Jamie Martines stories, Page 9

Jamie Martines
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Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Crafton man allegedly killed raccoon with hammer, posted video on social media
A Pittsburgh-area construction worker is facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly killing a raccoon at a job site and posting video of the incident to social media. Troy Beglinger, 22, of Crafton, allegedly killed the animal while working on a porch roof on Jancey Street in the Morningside neighborhood of...
Last known local surviving Pearl Harbor vet honored at Brackenridge ceremony 
It’s hard to explain the chaos and confusion that broke out in the moments following the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, said George Pann, who at the time was a 19-year-old Army private assigned to the 55th Coast Artillery in Oahu. Pann, now 97, and other area retired...
Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office warns of phone scam
Scammers pretending to be with the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office are calling residents and asking for money, the office said in a statement Saturday. The callers, identifying themselves as Lieutenant Conor Mullen, are telling residents that they have an outstanding issue — jury duty, failure to appear as an expert...
Pittsburgh Diocese announces closure of South Side church
The St. Peter Church building of the Prince of Peace Parish on Pittsburgh’s South Side will close for worship, the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh announced in a statement Saturday. All sacred objects will be removed from the church, and the building will be sold or rented. Any money raised by...
Paste Magazine names Brew Gentlemen’s General Braddock’s IPA a beer of the decade
General Edward Braddock may have failed at capturing the French Fort Duquesne during the French and Indian War, but his namesake beer once again proved to be a winner, according to Paste Magazine. General Braddock’s IPA, the flagship American IPA from the Braddock-based Brew Gentlemen, was named one of the...
Allegheny County Jail to use inmate funds to supply overdose reversal kits
The Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board has approved a $75,000 disbursement from the Inmate Welfare Fund to buy 1,000 Narcan nasal spray kits to be provided to inmates as they are released from the jail. The distribution program, which started in 2016, was previously funded by grants and with support...
VP Mike Pence to meet with veterans at Beaver County VFW Post
Vice President Mike Pence will visit Rochester, Beaver County next week to meet with veterans supporting President Trump’s campaign, according to a release from the Trump campaign. The visit is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Pence will be at the Rochester Veterans of Foreign War Post 128,...
Allegheny County’s $1B budget includes no tax increase
Allegheny County Council voted unanimously Tuesday to adopt the proposed $1 billion county budget for 2020. The budget does not include a property tax increase. The $959.8 million operating budget is $27.4 million larger than the 2019 operating budget of $932.4 million, a 2.9% increase. The $100.1 million capital budget...
Free air quality education kits available to Allegheny County middle schools
The Pittsburgh-based environmental advocacy group GASP, the Group Against Smog and Pollution, is offering free air quality education kits to Allegheny County middle schools. The kits — which include pig lungs, tools for measuring air pollution and other educational resources — can be used to teach students in grades four...
Alcosan’s sewage bill assistance program slow to gain traction, raising questions
Allegheny County Sanitary Authority rates are rising, but a customer assistance program to help low-income residents pay their sewage bills has been slow to catch on, leaving some to question whether the program could be administered more effectively. Alcosan’s Clean Water Assistance Fund offers grants that cut the average $447...
Free air quality education kits available to Allegheny County middle schools
The Pittsburgh-based environmental advocacy group GASP, the Group Against Smog and Pollution, is offering free air quality education kits to Allegheny County middle schools. The kits — which include pig lungs, tools for measuring air pollution and other educational resources — can be used to teach students in grades four...
Attorney shortage, technology upgrades highlight Allegheny County budget hearings
A shortage of attorneys in the District Attorney’s office and out-of-date technology in the Court of Common Pleas were among the issues raised Thursday as Allegheny County Council held a second round of 2020 budget hearings. “We have to take a hard look at that,” Council member Paul Klein, D-Point...
Allegheny County Council holding 2 budget hearings, no property tax hike next year
Allegheny County Council held the first of two public hearings on the proposed 2020 county budget Wednesday, reviewing sections of the budget including county administration, health and human services, public works, facilities management and the health department. The $1 billion budget was proposed by Chief Executive Rich Fitzgerald in October....
PNC Park stair climb to honor fallen firefighters
First responders and members of the public will climb 2,200 steps at PNC Park on Pittsburgh’s North Shore on Saturday to honor firefighters who died in the line of duty. The Fallen Firefighter Memorial Stair Climb was organized by the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The event...
Mon Valley residents, environmental groups call for stricter pollution controls 
Allegheny County environmental activists and Mon Valley residents are calling on the Allegheny County Health Department to institute stricter hydrogen sulfide pollution and coke oven gas controls, particularly related to emissions from facilities like U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works in Clairton. Hydrogen sulfide, or H2S, is a colorless gas that...
A new face on Allegheny County Council as incumbent Sue Means loses to Democrat Tom Duerr
The South Hills will have a new representative on Allegheny County Council following Republican incumbent Sue Means’ loss to Democrat Tom Duerr on Tuesday. “I have really enjoyed serving the people of the Fifth District, and I really am hopeful that my successor, opponent, Tom Duerr will transition to serve...
Joe Biden to hold fundraising event on Tuesday night in Pittsburgh
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will return Tuesday evening to Pittsburgh for a “finance event,” according to his campaign. The fundraiser is not open to the public and Biden, the former vice president, is not scheduled to speak publicly. Additional details about the fundraiser were not available. Biden kicked off...
Brackenridge couple receive community service award 
Heather Rodgriguez wasn’t surprised months ago when the Allegheny Valley Marine Corps League Detachment 827 reached out to her about nominating her husband, Jay Rodriguez, for an award recognizing his service to the community. “They don’t have to ask him twice, he’ll be there,” she said of Jay, a retired...
Duquesne Police warn residents of fake bills
The City of Duquesne Police Department is asking residents to keep an eye out for fake cash that is being passed around in the Pittsburgh area, according to a Facebook post by the department Saturday. The post describes fake bills that have the word “replica” printed below the serial number...
Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund grows by $4.8 million
The Pittsburgh Promise scholarship fund grew by $4.8 million in new contributions this year, Executive Director Saleem Ghubril announced Friday. About $1.2 million of that total was raised through a fundraising gala, “A Night of Promise,” held Saturday evening. The event featured a performance by Grammy and Tony winner Leslie...
Leslie Odom Jr. encourages young artists to take risks, love their craft at Pittsburgh CAPA
Think of love as a verb, Grammy and Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr. told the room of aspiring young artists Saturday in Pittsburgh. “If you love something hard enough, eventually, it will love you back,” Odom said, encouraging the high schoolers to find their passion and nurture it intensely. Success...
Allegheny County Council features 3 competitive races
Three Allegheny County Council incumbents are facing challengers on the November ballot. The winners will serve a four-year term and will be paid $9,000 a year. District 2 incumbent Cindy Kirk, R-Wexford, is challenged by Christine Allen, D-Sewickley. That district includes many North Hills communities. District 5 incumbent Sue Means,...
Former Army Ranger Sean Parnell will challenge Conor Lamb for congressional seat
Murrysville native and former Army Ranger Sean Parnell announced Wednesday that he will challenge U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, in 2020 for the 17th Congressional District seat. “I think that Pennsylvanians, and specifically the people of Western Pennsylvania, deserve leadership that truly represents them,” Parnell said Wednesday on “Fox...
Food delivery robots return to Pitt campus
Food delivery robots pulled from the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland this week will return Friday afternoon, according to a statement released by Pitt spokesman Joe Miksch. The robots — white, cooler-sized boxes on wheels that can carry up to 100 pounds of cargo — travel on sidewalks to...
Pitt suspends delivery robots after wheelchair user reports safety hazard
Robotics company Starship Technologies has taken its fleet of automated food delivery robots off Oakland’s streets and back to the drawing board after a University of Pittsburgh student this week flagged issues with the robots blocking access to sidewalks. The company will meet in November with the Oakland Transportation Management...


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Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
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