Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 517
Former Pennsylvania death row inmate freed after prosecutors drop charges before start of retrial
YORK, Pa. — A man formerly on death row has been released from prison following dismissal of murder charges in a double slaying a quarter-century ago that he blamed on his brother, who died in prison while appealing his own death sentence in the case. Noel Montalvo, who turned 59...
Pitcairn emergency management coordinator wants ‘eye-watering’ odor addressed
There are times when Nick Turner of Pitcairn sits in his recliner, and his eyes begin to water from the odor. He doesn’t know for certain where the smell is coming from. But it has been happening for a long time and reached a level on Friday that caused one...
Driver in crash that killed Serra Catholic student asks for jail release amid injuries
The man charged with killing a 15-year-old Serra Catholic student in a school van crash in September has asked the court to release him on bond so he can address myriad injuries he suffered in the accident. William Soliday II, 43, of North Huntingdon, is charged with criminal homicide, homicide...
Pittsburgh airport offers ID-less security screening through membership
Passengers at Pittsburgh International Airport can now be cleared for departure a bit faster, thanks to a new, high-tech screening service. Airport officials announced Monday a five-year agreement with CLEAR, whose biometric identification technology allows its members to proceed to the TSA checkpoint through a priority lane and without having...
Sinkhole traps parked car on North Side
A sinkhole has claimed another car in Pittsburgh. A Toyota Prius parked along the 1500 block of Homer Street in the city’s Spring Hill neighborhood became trapped Monday after a water main break created a sinkhole that swallowed the car’s front section. Crews worked to repair the damage on Monday....
Gov. Shapiro’s job approval rating slips but remains strong as 1st year comes to a close
Gov. Josh Shapiro continues to enjoy the support of a majority of Pennsylvania voters as he nears the end of his first year in office but his approval rating is beginning to show signs of weakening, according to a statewide poll released on Tuesday. The poll released by the Commonwealth...
Census: Where are people moving to Pennsylvania from the most?
More people moved to Pennsylvania in 2022 than the year prior, and many came from neighboring states, according to new geographic mobility estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. The federal agency estimates nearly 263,000 people residing in Pennsylvania in 2022 lived in a different state one year ago. Many came...
Many kids are still skipping kindergarten. Since the pandemic, some parents don’t see the point
CONCORD, Calif. — Aylah Levy had some catching up to do this fall when she started first grade. After spending her kindergarten year at an alternative program that met exclusively outdoors, Aylah, 6, had to adjust to being inside a classroom. She knew only a handful of numbers and was...
Morning Roundup: Police say Facebook Marketplace deal ended in armed robbery in Mt. Oliver
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, Dec. 19: Police say Facebook post led to armed robbery in Mt. Oliver A teenager was arrested Monday afternoon after Allegheny County Police said he and others were involved in an armed robbery during a Facebook Marketplace transaction....
Man dies after North Fayette crash
An 80-year-old man was killed in a crash Monday in North Fayette, according to Allegheny County officials. His vehicle left the roadway in the 100 block of Grace Street and hit a fixed object, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. John Ursic of Imperial was pronounced dead just after...
Winter storm warning for higher elevations in Southwestern Pa.
Residents living in higher elevations of Southwestern Pennsylvania region are under a winter storm warning until 10 a.m. Tuesday. The Pittsburgh office of the National Weather Service has issued the advisory for Somerset County, as well as eastern sections of Indiana, Westmoreland and Fayette counties, where higher elevations in the...
TribLive’s 2023 Year in Photographs
TribLive’s photojournalists have captured a year of stark contrasts, vividly documenting our region and the people who call it home. The North Shore witnessed a takeover by Swifties as globally renowned pop sensation Taylor Swift brought her Era’s tour to Pittsburgh. An explosion in the Rustic Ridge community in Plum...
Independence Health: Hospitals post positive operating revenue but health system losses remain
Independence Health System’s five hospitals posted positive operating revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, hospital officials said Monday, even as the former Butler and Excela health systems individually lost millions of dollars in that 12-month period. Latrobe Area Hospital topped all the other health system hospitals — Butler...
Pittsburgh bans foie gras, pauses efforts to bar fur sales, horse-drawn carriages
Pittsburgh City Council on Monday voted to ban the French delicacy foie gras. The measure — sponsored by council members Bruce Kraus, D-South Side, and Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill — bans the sale of force-fed animal products. Foie gras is created by forcing a foot-long tube down a bird’s throat...
Earthquake in northwestern China kills at least 111 people in Gansu, Qinghai provinces
BEIJING — At least 111 people were killed in a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in a cold and mountainous region in northwestern China, the country’s state media reported on Tuesday. Search and rescue operations were underway in Gansu province and neighboring Qinghai province. The earthquake left more than 230 people injured,...
Major cleanup underway after storm batters Northeastern U.S., knocks out power and floods roads
PORTLAND, Maine — Utility crews worked Tuesday to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Maine and some rivers continued to rise in New England following a powerful storm that hit the northeastern U.S., drenching communities and bringing windspeeds over 60 mph in some areas. At least four...
U.S. Steel workers in Western Pa. unsure what Nippon deal means for local mills, their future
Third-generation steelworker Don Jackson said he’s seen how mill owners weathering an economic downturn can cripple a city. In Pittsburgh in 1984, a year after Jackson graduated from high school, J&L Steel shuttered the 140-year-old South Side mill that sat just a mile from Jackson’s Arlington home. At its peak,...
Westmoreland juvenile detention center on track to fully reopen soon
Westmoreland officials said Monday hiring efforts could result in a full-scale reopening of the county’s juvenile detention center next month. The 16-bed secure detention center at the Regional Youth Services Center in Hempfield was closed in June amid staffing shortages and state inspections critical of employment levels and training. It...
Medical forum cites holes in child abuse prevention programs
A sweeping slate of child protective services laws adopted 10 years ago in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal stretched the state’s safety net, creating areas for vulnerable children to fall through, a report released Monday concluded. The report, from the Keystone State Child Abuse Medical Forum,...
Appeals court says Mark Meadows can’t move Georgia election case charges to federal courtVideo
ATLANTA — A federal appeals court on Monday ruled that former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows cannot move charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia to federal court. Meadows was indicted in August along with former President Donald Trump and 17 others on...
Texas governor signs bill that lets police arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday approved sweeping new powers that allow police to arrest migrants who illegally cross the U.S. border and give local judges authority to order them to leave the country, testing the limits of how far a state can go to enforce...
Shapiro administration cancels $10.7M contract for Pa. voter roll system upgrade
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. HARRISBURG — The state has canceled a planned upgrade to Pennsylvania’s system for managing voter rolls, leaving officials stuck for the foreseeable future with a process and technology they...
Westmoreland municipal authority issues mandatory water conservation order
The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County on Monday ordered more than 56,000 customers served through Beaver Run Reservoir to reduce water use by 10%. The mandatory conservation order impacts about half of the authority’s water customers, including most who live north of Route 30. Those locations, along with some in...
7 scammers who victimized Western Pennsylvanians indicted by federal authorities
Seven people have been indicted in a $3 million sweepstakes scam federal authorities said targeted people older than 75 in the western half of Pennsylvania and elsewhere across the country. The money ultimately made it to Jamaica, where it was withdrawn by people who are accused of being part of...
Comprehensive Healthcare nursing homes found guilty of fraud, but executives acquitted
A federal jury on Monday found two nursing homes guilty of health care fraud but exonerated all five of their executives charged in the scheme. The mixed verdict was returned at 11:15 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh following a five-week trial that featured 29 government witnesses. The two...
