Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1857
Trump tamps down expectations as he heads to Kim summitVideo
WASHINGTON — Redefining success, President Trump headed to his second meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un on Monday, determined to tamp down expectations that he’ll achieve big strides toward denuclearization. Yet he was still eager to claim an attention-grabbing victory to offset the political turmoil he faces at home....
Pittsburgh couple buys 50% share of River Forest Country Club, wants to make it public
A Pittsburgh husband and wife bought a 50 percent share of River Forest Country Club in Allegheny Township and want to open the course and its restaurant to the public. Jamy and Robert Rankin of Pittsburgh’s Stanton Heights neighborhood bought a share of the property that had been owned by...
Arts Alive! celebrates high school creativity
Kathleen Guglielmi Morrone views art as a communal language. “We may find it hard to express ourselves but art can give insight to how we’re feeling, what we stand for and our passions,” says the art teacher at St. Joseph High School, Natrona Heights. “Giving students a voice and a...
The Big Number: Diet drinks linked to 23 percent increase in stroke risk in women
Swapping regular sodas for diet drinks might seem like a smart way to cut calories. But new research suggests that women who drink a lot of artificially sweetened beverages increase their risk of having a stroke by 23 percent. What’s a lot? At least two diet beverages a day for...
In an upset, ‘Green Book’ wins best picture at Oscars
LOS ANGELES — The segregation-era road-trip drama “Green Book” was crowned best picture at the 91st Academy Awards on Sunday, handing Hollywood’s top award to a film seen as a feel-good throwback by some and ridiculed as an outdated inversion of “Driving Miss Daisy” by others. In a year where...
Ex-officials declare ‘no factual basis’ for wall emergency
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of 58 former senior national security officials will issue a statement Monday saying that “there is no factual basis” for President Trump’s proclamation of a national emergency to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. The joint statement, whose signatories include former Secretary of State...
Trump administration considers sending more humanitarian aid for Venezuela
CUCUTA, Colombia — The day after military, police and civilian gangs loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro inflicted a brutal crackdown on Venezuelans trying to reach international shipments of food, medicine and other supplies in Colombia, U.S. officials appeared to be preparing to send more humanitarian aid to South America...
Trump extends China tariff deadline, cites progress in talks
WASHINGTON — President Trump said Sunday he will extend a deadline to escalate tariffs on Chinese imports, citing “substantial progress” in weekend talks between the two countries. Trump tweeted that there had been “productive talks” on some of the difficult issues dividing the United States and China, adding that “I...
Trump books Lincoln Memorial for July 4th gala he’ll host
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he’ll host a July Fourth celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. And though the event he’s calling “A Salute to America” is months away, he’s boasting it’ll be one of the city’s biggest Independence Day gatherings—ever. Trump tweeted Sunday: “HOLD THE DATE! We will be...
Schiff vows lawsuit for Mueller report if it’s not released
WASHINGTON — Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Sunday that House Democrats will subpoena special counsel Robert Mueller to testify before Congress if his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election is not made public. Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on ABC News’ “This Week” that Democrats...
2 men ordered to trial in deaths of men discovered in Somerset County woods
SOMERSET, Pa. — Two men have been ordered to stand trial in the slayings of two western Pennsylvania men reported missing almost two years ago. A Somerset County district judge on Friday held 24-year-old Devon Wyrick of Columbus, Ohio, and 26-year-old Samson Washington, of Johnstown, for trial in county court...
Pope vows to end abuse cover-ups but victims disappointed
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis closed out his extraordinary summit on preventing clergy sex abuse by vowing Sunday to confront abusers with “the wrath of God” felt by the faithful, end the cover-ups by their superiors and prioritize the victims of this “brazen, aggressive and destructive evil.” But his failure...
Tornado death confirmed as violent storms smack the South
COLUMBUS, Miss. — Weekend storms raked parts of the Southeast, leaving deaths and injuries in their wake as a tornado smashed into a commercial district in a small Mississippi city and drenching rains fed a rising flood threat. A woman was killed when a tornado hit Columbus, Mississippi, and a...
Thousands without power, trees block roads as high winds strike Pittsburgh region
Thousands of people are without power across the Pittsburgh region Sunday night as high winds continue to bring down trees and power lines — and the numbers worsened as the day turned to night. West Penn Power reported about nearly 80,000 customers without power at about 8 p.m. That was...
Differing opinions given on status of reportedly malnourished dog at Pittsburgh Mills Petland
The outcome of a report of a malnourished dog at the Pittsburgh Mills Petland is unclear after new information came to light on Sunday. An initial report from Frazer police on Saturday indicated representatives from Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley evaluated the dog and found it to not be malnourished,...
White House manages expectations for second Kim summit
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is trying to manage expectations for his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, predicting a “continuation of the progress” made last time. Trump tweeted Sunday that he was leaving early the next day for the meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, adding a tantalizing...
Unclaimed $1.5B Mega Millions jackpot mystery: Winner died? Ticket lost?
SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. — Nearly everyone in this small South Carolina town has a theory for the city’s billion-dollar mystery: Who won the $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot announced last October? Maybe the winner was so overwhelmed upon seeing the winning numbers that she or he died on the spot? Maybe...
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto plants tree in Israel for victims of Tree of Life massacre
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, in Israel for the 33rd annual International Mayors Conference, honored victims of October massacre at Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill. Peduto posted pictures on Twitter on Sunday morning of his visit a memorial in Jerusalem, in which he said he planted an olive tree...
Two injured in Fairfield Township crash
Two people were injured in a motor vehicle crash Sunday morning in Fairfield Township. Westmoreland County Public Safety officials said a crash on Route 271 occurred shortly after 6 a.m. near Parker Road in which motorists were trapped in a vehicle. Officials did not immediately have information about the identities...
Pittsburgh region looks to add to its Oscars cache
Need a rooting interest to get into the 2019 Academy Awards? Think local. Some household names with ties to Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania have won Oscars for their on-screen performances, including Michael Keaton (Robinson), Holly Hunter (Carnegie Mellon University graduate), Shirley Jones (Charleroi-born, Smithton-raised), Frances McDormand (Monessen) and Jimmy Stewart...
Curtain set to go up on a host-less but drama-filled Oscars
NEW YORK — A winter of discontent for the Academy Awards will culminate Sunday in an Oscar ceremony that may lack a host but isn’t missing intrigue. The run-up to the 91st Academy Awards has been a series of missteps and backtracks by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and...
Flamingos expert from Pittsburgh aviary among those who helped save South African chicks
Knowing how to hand-raise flamingos comes in handy when there are 1,800-plus orphaned flamingo chicks of a near-threatened species in South Africa. A severe drought in late January at Kamfers Dam in the Northern Cape, Cape Town, South Africa, caused one of only three breeding colonies of flamingos to abandon...
Final weeks to see the Carnegie International at Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh
The 57th Carnegie International , Carnegie Museum of Art’s signature exhibition comes to a close March 25. Find 'museum joy' at Carnegie Museum of Art's 57th Carnegie International in #Pittsburgh. WQED Pittsburgh (@wqed) January 28, 2019 Over the next four weeks, there will be artist talks, creative drawing sessions...
High wind watch remains in effect for Sunday in Pittsburgh area
Tropical storm force winds could hit western Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon and evening, according to the National Weather Service in Moon. Meteorologist Lee Kendricks said Sunday morning that sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected to begin around lunchtime today and last through Monday morning. The region could see...
Priest speaks publicly about how McCarrick allegedly ruined his life
Less than a week after Theodore McCarrick became the first cardinal ever defrocked, a New Jersey priest has for the first time agreed to be interviewed about his accusations that McCarrick sexually abused him in the 1990s and the effect the alleged abuse has had on his life and career....
