Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 785
Wall Street surges, Dow up 1,200 points on cooling inflationVideo
NEW YORK — Wall Street blasted off Thursday to soar to its best day in more than two years as exhilaration swept through markets after a report showed inflation in the United States eased last month by even more than expected. The S&P 500 surged 5.5%, while the Dow Jones...
Alex Jones ordered to pay $473M more to Sandy Hook families
HARTFORD, Conn.— Infowars host Alex Jones and his company were ordered by a judge Thursday to pay an extra $473 million for promoting false conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook school massacre, bringing the total judgment against him in a lawsuit filed by the victims’ families to a staggering $1.44...
Tweets with racial slurs soar since Musk takeover, report says
Instances of racial slurs have soared on Twitter since Elon Musk purchased the influential platform, despite assurances from the platform that it had reduced hateful activity, a digital civil rights group reported Thursday. Researchers at the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that the number of tweets containing one of...
New public works facility won’t be ready to help Pittsburgh’s South Hills neighborhoods this winter
Residents in Pittsburgh’s South Hills neighborhoods might not be wishing for a white Christmas this year. A Department of Public Works facility that was supposed to bring snow plows, salt and other supplies to the district won’t be built this winter, Councilman Anthony Coghill said. Coghill represents Pittsburgh City Council...
Pitt unveils plans for $240M athletic center in Oakland
The University of Pittsburgh has approved plans for a $240 million athletic center called Victory Heights that will include a 3,000-seat arena, as well as space for training and sports performance and sports medicine facilities for many of Pitt’s student-athletes. Pitt’s Property and Facilities Committee OK’d the project Thursday, according...
Police: Springdale couple threaten, follow woman after she made wrong turn onto their block
Springdale police arrested a couple after a woman told them the couple chased and threatened her when she made a wrong turn onto their street while driving her sons to a Halloween event at the high school. Cesare Biagio Palumbi, 30, was charged with four felony counts of aggravated assault...
Pittsburgh man faces charges in connection with deadly shooting in East Liberty
A Pittsburgh man is facing charges in connection with the September death of a man in East Liberty. Pittsburgh police said Rayvaughn Perkins, 25, approached a white SUV around 5:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the 600 block of North St. Clair Street and got into an argument with the vehicle’s...
Pittsburgh City Council president says West End ‘excluded’ from public discussions about police chief search
Pittsburgh City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith on Wednesday said she felt her West End council district was “excluded” from conversations about what city residents hope to see in the city’s new police chief. Mayor Ed Gainey’s administration held listening sessions over the past few weeks at Carrick High School, PPG...
Police: North Apollo man faces nearly 700 felony counts after admitting to having child porn on computer, phone
State police charged a North Apollo man with nearly 700 felony counts after he admitted to having pornographic images and videos of children on his computer and cellphone, investigators said. Jacob Charles Busler, 31, of Clark Avenue was charged with 680 counts of possession of child pornography and one count...
Route 28 lane restrictions set Saturday in Pittsburgh during walkway inspection
PennDOT District 11 is alerting motorists of lane restrictions Saturday on Route 28 in the City of Pittsburgh. Single-lane restrictions, weather permitting, will occur from 6 a.m. to noon in both directions near the East Ohio Street (Exit 1B) off-ramp as crews inspect the Charles J. Lieberth Pedestrian Walkway. Ramp...
Nicole rainfall, cooler temperatures headed to Western Pa.
As Tropical Storm Nicole rages through Florida, Western Pennsylvanians can expect to see some rainfall from the storm. Between Friday morning and Saturday morning, Western Pennsylvania will get 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rain, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Myranda Fullerton. Fullerton said the rainfall is “much needed,” but...
U.S. consumer inflation eased to 7.7% over past 12 months
WASHINGTON — Price increases moderated in the United States last month in the latest sign that the inflation pressures that have gripped the nation might be easing as the economy slows and consumers grow more cautious. Consumer inflation reached 7.7% in October from a year earlier and 0.4% from September,...
Norwin library directors breathe sigh of relief at voter support
The Greensburg Hempfield Area Library took a $50,000 hit to its budget this year, when an upstairs tenant chose not to renew its lease. And, even though the Southwest Greensburg referendum on Tuesday’s election ballot only affects $15,000 in library funding, it is a hit director Jamie Falo is happy...
Braddock man faces charges in connection with deadly shooting in Highland Park
A Braddock man was arrested Wednesday in connection with the October death of a man in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park neighborhood. Deashawn Watson, 20, faces charges for criminal homicide and unlawfully carrying a firearm. First responders found Omar McCord Jr., 18, unresponsive with gunshot wounds on Oct. 25 in the area...
Tropical Storm Nicole sends beachfront homes into the oceanVideo
WILBUR-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. — Tropical Storm Nicole sent Florida homes toppling into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday and threatened a row of high-rise condominiums in places where Hurricane Ian washed away the beach and destroyed seawalls only weeks ago. The storm, which caused at least two deaths, was the first November...
How will GOP’s performance in midterms impact Trump’s brand, influence within party?
Democrats had a strong showing in midterm elections across the country and particularly in Pennsylvania, defying many expectations. Many swing seats went in favor of Democrats, including in races for governor, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House. Pennsylvania Democrats also expressed optimism Wednesday about possibly gaining control of the state...
1 person dead, 1 hurt in Upper Burrell crash
A 73-year-old man died Wednesday evening after a crash in Upper Burrell. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Joseph Demichele of Penn Township. The two-vehicle crash on Milligantown Road, between Stoney Hill Road and Rustic Lane, was reported just before 5:15 p.m. According to Upper Burrell...
Charges dismissed against West Mifflin teen in connection with Kennywood shooting
Charges against a teen accused of being involved in a shooting in Kennywood Park in September were dismissed at a preliminary hearing Wednesday afternoon. Darryl Pirl, 15, of West Mifflin, one of three people injured during the shooting, went before District Judge James Hanley on charges of possession of a...
Maryland man, wife, get long federal prison terms for selling nuclear warship data; case has Pittsburgh connection
A Maryland man and his wife will serve prison terms with a combined total of more than 41 years for conspiring to sell restricted data related to the design of nuclear-powered warships. Jonathan Toebbe, 44, of Annapolis, and his wife, Diana, 46, pleaded guilty in February to the conspiracy. Toebbe...
5 takeaways from the midterm election in Pennsylvania
While many people were sleeping overnight Tuesday, Pennsylvania’s political landscape changed in some significant — and historic — ways. Here are some of the key takeaways from this year’s crucial midterm election: Dems to hold both U.S. Senate seats Democrat John Fetterman declared victory in his U.S. Senate race against...
Westmoreland’s support of GOP candidates not enough for Pa. victories
Although many agree Westmoreland County is a key to victory for state Republican candidates, the margins of victory here this week weren’t enough to translate into statewide wins for GOP gubernatorial and senate hopefuls. “It’s our job to run up the score, and it didn’t happen enough last night,” said...
Man pleads guilty to possessing fentanyl in Duquesne
A Butler man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh to possessing drugs, including fentanyl, last year in Duquesne. Gerry Lee Kendall, 41, pleaded guilty before Senior District Court Judge Arthur J. Schwab on a charge of possessing 10 grams or more of a drug mixture containing fluorofentanyl and...
Pittsburgh officials look to clean up homeless encampment under 10th Street Bypass
Pittsburgh officials are hoping to relocate homeless people living in an encampment under the 10th Street Bypass and clean out the site. Outreach workers from the city, the county and various organizations have worked with the “small handful” of homeless people who actually live at the site to help them...
Pennsylvania Democrats kept suburbs, gained rural voters
HARRISBURG — After Joe Biden eked out victory in Pennsylvania in 2020, Democrats in hugely consequential races for governor and U.S. Senate scored blowout wins by comparison in Tuesday’s election. They ran up the score again in leftward-shifting suburbs and cut losses in rural and exurban stretches where former President...
Sheraden woman pleads guilty to killing girlfriend last year
As detectives investigated the Oct. 3, 2021, shooting death of Kia Reynolds, they learned from her family that she’d been trying to leave her girlfriend. They also discovered a Valentine’s Day card that Unique Lane gave to Reynolds. In it, Lane wrote, “’til bullets do us part.’” On Wednesday, Lane,...
