Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 828
How will student loan relief impact the economy, higher education? Western Pa. professors weigh in
People are talking about the Biden administration’s student loan relief plan “as if these loans will magically disappear,” according to Antony Davies, economics professor at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. The problem is, they won’t. On Aug. 24, the administration announced its plans to cancel up to $10,000 of student debt...
Kiski Area alumna opens all-inclusive salon in Allegheny Township
A Kiski Area alumna has opened a business right across the street from where she once attended high school. Cassandra “Casey Lynn” Walsh of Vandergrift recently opened her own full-service salon, Casey Lynn: Style for all, in Allegheny Township, a stone’s throw from Kiski Area High School. “I originally wanted...
Mother-daughter duo to open specialty clothing boutique in Vandergrift
A new business is buzzing into Vandergrift. Honeybee & Co., an online women’s and children’s specialty clothing boutique, is scheduled to open a brick-and-mortar location Sept. 15 at 301 Emerson St. The business, co-owned by the mother-and-daughter team of Rachelle Beavers, 45, of West Leechburg and Destiney Beatty, 26, of...
Vandergrift VFD No. 1 celebrates 125th anniversary with games, parade and food
An event more than a century in the making took place in Vandergrift Saturday. Borough officials, volunteers and firefighters from various parts of the state came together for the 125th anniversary of the George G. McMurtry Fire Department, also noted as Vangergrift Volunteer Fire Dept. No. 1. “It’s meant to...
How Archives went from ‘National Treasure’ to political prey
WASHINGTON — It was the setting for “National Treasure,” the movie in which Nicolas Cage’s character tries to steal the Declaration of Independence. It has long been among the most trafficked tourist destinations in the nation’s capital. But what the National Archives and Records Administration has never been — until...
Fuel leak ruins NASA’s 2nd shot at launching moon rocket
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s new moon rocket sprang another dangerous fuel leak Saturday, forcing launch controllers to call off their second attempt to send a crew capsule into lunar orbit with test dummies. The first attempt earlier in the week was also marred by escaping hydrogen, but those leaks...
Moon Township teenager killed in ATV crash in Robinson
A Moon Township man died late Friday after authorities said he crashed into a fixed object while driving an ATV along railroad tracks. Shane Wardropper, 18, was pronounced dead at a hospital after the 9 p.m. incident in the area of Elizabeth Street in Robinson, according to the Allegheny County...
A tale of 2 floods: Unity’s Dorothy neighborhood mirrors Connellsville’s Dutch Bottom experience
Josh Biller wasn’t thinking about floods when he bought his first house in May 2021. He was focused on getting moved in and setting up a home office, while enjoying a huge patio and having a place of his own. “I’ve only been here a year,” he said. “I was...
Freeport still can’t find a mayor after 3 months; residents encouraged to apply
Longtime Freeport Mayor James Swartz Jr. resigned in early June, and borough council still hasn’t been able to find someone to fill his shoes. No one qualified enough has stepped up, said Council President Clint Warnick, who is serving as acting mayor. “We’re still working through, trying applicants,” he said....
Police probe death of 14-year-old girl fatally shot inside car in Duquesne
Police are investigating a shooting Friday evening that left a teenage girl dead in Duquesne. Lajaponis Roberts, 14, died at the scene, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. Allegheny County Homicide detectives said they learned Roberts was a passenger in a burgundy-colored Chevy Cruze when the shooting occurred. The...
Southwestern Pa. awarded $63M to boost robotics and AI industries in region
Southwestern Pennsylvania has secured a $62.7 million federal grant that local officials hope will boost the region’s robotics and artificial intelligence industries and allow small businesses to take advantage of that growth. The White House announced Thursday the newly formed Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative will receive its funding through...
Suspect charged with shooting man in the leg on Downtown side of Rachel Carson Bridge
Pittsburgh police have taken into custody a man accused of shooting another man in the leg midday Friday in the city. Dremajjae Reddix, 26, is charged with aggravated assault, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Court documents did not list a...
Pittsburgh’s Rib Fest getting off to smoking hot start after Backyard Brawl brings in record fans
Pittsburgh’s annual Kickoff and Rib Festival has been running on the North Shore for more than 30 years and some longtime vendors say this year’s opening day on Thursday brought the biggest crowds they had ever seen. It helped that tens of thousands of football fans flooded the North Shore...
Top 5 biggest crowds in Pittsburgh sports history
Traffic tie-ups well before rush hour, tailgate parties springing up at many parking spots on the North Shore and a record crowd inside Acrisure Stadium made the renewal of the Backyard Brawl special. More so for victorious Pitt than West Virginia, considering that the Mountaineers led by seven deep into...
Mom of Wilmerding teen killed at haunted attraction files lawsuit against business
Nearly a year after her son was killed at the Haunted Hills Hayride in North Versailles, Shantel Pizaro continues to look for answers. With no arrests, Pizaro on Friday filed a lawsuit in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court against the business, hoping that it will help reveal who killed her...
North Huntingdon nursing home workers go on strike
Nursing home workers at The Grove in North Huntingdon walked off the job Friday and onto the picket line, demanding better pay, benefits and conditions for the residents. “We want better wages and more affordable health care (insurance) premiums,” said Shannon McBride, president of the local Services Employees International Union...
U.S. hiring slows as employers add a still-solid 315,000 jobs
WASHINGTON — America’s employers slowed their hiring in August in the face of rising interest rates, high inflation and sluggish consumer spending but still added 315,000 jobs. The government reported Friday that last month’s job gain was down from 526,000 in July and below the average gain of the previous...
Trump search inventory released, reveals new details on docs
WASHINGTON — FBI agents who searched former President Donald Trump’s Florida home last month found top secret records in an office and storage room, along with empty folders with classified banners on them and more than 10,000 government records without any classification markings at all, according to a more detailed...
Daycation destination: Coshocton, Ohio, America’s canal town
Coshocton, Ohio, is less than a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Pittsburgh, located between Columbus and Canton in the Ohio Valley foothills. And it’s the perfect place to take a “daycation.” Explore lush gardens and tour historic Civil War-era architecture in the once-booming port along the Ohio and Erie Canal. The first...
4-year-old accidentally shot by grandmother inside Pa. home
A 4-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the stomach by his grandmother Thursday, according to a report from WPVI. It happened around 8:30 p.m. on the unit block of East Penn Street in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. According to WPVI, the grandmother owns the gun and has a valid...
Wendy Bell talks with Trump: Pardons promised to Jan. 6 rioters
In an interview Thursday with conservative Pittsburgh broadcaster Wendy Bell, former President Donald Trump said — if he becomes president again — he would issue full pardons and an apology to rioters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. “We’ll be looking very, very seriously at...
Pittsburgh woman arrested in fatal East Hills shooting
Pittsburgh police have arrested a Pittsburgh woman in the fatal shooting of a man late Thursday in the city’s East Hills neighborhood. Toddia Smiley, 25, is charged with criminal homicide and tampering with evidence in the death of Damien Jackson, 29, of Homestead. Officers responded around 10:45 p.m. and found...
Authorities identify man fatally shot by Pittsburgh Police officer
A Pittsburgh police officer assisting in the search for a missing woman shot and killed a man who authorities say answered the door with a gun in his hand in the city’s Westwood neighborhood. Brian Fisher, 43, was pronounced dead at the Rydal Street home where he’d answered the door....
Doug Mastriano sues Jan. 6 committee over deposition authority
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor on Thursday sued the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, contesting its legal ability to force him to answer questions about it. The lawsuit filed by Doug Mastriano contends that the committee lacks appointees of House Minority...
Jan. 6 panel asks former Speaker Newt Gingrich for information
WASHINGTON — The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection is seeking information from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich about his communications with senior advisers to then-President Donald Trump in the days leading up to the 2021 attack on the Capitol. The committee’s chairman, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, wrote in...
