Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 720
New quake hits battered Turkey, Syria; 3 dead, hundreds hurt
ANKARA, Turkey — A new 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Monday killed three people and injured more than 200 in parts of Turkey laid waste two weeks ago by a massive quake that killed tens of thousands, authorities said. More buildings collapsed, trapping some people, while scores of injuries were recorded...
Social Security and Medicare: Troubling math, tough politics
WASHINGTON — It seems no one wants to cut Social Security or Medicare benefits. Not President Joe Biden, who is already telling voters his upcoming federal budget proposal will “defend and strengthen” the programs. Not Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has declared cuts to the programs off the table...
Man believed dead after chase that ended near Cloverleaf Golf Club in Salem
Police believe a man died by suicide Monday near the border of Penn and Salem townships in an incident that prompted a large police response along a road south of Route 22. Trooper Steve Limani said authorities were notified of a man having a mental health issue around 10 a.m....
Pa. Department of Health sues to keep medical marijuana program data secret
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 — The Pennsylvania Department of Health is again suing Spotlight PA in an attempt to keep information about how patients...
Gas prices edge lower in Pittsburgh, across Pa. while national average unchanged
While gas prices in some states moved higher in the past week, Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh area are among those where prices came down slightly. According to AAA, the statewide average price of a gallon of gas Monday was about $3.69. That’s about 4 cents less than last week, about...
Gilpin officials investigating reports of stolen business yard signs
Gilpin officials are investigating recent reports of sign thefts in the township. Supervisor Charles Stull took to social media Friday to ask for the public’s help regarding multiple reports of what he described as a “strange” crime throughout the township. “Yard signs for various businesses throughout Gilpin Township have gone...
United Way, Westmoreland County partner to use 211 service to help residents
Westmoreland County residents looking for help finding behavioral health or developmental services will be funneled through United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s 211 service under a new partnership. Rob Hamilton, Westmoreland County director of human services, said call takers will be trained on such offerings through county government and in the...
Record 6,542 guns intercepted at U.S. airport security in ’22
ATLANTA — The woman flying out of Philadelphia’s airport last year remembered to pack snacks, prescription medicine and a cellphone in her handbag. But what was more important was what she forgot to unpack: a loaded .380-caliber handgun in a black holster. The weapon was one of the 6,542 guns...
Morning Roundup: K9 retires in North Versailles
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, Feb. 20, 2023: K9 retires in North Versailles North Versailles Police K9 Laky worked his last shift Saturday, retiring to live a life “eating carrots and licking the yogurt container,” according to the township’s Facebook. Laky has been...
Bicycle Heaven Museum reopens after Christmas flood
Cycling and fix-it enthusiasts can get their fill once again after a popular North Side destination has reopened seven days a week. Bicycle Heaven Museum, pegged as the “world’s largest bike museum, sales shop and repairs,” has been closed since Christmas Eve after a broken waterline flooded the space along...
Biden declares ‘Kyiv stands’ in surprise visit to Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine — President Joe Biden paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Monday to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a defiant display of Western solidarity with a country still fighting what he called “a brutal and unjust war” days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. “One year...
Tim Benz: Questions remain around Kenny Pickett — and many other quarterbacks
At this time a year ago, pretty much any Pittsburgh Steelers conversation was focused on the quarterback position. Would Aaron Rodgers really retire or leave Green Bay? What’s happening with Russell Wilson and Derek Carr? Do the Steelers have any faith in Mason Rudolph? How serious is the team about...
Hempfield’s middle school consolidation vote: Here’s what you need to know
The beginning of Hempfield Area High School’s $128 million revitalization project is edging closer. This summer, the district plans to kick off construction on the project that will gut the school to its structural system and replace everything as new. But before ground can be broken, the school board and...
Penn State Thon sets another fundraising record. Here’s how much money was raised
UNIVERSITY PARK — After hitting a record-breaking fundraising total in 2022, the 2023 Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon smashed the record again, raising $15 million to combat pediatric cancer. Each year, the largest student-run philanthropy raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund, which goes toward cancer research and covers childhood...
North Korea fires short-range missiles after making threats
In its second weapons test in three days, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Monday, rekindling regional animosities over U.S.-South Korean military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. The weapons firings follow an intercontinental ballistic missile launch Saturday and North Korea’s threats to...
District plan calls for gradual return for Westinghouse students in wake of shooting that left 4 teens injured
Students who attend a Pittsburgh school where four students were shot last Tuesday will return to classes over the course of the coming week, school officials announced Sunday. A “phased-in” approach will be used this week to gradually return students to Pittsburgh Westinghouse Academy in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood, officials said....
Party officials say Casey, Fetterman health issues ‘too early’ to raise concern
It is a rare moment in modern history when both of a state’s U.S. senators are sidelined with health issues. But if the Senate, where Democrats hold a 51-seat majority, were in session today Pennsylvania’s two Democratic senators would be absent. Pennsylvania’s senior senator, Bob Casey, is recovering from surgery...
Harrison, Brackenridge police investigating after ‘taggers’ vandalize properties
Graffiti artists have left their unwanted mark on a Brackenridge business and other sites in Harrison. Property owner Cameron Yockey said he discovered Feb. 3 that his building along Brackenridge Avenue had been tagged. Vandals scribbled on the storefront, sidewalk and trash can. “Thankfully, we bought this building to renovate...
Truancy can carry legal penalties, affect the ability to get a job
Frank J. Pallone Jr. has had many truancy cases come before him during his 24 years as a district judge in New Kensington. In those hearings, Pallone said he takes the time to learn what is going on in homes that caused a child to miss school and rack up...
Michigan State struggles with uncertain return to classes
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University professor Marco Díaz-Muñoz is still haunted by what he witnessed last Monday night, when a gunman entered his classroom in Berkey Hall, killing two of his students in what he describes as “12 minutes of terror.” “Those images haunt me. The images of those...
Health care vaccine mandate remains as some push for an end
LOWRY CITY, Mo. — At Truman Lake Manor in rural Missouri, every day begins the same way for every employee entering the nursing home’s doors — with a swab up the nose, a swirl of testing solution and a brief wait to see whether a thin red line appears indicating...
Suspect arrested in slaying of Temple University police officer
PHILADELPHIA — A man is facing murder and other charges in the death of a Temple University police officer shot and killed near campus Saturday night, authorities said. The Philadelphia district attorney’s office said 18-year-old Miles Pfeffer will face charges of murder, murder of a law enforcement officer, robbery, carjacking...
Man accused of killing Swissvale mother and child arrested
Police arrested a man accused of killing a mother and child in Swissvale. Kareef Easington, 35, had a warrant out for his arrest and was charged with two counts of criminal homicide and tampering with evidence. He was previously sought by the police for questioning. According to police, he was...
Birds of a feather flock together at Harrison Hills Park for annual Great Backyard Bird Count
Like most birding enthusiasts, Jessica Lakari looks forward to every chance to get out in the woods to glimpse the colorful and often complex behavior of winged creatures. So when birders from around the Alle-Kiski Valley gathered at Harrison Hill Park this weekend for the Great Backyard Bird Count, she...
As chronic absenteeism rises in schools, officials search for ways to entice students to stay in the classroom
It’s not by the power of the pen or a symbolic sword that Highlands School District administrators are fighting chronic student absenteeism but rather a Golden Spatula. The trinket is awarded each month during the RAMS Roundup rewards party, where behavior expectations are reviewed and student successes are acknowledged. To...
