyson, 7; Kinzleigh, 6; Keagan, 3; and Korbyn, 1 month — were killed in a fire March...

Legislation that would help to ease state inmates’ transition into society and give them an opportunity to get out sooner won passage in the state House of Representatives on Wednesday. One bill would require the state to assist inmates in obtaining identification before leaving prison, and another would allow inmates...

NEW YORK — Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in the disputed 2000 election and who almost became Republican John McCain’s running mate eight years later, has died, according to a statement issued by his family....

A Pittsburgh nonprofit mapped the solar power potential of about 40 institutional buildings — schools, fire halls and government offices — in the Greensburg and Jeannette areas, finding the owners could save about $770,000 in one year on their electric bills and $19.3 million in 25 years if they switch...

With summer just around the corner, Pittsburgh Brewing Co. is inviting customers “Poolside.” The brewery, located in East Deer’s Creighton neighborhood, launched its newest product by Block House Brewing on Wednesday, a shandy beer. Block House is one of Pittsburgh Brewing Co.’s brands, said spokeswoman Katie Henningsen. Poolside beer replaces...

By this time next year, Visit Pittsburgh CEO Jerad Bachar believes people won’t be using the word recovery when talking about Pittsburgh’s tourism industry. “2023 was our first full year with a kind of normalized travel activity after the pandemic,” Bachar said. “But 2024, we definitely want to stop using...

HARRISBURG — A proposal to ban the purchase, sale and production of untraceable gun parts passed the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives on Wednesday, with Democrats in the House using their majority to propel gun control after years of stagnation in a divided state government. The legislation passed the House...

An Ingram man was arrested Wednesday after he intentionally struck his friend with an SUV after they argued the night before outside a Castle Shannon bar, police said. Shortly before 9 p.m. Tuesday, Castle Shannon police were dispatched to the Coal Mine, a bar and restaurant at 3160 Library Road,...

Punxsutawney Phil got busy after predicting an early spring this year. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club took to Facebook on Wednesday to announce groundhogs Phil and Phyllis have given birth to two babies. The baby groundhogs are healthy and with their mom and dad at the zoo located at the Punxsutawney...

A Duquesne man is accused of groping a female Westmoreland County sheriff’s deputy this week, moments after he pleaded guilty and was sentenced in a drug case, according to court papers. Investigators said Jerome D. Felton, 23, pinned the deputy up against a wall and groped her while she was...

Pittsburgh is challenging the tax-exempt status of more than 100 properties as part of its review of sites exempted from property taxes, Mayor Ed Gainey said Wednesday. Sixty-one properties — more than half of the 104 properties the city will challenge this year — are owned by UPMC. Also included...

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, announced Wednesday he is endorsing U.S. Rep. Summer Lee in her reelection battle. Sanders has supported Lee, a Democrat from Swissvale, throughout her political career, including rallying for her in Pittsburgh in 2022. Lee is one of the most progressive lawmakers in Congress and has championed...

Another wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Butler Township in connection with the death of a patient cared for by former nurse Heather Pressdee. The suit, filed Wednesday morning in Butler County Court, claims a 43-year-old man died May 1 at the center...

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will not take up the appeal of a Carnegie man whose murder conviction was tossed by an Allegheny County judge but later reinstated by the Superior Court, clearing the way for him to be sentenced. Charles Becher, 27, was convicted in 2021 of third-degree murder for...

BALTIMORE — It was the middle of the night when a dispatcher’s warning crackled over the radio: A massive cargo ship had lost its steering capabilities and was heading toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Within about 90 seconds, police officers responded that they had managed to stop vehicle traffic...

DES MOINES, Iowa — Someone in New Jersey overcame the odds Tuesday night and won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot, breaking a winless streak that dated to last December. The numbers drawn were: 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and the gold Mega Ball 4. The winning ticket was sold...

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 27: Police say fight at North Oakland gas station was bananas A fight involving bananas and PVC pipe at a North Oakland Sunoco station on Tuesday night has a store employee facing criminal charges. Yubaraj Budhathoki, 26,...

A former University of Pittsburgh football player turned himself in to authorities Wednesday morning after police accused him of being involved in a shooting in Clairton and pursuit throughout the South Hills earlier this month. Paris Ford, 25, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count each...

NEW YORK — NBC News will cut ties with former Republican National Committee chief Ronna McDaniel, hired last week as an on-air political contributor, following a furious protest by some of its journalists and commentators, according to a memo from the top official of the network’s news division. The communication...

NEW YORK — A New York judge Tuesday issued a gag order barring Donald Trump from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial, citing the former president’s history of “threatening, inflammatory, denigrating” remarks about people involved in his legal cases. Judge Juan...

Barges have struck many bridges in the Pittsburgh region over the years, but none of the collisions caused major structural damage to any of the river spans, a local bridge expert said Tuesday. Following Tuesday’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Allegheny County Public Works Director Stephen...

Fundraising continues as donations to GoFundMe and local accounts total more than $250,000 in support of the families affected by last week’s fatal fire in Jeannette. Organizers of Monday’s fundraiser at the American Legion in Jeannette said they expect the total donated to surpass $18,000. Volunteer Michelle Langdon said that...