May 27, 2025 11:57 am
(WPXI) MCKEESPORT, Pa. — A partnership that brought millions of dollars to a local school is suddenly ending. In a statement released Tuesday, Dick’s Sporting Goods says it’s truly disappointed that the partnership with McKeesport Area School District has ended. It’s unclear exactly why things dissolved but a Dick’s spokesperson says it has to do with the current school board and district leadership. The McKeesport Area School District Superintendent, Don MacFann, released a letter about the situation on social media. It says members of the MASD Administration and School Board met with Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation representatives last week when they were told their partnership was ending. “They wanted a true partnership. They bought into this community,” McKeesport Mayor Michael Cherepko said. “They’re in with these families, they’ve provided so much to these families in need, to the students, to the teachers, this is just absolutely so disheartening.” The partnership started in 2021 with Dick’s investing more than $13 million, offering summer programs, providing academic and athletic support for students and families along with creating a vibrant community center. “They did a lot of good things for the kids,” LuEthel Nesbit said. “They opened up a community room where the community could go in and get their clothes washed and there were a lot of helpful things that went on there.” In a statement, Dick’s Sporting Goods said: “Unfortunately, the current school board and district leadership did not uphold the written partnership agreement we had in place. When we sought a path forward, the school board president made it clear that there was ‘no page to get on.’ That response left no room for continued collaboration.” Mayor Michael Cherepko says United at Twin Rivers Elementary School, which was part of the partnership, is the only school in the district that is no longer on a “plan” because test scores have improved drastically. “This is the best thing that’s happened to this school district in a very long time and you talk about kicking a gift horse in the mouth. I just don’t understand it. I’m baffled by it and I’m extremely saddened by it,“ Cherepko said. WPXI reached out to the Superintendent’s office for comment, but didn’t hear back. The letter says that the board is “deeply disappointed by this unexpected decision.” The school also said that Dick’s has committed to honoring its existing obligations to the students and community through the summer. Dick’s Sporting Goods says it’s grateful to the educators, families and community members here in McKeesport. Dick’s says it remains open to the possibility of future partnership opportunities under new leadership.
May 27, 2025 11:36 am
(WPXI) MONROEVILLE, Pa. — A portion of a road in Monroeville is scheduled to close for several months for construction. Patton Street will close between Monroeville Boulevard and Mount Pleasant Drive starting at 9 a.m. on June 9. The closure is expected to be in place until September. Southbound traffic will be detoured using Monroeville Boulevard, Stroschein Road, William Penn Highway (Business Route 22), I-376 West, Beulah Road (Route 130), Brown Avenue (Route 130), and the Tri-Boro Expressway (Route 130). Northbound traffic will be detoured using the Tri-Boro Expressway (Route 130), Brown Avenue (Route 130), Beulah Road (Route 130), Churchill Road, I-376 East, William Penn Highway (Business Route 22), Stroschein Road, and Monroeville Boulevard.
May 27, 2025 11:34 am
(WPXI) The southbound lanes of a major highway in Allegheny County were temporarily closed during the afternoon commute on Tuesday while emergency crews responded to a multi-vehicle crash. The crash on Route 28 southbound at the 40th Street Bridge, which reportedly involved nine vehicles, happened just before 4 p.m. A 911 official tells Channel 11 one person was taken to an area hospital from the crash scene. Southbound Route 28 was closed between the 40th Street Bridge and 31st Street Bridge for around two hours. The crash caused miles-long backups and drivers were asked to consider alternate routes.
May 27, 2025 11:28 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — A bridge in Pittsburgh is closed until further notice following an inspection. The city said the Herron Avenue Bridge in Lawrenceville closed after recommendations from structural inspection consultants. According to PRT, the bridge was deemed “deficient.” “Following emergent findings from the City’s bridge inspection consultant and PennDOT, we are moving quickly to close the Herron Avenue Bridge in the interest of public safety,” said Zack Workman, P.E., Acting Chief Engineer. “Barricades and ‘Bridge Closed’ signage will be in place starting Wednesday. A designated detour route will guide motorists via the Bloomfield Bridge.” The City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure is currently in the preliminary planning stages of a full bridge rehabilitation, with construction planned to start in 2028. Before then, DOMI is working with PennDOT and the inspection team for a safe and earlier opening. “Since the start of my administration, I’ve had to make the tough call to close bridges more than once—but I’ve never regretted putting public safety first,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “Proactive steps like this are how we ensure our infrastructure remains safe for every Pittsburgher.” The following detours are in place during the closure: Southbound traffic: Southbound detour route will utilize Liberty Avenue to the Bloomfield Bridge to Bigelow Boulevard Northbound traffic: Northbound detour will utilize Bigelow Boulevard to the Bloomfield Bridge to Liberty Avenue For PRT riders, this impacts the North Side, Oakland and South Side routes.
May 27, 2025 11:20 am
BEIJING (AP) — A huge explosion rocked a chemical plant in China’s eastern Shandong province around noon Tuesday, killing at least five people and injuring 19, according to state broadcaster CCTV. An additional six people remain missing. The blast was powerful enough to knock out the windows at a storage warehouse more than two miles (three kilometers) away from the factory, according to a video shared by a local resident, who declined to give his name out of concern for retaliation. His home shook from the blast, he said. As he went to the window to see what was wrong, he saw a tall column of smoke from the site, more than seven kilometers (4.3 miles) away. The explosion happened at the Gaomi Youdao Chemical Co., which is located in an industrial park in the city of Weifang. It manufactures pesticides as well as chemicals for medical use, and has more than 500 employees, according to corporate registration records.
May 27, 2025 10:27 am
NEW YORK (AP) — National Public Radio and three local stations are suing President Donald Trump, arguing that an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding for the organization is illegal. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington by NPR, Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KUTE, Inc. It argues that Trump’s executive order to slash public subsidies to PBS and NPR violates the First Amendment. Trump issued the executive order earlier this month that instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS” and requires that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations.
May 27, 2025 10:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is asking federal agencies to cancel remaining contracts with Harvard University worth about $100 million. That’s according to a senior administration official Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal deliberations. The government already has canceled more than $2.6 billion in federal research grants for the Ivy League school, which has pushed back on the administration’s demands for changes to several of its policies. Cuts to contracts could take away millions more from Harvard’s budget.
May 27, 2025 4:57 am
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — King Charles III says Canada is facing unprecedented challenges in a world that’s never been more dangerous. Charles opened the Canadian Parliament on Tuesday with a speech widely viewed as a show of support in the face of annexation threats by U.S. President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Charles to give the speech outlining the Liberal government’s priorities for the new session of Parliament. The king is the head of state in Canada, which is a member of the Commonwealth of former colonies. Canadians are largely indifferent to the monarchy, but Carney has been eager to show the differences between Canada and the United States.
May 27, 2025 4:53 am
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — British police are holding a 53-year-old man over a collision that turned a joyous soccer celebration in Liverpool to tragedy and sent more than two dozen people to hospitals. The city’s mayor says four people are in very serious condition. Police said they are not treating Monday evening’s incident as terrorism and are not looking for other suspects. Detectives on Tuesday were piecing together how a minivan plowed into crowds. It happened after the players of Liverpool Football Club celebrated the Premier League championship with an open-topped bus parade. The North West Ambulance Service said a total of 47 people were injured, of whom 27 were taken to local hospitals. (Photo: AP)
May 27, 2025 4:53 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Sen. David McCormick says an arrangement for Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel will guarantee an American CEO, a majority of U.S. board members and U.S. government approval over certain corporate functions. McCormick spoke Tuesday on CNBC, four days after President Donald Trump suggested that an agreement on a “partnership” was at hand to resolve Nippon Steel’s nearly $15 billion bid to buy U.S. Steel that has been blocked on national security grounds. Trump said Sunday that U.S. Steel will be “controlled by the United States.” Many aspects outlined by McCormick and Trump have been floated previously by Nippon Steel, but Nippon Steel isn’t saying if it’s agreed to this deal.
