May 22, 2024 2:20 am
(WPXI) – Pittsburgh will host the 2026 NFL Draft. Steelers spokesperson Burt Lauten confirmed that the city was awarded the 2026 NFL Draft. “The NFL Draft is one of the biggest, most-anticipated sporting events of the year, and we’re thrilled to partner with the Pittsburgh Steelers and VisitPITTSBURGH for our 2026 event,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “We have a unique opportunity to spotlight this wonderful community on a global stage, benefiting Pittsburgh’s economy and entertaining football fans from all markets. We know this pride of Pennsylvania will shine bright in 2026.” The NFL decided where the draft would be held in 2026 during the Spring League Meeting in Nashville. Ahead of this announcement, Channel 11 spoke with city officials to find out what the draft would look like, including where the stage and other activities would be. Their vision has Downtown as the central backdrop of the main stage that would be placed on the North Shore near Acrisure Stadium. The full layout has not yet been revealed, but it’s expected to include Downtown, Point State Park, the Central Business District and the Strip District ancillary events, along with Acrisure Stadium and the North Shore. The officials also think the weekend-long event that could bring upwards of 300,000 people to the city will be a major economic boost. The process for Pittsburgh to secure rights to host the draft began years ago, with the Steelers having ongoing conversations with the NFL about bringing a “mega football event” to the city.
May 22, 2024 5:01 am
A federal judge has signed off on the $600 million class action settlement over last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio, but many people who live near East Palestine are still wondering how much they will end up with out of the deal. The lawyers who negotiated the deal plan to return to the community several times in the next few weeks and open a dedicated claims center to help answer residents questions. One of the lead attorneys, Mike Morgan, said the agreement will resolve claims against the railroad and the other companies who are defendants in the case but won’t prevent any possible future lawsuits against the EPA or other government entities.
May 23, 2024 6:08 pm
(AP) – The federal government agreed to a $15 million fine for Norfolk Southern over last year’s disastrous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. Residents were generally underwhelmed by the deal the Environmental Protection Agency and Justice Department announced Thursday, two days after a federal judge signed off on the railroad’s $600 million class action settlement with residents. In addition to the civil penalty, Norfolk Southern agreed to reimburse the government $235 million in cleanup costs and set up a $25 million health care fund to pay for 20 years of medical exams in the community and follow through on $244 million of planned safety improvements. The railroad won’t face criminal charges. (Photo: AP)
May 23, 2024 5:06 am
GREENFIELD, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a deadly tornado that wreaked havoc in the small city of Greenfield, Iowa, left four people dead and nearly three dozen injured, while a fifth person was killed elsewhere. The twister that tore through the city on Tuesday was rated at least an EF-3 by the National Weather Service and was so destructive that it took authorities more than a day to account for the area’s residents. Officials believe the number of people injured is likely higher. The deadly twister was spawned during a historic tornado season in the U.S. April had the second-highest number of tornadoes on record in the country.
May 23, 2024 5:05 am
SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCIA, Mexico (AP) — At least nine people are dead and 63 more injured after the collapse of a stage during a campaign rally in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. The state’s governor confirmed the tragedy and said among the dead was a child. A strong gust of wind caused the stage to collapse during an event attended by presidential long-shot candidate Jorge Álvarez Máynez. Videos of the dramatic collapse were posted to social media Wednesday night. The clips showed people screaming and running away, and later climbing out from under metal polls. Afterward, soldiers, police and other officials roamed the grounds of the park where the event took place.
May 23, 2024 5:09 am
Highways and airports are likely to be jammed in the coming days as Americans head out on and home from Memorial Day weekend getaways. AAA predicts this will be the busiest start-of-summer weekend in nearly 20 years. The Transportation Security Administration says up to 3 million people may pass through airport checkpoints on Friday alone. And that’s just a sample of what’s to come. U.S. airlines expect to carry a record number of passengers this summer. The national expression of wanderlust is happening at a time when Americans tell pollsters they are worried about the economy and the direction of the country.
May 23, 2024 5:03 am
The Israeli military says it has completed a two-day operation in the occupied West Bank that the Palestinian Health Ministry says killed 12 Palestinians and wounded 25. Rippling tensions from the Israel-Hamas war are also being felt in the Red Sea and in Lebanon. A missile splashed down in the water near the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Thursday, but caused no damage. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says an Israeli drone strike killed one person and wounded three school students who were passing nearby in a bus. More than 400 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah began exchanging fire the day after Israel launched its war in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
May 23, 2024 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Get ready for what nearly all the experts think will be one of the busiest Atlantic hurricane seasons on record thanks to unprecedented ocean heat and a brewing La Nina. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there’s an 85% chance that the Atlantic hurricane season that starts in June will be above average in storm activity. An average Atlantic hurricane season produces 14 named storms, seven of which become hurricanes and three major hurricanes. About 20 other groups — universities, other governments, private weather companies — also have made seasonal forecasts. All but two foresee a busier, nastier summer and fall for hurricanes.
May 22, 2024 5:10 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran is preparing to inter its late president at the holiest site for Shiite Muslims in the Islamic Republic, a final sign of respect for a protege of Iran’s supreme leader killed in a helicopter crash earlier this week. President Ebrahim Raisi’s burial later Thursday at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad caps days of processionals through much of Iran, seeking to bolster the country’s theocracy after the crash killing him, the country’s foreign minister and six others. However, the services have not drawn the same crowd as those who gathered for services for Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020 in a potential sign of the public’s feelings about Raisi after harsh crackdowns on dissent.
May 22, 2024 4:54 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors held a public hearing Tuesday to consider a conditional use application for garden apartments in the Concord Green Development off W. McMurray Road. The proposal calls for the Alpha Development Group to build a single building containing 48 one and two bedroom apartments on a 4.6 acre parcel of land. An earlier proposal had 74 apartments proposed, but that was withdrawn. The developer went item by item proving compliance with the zoning ordinance. Noted during the hearing was a 2010 development plan that called for two buildings containing 24 apartments each. A subsequent plan called for 26 townhomes to be built on the lot. The original 2001 master plan allowed for 48 apartments to be built. The developer expressed his interest in being a good neighbor offering to alter his plan to satisfy current residents comments. Public comment concerns pointed to increased traffic in the neighborhood and onto an already overcrowded W. McMurray Rd. Comment also called into question the compatibility of the rental apartment building in a neighborhood of owned homes. Concerns were also raised about how well the apartments and surrounding area would be cared for. It was asked if renters would take the same pride in their apartments as homeowners take in their homes. The meeting was continued for additional study. No date was given for the next meeting.
