In House’s Yemen vote, Congress reasserts war-making powers
WASHINGTON — Asserting congressional authority over war-making powers, the House passed a resolution Wednesday that would force the administration to withdraw U.S. troops from involvement in Yemen, in a rebuke of President Trump’s alliance with the Saudi-led coalition behind the military intervention. Lawmakers in both parties are increasingly uneasy over...
Jacobs Creek Watershed plans busy year of projectsVideo
Members of the Jacobs Creek Watershed Association braved the elements on Wednesday to announce a series of 2019 projects that will remove 20,000 pounds of trash, plant 200 trees and mitigate the effects of 2 million gallons of stormwater. “We’re doing some really big things this year as a result...
Reward hits $27,000 for info about elderly man last seen in South Buffalo
The family and personal care home of a missing elderly man have more than doubled a reward, now $27,000, for information leading to his whereabouts. Kenneth “Kenny” Himes, 70, of Pittsburgh, who is autistic and has early-onset dementia, was last seen at his brother’s home along Cadogan-Slate Lick Road in...
Authorities say suspect in suitcase death is in the country illegally
A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and dumping her body in a suitcase in Connecticut is a citizen of Portugal who has been in the U.S. illegally for more than a year, federal authorities said Wednesday as the victim’s loved ones gathered for her funeral. Javier Da Silva Rojas,...
Trump’s coal pledge could be tested by TVA vote this week
FRANKFORT, Ky. — President Trump’s support for the coal industry — and for a particular power plant — will face a test this week when a utility board he appoints considers whether to close a coal-fired Kentucky plant whose suppliers include a mine owned by one of his campaign donors....
FEMA chief Brock Long, who faced questions over his use of government vehicle, to resign
WASHINGTON — Less than two years into a tenure marked by five major hurricanes, multiple lethal wildfires and a tense relationship with his boss, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator William “Brock” Long resigned Wednesday “to go home to my family,” as he put it in an official statement released by...
Winning Cash 5 ticket sold in Richland
A winning Cash 5 ticket for Tuesday’s drawing was sold at a Richland Township business. The winner will split the $800,000 jackpot with another winner in Erie. The ticket was sold at The Brew House, 312 Northtowne Square. The store will receive a $500 bonus for selling the ticket. Each...
Private Industry Council receives more than $443,000 in grant money
A local organization was awarded over $443,000 to expand two of its services. The Private Industry Council of Westmoreland/Fayette is set to use the PAsmart Advancing Grant money to expand their Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program, or STEM, along with their computer science program. “Grants like these help schools,...
Prosecutors dispute racial motivation alleged in charge against Mills mall shop owner
Allegheny County prosecutors are contesting the claim that the owner of a Pittsburgh Mills store was charged with selling counterfeit merchandise because of his race. The District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday said the “police acted appropriately and without racial motivation” in the case against Tommy Wang. “The police, pursuant to...
Condolences pour in mourning the loss of NASA’s Mars rover
A robot tugged at our emotions with just eight little words. “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.” The poignant words were the last sent to Earth by NASA’s Opportunity, the Mars rover that spent the past 15 years exploring the planet before it stopped communicating about eight months...
Owner of 4 Shop ‘n Save stores accused of falsifying coupons worth $300K
The owner of a string of Pittsburgh-area Shop ’n Save grocery stores allegedly ordered employees to hoard unused coupons and used them to bilk more than $300,000 from manufacturers over the course of four years, according to theft charges filed against him Wednesday. Michael Mihelic, 59, of Franklin Park, owns...
Former Nike Missile Command Center in Collier transforming into Grist HouseVideo
This is going to take some time to transform. The owners will definitely need a beer after they are done. Fortunately, for them, lots of fresh suds will be ice cold and within reach. Grist House Craft Brewery is in the process of turning a former Nike Missile Command Center...
Kentucky bishop says Covington students were not instigators
COVINGTON, Ky. — Investigators hired by a Kentucky diocese have found that Catholic school boys didn’t instigate a confrontation at the Lincoln Memorial that went viral on social media. Covington Bishop Roger Foys initially condemned the students’ behavior after a video showed a teenage boy face-to-face with a Native American...
NASA rover finally bites the dust on Mars after 15 years
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s Opportunity, the Mars rover that was built to operate for just three months but kept going and going, rolling across the rocky red soil, was pronounced dead Wednesday, 15 years after it landed on the planet. The six-wheeled vehicle that helped gather critical evidence that...
Rep. Ilhan Omar rejects calls for resignation, fires back at Trump
WASHINGTON — Rep. Ilhan Omar rejected President Donald Trump’s call for her resignation by accusing him of having “trafficked in hate your whole life” while she privately has tried to make amends with her Jewish colleagues for her anti-Semitic comments. The Minnesota Democrat, who fired back at Trump in a...
Frank Rossi, founder of the Pittsburgh Banjo Club, dies at 83
As is tradition, the Pittsburgh Banjo Club will practice Wednesday night at the Allegheny Elks Lodge on the city’s North Side. The group will attract a crowd of people of all ages and walks of life who come for the camaraderie, cheap drinks and, of course, the banjos. But absent...
Supermoon to light up sky for 2nd month in a row
Almost a month after January’s supermoon lunar eclipse, another supermoon is set to appear. On the morning of Feb. 19, the moon will be at perigee, meaning its closest orbit to Earth, according to NASA. The moon will be at perigee at 4:04 a.m., and will become a full moon...
Police dog tracks fleeing warrant suspect in Claridge
Police chased a man Wednesday afternoon from Jeannette to Penn Township where he crashed his vehicle and hid underneath a mobile home in Claridge, according to Penn Township Police Chief John Otto. There was a heavy police presence and streets closed near Claridge Elliott Road until Greensburg K9 Falco located...
Package thief who stole from Pittsburgh apartments gets 15 months in prison
A Duquesne man will spend 15 months behind bars for stealing packages from more than 40 residents of Pittsburgh apartment buildings, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Ron Matthew Sharp, 42, pleaded guilty in October to mail theft after stealing dozens of packages and mail addressed to residents of apartment buildings in...
Police say Harrison man admitted to sexually assaulting child
Police say a Harrison man admitted he sexually assaulted a girl and showed her child pornography when she was as young as 7. Corey Matthew McClain, 20, allegedly told police the assaults occurred when the girl was between the ages of 7 and 9, according to a criminal complaint. The...
Latrobe Police seeking information on stolen sport utility vehicle
Latrobe Police are asking the public’s help locating a sport utility vehicle that was reported stolen early Wednesday. Police Chief John Sleasman reported a resident on the 600 block of Fairmont Street reported her white and silver Kia Sorento was stolen just after 6 a.m. “She reported she went out...
Volunteers needed at Leechburg recycling center
Leechburg needs help at its recycling center. The center on Logan Avenue Extension separates plastic, glass, cardboard and paper and sends it to compactors, said Mayor Wayne Dobos. “We hope to pick up some volunteers. We have four regulars. Some of the volunteers were older and had to stop,” he...
Lower Burrell creates new position to oversee public works and parks
Lower Burrell is seeking applications for the newly created position of director of public works and parks. Mayor Richard Callender said a consultant recommended the new position after evaluating the city’s public works department. “The recommendation was that the foreman was overloaded with too much responsibility and separate positions should...
Arnold hires former Tarentum police officer
Retirement didn’t last long for Ryan Hanford. Arnold hired Hanford as a police officer less than a week after he retired from Tarentum’s police department. Hanford, 44, has been a police officer for 25 years, 22 of them serving on Tarentum’s force. His retirement was approved by Tarentum Council on...
Environmental advocacy groups to sue U.S. Steel over pollution
Environmental advocacy groups are planning to sue U.S. Steel over pollution from facilities in the Mon Valley. PennEnvironment and the Clean Air Council, which both have offices in Pittsburgh, made the announcement Wednesday alongside Clairton residents at the Allegheny County Courthouse. “We cannot expect families to sustain this kind of...
