During a press conference at PPG Paints Arena, the new owners talked about expectations, the future and more. The new owners said they have no plans on moving the team. The family said they bought a house in the city's Squirrel Hill neighborhood and plan to be here for some time.

"The Penguins are going to be in Pittsburgh and always going to be in Pittsburgh as long as the Hoffmanns are part of it. The Hoffmanns plan to be part of this for generations to come," new Penguins governor Geoff Hoffmann said.

The family is not new to hockey. They own the ECHL's Florida Everblades, a five-time Kelly Cup champion. David Hoffmann said they want the team to be the Penguins' affiliate, which would end the nearly 30-year partnership the Wheeling Nailers have with the Penguins.

"They would run me out of Naples if they're not. We already have people wearing Penguins jerseys at our games. I think there is a high expectation that is going to happen, and we want to do that," said David Hoffmann, the company's founder and chairman.

Ownership said they want to give general manager Kyle Dubas the resources he needs to win. They added that they do not want to micromanage the organization, saying winning is a necessity in Pittsburgh.

"We're committed to winning," David Hoffmann said. "Whatever it takes. We give the resources. We give the autonomy. We put the right people in place to win."

As for the Penguins and the Lower Hill District, the Hoffmanns are aware that work needs to be done. When the Fenway Sports Group left, city, county, and Hill District leaders criticized the group's lack of fulfilling commitments when developmental rights lapsed.

"I know there are many stakeholders that need to be heard and taken care of. We plan to have those discussions when the time is right. But the only way it will work is for everybody to feel great about it," Geoff Hoffmann said.

They've also spoken with Mario Lemieux and would embrace him after the previous ownership did not have a good relationship with the Pens legend and former owner.

"I'm really hopeful that he will be a part of this in whatever way, shape or form that makes sense for him. We would love for him to be a part of it. We know what he means to hockey. We know what he means to the Penguins. We know what he means to the city," Geoff Hoffmann said.

As for watching the Pens, SportsNet Pittsburgh will remain their home next season. After that, they may be looking for a new partner to televise games.

Police said 27-year-old Curtis Gardner was arrested on Tuesday and taken to the Washington County Jail, where he was unable to post $150,000 bail.

According to police paperwork, Gardner was using Snapchat to communicate with a 16-year-old female student at Ringgold High School.

The student reported receiving inappropriate pictures and videos from Gardner that were sexual in nature. The teen told a Washington County correctional employee who was visiting her school for a career fair in April. The officer she reported it to then contacted the Ringgold School District Police Department, who initiated a child line for the incident.

The student also reported receiving a selfie from Gardner "wearing some kind of uniform." Police said the student reported that she zoomed in on the patch on his shirt, which read "Washington County Corrections Officer."

During an interview with police, Gardner admitted to taking sexual photos and sending them on Snapchat but denied sending them to the underage girl.

"Gardner stated that he has a lot of (inappropriate) pictures and does send them to people on Snapchat after they rise to his criteria," police paperwork said.

KDKA-TV reached out to the Washington County Prison Board to ask how long Gardner has been a corrections officer and his current work status. The chairman, Nick Sherman, sent a statement saying, "As this is an active police investigation, Washington County does not comment on ongoing investigations or personnel matters."

Gardner faces charges including unlawful contact with a minor and corruption of minors.

"I think that it's sad that that happened," said Washington County resident Blair Good. "You're supposed to be in a position of authority."

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 29 at 3 p.m.

The watch also covers parts of Ohio and West Virginia. 

There's a threat of tornadoes as a cold front slowly works its way through the area. The risk is low, with the Storm Prediction Center putting our chance at 2%. That's the lowest chance besides zero on their daily risk map. We hardly ever reach the 5% threshold. 

The reason for our severe storm chance today is a cold front that will stall on top of us in the late afternoon into the evening hours. We should have a couple of hours ahead of the storms with sunny skies that will allow potential energy to build. 

There looks to be just enough shear to mean we can't rule out a quick spin up or two. Our tornado risk is low.

Looking at the overall severe weather chance, I open up the window for severe weather at around 2 p.m. and keep the window open through midnight. The front will arrive as what we call a short wave, which should arrive along I-80 at 2 p.m., and the line of storms will slowly work its way to the south. 

Storms that fire along the line, though, will be racing east. This means conditions can change rapidly. Any storm cells could have gusty winds and even some small hail. Frequent lightning should be expected with just how fast they're going to be moving. Downpours should also be expected, but unless we see storms training over the same area, our flood risk looks fairly low today.

While we wait for the storms, the weather is going to be surprisingly comfortable. 

I have dew points in the low to moderate range all day long. It'll be sunny heading into the afternoon. I have highs hitting the low 80s with comfortable weather in place through at least 3 p.m. in Pittsburgh. 

Morning temperatures dipped to the low 60s, with noon temperatures expected to be in the mid 70s.

Similar to today, most of Friday is expected to be dry. There will be another chance for rain on Friday, but rain doesn't arrive until after 8 p.m. Friday highs should hit the upper 70s. Friday's rain will stretch into Saturday morning, with rain continuing overnight and most rain ending before sunrise. 

I can't rule out a scattered shower or two for the rest of the day on Saturday, but it's looking pretty nice and dry. I have Saturday's high hitting the low 80s, with highs going up to the mid-80s on Sunday. The area's first heat wave of 2026 is now expected to arrive on Tuesday. 

I have highs in the 90s from Tuesday next week through at least Friday, with temperatures never dropping below 70° during that time period.

Crews were called to the six-alarm fire at an old furniture factory on the 300 block of North Front Street around 8:45 p.m. Firefighters had to retreat from the building to avoid collapses.

The blaze also spread across the street and damaged seven homes, the heat so intense it melted the siding off buildings.

Residents on the 300 block of Front Street were asked to leave their homes through their backyards and get away from the scene. Others nearby were told to shelter in place Wednesday night.

"It was so crazy that they started telling people to back up, and then it started getting worse," neighbor Damian Velez said. He said his family could see the flames from their home and saw ashes falling from the sky.

"It's like a disaster here, like a war," another neighbor said.

PPL Electric Utilities shut off power in the area, knocking out electricity for over 1,600 customers — as of 5 a.m. that number was down to about 1,000 customers.

"The smoke was so bad that we had to stay somewhere else," said Velez. "It was hard being without power, because you have to charge your phone and charge other things to call people."

One firefighter sustained minor injuries in the incident but is expected to recover.

Firefighters from more than two dozen nearby departments assisted Allentown in the response.

The American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania said it's responding to the fire. Fire officials encouraged displaced residents to reach out to the Red Cross or the Allentown fire marshal's office.

It's unclear how the blaze started.

In just one more academic year, the satellite campus in Fayette County will close. The study is being privately funded, and in a statement to KDKA, Fayette County Commissioner Scott Dunn said:

"Our plan is to utilize the campus as an educational hub with multiple educational institutions in a shared space model. This study will help us focus on….. in-demand careers, including the trades, by determining employers' needs and student demand. The study will also look at the facilities and potential opportunities for education institutions to partner with us."

Along with this feasibility study is House Resolution 333, which was put forth by state Rep.Charity Grimm Krupa, who represents the 51st District. The resolution asks the state to do a feasibility study to see if Penn State Fayette could be the United States' next senior military college, much like the Citadel or Virginia Military Institute. 

So far, that resolution has not come up for a vote.

Penn State announced in May 2025 that it would close several campuses, citing declining enrollment, shifting demographics, and financial pressures. Despite efforts to keep them open, seven campuses across the state are scheduled to close at the end of the 2026-27 academic year.

While no decisions have been made about the future of Penn State Fayette, county leaders believe this new feasibility study is an important first step toward identifying opportunities to keep higher education and workforce training alive in the region.

You can't blame the folks at PennDOT if they have some butterflies to start the day as they prepare to move a bridge that weighs 22 million pounds.

For safety, crews closed Commercial Street and the Nine Mile Run trail, which run underneath I-376, as tests on Thursday made sure things are going to work next month for the big move while the Parkway East is closed.

PennDOT senior assistant construction manager John Myler said that crews planned to test all of the required equipment for moving the bridge next month.

"The overall weight of the completed bridge is 22 million pounds," Myler said. "The bridge is just over around 850 feet in length."

The company that has installed its red moving jacks at the base of the bridge specializes in moving very big things and while PennDOT has moved completed bridges before, Myler says this is the first time a structure of this size and scale has been moved within the state. 

The goal of the test was to lift the bridge up with 42 jacks, get it off its temporary bearing, move it roughly 5 feet toward the existing bridge and then back again. Thursday was all about feasibility.

"We just don't want any hiccups," said PennDOT District 11 executive Jason Zang. "Once the Parkway is closed, the name of the game is time and doing this as quickly as we can."

While Commercial Street is closed, traffic on the Parkway East will not be impacted on Thursday.

Commercial Street was expected to reopen around 4 p.m. before it closes again on Monday, but PennDOT pushed the closure back to 9 p.m. It will remain closed through early August when the new bridge is installed.

Lowe's homer was a solo shot off Bryce Miller with one out in the bottom of the first inning to open the scoring. He added an RBI single in a two-run eighth. Lowe also leads the Pirates with 51 runs batted in after being acquired from Tampa Bay in an offseason trade.

Davis entered the game with a .136 batting average. However, the catcher's two-run home run, his sixth, in the third inning pushed the Pirates' lead to 3-1. Davis finished 2 for 3 to raise his average to .148.

Miller (3-2) tied his career high with 11 strikeouts in just 5 2/3 innings. Miller also had no walks as the American League West leaders lost two of three in the series.

Rookie Bubba Chandler (3-7) pitched 5 1/3 innings for the win, allowing one run and five hits while striking out four and walking three. Evan Sisk, Yohan Ramirez, Mason Montgomery and Gregory Soto combined for 3 2/3 scoreless relief innings.

J.P. Crawford singled home the Mariners' lone run in the fifth inning.

Ryan O'Hearn had an RBI single in the eighth for the Pirates.

Mariners: RHP Luis Castillo (2-6, 5.32 ERA) pitches against Guardians LHP Joey Cantillo (6-3, 4.05) on Friday night in the opener of a three-game series in Cleveland.

Pirates: Open a three-game series against visiting Cincinnati on Friday night. The Pirates are starting Paul Skenes (6-7, 2,86) while LHP Andrew Abbott (5-4, 3.83) gets the ball for the Reds.

OpenAI's Sam Altman describes a similar amount — about one-fifteenth of a teaspoon.

But another viral estimate says a short email written with AI's help uses a half-liter bottle of water.

The difference is enormous: across those three widely shared claims, the largest amount is about 2,000 times the smallest.

None of them is fully right. They're not measuring the same thing. Some estimates count only the water used to cool data centers. Others add the water used to generate the electricity that powers them. Still others rely on outdated assumptions about fast-changing technology.

As figures ricochet across blogs, social media, protest signs and public meetings, nuance is lost.

That leaves a basic question: How much water does AI use?

The answer can depend on the AI model, the data center's location and the mix of sources in the local power grid. In some cases, amounts can differ by hundreds of times over.

To sort through the claims, we reviewed the scientific research behind some widely shared figures about AI's thirst for water.

We also compared estimates with water used for other products and services people eat, buy and use every day, including the viral statistic that producing a single hamburger uses more water than thousands of AI prompts. That one is true, no matter how you count.

In the end, while data centers consume a lot of water, the data show the biggest demands on the country's water are activities that make up everyday life, from growing food to watering lawns to bathing.

The school board voted to accept his resignation during a special meeting called on Wednesday to discuss a motion by member Matthew Holtzman not to renew the assistant coaches. There was no motion to relieve coach Miller of his duties, but his resignation was still accepted, and Tom Smith was named the new head coach.

However, in a statement on Thursday, Miller denied that he had resigned, saying he "never submitted one."

"I did not submit my resignation on June 11, and I have not submitted my resignation at any time since then," the statement said, in part. "Any representation that I have done so is false.

"I have been terminated from my position as head football coach without having been present with any reason. I have not been advised of any alleged wrongdoing on my part." 

Murder conviction looms 

Wednesday's meeting came one day after Brandon Short, a McKeesport football legend, called on Miller to step down. Short's outrage stemmed from an assistant football coach and the head of the football booster organization testifying as character witnesses for Isaac Smith, who was convicted of murdering Brandon Short's daughter, Karli Short, and his unborn grandchild in 2021. 

Joe Smith, an assistant coach who is not related to Isaac Smith, and Josh Lefcowitz, the head booster, testified in court as character witnesses. All three are members of the Church of Life in Christ, a controversial church whose congregants were in the courtroom on behalf of Isaac Smith during the trial. Matt Miller is the son of Guy Miller, the pastor of the church. 

"No one separated the program and the school from what those men said on the stand," Brandon Short told KDKA-TV on Tuesday. "And when the head coach doesn't speak, the silence gets filled. It reads like McKeesport football does support Isaac Smith, who killed my daughter."  

The school board vote came during a contentious meeting, with board members arguing back and forth over coach Miller's departure and the legality of his resignation. Following Wednesday's vote, board member David Donato, who voted against accepting the head coach's resignation, shared a belief that religion was a factor.

"What I'm very concerned about is that this resignation is materializing with the board because of religious reasons," Donato said, saying they swore to protect the Constitution, which doesn't allow discrimination on the basis of religion. "This coach has an impeccable record as a human being and as a character, unimpeachable character in this school district."

Donato's comment set off a fiery back-and-forth between him and other board members, in particular Mark Holtzman and Matthew Holtzman. 

"I take offense to it, David Donato, that this is about religion," Mark Holtzman said. "You are just drumming stuff up again."

Mark Holtzman said months before the sentencing of Isaac Smith that he thought the team needed a coaching change.

"We needed some fresh blood, just like the Pittsburgh Steelers did," Mark Holtzman said Wednesday night.

Board member questions legality

The meeting further unraveled as board members discussed the other reason Donato said he was voting against accepting the resignation. Donato said the district's lawyers had advised them that the resignation was out of order, meaning the resignation effectively wasn't real. The two other board members who voted "no" with Donato said they were doing so after hearing from their legal counsel.

"That verbal resignation was given the day after the meeting to our athletic director, was it not?" Matthew Holtzman said.

"The legal department said it's out of order," Donato responded. 

KDKA-TV asked the district's lawyers about the confusion. The solicitor said he and the special counsel weighed in, "And that's attorney-client privilege at that point."

Sources told KDKA-TV earlier this month that Matt Miller informed the school's athletic director that he was resigning, but he rescinded his decision. Brandon Short had requested to speak before the board on Wednesday, but that request was denied. A board member did read a statement from him at the beginning of the meeting. 

Lewana Butler, who attended Wednesday's meeting, called it embarrassing.

"The very saddening thing about it is there was kids sitting in the front seat," Butler said. "They're watching the leaders, those who are making the decisions of their education, of their athletic department, and there is just a bunch of arguing and chaos."

Among those in attendance on Wednesday was Kemon Spell, one of the nation's top high school football recruits. The running back for McKeesport has committed to play college football at the University of Georgia. 

The coaching staff shake-up also affected the assistants, with the board voting to hire new coaches and retain some returning assistants.

Highmark will invest $30 million in first responder services, with a primary focus on buying vehicles for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire. UPMC, in addition to the $10 million that it pledged to the EMS fleet in January, will donate another $25 million. It brings the total of money pledged from both health care giants to $55 million since O'Connor took office. 

"For far too long, we've heard stories that our ambulances were breaking down to and from calls," O'Connor said. "That is not acceptable in the city of Pittsburgh. So with that gift, our EMS personnel will be able to deliver reliable emergency services to our residents."

The donations come as Pittsburgh, facing a deficit of tens of millions of dollars, reopened its budget in March. 

If the city's five largest nonprofits — UPMC, Highmark, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Duquesne University — weren't exempt from property tax, Pittsburgh would get an extra $34.5 million annually, according to a 2022 report from the city and county. 

Pittsburgh City Controller Rachael Heisler, who has long warned that the city's financial situation is "precarious," applauded the donations on Thursday and said she hopes it serves as the standard for subsequent agreements from other large nonprofits. 

"This partnership represents a major milestone in the City of Pittsburgh's history – one that many of us have said for years was essential to our future," Heisler said. "I commend Mayor O'Connor for making this a priority and getting the deal done at a time when the City is in urgent need of new revenue. And I thank UPMC and Highmark for stepping up and showing their commitment to the City and their shared responsibility for ensuring we have the resources we need to provide essential services. "

The mayor's office says O'Connor has confirmed over $70 million in funding from local partners so far, including Heinz Endowments, Richard King Mellon Foundation and Pirates Charities. 

Pittsburgh Public Safety said Animal Care and Control Officers were called to Beechland Street near the Lincoln Place Greenway on Wednesday afternoon for reports of a gray fox inside a home. 

Officers arrived and found the fox inside a bathtub and safely got it out. It was determined to be healthy and was released into the woods, Pittsburgh Public Safety said.

The homeowners believe the fox got in by using their cat door.

"There's no foxing around, this unexpected visitor made itself right at home!" Pittsburgh Public Safety wrote in a Facebook post.

Public safety said foxes are opportunistic scavengers and will enter yards and homes looking for easy meals. To keep critters out, it's recommended you remove food sources and cover any hiding spots.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission says the commonwealth is home to both red and gray foxes. The two generally prefer different types of habitat, but both species are adaptable and can be found throughout the state, sometimes in areas not considered prime habitat, like a bathtub, the Game Commission says. 

Experts say red foxes seem less bothered by people than grays, so they'll often live in heavily populated areas. However, if an area can provide food and shelter, the Game Commission says foxes will consider making a home there. Because foxes are nocturnal, people don't see them too often. 

Shaler Police Chief Sean Frank says his officers are always on patrol, but they're freshening up their approach with "Operation Safe Speed."

"Our goal here is safety and try to change the driving habits of people, especially on Route 8," Frank said. "It's a busy road."

Route 8 is a main artery for Shaler and surrounding communities. It connects Allegheny and Butler counties and has many businesses lining it, so it sees a good amount of traffic, especially during rush hour, which Frank says presents challenges with hazardous driving.

"A lot of aggressive driving going on, speeding, red light violations, passing without signals," Frank said. 

"This is a 40-mph road, and we see cars go well into the 60s at times," Frank said.

According to Shaler Township crash data, in 2025, there were 32 reportable crashes on Route 8, which means there were injuries or vehicles towed or both, and there were 61 non-reportable crashes. And so far this year, there's already been 14 reportable crashes and 38 non-reportable.

The hope is that this initiative will help decrease those numbers and keep people safe.

"For the safety of everybody involved, it would be really good, especially with the new cell phone law that came in," said Shaler resident Kailey Shudes. "People are distracted by cell phones and they're speeding. Who knows what can happen after that?"

Frank says drivers can expect "intermittent and sporadic enforcement."

"We're going to be out here as much as we can, call volume dependent, officer availability dependent, concentrating on the early morning and afternoon hours."