Pittsburg, PA
Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s torch run returns for 14th year
A long-running tradition returned to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
This is the 14th year for Special Olympics Pennsylvania’s “Be A Fan” torch run.
Now, the Special Olympics Pennsylvania torch is on its journey away from PNC Park through its three-day, 150-mile trip to Penn State University.
Over 350 runners representing nearly 40 law enforcement agencies are Guardians of the Flame on the torch as it’s passed off every two and a half to four miles until it reaches State College for the 2025 Pennsylvania Special Olympics Summer Games.
The competition officially starts on June 5, but on Tuesday, runners like Pennsylvania State Police’s Tabitha Jacoby are accompanied by local Special Olympics program athletes.
“They’ll say, time and time again, ‘We love you guys, you’re our heroes,’ when really, they’re our heroes,” said Jacoby.
Organizers said this torch run brings the community together like no other event.
“If you have a chance to meet one of the athletes, they’re always smiling, they’re always happy to see you. And the general public can learn a lot from these athletes,” said State Law Enforcement Torch Run Director Matt Porter.
“We have law enforcement; we have people out on the streets supporting our law enforcement. We have athletes running alongside,” said Special Olympics Pennsylvania Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Andrew Fee. Fee added that the games are “highly competitive, good sportsmanship, a lot of fun when you’re not on the field.”
These athletes compete to represent Pennsylvania in the Special Olympics USA Games.
Athletes like swimmer Gianfranco Schiaretta said he’s ready for this statewide competition, “feeling confident, feeling strong.”
He said it takes a lot of hard work, and to him, this torch, with the Flame of Hope, represents so much.
“Desire, devotion, and discipline is the biggest thing,” said Schiaretta.
It’s a symbol of what our athletes with special abilities accomplish every day.
Pittsburg, PA
Overreactions to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2026 NFL Draft Class: Will Howard’s future, Omar Khan without Mike Tomlin, and more
The Pittsburgh Steelers had a 2026 NFL Draft that was, well, perplexing to put it nicely. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat when it comes to the draft process, and in three to four years, there’s a chance we look back on the class and the prevailing notion was dead wrong.
So today, we are going to name the three biggest overreactions to what the Steelers just did over the course of the weekend. Let’s jump in.
Overreaction No. 1: Max Iheanachor is another Broderick Jones
Look, if we want to reprimand what happened in the first round and the phone-gate debacle, that’s fine. But as Omar Khan said after the draft, the Steelers stuck true to their board and went with their highest rated player once Makai Lemon was poached by the Eagles.
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And yes, Iheanachor is raw. Yes, he didn’t start playing football until very recently and was mostly a soccer player. But the truth is, there might not be a tackle with higher potential and a greater ceiling than Iheanachor.
The feet, the length, the traits, it’s all there. Sure, the Steelers will need to be patient, but this isn’t a player who is fundamentally flawed the way that Jones was. This is a player who you don’t have to fix; you have to build up. So it’s far too soon to write off Iheanachor.
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Overreaction No.2: Mike McCarthy doesn’t like Will Howard
When the rhetoric coming out of Pittsburgh is always about how much the Steelers love Will Howard, and on day two, with their third pick in the draft, the Steelers take another quarterback that many view as a reach, it’s easy to see why some may believe that McCarthy doesn’t like Howard.
The truth is, McCarthy doesn’t know what he likes. He needs to see both Allar and Howard competing in a live environment before making any rash decisions. And when you don’t have an obvious quarterback of the future, taking as many shots as possible makes a lot of sense.
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Overreaction No.3: Omar Khan was carried by Mike Tomlin
If you look at Omar Khan’s draft history since he took over for Kevin Colbert in 2023, you see draft classes littered with talent and starters. And honestly, just about every time it reached Sunday of draft weekend, the consensus view was that Khan and the Steelers nailed the draft.
Well, the only obvious difference in the decision-making process this year was no Mike Tomlin. And under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers were at every big-time Pro Day, the Senior Bowl, and well represented at the NFL Combine. A lot of that changed this year, but it doesn’t mean that Omar Khan wasn’t heavily involved, if not making picks, before.
We’ll see if the media and fans, or Khan and co., are right in 3-4 years.
A woman has died, and three others were injured following a shooting at a bar in Vandergrift, Armstrong County, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Troopers said they were called shortly after 1:15 a.m. Sunday to Niki’s Quick Six on First Street in Vandergrift for reports of shots fired.
A local police officer who arrived first found one woman dead and multiple people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a public information report provided by state police.
The woman who died was identified as Jessica Hilliard, 34, of Apollo. Hilliard was pronounced dead at the scene. Another victim, Rebecca Boston, 24, of McIntyre, was found at the scene and was last listed in critical condition.
Two other victims, Hector Saballos, 34, of Vandergrift, and Dominik Dellach, 25, of Vandergrift, left before troopers arrived. Police said both were later listed in stable condition.
The suspect has been identified as David Dunmire, 36, of Vandergrift. Police said he remained at the scene and was taken into custody without incident.
An investigation determined that a physical altercation broke out in the parking lot outside the bar before Dunmire allegedly pulled out a firearm and fired multiple rounds, striking several people.
State police said they consulted with Armstrong County District Attorney Katie Charlton, who approved a criminal homicide charge.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Pittsburg, PA
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