Top Local and National News Stories
Rockfall on Mt. Washington injures 1, closes PJ McArdle Roadway
Pittsburgh officials Wednesday morning closed PJ McArdle Roadway after rocks fell from a Mt. Washington hillside, injuring one person. The city hopes to open the roadway by Wednesday evening rush hour. Workers from multiple Pittsburgh departments responded to the scene around 10 a.m. following a report of fallen rocks, said...
Wilkinsburg man to face trial on charges he held people at gunpoint in Duquesne home
A Wilkinsburg man is facing trial after police said he held a group of people captive at gunpoint at a Duquesne home in December — just days after being released from jail for a separate assault. During a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Duquesne, a district judge held 20 charges against...
Shutdown may delay answers about planned ICE facility in Berks County
This story was produced by the Berks County bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom. Sign up for Good Day, Berks, a daily dose of essential local stories at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/gooddayberks. Update: Berks County Commissioner Christian Leinbach said Tuesday evening there’s no meeting planned for Feb. 18. He said he...
Woodland Hills board president resigns after felony charges
Woodland Hills School Board President Terri Lawson has resigned following controversy surrounding suspected misuse of nearly $10,000 in unauthorized purchases on a borough credit card. Lawson, former Rankin borough manager, was charged with felony counts of theft and fraud as well as misdemeanor counts of forgery and tampering with records...
Mark Madden: Costly personnel blunders have buried the Steelers in mediocrity
As the Steelers look to break a string of nine seasons with no playoff wins, there still seems to be an underlying faith among the citizens that the Steelers have a great organization and will ultimately get it right. But nine years is a pretty big sample size to the...
TV Talk: WTAE promotes from within, names new morning co-anchor
Following Michelle Wright’s Feb. 27 final broadcast before retirement, morning traffic reporter Elena LaQuatra will succeed Wright at the anchor desk as WTAE returns to a two-anchor morning format. Janelle Hall will remain at the morning anchor desk alongside LaQuatra and meteorologist Ashley Dougherty but Ryan Recker will move to...
Rescuers push through winter storm to 6 survivors of a California avalanche; 9 others missing
SAN FRANCISCO — Crews pushed through mountainous wilderness near Lake Tahoe during a snowstorm to rescue six backcountry skiers who survived an avalanche but were trapped by its snow and ice. Nine others from their tour group remained missing. Two of the six were taken to a hospital for treatment,...
Recent bitter weather has wreaked havoc on humans. What about nature?
Ice scrapers and heavy coats have been temporarily set aside for sunglasses, but the natural world is still reeling from the deep freeze that gripped the region for the past several weeks. During the final week of January, temperatures only made it as high as 17 degrees, dipping to their...
Oakmont approves resolution for non-cooperation with ICE and Customs & Border Protection
Oakmont officials Tuesday night unanimously approved a resolution prohibiting the borough from engaging in noncriminal federal immigration law enforcement. The resolution also made clear Oakmont would not enter into a 287(g) agreement, which allows local police departments to aid U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in immigration enforcement. The partnership is...
Springdale residents divided, frustrated after recent ICE detainment
Springdale Council and residents are divided over the local police department’s cooperation with ICE. Several displeased residents took the chance to confront officials Tuesday at council’s first meeting since the detainment of Springdale resident Randy Cordova-Flores, 36, originally from Peru. But the meeting — attended by a few dozen residents...
Ex-Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger discusses personal ‘transformation,’ avoids podcast feud with Joey Porter
There was no mention of the criticism he faced from a former teammate, but Ben Roethlisberger briefly touched on his own maturation process in the latest episode of his podcast. The retired Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback steered clear of the controversy stirred up last week by ex-linebacker Joey Porter Sr., who...
FBI, St. Paul police probing ICE arrest that resulted in skull fractures
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota and federal authorities are investigating the alleged beating of a Mexican citizen by immigration officers last month, seeking to identify what caused the eight skull fractures that landed the man in the intensive care unit of a Minneapolis hospital. Investigators from the St. Paul Police Department and...
Former Greensburg officer convicted of drug dealing must repay pension benefits
Greensburg’s police pension commission on Tuesday approved a decision that seeks the repayment of $75,400 by a retired officer who was sentenced to probation on federal drug crimes. The commission OK’d the findings of fact, conclusions of law and decision regarding the forfeiture of pension benefits paid to Regina McAtee....
Driver waives hearing, faces trial in fiery wrong-way crash on Parkway West
A man is headed to trial on charges that he was drunk in October when he drove his SUV into oncoming Parkway West traffic and struck a second vehicle before both cars burst into flames. Tristan Michael Larson, 23, of Moon on Tuesday waived his preliminary hearing on two DUI...
Oakmont family recounts husband’s ICE detainment
For a time, Jose Flores thought he would never see his family again. The morning of Jan. 29, Flores was getting ready for work and to drive his 8-year-old daughter, Lily, to school. “It started like any normal day,” Flores, 47, said through an interpreter as he and his wife,...
‘Electric personality’: Jesse Jackson left lasting impressions in Pittsburgh
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the civil rights icon who died Tuesday, stumped in Pittsburgh during his presidential runs in 1984 and 1988, and returned a generation later to rally the city behind President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign. But one retired city police officer remembered Jackson for a far more humble...
6 backcountry skiers found alive, 10 missing after Northern California avalancheVideo
SAN FRANCISCO — Six backcountry skiers were found alive and 10 others were still missing Tuesday after an avalanche in Northern California during a powerful winter storm moving through the state. Search and rescue crews were dispatched to the Castle Peak area, northwest of Lake Tahoe, after someone called 911...
Former baseball coach threatens Kiski Area with lawsuit
Attorneys representing a former Kiski Area middle school assistant baseball coach say they plan to file a lawsuit against the school district after the former coach was not rehired for the job over what they say is political retaliation. Attorney Amanda Shields said Tuesday her firm plans to file a...
Treasury officials question legality of taxpayers paying for security upgrades at Shapiro’s family home
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Late last year, Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement agency revealed taxpayers would pick up the tab for more...
Former Torrance State Hospital nurse charged with sexual assault of patient
A former nurse at Torrance State Hospital is accused by state police of having regular sexual encounters with a patient over seven months last year, according to court papers. The encounters between Dana R. Coxon, 40, and the patient, in his mid-20s, were video recorded and photographed on a cellphone...
Westmoreland Hospital, former nurses sued again for alleged mistreatment of patients
A third lawsuit has been filed against a Westmoreland County hospital and four former staffers accused of mistreating patients. According to court documents, the alleged incidents occurred over five days in late June 2024 after Shirley Stouffer of Hempfield was admitted to Independence Health’s Westmoreland Hospital with heart issues and...
Liberian refugee’s killer sent to prison for Pittsburgh slaying
When Eddie Kimber was growing up in the West African nation of Liberia, he had difficulty breathing, struggled to gain weight and would easily become exhausted from minimal activity. Doctors couldn’t find what was wrong. But when Kimber’s family fled war there and entered a refugee program, his brother said...
Pittsburgh City Council approves new solicitor, planning director
Pittsburgh officially has a new solicitor and planning director. City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved Mayor Corey O’Connor’s picks to lead the Law Department and the Department of City Planning. Lisa Zeidner Marcus is the city’s top lawyer and Ivette Mongalo-Winston oversees planning. Both had been serving in their roles...
Picklesburgh adds 4th day to Pittsburgh festival
Pickle lovers, this year’s dates for the Picklesburgh festival were just announced — including an extra festival day. Running four days long in 2026, the Downtown festival will be held from July 16 through July 19, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership announced. “Back by popular demand, Picklesburgh will kick off Thursday...
Wilkinsburg man gets double life terms for killing woman and daughter, 4
A Wilkinsburg man who shot and killed a woman and her 4-year-old daughter in an act the judge called calculated and vicious will serve the rest of his life in prison. Marquise St. Julien-Givner, 23, was sentenced Tuesday to two consecutive life terms with no chance for parole for killing...
