Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 690
WWE apologizes for using Auschwitz image in WrestleMania
LOS ANGELES — World Wrestling Entertainment apologized Friday for using an image from the Auschwitz concentration camp to promote one of its matches during the first night of WrestleMania 39 last weekend. The image was used in a promotional package for the match between Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio on...
Pittsburgh Public Schools files suit against social-media companies
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials have filed a federal lawsuit against multiple international social media companies, accusing them of fomenting “an unprecedented mental health crisis fueled by (their) addictive and dangerous social media platforms.” The school district filed the suit April 6 against Meta Platforms (Facebook’s parent company), Meta Payments, Siculus,...
2 injured, 1 critically, in Hazelwood and Beltzhoover shootings
Two people were injured, with one in critical condition, following two separate shootings late Friday night in Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood and Beltzhoover neighborhoods, according to police. Police responded to a shots-fired call just before 11:20 p.m. near the intersection of Boggs and Warrington avenues in Beltzhoover. They arrived to find a...
Gov. Josh Shapiro sets tone for Pirates victory with 1st strike of the day
The first pitch of the day was right down the middle. The catcher never moved his glove. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was so proud of it that he was eager to offer proof when approached for comment. “Did you throw a strike, Governor?” a reporter asked. “You bet I did,”...
Access to abortion pill in limbo after competing rulings
AUSTIN, Texas — Access to the most commonly used method of abortion in the U.S. plunged into uncertainty Friday following conflicting court rulings over the legality of the abortion medication mifepristone that has been widely available for more than 20 years. For now, the drug the Food and Drug Administration...
Pirates triumphant in Andrew McCutchen’s return behind Bryan Reynolds’ 6 RBIs
The black-clad crowd chanted M-V-P during the introduction of Andrew McCutchen in his return for the Pittsburgh Pirates, bringing back that Buctober feeling to PNC Park. The trade that sent McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants five years ago came full circle when fans later serenaded the player the Pirates...
‘He’s home’: Fans greet Andrew McCutchen with raucous reception during home opener
Pirates fans waited five years for this moment. No. 22 is back. Andrew McCutchen returned as a Pirate to PNC Park on Friday for the team’s home opener and was embraced by about 40,000 people in attendance. “To wear No. 22 again,” he said, “there is nothing else like it.”...
Brackenridge changes street name in memory of police Chief Justin McIntire
Brackenridge Council changed a street name in memory of their fallen police chief while continuing to weigh options on future police coverage. Third Avenue will be known as McIntire Way, in memory of the late police Chief Justin McIntire, who was killed in the line of duty on the street...
Shapiro’s proposed Pa. State Police fund saves road dollars but raises accountability concerns
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — In his first budget proposal as governor, Democrat Josh Shapiro aims to resolve a longstanding fiscal conundrum: funding the...
Andrew McCutchen says goodbye to visitors’ clubhouse at PNC Park, hello to new career chapter
Perhaps the most difficult part of Andrew McCutchen’s day was meeting with a room full of reporters Friday morning — before his first cup of coffee. But that was OK. Because the best part of his day already had happened. All he had to do was walk inside PNC Park...
Report: Russia formally charges Wall Street Journal reporter
MOSCOW — Jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has been charged with espionage in Russia and has entered his official denial, Russian state news agency Tass reported Friday. Tass said a law enforcement source informed the news agency that Russia’s Federal Security Service officially charged the American journalist with...
Pittsburgh looks to spend $600K on Downtown ambassador program
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership is looking to team up with the city to launch an ambassador program that would bring community service representatives to Downtown Pittsburgh seven days a week. Pittsburgh would dedicate $600,000 to the Golden Triangle Ambassador program under City Council legislation introduced this week. The program would...
What’s next for Tennessee’s expelled lawmakers?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Republicans have expelled two Democratic lawmakers from the state Legislature for their role in a protest calling for more gun control. Here’s a look at what could happen next: What happened? Republicans voted Thursday to expel two Black lawmakers who last week approached the front of...
Optimism is in the air at PNC Park as Pirates open home scheduleVideo
There is nothing quite like the home opener as baseball season kicks into gear. The crack of the bat. The sizzling of the grill. The roar of the crowd. It’s the time of year to welcome spring and gather once again inside PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, this time...
Pioneering Black journalist George Barbour left indelible mark on Pittsburgh
Not only was George Edward Barbour a pioneering Black journalist, he also was a civil rights activist, involved community member, stalwart church member and dedicated family man. After stints at the Pittsburgh Courier and other Black newspapers, Barbour was hired in 1964 as the first Black reporter at NewsRadio KDKA...
With snakes emerging as temperatures rise, Pa. has 3 venomous species to be aware of
Don’t look now but the sun is shining a little more, and the temperatures are starting to warm up. It’s a beautiful thing after slogging through another Pennsylvania winter, but humans aren’t the only creatures ready to get out and about in the nice weather. The rising temperatures mean snakes...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh Zoo reveals new baby gorilla’s nameVideo
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, April 7, 2023: New baby gorilla named at Pittsburgh Zoo The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium revealed the name the public helped give its new baby gorilla: Charlotte. The name was selected from almost 700 different entries submitted in...
Raging Rapids will return at Kennywood in 2023Video
The Raging Rapids isn’t going away after all. Kennywood Park announced Thursday that it will bring back the water-based ride in 2023. “Over the next few weeks, teams will continue to break in and fine tune the ride’s new control system that was installed as part of its refurbishment project,”...
5 things to know about 2023 Pirates’ home openerVideo
Andrew McCutchen, A.J. Burnett, Russell Martin and an expected sold-out crowd decked out in black jerseys and T-shirts should make for quite a spectacle at the Pirates’ home opener Friday. There will be plenty to see and enjoy before the Pirates (4-2) take the field to face the Chicago White...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: April 7-9
It’s Easter and Passover weekend, as well as the Pirates first home game of the season. Here are some entertaining ways to spend it. A dog-gone good time The Doggie Easter Egg Hunt is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the dog park and north lot at...
East Huntingdon farm could be idyllic retreat or commercial venture
Owners of a 57-acre property in East Huntingdon call it their little “Piece of Heaven,” but now they’re ready to pass their idyllic retreat to someone else. Featuring a brick farmhouse and wooden barn dating to 1856, the property just south of Scottdale is listed for $639,900. “It’s close to...
China sanctions Reagan library, others over Tsai’s U.S. trip
TAIPEI, Taiwan — China is imposing sanctions against the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and other U.S.- and Asian-based organizations in retaliation for the closely watched meeting this week between the U.S. House Speaker and Taiwan’s president. The Reagan library in Simi Valley, Calif., was the site of the rare high-level,...
Israel hits Gaza as Netanyahu vows to extract ‘heavy price’Video
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military struck targets in the Gaza Strip while Palestinian militants fired barrages of rockets rockets into southern Israel early Friday, with the region edging closer toward war following two days of unrest at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site and a rare rocket attack from neighboring Lebanon....
EPA proposal takes on health risks near chemical plants
In what could prove a significant move for communities facing air pollution, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed on Thursday that chemical plants nationwide measure certain hazardous compounds that cross beyond their property lines and reduce them when they are too high. The proposed rules would reduce cancer risk and other...
Mt. Pleasant’s McCali Manor condemned after fire
A historic building in downtown Mt. Pleasant has been condemned after being gutted Wednesday afternoon by a fire. When the blaze started at McCali Manor, Leon Mowry II, owner of Saloom Department Store, headed next door to DePalma Flooring to warn Pam DePalma and others inside to move their cars...
