Regional category, Page 38
Where is the top-selling liquor store in Pennsylvania?
The wine and liquor store atop the Eastside retail center at the border of Pittsburgh’s Shadyside and East Liberty neighborhoods has been in elite company for more than five years. But in the 2023-24 fiscal year, the Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection tallied the most sales in the...
Uncertainty swirling for university researchers impacted by proposed NIH cuts
Democrats and university officials say uncertainty is rampant after proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health, and fear the move could cost the region thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars. About 21,000 jobs are supported by NIH funding in the state, according to figures cited by...
In wake of York shooting, security experts see no perfect cure for hospital violence
When Andy Armenta learned of the hostage situation unfolding at UPMC Memorial hospital in York County, he immediately thought of his brush with hospital violence 25 years ago in California. Armenta, a biomedical engineer, was on the first floor of West Anaheim Medical Center the morning of Sept. 15, 1999,...
CDC estimates flu vaccine effectiveness as cases slam the region
This year’s flu vaccine has been effective overall against the current strains of the virus, despite cases and hospitalizations surging in the region, according to the latest federal data. About 54.9% of the influenza A H3N2 strains — which is causing about half of all cases this season — is...
Measles risk is real for those unvaccinated, experts say
A child’s death from a measles outbreak in West Texas has raised concerns about vaccination rates and the resurgence of preventable diseases. But about one in 1,000 cases of measles can be deadly or cause lasting harm, said Dr. Paul Offit, the Maurice R. Hilleman Chair of Vaccinology at the...
Ukrainian community in Western Pa. shaken by Trump and Zelenskyy public spat
Negotiations between President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy deteriorated into shouts Friday during what was supposed to be the signing of a minerals deal. The argument left some members of the Pittsburgh region’s Ukrainian community disturbed. The tense meeting occurred in the Oval Office over a proposed deal that...
ATI reaches tentative contract agreement with United Steelworkers
A tentative agreement was reached between ATI and the United Steelworkers on Friday, according to statements released by both the metals company and union officials. The union released a statement saying it’s a six-year deal impacting 1,000 union members across locations including Brackenridge, Harrison, Vandergrift, Latrobe, Washington, Pa., and Lockport,...
2 men found dead in Butler County house
Two were men found dead Wednesday evening inside a Washington Township home in Butler County, Pennsylvania State Police said. Authorities said the two were found in a home along Swope Road, according to TribLive news partner WTAE. Emergency officials said the residence tested negative for carbon monoxide, and troopers are...
FDA cancels key meeting to discuss flu vaccine, leaving some experts baffled
The flu vaccine’s future is murky after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration abruptly canceled its committee meeting to recommend the makeup of seasonal flu shots for the 2025-26 influenza season. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a Pittsburgh-based infectious disease physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security,...
Staffing agency owner who served Charleroi area accused of harboring illegal aliens
A Belle Vernon man pleaded guilty this week to two counts related to accusations that he ran a temporary staffing agency that provided workers who were illegally in the United States. Federal prosecutors said Andy Ha, 28, also failed to pay taxes related to those employees. Ha pleaded guilty to...
Drunken Penn State student assaulted EMT after being led away from State College bar, police say
A Penn State student was accused Sunday of assaulting an emergency medical technician shortly after being asked to leave downtown State College bar. Joseph A. Draper, 21, was arrested and charged with a felony count of aggravated assault, three misdemeanor counts of simple assault and summary counts of harassment and...
Lawsuit filed against Aliquippa VFW owners on behalf of man ‘brutally’ attacked inside lodge
The owners of an Aliquippa VFW club are accused of negligence after an employee allegedly failed to protect one of its members from being brutally beaten inside the club earlier this year. Personal injury and civil rights attorney Todd Hollis recently filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of Aliquippa resident...
Bird flu affecting more than 600 birds at Butler County farm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed Butler County’s first case of bird flu. The virus was detected in a backyard flock of 610 birds. The USDA confirmed the infection on Feb. 20. It classified the farm, which was not identified by the USDA, as a kind that does not...
Alcoa CEO predicts Trump aluminum tariffs will cost 100,000 jobs
Bill Oplinger, CEO of Pittsburgh-based aluminum producer Alcoa, warned Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s 25% import tax on aluminum could kill off around 100,000 U.S jobs. “This is bad for the aluminum industry in the U.S. It’s bad for American workers,” Oplinger told a crowd at a metals and mining...
Nippon to meet with federal officials in bid to salvage U.S. Steel deal
Nippon Steel plans to meet with federal officials to work out a solution to the U.S. Steel takeover, and will use the existing merger agreement as a starting point in negotiations. The Japanese steelmaker’s chief operating officer, Tadashi Imai, unveiled the plan to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday. Imai’s stance...
Penn State to close some branch campuses; New Kensington, Fayette, Greater Allegheny, Beaver at risk
Penn State officials have made it clear that it will close some of its branch campuses, and all four of those in Southwestern Pennsylvania are among those that might close. University President Neeli Bendapudi said in a statement Tuesday that she expects a final recommendation to be announced no later...
Ending diversity push or fueling student anxiety? Trump administration’s anti-DEI stance sparks debate
The Trump administration’s plan to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and initiatives on college campuses has sent universities scrambling to determine how to follow the guidelines or risk losing federal funding. Local colleges said they still are considering how to respond to U.S. Department of Education demands issued Feb....
Penn State breaks THON fundraising record with over $17 million
For the first time ever, Penn State’s THON fundraising total surpassed $17 million raised in the fight against pediatric cancer. The IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon’s exact total was $17,737,040.93 — beating THON 2024’s record-breaking total of $16,955,683.63 by more than $780,000, the university announced Sunday. View this post on Instagram A...
Paralyzed man narrowly escapes fire that killed 3 in Kittanning
One of the people who survived a massive duplex fire that killed three people in Kittanning said he was able to get out because a boy knocked on his door to alert him to the blaze. “We had just enough time to get out,” Robert Campbell said. Surveying the damage...
Firearms meet varying fates after moving through law enforcement
From 2022 to the end of last year, Pittsburgh police took in more than 2,700 firearms used in crimes, some confiscated via court order and others simply turned in by people who didn’t want them anymore. But only a little more than 570 of those guns were destroyed. Almost 650...
How pet blood donors are saving lives
Usually, when someone’s pet is in the veterinary hospital, it’s a stressful time — something is wrong, and it’s gone beyond the usual vet visit. But on Feb. 15 at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Ohio Township, Ashleah Stone wasn’t worried at all about her 7-year-old greyhound, J.B. That’s because J.B....
Bartender at the Aliquippa VFW wanted on charges tied to brutal, prolonged attack
An arrest warrant has been issued for a third person in connection with a brutal beating at a Veterans of Foreign Wars lodge in Aliquippa. City police said Ireland Brown, 21, of Ambridge was bartending at the time of the Jan. 5 attack, according to a post on the department’s...
Recent spate of plane crashes has made some travelers wary to fly
Nancy Philpot lost two of her former Westinghouse co-workers in the 1994 USAir Flight 427 crash near Hopewell, Beaver County, which killed all 132 passengers on board. Though she was initially hesitant to board an airplane once again, she eventually got over her fear. But after the past few weeks,...
Warmup could mean bumpy roads as crews struggle to keep up with potholes
Get ready to dodge more potholes. As temperatures are expected to surge from the mid-20s to above 50 degrees by Monday, it could create more potholes on roads, sidewalks, parking lots and other paved areas, experts say. The freeze-thaw cycle isn’t a secret enemy of pavement, but this winter’s temperature...
Smoother rides ahead: Pa. takes step toward revamping Breezewood interchange
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has taken a first step in redesigning the Breezewood interchange to provide a direct link for motorists who want to exit the turnpike and head south to Maryland on Interstate 70. Turnpike officials this week announced Alfred Benesch and Company, which has offices in Cranberry and...
