Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 567
Pennsylvania counties tell governor, lawmakers it’s too late to move 2024’s primary election date
HARRISBURG — Counties in Pennsylvania have told Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers that it is too late to move up the state’s 2024 presidential primary date if counties are to successfully administer the election. In a letter, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania said there is no longer enough...
Israeli Jews with links to Pittsburgh settle into new, wartime routines
Ahmi Ben-Yehudah’s nightmares begin before he falls asleep. The Israeli Jew and former Pittsburgh resident has slumped in his bed the past six nights fiddling with his cellphone, worried that he won’t wake up to respond to a possible late-night text from his son, who is at war. The young...
U.S., Qatar agree to prevent disbursal of recently unfrozen Iranian funds as Israel-Hamas war ragesVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. and Qatar have reached an agreement that the Qataris will not act on any request from Tehran for the time being to access $6 billion in Iranian funds that were unblocked as part of a prisoner swap last month, a U.S. official said Thursday. The move,...
Control of parking lots on former Civic Arena site to shift from Penguins to 2 government agencies
Control of the parking lots at the former Civic Arena site in the Lower Hill District will shift from the Pittsburgh Penguins to the city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Sports & Exhibition Authority later this month. The Penguins have been paying rent and retaining net parking revenue from the...
PennWest interim president says new university has hit ‘enrollment floor,’ will rebound
PennWest University charges the same tuition and recruits heavily from the same region as fellow state-owned institutions Slippery Rock University and Indiana University of Pennsylvania, yet PennWest’s enrollment plunged again while its two peers have grown. In an interview with the Tribune-Review, PennWest leaders, including interim President R. Lorraine “Laurie”...
Arson suspect heads to court; ‘not the type of person we want in the fire department’
Andrew Bischof, the former Arnold volunteer firefighter charged with arson in connection with four fires in Arnold and New Kensington earlier this month, waived his preliminary hearing Thursday morning before District Judge Frank J. Pallone Jr. Police accuse Bischof, 21, of setting four houses on fire the weekend of Sept....
A new indictment charges Sen. Menendez with being an unregistered agent of the Egyptian government
NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors have rewritten their indictment against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and his wife to charge them with conspiring to have him act as an agent of Egypt and Egyptian officials. The superseding indictment, filed in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, accuses Menendez of...
Pittsburgh area school directors say career, technical education centers lack funds to meet modern needs
With 16 career and technical education programs offered in the Pittsburgh Public School District comes the weight of providing quality education in the face of rising expenses. For Angela Mike, executive director of CTE for Pittsburgh Public Schools since 2010, challenges arise when pursuing the results students need to meet...
Social Security benefits will increase by 3.2% in 2024 as inflation moderates
WASHINGTON — Millions of Social Security recipients will get a 3.2% increase in their benefits in 2024, far less than this year’s historic boost and reflecting moderating consumer prices. The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, means the average recipient will receive more than $50 more every month beginning in January, the...
LCB grants East Deer noise exemption for concerts at Pittsburgh Brewing plant
Pennsylvania’s Liquor Control Board has granted East Deer’s request for the township to enforce its own noise ordinance, as a concert venue at Pittsburgh Brewing Co. plans to open next summer. East Deer established its own noise ordinance in June and sought the exemption from the LCB because of Pittsburgh...
Western Pa. to get Hydrogen Hub designation as part of $7B nationwide investment
The White House is set to announce potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in investment for the Western Pennsylvania region with boosting for an energy project meant to produce hydrogen from natural gas. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit the Philadelphia area on Friday to announce $7 billion for...
Sara Innamorato denounces Democratic Socialist statement on Israel-Gaza conflict
Allegheny County executive candidate Sara Innamorato is breaking with a left-wing group over the group’s latest statements on the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Innamorato, a Democrat from Lawrenceville, posted on social media Wednesday that she strongly denounces the statements made by the national and local chapters of the Democratic...
Eras Tour on the big screen: Pittsburgh theaters prep for Taylor Swift takeover
The Taylor Swift takeover is far from done — the pop superstar is taking her reputation to the big screen, and Swifties are descending on local theaters. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is a film that captures the Pennsylvania native, now a global phenomenon, traveling and performing during the U.S....
Fetterman takes swipes at lawmakers, talks hoodies and health scare in ‘Late Show’ appearance
Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman took some swipes at his colleagues in Washington, D.C., during a Wednesday appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” The interview included discussions about his health issues and the challenges facing the United States. Oh, and confirmation that he’s “a Sheetz guy.” Wearing his...
Murrysville looks to balance growth, rural character that attracts new residents
Murrysville officials are casting an eye toward the municipality’s long-term growth as they begin working with a consultant who will help them take a deep dive into their zoning laws. That’s great news to Councilwoman Jamie Lee Korns, who has been advocating a long look at Murrysville’s zoning ordinances for...
Morning Roundup: Police investigate sexual assault of elderly Homewood woman
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Oct. 12: Police say elderly Homewood woman was sexually assaulted Pittsburgh police are investigating a sexual assault of a Homewood woman in her 80s. She was reportedly assaulted early Saturday morning at a home on the 500 block...
$1.73 billion Powerball jackpot goes to lucky lottery player in California
ST. LOUIS — A player in California won a $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot Wednesday night, ending a long stretch without a winner of the top prize. The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. Before someone won the giant prize, there had been 35 consecutive...
Police: Joke backfires and leads to O’Hara child luring investigation
Two juveniles who thought they were “joking around” by offering candy on Oct. 11 to children in O’Hara Township’s Crofton housing plan ended up spurring a child luring investigation by O’Hara police. After extensive interviews with the two juveniles, police announced on Oct. 12, they determined there was no intent...
Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is coming — but it won’t be as big as this year’s
WASHINGTON — Looking ahead to retirement next spring, Karla Abbott finds comfort in the cost-of-living increase that millions of Social Security recipients get each year. But with consumer prices easing, the new boost will be far lower than this year’s 8.7% Analysts estimate the adjustment for 2024 will be around...
Westmoreland, Allegheny emergency units practice hazard response with Norfolk Southern’s ‘safety train’
More than 100 Westmoreland and Allegheny County first responders spread across the Norfolk Southern train yard in North Versailles for a safety training Wednesday night. Members of the counties’ emergency response and hazmat units, wearing neon vests and jackets, surrounded Norfolk Southern’s “safety train,” a nine-part train used to simulate...
Late schoolteacher with affinity for W&J College gives record $50 million gift
Anica Donnan Rawnsley taught school as a young adult, and while she never attended Washington & Jefferson College, she developed an affinity for the place early on through family members who enrolled there and graduated. Now, months after her passing, she has made gift of approximately $50 million to W&J...
11-year-old student accused in shooting threat at Wendover Middle School
An 11-year-old Wendover Middle School student is accused of posting threats on social media to bring in a bomb and “shoot up” the Hempfield Area school Wednesday, state police said. The boy, who was not identified, is accused of making terroristic threats. Police say he texted fellow students on the...
North Huntingdon man among a dwindling number of World War II vets
Robert “Bob” Zaval of North Huntingdon, saw the horrors of war as an Army tank commander fighting in Europe during World War II. “Boy, it was tough. Your biggest thing was to stay alive,” said Zaval, who recently reflected on his long life before marking his 102nd birthday on Tuesday....
PNC moves forward with layoffs and other expense reductions
As PNC Financial Services moves forward with layoffs throughout the financial firm, the company is eying more reductions in costs. On Tuesday, PNC said it would cut an undisclosed number of workers. In a statement, the Downtown Pittsburgh banking firm said it is reviewing its organizational structure, which “includes a...
Swissvale therapist accused of having sexual relationship with teen ordered to stand trial
A Pittsburgh-area therapist was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges accusing her of having a yearslong sexual relationship with a boy starting when he was 14, but three of the most serious charges against her were thrown out. Rachel Witkowski, 42, of Swissvale, waived her preliminary hearing Wednesday in...
