Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 419
Hamas says latest cease-fire talks have ended. Israel vows military operation in ‘very near future’
JERUSALEM — The latest round of Gaza cease-fire talks ended in Cairo after “in-depth and serious discussions,” the Hamas militant group said Sunday, reiterating key demands that Israel again rejected. After earlier signs of progress, the outlook appeared to dim as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to resist international pressure...
Weather conditions fail to dampen enthusiasm of Pittsburgh Marathon runners
Sunday morning was all about testing limits and inspiring others — one step at a time — at the 2024 Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon. Karen Losego, 39, of Mt. Lebanon was in tears after finishing her first half marathon. “I’ve just always really hated running and I just wanted...
Helping hands: Donations exceed $875,000 for those affected by Plum house explosion
Rafal Kolankowski and his family have felt the full embrace of the Plum community since August — some of it in the form of bracelets, lemonade and yard signs. The Kolankowskis are among about a dozen families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged when a nearby house exploded in...
White Oak woman recounts terror of 2 kids tumbling from 3rd-floor window
Two White Oak children might owe their lives to Andi Cartwright’s busted pair of Bluetooth headphones. Skies were sunny and temperatures lingered in the mid-80s last Monday afternoon as Cartwright strolled down Ohio Avenue in the Mon Valley town she’s called home for 22 years. As she walked, listening to...
3 companies involved at Oakland site where woman was killed faced prior OSHA violations
Three companies involved at the Oakland construction site where a pedestrian was killed by a steel cylinder that broke loose Friday have faced prior fines from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Pittsburgh-based Gilbane Building Co. and Massaro Construction Group are the lead contractors on the construction project for...
A growing concern: Greensburg Garden Center’s May Mart
Carol Martinek is focusing on sprucing up her Cheswick backyard this year. She picked up a few flowering plants at the Greensburg Garden Center & Civic Center’s May Mart on Saturday to put toward the project. Among her purchases were candytuft, cranesbill geranium and the tiny blue flowers of forget-me-nots,...
All 5 rue21 stores in Western Pa. to close their doors after latest bankruptcy filing
Teen clothing retailer rue21, which is based in Warrendale, filed for bankruptcy last week and appears to be closing all of its stores. Employees at the Warrendale headquarters were seen Friday carrying boxes to their vehicles after being informed they were losing their jobs during a virtual meeting Thursday, TribLive...
Senate races are roiled by campus protests over the war in Gaza as campaign rhetoric sharpens
HARRISBURG — The student protest movement disrupting university campuses, classes and graduation ceremonies over the war in Gaza is also roiling Senate contests across the nation as Democrats tread cautiously over an internal divide and Republicans play up their rivals’ disagreements. The political impact of the protests on the White...
As the U.S. moves to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, could more states legalize it?
As the U.S. government moves toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug, there may be little immediate impact in the dozen states that have not already legalized cannabis for widespread medical or recreational use by adults. But advocates for marijuana legalization hope a federal regulatory shift could eventually change...
Going out green: Natural burials offer a time-tested alternative to the modern funeral
Steve Ball’s grave was marked not by a granite headstone or marble mausoleum upon the burial of his cremated remains last year, but a flat rock chipped into the shape of a heart. It came from his backyard in Pleasant Hills, where he kept bees and grew tobacco in the...
Greensburg officials mum on ex-police officer’s pension after guilty plea in drug case
Retired city police Officer Regina McAtee collected at least $46,280 in pension payments before admitting her role in a methamphetamine distribution operation with the disgraced former Greensburg police chief. Now that McAtee, 51, of New Kensington pleaded guilty in federal court this week to engaging in a drug conspiracy, it’s...
Man shot in chest in Wilkinsburg in critical condition
A man was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the chest in Wilkinsburg, according to Allegheny County Police. Officers were notified of the shooting around 8 p.m. Friday along the 1500 block of Park Avenue. Police said first responders located a man suffering from a gunshot wound to...
Police say missing woman from Pittsburgh area was killed in Dauphin County
A missing woman now thought to be a homicide victim went to the Harrisburg area in February to live with a boyfriend, Millvale police said Friday. Tracy Scanlon, 54, who also goes by the last name Zalenski, was last seen in late February leaving a wine and liquor store in...
Striking deals to end campus protests, some colleges invite discussion of their investments
NEW YORK — Anti-war demonstrations ceased this week at a small number of U.S. universities after school leaders struck deals with pro-Palestinian protesters, fending off possible disruptions of final exams and graduation ceremonies. The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes and 2,400-plus...
Judy O’Connor, wife of former Pittsburgh mayor Bob O’Connor, dies
Judy O’Connor loved to laugh. “When I’d come home to take care of her the last few months, we’d almost always listen to one of comedian Jim Gaffigan’s stand-up albums,” said her son, Rev. Terrence O’Connor of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Judy Levine O’Connor, wife of former Pittsburgh Mayor Bob...
Former Ligonier Valley police chief charged with sexual assault
The former Ligonier Valley police chief was arrested and jailed Friday afternoon on allegations that he sexually assaulted a patient at a Donegal Township addiction recovery center, according to court papers. John E. Berger, 52, of Ligonier Borough was charged by state police with aggravated indecent assault, institutional sexual assault...
Mutual Aid EMS follows Pittsburgh’s lead to provide blood at trauma scenes
Mutual Aid EMS this week added a lifesaving tool to its emergency response — blood. Dr. Bill Jenkins, the Greensburg-based ambulance service’s medical director, said it will help paramedics better care for patients who are in hemorrhagic shock from some type of trauma, such as a gunshot wound or vehicle...
Pittsburgh EMS expands pilot program for paramedics to utilize mobile blood banks
It didn’t look good for the teenage driver. Shortly after 7:15 a.m. on a rainy Thursday in May last year, the young man — who lost control of his yellow sports car when it hydroplaned on Saw Mill Run Boulevard and he slammed the vehicle into a utility pole near...
United Methodist delegates repeal their church’s ban on its clergy celebrating same-sex marriages
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — United Methodist delegates on Friday repealed their church’s longstanding ban on the celebrations of same-sex marriages or unions by its clergy and in its churches. The action marked the final major reversal of a collection of LGBTQ bans and disapprovals that have been embedded throughout the laws...
Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour visits Westmoreland County in SeptemberVideo
Luke Bryan is coming to Westmoreland County this fall. The country music star’s annual Farm Tour will visit Cunningham Family Farm in South Huntingdon on Sept. 28. The farm is located at 355 Fitz Henry Road. Bryan, who also serves as a judge on “American Idol,” is known for songs...
Runaway steel cylinder from Pitt construction site kills Western Psych employee, victim identified
A pedestrian was killed Friday in Oakland when a steel cylinder weighing thousands of pounds rolled away from a construction site at the University of Pittsburgh’s new sports performance center and traveled several hundred feet before striking her, authorities said. The metal tube, nearly as long as a pickup truck...
‘A lot more than usual’: 11 sets of twins in Norwin’s class of 2024
Norwin High School senior Julia Walko remembers the time her track coach, Brian Fleckenstein, penciled in her sister to run in a relay in a track meet. “Coach Fleckenstein entered Jenna by mistake,” said Julia Walko. It’s not that Julia was upset at being bumped by her sister, the problem...
Nippon Steel delays closing of acquisition of U.S. Steel until late this year after U.S. DOJ request
TOKYO — Nippon Steel said Friday it has postponed the expected closing of its $14.1 billion takeover of U.S. Steel by three months after the U.S. Department of Justice requested more documentation related to the deal. Tokyo-based Nippon Steel Corp. said the deal, already approved by U.S. Steel’s shareholders, is...
From cassette tapes to vinyl records, physical media is trending in Pittsburgh
Cassette tapes brought Veronika Cloutier to Pittsburgh. Vinyl LPs have kept her here. Before moving to Pittsburgh from North Carolina in 2021, the former vocalist and guitarist for the band Attack Cat measured the city’s livability by connecting with a local indie label that releases cassettes. “The fact that there...
Hope Hicks, ex-Trump adviser, recounts fear in 2016 campaign over impact of ‘Access Hollywood’ tape
AP-US—Trump-Hush Money, 14th Ld-Writethru14th Ld-Writethru NEW YORK — Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign was seized with worry about the potential political damage from a tape that showed Trump bragging about grabbing women sexually without their permission, longtime Trump adviser Hope Hicks testified Friday at his hush money trial. Hicks, a former...
