Top Stories category, Page 4
Icy road conditions on tap Friday for Pittsburgh-area motorists
Roads in the Pittsburgh area are about to get icy. The second of two clippers — storm fronts starting in Canada and sweeping past the Great Lakes into Western Pennsylvania this week — has led the National Weather Service to put Pittsburgh under a winter storm watch. Up to a...
Oakmont Elks lodge Christmas dinner blends tradition, community, holiday spirit
The dozens of meals that volunteers served at an Elks lodge in Oakmont on Thursday afternoon felt as much about tradition as they did the spirit of Christmas Day. About 50 people gathered to break bread at 2 p.m. in the Washington Avenue lodge’s dining room — and the details...
Trump says U.S. struck Islamic State targets in Nigeria after group targeted Christians
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump said Thursday night that he’d launched a “powerful and deadly strike” against Islamic State forces in Nigeria, after he spent weeks decrying the group for targeting Christians. The president’s post did not include information about how the strike was carried out and...
No ham, no hassle: Chinese buffet, Jewish-run bookstore give Christmas a different spin
Greg Schmitt didn’t need a ham dinner with green beans and scalloped potatoes to celebrate Christmas with his family Thursday. Instead, the Tarentum man traded in the traditional holiday spread for a plateful of piping-hot General Tso’s chicken at a modest Chinese buffet. “It’s nice to have a place to...
Vandergrift woman pleads guilty to endangering 5 children
A Vandergrift woman pleaded guilty last week to endangering five children who were found living in deplorable conditions. Heidi L. Beer, 35, was sentenced Dec. 19 in Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court to serve between three and 23 months of incarceration after pleading guilty to numerous counts each of endangering...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh market rank drops (again); November sweeps ratings
Talk about a lump of coal in the local TV Christmas stocking: Pittsburgh’s market rank will drop another position as Nielsen downgrades the region from No. 27 to No. 28 nationally for 2026. Salt Lake City leapfrogged Pittsburgh, jumping one spot from No. 28 to No. 27. The practical impact...
2 injured in Forest Hills shooting
Two people were wounded and taken to hospitals Thursday morning following a shooting in Forest Hills, according to Allegheny County Police. The victims — a woman and a man — were transported in critical but stable condition, according to police. Detectives are investigating. Police were dispatched to the 400 block...
A Powerball player in Arkansas has won a $1.817 billion lottery jackpot
A Powerball player in Arkansas won a $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery game’s three-month stretch without a top-prize winner. The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number being 19. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot higher than previous...
Trump warns against infiltration by a ‘bad Santa,’ defends coal in jovial Christmas calls with kids
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump marked Christmas Eve by quizzing children calling in about what presents they were excited about receiving, while promising to not let a “bad Santa” infiltrate the country and even suggesting that a stocking full of coal may not be so bad. Vacationing...
Powerball’s $1.7B jackpot could make Christmas Eve unforgettable for a lucky winner
A Christmas Eve Powerball drawing could add new meaning to holiday cheer as millions of players hope to cash in on the $1.7 billion prize, which comes after months without a jackpot winner. The United States’ 4th-largest jackpot on record comes after 46 consecutive draws without someone claiming to have...
T.J. Watt returns to practice for Steelers 2 weeks after lung partially collapsed
For the first time since having his lung punctured two weeks ago in a dry needling treatment, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt returned to practice Wednesday on a limited basis. It was Watt’s first on-field activity since the Steelers’ win on Dec. 7 at Baltimore. “T.J. is one our...
Travelers on Friday will face tough weather conditions, PennDOT to limit speed on interstates
It looks like Pittsburghers won’t get a White Christmas this year. But meteorologists warn that Mother Nature is set to unleash ice, sleet and “a little bit of snow” just a day later — and the officials in charge of Pennsylvania’s roads are gearing up for a winter storm amid...
After missing deadline, DOJ says it may need a ‘few more weeks’ to finish releasing Epstein files
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it may need a “few more weeks” to release all of its records on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents, further delaying compliance with last Friday’s congressionally mandated deadline. The Christmas Eve...
Judge rules guilty plea stands for man convicted in fatal shooting at Jeannette football game
A Westmoreland County judge on Wednesday rejected an attempt by a Jeannette man to withdraw his guilty plea in connection with a 2019 fatal shooting outside a Jeannette High School football game. Greg A. Harper, 46, contended he was not properly represented when his former defense lawyer advised him to...
Crews dig into Pennsylvania nursing home rubble to see if a gas leak caused deadly blast
BRISTOL — Construction crews worked to clear the collapsed walls and roof from a Pennsylvania nursing home Wednesday to help investigators find the cause of an explosion that killed a resident and employee, and set off a dramatic evacuation amid falling debris and shooting flames. The Tuesday afternoon blast sent...
Faithful return to Bethlehem and Pope Leo XIV celebrates his first Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of people flocked to Bethlehem’s Manger Square on Christmas Eve as families there and at other sites across the Holy Land heralded a much-needed boost of holiday spirit, after two years of subdued celebrations because of the war in Gaza. At the Vatican, Pope Leo...
Feast of the 7 Fishes fuels Christmas Eve frenzy in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Brad Quartuccio refused to allow fate to disrupt a Christmas Eve tradition — prepping for his family’s Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian-American celebration revolving around succulent seafood. The Morningside resident and his son Sal, 7, marched proudly around 10 a.m. Wednesday through Wholey’s packed aisles, bags of shrimp...
Monroeville man will march in Tournament of Roses Parade with a band of, well, band directors
Michael Buckstein might be an assistant band director at the University of Pittsburgh, but it has still been a while since he practiced his heel-toe marching step. He’s been brushing up lately, though, after being chosen to perform with the Band Directors’ Marching Band at the annual Tournament of Roses...
As NFL confirms Lions fan from altercation ‘remains under review,’ Steelers support DK Metcalf
Riding a three-game winning streak, on the verge of clinching a division title and with Christmas morning beckoning just hours away, spirits should have been high in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room Wednesday. Its longest-tenured member, though, noted regret that there was a significant absence from the UPMC Rooney Sports...
More than 100 academic offerings on PennWest’s chopping block
Pennsylvania Western University could end more than 100 academic programs as the college prepares to adapt to demographic and enrollment declines impacting schools nationally. In a Dec. 12 email to faculty and obtained by TribLive, Interim Provost James Fisher recommends more than 100 academic programs to be placed in moratorium...
Mark Madden: DK Metcalf has only himself to blame
Only one person is to blame in the DK Metcalf imbroglio. It’s DK Metcalf. Sure, the blue-haired dipstick in the stands at Ford Field was looking to ensnare the Pittsburgh Steelers wideout in a web of stupidity. Shame on Metcalf for letting him. That dope had nothing to lose. Metcalf...
Annual Oakmont Christmas tree collection to benefit goats
Oakmont is giving folks another chance to supply tasty treats to the goats that help keep weeds under control in the borough. For the fourth year, the borough will collect Christmas trees for the furry friends at Capricious Goats LLC. The group of working goats, affectionately known as the “Munch...
Morning Roundup: Shooting in Beechview; North Park skating rink begins its season
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, Dec. 24: _______________________________________ Shooting in Beechview A man is recovering after being shot Tuesday in the city’s Beechview neighborhood, authorities said. Police responded at about 9 p.m. to the 1500 block of Rockland Avenue where they found a...
On Sports: Lions fans feel ‘robbed’ after loss to Steelers; Marc-Andre Fleury’s retirement might be cut shortVideo
It’s been a rough couple of days in Detroit after the Pittsburgh Steelers took the Lions’ playoff chances from possible to extremely unlikely. A former Penguins goalie could be considering a return to the ice, and Duquesne men’s basketball gets a marquee moment on “SportsCenter” in Wednesday’s “On Sports,” pinch-hitting...
Tim Benz’s Steelers stocking stuffers: DK Metcalf ‘whataboutism,’ T.J. Watt’s murky status, resting if Ravens lose
“Breakfast With Benz” is taking a long winter’s nap for Christmas on Thursday morning and the day after. As a result, there will be no “Football Footnotes” on Friday. Instead, we’re offering up a Christmas cornucopia of Pittsburgh Steelers stocking stuffers to ease you into the holiday following Mike Tomlin’s...
