Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 835
U.S. senators request State Department declare Oakmont man jailed in Russia ‘wrongfully detained’
A bipartisan group of 10 U.S. senators, including both of Pennsylvania’s, signed on to a letter Tuesday requesting Secretary of State Antony Blinken designate Oakmont native Marc Fogel as being “wrongfully detained” under federal law. The Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act is named in honor of former...
More than 100 classified Trump docs recovered back in January
WASHINGTON — The National Archives and Records Administration recovered more than 100 documents bearing classified markings, totaling more than 700 pages, from an initial batch of 15 boxes retrieved from Mar-a-Lago earlier this year, according to newly public government correspondence with the Trump legal team. The numbers make clear the...
Meta reveals future of realistic avatars at offices in Pittsburgh
The future of ultra-realistic human avatars has started, and technology for it is being developed in Pittsburgh. Meta, the Menlo Park, Calif.- based global tech company that operates Facebook, Oculus and other tech firms, provided a media tour of its Strip District offices on Tuesday. The company moved into the...
Ex-Shaler substitute teacher convicted in Capitol riots
The former Shaler substitute teacher accused of attacking a police line during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection was convicted by a federal judge Tuesday on several felony charges. Robert Morss, 29, of Glenshaw; Geoffrey William Sills, 31, of Mechanicsville, Va.; and David Lee Judd, 36, of Carrollton, Texas — were...
Man gets 3 to 6 years for fatal shooting over marijuana in Stowe
Peyton Wiser’s defense attorney described his client as a kind, gentle teen who took in injured animals and homeless friends when they needed help. But the prosecution said Wiser also sold marijuana and, when confronted for selling bad product, chose to shoot a man twice in the head instead of...
Parkway East billboard features faces of people killed by fentanyl to raise awareness about drug’s danger
A billboard along the Parkway East a few miles east of Pittsburgh shows the faces of 92 people with a tragic connection. All of them died of fentanyl poisoning. “The fentanyl crisis is only getting worse in our country, and it’s not getting the coverage it needs to educate people,...
Pittsburgh eyes homelessness solutions, including tiny houses
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday introduced legislation in an attempt to find immediate solutions to Pittsburgh’s homelessness issues, including a proposal to build tiny houses on city-owned land. The measure, sponsored by Council President Theresa Kail-Smith and Councilwoman Deb Gross, classified homelessness in the city as a “public health emergency”...
Doctor accused UPMC surgeon of drug use and ‘compromised patient care’
The attorney for the doctor who filed a whistleblower complaint against the head of UPMC cardiothoracic surgery published his client’s original anonymous complaint in court on Tuesday. Written in all capital letters and displayed on the projection screen, the complaint was filed by Dr. Jonathan D’Cunha against Dr. James Luketich...
2 men convicted in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A jury on Tuesday convicted two men of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020, delivering swift verdicts in a plot that was broken up by the FBI and described as a rallying cry for a U.S. civil war by anti-government extremists. The result...
Nursing homes in Lower Burrell, North Huntingdon among 24 statewide set to strike
Employees of nursing homes in Lower Burrell and North Huntingdon are among those at 24 long-term care facilities in the state who voted to strike, claiming unfair labor practices and a lack of accountability, according to union officials. Four of the nursing homes are owned by Comprehensive Healthcare, which operates...
Top UPMC surgeon testifies about suboxone use
A secretly recorded conversation between the head of UPMC’s department of cardiothoracic surgery and the doctor treating him with suboxone for a previous problem with prescription narcotics is at the center of a hearing in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court. Dr. James Luketich, who is the subject of a federal...
Freezing state officials’ pay this year ‘is the right thing to do,’ Pa. lawmaker says
Pennsylvania’s rank-and-file lawmakers could see their salaries rise above $100,000 in December, but some members are seeking legislation to freeze or eliminate the automatic pay raises they receive. House State Government Committee Chairman Seth Grove, R-York County, said he supports a pay freeze to ensure — at least this year...
Pittsburgh restaurant worker accused of spiking co-worker’s drink with degreaser
A Downtown Pittsburgh sports bar employee is accused of spiking a co-worker’s drink two weeks ago with pipe degreaser, causing co-worker’s upper and lower lips to turn red and feel a burning sensation, Pittsburgh police said. Gregory Evans Jr., 30, of Pittsburgh’s North Side, is accused of putting the degreaser...
Dr. Oz denies report of Trump regret during campaign stop at Westmoreland Fair
Dr. Mehmet Oz rejected media reports that surfaced over the weekend that suggested former President Donald Trump had soured on his U.S. Senate candidacy. “It’s not true. It’s not true at all. He’s been very supportive, offering advice. His team has been helpful as well, and he’ll be coming to...
Allegheny County Councilman Tom Duerr not seeking reelection
The youngest Allegheny County councilman said Monday that he will not seek reelection next year. Councilman Tom Duerr, D-Bethel Park, became the youngest elected official in Allegheny County government history when he was elected in 2019 at 24. In a tweet, Duerr said he would not seek reelection because he...
Trump seeks special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents
WASHINGTON — Lawyers for former President Donald Trump asked a federal judge Monday to halt the FBI’s review of documents recovered from his Florida estate earlier this month until a neutral special master can be appointed to inspect the records. The request was included in a federal lawsuit, the first...
Commonwealth Court orders Pa.’s health department to release information on medical marijuana program
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 — A panel of Commonwealth Court judges has ordered the Wolf administration to reveal how many medical marijuana patients have...
Driver in fatal Salem crash is Pennsylvania State Police trooper from Uniontown
A Pennsylvania state trooper remains on the job after his involvement in a fatal Aug. 17 crash in Salem, officials said Monday. A BMW driven by Tyler J. Strini, 27, of Homer City did not slow down for stopped traffic, troopers said. Strini, assigned to Troop B in Uniontown, joined...
Bishop Zubik undergoes spinal surgery with ‘no complications’
Bishop David Zubik on Monday successfully underwent surgery to address ongoing issues he has had with collapsing discs, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said. “According to his surgeon, everything went as planned,” officials said in a news release. “There were no complications,” He was treated at UPMC Mercy Hospital in...
Gas prices fall for 10th straight week as parts of Pa. near $4 mark
The streak of falling gas prices continued for a 10th straight week despite some areas seeing prices rise slightly last week, an industry analyst said. The average price also continued to fall in Pennsylvania, where some counties are now within a few cents of $4, according to AAA. The national...
Dr. Anthony Fauci announces departure from government service
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the covid-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service. Fauci, who serves as President...
Laurel Highlands in running again for best fall foliage honors
For the third consecutive year, the Laurel Highlands region is in the running to be named the 2022 Best Destination for Fall Foliage in USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The region finished eighth in last year’s voting and third in 2020. The contest includes 20 destinations across the...
3 Arkansas cops suspended after video captures beatingVideo
MULBERRY, Ark. — Three Arkansas law enforcement officers were suspended, and state police launched an investigation after a video posted on social media showed two of them beating a suspect while a third officer held him on the ground. The officers were responding to a report of a man making...
Arrest warrant issued for man wanted in fatal North Braddock shooting
Allegheny County police have obtained an arrest warrant for a man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in North Braddock. When police and paramedics responded to a shooting near the intersection of Jones and Baldridge avenues shortly after 6:30 p.m. Aug. 14, they found Leonard S. Morris-Graham, 29, of...
Special training, equipment prep emergency crews for water, physical rescues
When divers pulled the body of a 3-year-old Armstrong County boy from the Allegheny River about a year ago, the emotional impact of the untimely death was cause for concern — for the recovery team as well as for the young victim’s loved ones. “Anything like that that’s associated with...
