Top Local and National News Stories
Polar plunge draws the brave to Mon Wharf for New Year’s Day jump into Monongahela River
Brave participants jumped into the Mongahela River along the Mon Wharf in Pittsburgh Thursday morning at the annual Pittsburgh Polar Bear Plunge. Proceeds from T-shirt and other sales at the event benefited WTAE-TV’s Project Bundle-Up....
Hempfield man charged with fatal shooting on New Year’s Eve
A Hempfield man is charged with criminal homicide after police said he shot and killed a man late Wednesday night. Shortly before 8:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Westmoreland 911 officials received a call from a man identifying himself as Robert D. Naugle Jr., 30, of Hempfield. Naugle told emergency...
Snowstorm drops up to 5 inches of snow across region
The new year rang in with high winds and heavy snow overnight that put a damper on the First Night turnout in Pittsburgh and left a fresh blanket of white across the region. Pittsburgh police said there were no issues during the First Night celebration as there were light crowds,...
About 40 people dead and 115 injured in fire at Swiss Alpine bar during New Year’s celebration
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — About 40 people were killed and another 115 injured, most of them seriously, after a fire ripped through a bar’s New Year celebration in a Swiss Alpine resort less than two hours after midnight Thursday, police said. Authorities did not immediately have an exact count of the...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Jan. 2-4
Welcome to 2026! Time for new beginning, new goals and new experiences all over Pittsburgh. Here are a few ideas for new things to do this weekend to get your year started right. Laser shows at Buhl Planetarium For fans of blockbuster Netflix show “Stranger Things” or pop superstar Taylor...
Cosmic chaos: Supermoon, meteor shower to grace Western Pa. skies Saturday
Two astronomical phenomena — a supermoon and a meteor shower — will collide in Western Pennsylvania skies Saturday. Supermoons occur between three and four times per year and meteor showers grace skies about six times annually, said Daniel Vanden Berk, director of Saint Vincent College’s Angelo J. Taiani Planetarium. But...
Ousted after 1 term, Ed Gainey leaves complex legacy as Pittsburgh’s 1st Black mayor
Ed Gainey swept into office four years ago as Pittsburgh’s first Black mayor, vowing to be a changemaker who would reimagine policing, make the city affordable for everyone and uplift minority voices. He strode into City Hall with bold ambitions. He was immediately confronted with challenges. Gainey had been in...
Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor at historic subway station
NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani became mayor of New York City just after midnight Thursday, taking the oath of office at an historic, decommissioned subway station in Manhattan. Mamdani, a Democrat, was sworn in as the first Muslim leader of America’s biggest city, placing his hand on a Quran as...
Health subsidies expire, launching millions of Americans into 2026 with steep insurance hikes
NEW YORK — Enhanced tax credits that have helped reduce the cost of health insurance for the vast majority of Affordable Care Act enrollees expired overnight, cementing higher health costs for millions of Americans at the start of the new year. Democrats forced a 43-day government shutdown over the issue....
New Year’s Day: What’s open? Retailers. What’s closed? Government and banks.
While schools, government and banks are closed on New Year’s Day, most major retailers across the U.S. will be open, with many offering discounts on older inventory to clear the way for newer products. But before you run out the door on New Year’s Day to peruse deals, it’s wise...
In photos: Pittsburgh’s Cultural District helps bring in the new year with First Night eventVideo
Despite a snowy and cold New Year’s Eve in the Pittsburgh region on Wednesday night, a crowd of revelers gathered Downtown for the 32nd annual Highmark First Night, hosted by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The five-hour long event that spanned several blocks in downtown Pittsburgh’s Cultural District ends with the...
Pittsburgh rings in new year with First Night festivitiesVideo
Levi Griffith-Esposito’s New Year’s resolution is to be more creative and artistic. The Carson Middle School student is well on his way completing his first project, a multi-colored 2026 hat as part of Pittsburgh’s First Night Celebration. Arts and crafts were among the many activities Wednesday evening provided by the...
Unity supervisors agree to double property tax, increase fire tax by 50%
Unity Township’s supervisors agreed Wednesday to double the township’s general purpose property tax to 4.4 mills, expecting to raise an additional $600,000 in revenue to cover rising expenditures. Supervisor Mike O’Barto noted the increase in that tax is the first approved in more than 50 years. And the resulting millage...
What to look for in 2026 in Western Pennsylvania
Big things are on the horizon in Western Pennsylvania in 2026. With 2025 wrapping up, here is a look at 10 major things set to shape the region in 2026. Pittsburgh to host the 2026 NFL Draft In April, Downtown Pittsburgh will be the nexus of what is expected to...
Top political stories of 2025
An unprecedented political comeback. A mayor on his way out after one historic term. Government inaction in Washington and Harrisburg. A political rebuilding effort. Here’s a look at some of the year’s biggest political stories from Western Pennsylvania to Washington: Trump returns In a political comeback like none other in...
PennDOT eases some interstate restrictions in Allegheny County; Beaver, Lawrence limits remain in place
PennDOT has lifted the speed restrictions on highways in Allegheny County while they remain in effect in Beaver and Lawrence counties. The transportation department recommends motorists avoid unnecessary travel but those who do head out will see speeds reduced to 45 mph on these highways: Beaver County: I-376 (Beaver Valley...
Penn Hills man charged in shooting at South Hills Village Mall
A Penn Hills man has been charged in connection with a shooting Tuesday night at South Hills Village Mall. Elijah E. Brown, 18, is charged with aggravated assault, discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, receiving stolen property, carrying a firearm without a license and attempting to elude police,...
Capitol riot ‘does not happen’ without Trump, Jack Smith told Congress
WASHINGTON — The Jan. 6. riot at the U.S. Capitol “does not happen” without Donald Trump, former special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers earlier this month in characterizing the Republican president as the “most culpable and most responsible person” in the criminal conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020...
U.S. military strikes 5 more alleged drug boats, killing 8 and possibly leaving survivors
WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said Wednesday it struck five alleged drug-smuggling boats over two days, killing a total of eight people while others jumped overboard and may have survived. U.S. Southern Command, which oversees South America, did not reveal where the attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday occurred. Previous attacks...
Trump says he’s dropping push for National Guard in Chicago, LA and Portland, Oregon, for now
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he’s dropping — for now — his push to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon, a move that comes after legal roadblocks hung up the effort. Trump said in a social media post Wednesday that he’s removing the Guard...
Up to 5 inches of snow possible by New Year’s Day
Western Pennsylvanians heading to Downtown Pittsburgh on Wednesday evening for First Night festivities should prepare to ring in the new year with snowfall and temperatures in the teens. About 3 to 5 inches of snow is expected to accumulate between mid-afternoon Wednesday and early Thursday morning, said Mike Kennedy, meteorologist...
Pittsburgh City Paper closes
Pittsburgh City Paper is closing after 34 years of operation. Employees at the alt-weekly Pittsburgh City Paper publication posted on social media that the news outlet was closing. Colin Williams, news editor at the City Paper, posted on Linkedin on Wednesday saying “It’s the end of an era — ownership...
What you need to know about Highmark First Night in Pittsburgh
Downtown Pittsburgh will put on its holiday best to host the annual Highmark First Night, presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The Cultural District will be ringing in the new year with a jam-packed lineup of performances, activities, fireworks and a midnight ball-raising. Tens of thousands of people are expected...
Residents escape early morning duplex fire in Unity
Four people escaped unharmed early Wednesday from one side of a burning duplex in Unity, according to Lloydsville fire Chief Brian Schultheis. Firefighters arrived at the Beatty Village Road home, located just off Route 30, around 4:30 a.m. to find flames shooting from the rear of the structure. A neighbor...
Brandy Melville’s Shadyside opening rekindles debate over size exclusivity
Emily Anderson remembers feelings of shame and self-consciousness in what she refers to as the “universal experience growing up fat or plus size” while trying to shop at size-exclusive clothing stores. “As a teenager I didn’t feel like I belonged in clothing stores,” said Anderson, a yoga therapist for All...
