Pittsburgh, a two-time runner-up for USA Today’s “Best Place to See Fireworks,” has finally earned its long-fought title of “Best 4th of July Celebration.” Best in the nation for the semiquincentennial — a cause for celebration.

For months, a community of hundreds of Haitian immigrants living in Charleroi has been anxiously awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court decision on an immigration program affecting their ability to live and work legally in the U.S. On Thursday, that opinion was finally announced.

Some older adults don't require the acute medical care provided in skilled nursing homes. Instead, they opt to stay at a personal care home, where support is centered on daily tasks. While Medicaid covers costs of skilled nursing homes, it doesn't cover everything needed.

It’s last call for that fluffy white taxidermy polar bear. And it’s the final chance to see the model of an Inuit hunter kayaking beneath the gaze of a mountainous walrus. This Sunday marks the end of the CMNH exhibit “Polar World: Wyckoff Hall of Arctic Life,” a museum fixture since 1983.

A common ailment that infects the nose, throat, respiratory tract, and lungs, RSV typically does not cause severe illness for healthy adults and children, but it is the leading cause of hospitalization among infants in the U.S.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is accepting public comments on a proposed permit for treated wastewater discharge for a new coal mine planned for the Laurel Highlands in western Pennsylvania.

Is Pennsylvania’s health system ready for a rise in cases of dementia? Subscribed to Designing Dignity wherever you get your podcasts.

You may have noticed your electricity bill is rising. The Pennsylvania Utility Commission alerted consumers that the price of electric generation is increasing this month, just as it’s getting hotter outside, and people are using more electricity for air conditioning.

“This grant and others are huge in that effort to allow us to continue to move forward and tell the story of this region to folks that live here and that live all across the country,” said Ron Baraff, director of historic resources and facilities at Rivers of Steel.

Last year, City Controller Rachael Heisler issued a report that argued PPS is losing out on millions in savings by approving most of its contracts without first going through a competitive bidding process.

Disciplinary events at PPS were down 23% this school year. The number of students involved in incidents also fell by 16%. City, school and violence prevention leaders largely credited the Safe Passage program, which employed more than 60 high schoolers as safety ambassadors this school year.

Work on the $6.76 million Stewart Avenue Stormwater Improvements Project is expected to last until September 2027. The project is slated for Stewart Avenue between Saw Mill Run Boulevard and Parkdale Street, as well as sections of Parkdale Street, Esther Way, Horning Street, and Carol Circle.

“It's devastating for some of the people here,” said Erica Collins, a paraprofessional in Fulton’s K-2 special education classroom. “Teachers have been crying all day.”

“It’s a canvas for you to put any medium on,” said Claudia Hill, chair of the Pennsylvania Gourd Society’s annual Art Show and Festival, which kicked off Thursday and continues through Saturday afternoon. “So whatever type of art you do, gourds make a good canvas for it.”

This is a testosterone-fueled, and sometimes toxic, moment in American politics. We have a White House that often goes long on swagger — and that’s when it’s on its best behavior. But a look beyond the headlines suggests that women have continued adding to their own political power.

After six recent voting days in the state House and Senate, lawmakers have yet to send any bills to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk this June. Still, movement on some bipartisan measures this week may have moved the needle.

There is no official city registry of the rentals – at least not so far. But according to data available on the rental-tracking website AirDNA, the number of active short-term rental units countywide is at a three-year peak.

The beautiful game is alive and well in Pittsburgh, even if it’s not a FIFA World Cup 2026 host city. F.N.B. Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Riveters SC, is bringing the world pitch to Pittsburghers for the second time with their free World Cup Watch Parties In The ‘Burgh.

Braddock borough council voted unanimously Tuesday night to table a resolution allowing U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Works to connect to the public sewer, which is needed to move forward with plans to construct a new hot strip mill at the site.

UPMC did not disclose which hospitals were affected by the layoffs or provide other specifics. Word about the layoffs first circulated on Pittsburgh social media platforms. The health system operates more than 40 hospitals and another 800 clinical facilities across much of Pennsylvania.

Construction is underway on the site; the mid-rise building at Penfort Street will eventually replace a 1960s-era high-rise in the city’s largest public housing community. “We’re investing in housing,” Mayor Corey O’Connor said during the ceremony. “We’re investing in our residents.”

“ I think it's going to take some kind of tipping point, crisis situation where it will become painfully apparent that we as a society cannot support the needs of the aging population,” said Dr. Lyn Weinberg, geriatrics division director at Allegheny Health Network.

Republicans say that based on unofficial vote totals, each candidate received at least 300 Republican write-in votes in districts where Democrats had been unopposed.

The first addition to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh campus since its relocation in 2009, the new Heart Institute features state-of-the-art technology and expanded patient capacity.

Pittsburghers may need to stock up on sunscreen as most of the city’s public pools will re-open in two weeks. Fifteen of CitiPark’s 17 outdoor pools will open Monday, June 15. The openings of Homewood and Sue Murray (Allegheny Center) pools have been delayed due to ongoing repairs.

The city’s Planning Commission has recommended a bill that would make inclusionary zoning — a policy requiring developers to include a certain percentage of affordable apartments in large new developments — not mandatory for developers in most Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

Pittsburgh Pride 2026 “Existence is Resistance” takes attendees across Downtown and through the North Shore with a multiday festival, pride march and activities. However, for those not wanting to travel too far, there are plenty of possible parties across Pittsburgh neighborhoods.

The Future-Ready Plan, which officials say will address declining enrollment and more equitably redistribute resources across PPS schools, is expected to touch nearly every corner of Pittsburgh as students are shuffled across the city.

Residential rates in the Duquesne Light service area are increasing nearly 3%. Penn Power customers will see a roughly 7% rise in their rates, while West Penn Power rates are going up by 10%, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

It’s been more than three years since a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio led to a chemical spill that transfixed eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. And at least there are signs that a series of rail-safety reforms supported by U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio may be gaining steam.

Summer is on its way, and for many families, that means signing students up for camps and other enrichment activities. But access to summer learning programs is scarce in some parts of Allegheny County, especially in the wake of PPS’ decision not to offer its Summer B.O.O.S.T. program last year.

It's Memorial Day Weekend, but Pittsburgh's Sister Bridges are trading the red, white, and blue of the American flag for the green, white, and orange of the Irish flag.

AG Dave Sunday’s office released a 20-page report this week that compiled social media guidance for families, schools, social media companies and lawmakers. The recommendations come after a series of conversations with teens across Pa. that took place over the course of the current school year.

Population in Southwestern Pennsylvania has been falling for decades, but some places within the region are seeing growth. Pittsburgh gained the highest number of new residents statewide between 2020-2025. More than 4,500 people were born or moved into the city in that period, an increase of 1.5%.

The polling places used in the May 19 primary may be closed, but the general election ballot hasn’t been completely set. There are still the write-in ballots to reckon with, and a handful of races in Allegheny County showed the kind of unusual activity this week that may affect the ballot this fall

Pennsylvania is considered a key battleground in efforts to flip the U.S. House of Representatives to Democratic control next year. But the races that have drawn the most attention are in the eastern half of the state.

Gov. Josh Shapiro and national Democrats are promoting their chosen candidates over progressive rivals, the latest example of a fissure that has divided the party as it grasps for a path back to power in Washington.

Temperatures in the Pittsburgh area are forecast to soar to a high of 90 degrees today. According to the National Weather Service, that’s 10 to 15 degrees above normal for May; the region usually doesn’t hit the 90s for another month.

Highlights of the Steelers schedule include the first-ever NFL regular season game in France in week seven against the New Orleans Saints, as well as a Black Friday home game against the Denver Broncos.

More Democratic state legislators appear to have been targeted by a man accused of threatening to shoot lawmakers, according to at least two Pittsburgh-area state House members.

The battle for a state Senate district southwest of Pittsburgh has highlighted a rift within the GOP. WESA’s Tom Riese reports three-term state Sen. Camera Bartolotta now faces a challenge from Al Buchtan who’s running further to the right of established Harrisburg leaders.

Learn and Earn provides low-income teens in Allegheny County opportunities to explore different industries, build on-the-job skills and even get industry certifications, all while getting paid above minimum wage.

The new policy bars kids under 18 from spending time in the square from Thursday to Sunday between the hours of 3-midnight, unless accompanied by a chaperone 21 years or older. Officials say the curfew is a response to reports of groups of young people causing problems Downtown.

Researchers warn that the U.S. is experiencing a reading recession — a slide predating the pandemic’s disruptions in schooling. But they also note that some schools — including several in Western Pennsylvania — are bucking that trend.

The 2025 report says the coalition has collectively reduced carbon emissions by 56.1%, cut energy use by 27.3%, saved $42.8 million in energy costs, and an additional $7.1 million in savings by reducing water consumption.

“It's really not fair, to be honest,” said Ousmane Conde-Cyrus, a senior at City Charter High School, which is just a few minutes’ walk from Market Square. “You have to be 18 to go to a public space? That doesn't really make any sense.”

Pa’s effort to upgrade its two-decade-old voter registration system has already cost nearly $1.4M, according to records obtained by Votebeat and Spotlight PA. Officials hope the updated system will be ready for the 2027 elections. However, the state isn’t saying much about where the project stands.

The two bills council voted to move forward are aimed at preventing federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from setting up operations on city-owned property – and at keeping the agents from entering private areas without a judicial warrant.

Enhanced geothermal uses techniques like fracking to recover that heat. Geothermal energy currently makes up less than 1%t of the nation’s electricity generation. But a 2023 Dept. of Energy study estimated enhanced geothermal could account for up to 12 percent of the nation’s electricity by 2050.

Pennsylvania has sued an artificial intelligence chatbot maker, saying its chatbots illegally hold themselves out as doctors and are deceiving the system's users into thinking they are getting medical advice from a licensed professional.