Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 524
NRA has surprising defender in free speech case before the Supreme Court: the ACLU
NEW YORK — In a case of politics making strange bedfellows, the National Rifle Association will be represented by frequent nemesis the American Civil Liberties Union in an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court. The New York-based civil liberties group confirmed Saturday it will provide legal representation for the gun-rights...
Pitt volleyball team reaches NCAA Final Four by beating Louisville
In the past six seasons, Dan Fisher’s teams at Pitt have won more women’s volleyball matches than any other Division I school in the country. Trouble is Fisher’s Panthers haven’t won the big prize of an NCAA championship. Perhaps that trend is about to end. For the second time this...
Steelers 4 Downs: George Pickens seems frustrated with lack of targets. Does he warrant them?
1. Deserving of the ball? A common refrain among Pittsburgh Steelers fans seeking answers for their team’s struggling offense has been a plea to get more opportunities for George Pickens. But the numbers are mixed on if the receiver is being ignored by the play-callers and quarterbacks, or if Pickens...
Liz Magill, University of Pennsylvania president, resigns as antisemitism testimony draws backlash
PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania’s president has resigned amid pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing during which she was unwilling to say under repeated questioning that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. The departure of Liz...
New U.S. aid for Ukraine seems out of reach as GOP ties it to border security
WASHINGTON — A deal to provide further U.S. assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President Joe Biden. The impasse is deepening in Congress despite dire warnings from the White House about the consequences of inaction as Republicans insist on pairing the aid with...
Hometown Holiday Festival draws a crowd at Burrell High School
Hundreds of people visited Burrell High School on Saturday for its first Hometown Holiday Festival, featuring musical performances, local craft vendors, food trucks and family activities. Nicole Butler, supervisor of Lower Burrell EMS, spent the day filling an ambulance for Toys for Tots of Tarentum. She said the organization serves...
Fast start leads Belle Vernon to 2nd straight state championship
MECHANISBURG — There was no suspense in this year’s PIAA Class 3A championship. Belle Vernon made sure of that with another dominating performance starting with the opening kickoff. Anthony Crews scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, and the Leopards (13-1) won their second consecutive state title with a convincing...
‘A beautiful gem for North Huntingdon’: Friends of Norwin Trails hosts 1st trail maintenance day
When Shannon Reiter learned that a group of volunteers was clearing the trails at Braddock’s Trail Park in North Huntingdon, she could not pass up the opportunity to pitch in. Reiter, of North Huntingdon, runs at the park and, in the spring, she used to bring her children along for...
Police file charges against inmate responsible for Allegheny County Jail fire
An Allegheny County Jail inmate was charged Friday after a fire in an air vent inside his cell, county police said. Brian Leach, 49, was charged with one count of criminal mischief and three counts of recklessly endangering another person. The fire happened Monday in Leach’s cell, detectives determined, and...
Jury convicts teen of New Kensington man’s murder; 2 others found not guilty
A teenager was convicted Friday of first-degree murder in the death of a New Kensington man while his two co-defendants were acquitted of second-degree murder for their alleged roles in the killing. After more than three hours of deliberations, 16-year-old Amir Kennedy was found guilty of the intentional killing of...
Senators introduce legislation to protect fans from ‘dramatically overpriced’ event tickets
A bipartisan group of senators Thursday introduced legislation that seeks to address flaws in the live-event ticketing system in the U.S. and increase protections for customers. The much-awaited bill, dubbed the Fans First Act, would increase transparency in ticket sales, protect concertgoers from “fake or dramatically overpriced tickets” and go...
For sale: Brackenridge Heights Golf Course listed for $2.5M in Harrison
Ted Tomson remembers sneaking onto Brackenridge Heights Golf Course as a kid to gather errant golf balls from the course’s pond. “All the rich folks from here went there,” he said. “When I was a kid, I would sneak into there and get the golf balls out of the lake,...
Pregnant woman in Kentucky sues for right to get abortion
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A pregnant woman in Kentucky filed a lawsuit Friday demanding the right to an abortion, the second legal challenge in days to sweeping abortion bans that have taken hold in more than a dozen states since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. The suit, filed in...
Federal judge prohibits separating migrant families at U.S. border for 8 years
SAN DIEGO — A federal judge on Friday prohibited the separation of families at the border for purposes of deterring immigration for eight years, preemptively blocking resumption of a lightning-rod, Trump-era policy the former president hasn’t ruled out if voters return him to the White House next year. U.S. District...
Man who fired shotgun outside New York synagogue cited events in the Mideast, federal agent says
ALBANY, N.Y. — A man who fired a shotgun into the air outside a synagogue in New York’s capital city is an Iraq-born U.S. citizen who told investigators he felt affected by events in the Middle East, a federal agent said in a court filing. No one was injured by...
Pittsburgh Land Bank completed 1st sales in 2023, looks to ramp up work in new year
Nearly a decade after it was created, the struggling Pittsburgh Land Bank this year finally sold its first batch of blighted properties in the city — and optimistic officials said Friday that they have major expansion plans for 2024. The land bank, an affiliate of the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority,...
Supporters start Christmas card campaign for Oakmont man imprisoned in Russia
Friends and family of an Oakmont native imprisoned in Russia on marijuana charges hope the holiday spirit can boost attention to his case and get the State Department to help bring him home. Marc Fogel has been detained in Russia for more than two years after he was arrested at...
Yukon landfill could pay $275,000 to settle pollution claims
Residents living near a hazardous waste landfill in Yukon could share in a tentative $275,000 class-action lawsuit settlement that claims their homes have been impacted by polluted dust and odors from the site since 2014. Payments from the proposed settlement with MAX Environmental Technologies Inc. — to those living in...
Dispute over photography triggered Pittsburgh Greyhound shooting, records show
A morning melee Wednesday at the Greyhound station in Downtown Pittsburgh that ended with a shooting by law enforcement officers was triggered by a dispute between bus passengers over one taking pictures of the other’s family, according to court paperwork. Pittsburgh police on Friday charged Rayshon Mason, 32, of New...
Harvard president apologizes for remarks on antisemitism as pressure mounts on Penn’s president
WASHINGTON — Harvard University’s president apologized as pressure mounted for the University of Pennsylvania’s president to resign over their testimony at a congressional hearing on antisemitism that critics from the White House on down say failed to show that they would stand up to antisemitism on campus. In an interview...
Repairs to Pennsylvania House chamber prompt 3-month hiatus for lawmakers
After lawmakers leave Harrisburg for winter recess next week, the state House chamber will close for three months as a costly repair is made to its ornate and historic ceiling. While the House will convene on Jan. 2, as required by the state Constitution, and on Feb. 6, for Gov....
Delmont decorating fundraiser will be featured on NBC’s ‘Today’ showVideo
Since 2020, residents in Delmont’s Monticello neighborhood have decorated their homes to the hilt for the holiday season, part of a fundraising competition that allows them to present an annual gift to two local charities. On Christmas Day, they will get their own gift — a nationally televised segment on...
Munhall police officer arrested after standoff in Shaler
A Munhall police officer was arrested Friday after a standoff at his Shaler home during a domestic incident, investigators said. James Williams, a sergeant and detective, is charged with simple assault and harassment after an argument between he and his wife escalated, according to a criminal complaint. Police responded to...
2 more charged in Unity stabbing incident
Two more people have been charged in connection with a stabbing and robbery in Unity this week. Troopers filed charges Thursday against Michael J. Hafner, 22, of North Versailles, and Antonio James McMahon, 20, of McKeesport. Hafner was arraigned Thursday night and denied bail. An arrest warrant was issued for...
Former West Mifflin firefighter accused of sexual assault of 2 teenage girls
A former West Mifflin firefighter is accused of sexually assaulting two teenage girls in October. A 14-year-old girl told investigators she was assaulted by Christopher Barker, 20, of South Park, in the banquet hall of the West Mifflin Duquesne Annex Fire Station, according to a complaint filed by West Mifflin...
