Armstrong County Jail inmate faces more charges for throwing feces
An inmate at the Armstrong County Jail is accused of throwing feces on his cellmate and threatening correctional officers. Edward Daniel Wilson Jr., 18, of Kittanning is facing a felony charge of aggravated harassment by a prisoner as well as two misdemeanor counts of harassment, said Trooper Michael Dunlap of...
Warming centers open as Arctic blast expected this week
Warming centers in the region are beginning to open as temperatures are expected to plummet to the single digits Wednesday and Thursday. The list below will be updated as more shelters open. Allegheny CountyMagee, West Penn, Brookline and Phillips Community Recreation Centers in Pittsburgh will be open until 9 p.m....
Pittsburgh preparing for Arctic blast predicted for Tuesday and Wednesday
Pittsburgh is gearing for a blast of Arctic cold this week by opening warming centers and having emergency personnel ready to contend with weather-related problems. Pittsburgh will extend hours of city senior centers and make recreation centers available for residents to escape frigid temperatures. Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill...
Allegheny Township looks to borrow money for $1.6M building project
Allegheny Township is seeking proposals for bank loans to help it pay for an anticipated $1.6 million in improvements to its community Building. The proposals are due by Feb. 6. Township supervisors are expected to pick one of the proposals in the next few months, and construction could start as...
Pittsburgh’s Rachel Carson Bridge closing in February for more than a year
One of Pittsburgh’s three “Sisters Bridges” connecting Downtown to the North Side will close in February for more than a year during a $23.3 million rehabilitation project, Allegheny County announced Monday. The Ninth Street Bridge, dubbed the Rachel Carson Bridge, will close on Feb. 11 and remain closed through the...
Troopers seeking clues in 2016 brutal beating of Somerset County woman
On Jan. 28, 2016, Somerset County native Rachel Mishler returned to her home in Greenville Township after finishing an evening shift as a health care worker at a Cumberland County, Md., hospital. “I felt someone was behind me when I walked into the basement. … I turned around briefly and...
Neville Roller Drome owner happy to watch the world wheel on by
Jim Park remembers exactly where he was each time the Steelers won a Super Bowl. He was at the Neville Roller Drome, making dizzying circles under the starburst lights. Nothing, not even a black-and-gold football dynasty, could lure him way from the rink. “My parents met skating,” he said, noting...
Pittsburgh resident takes aim at impeaching Mayor Bill Peduto
A Pittsburgh Republican official is attempting to impeach Mayor Bill Peduto over the city’s proposed gun ban, but an Allegheny County judge 16 years ago dismissed a similar case filed against former Mayor Tom Murphy. Brooke Nadonley, 42, of Mt. Washington said she was following the charter when she attempted...
Green Tree boarding business will host its own ‘Puppy Bowl’ on Super Bowl Sunday
The owners of Camp Bow Wow in Green Tree are more than willing to provide a cute distraction to this weekend’s Super Bowl with their first-ever “Puppy Bowl.” From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 3, adoptable puppies will “take the field” in the hopes of getting “drafted” by...
Vote for what piece of Pittsburgh should land on the Moon
What’s smaller than a quarter but represents the entire city of Pittsburgh? That’s for you to decide. The Heinz History Center and Pittsburgh-based robotics company Astrobotic wants your help choosing an item to be sent to the moon through Astrobotic’s MoonBox program. The small keepsakes should represent the spirit and...
Driver, man clinging to hood in road rage case, arraigned
WALTHAM, Mass. — Two Massachusetts men involved in an apparent case of road rage in which one drove at speeds of up to 70 mph with the other clinging to the hood of his vehicle, some of which was caught on video , were released after their arraignments Monday. Mark...
Perdue chicken nuggets recalled for undeclared milk ingredient
Perdue Foods is recalling more than 16,000 pounds of chicken nuggets because the label doesn’t indicate the product contains milk ingredients, an allergen for some consumers. The recall is in effect for 12-ounce packages of refrigerated, ready-to-eat Perdue Fun Shapes Chicken Breast Nuggets that are dated for use by March...
Allegheny County Jail inmate died of natural causes
Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that an Allegheny County Jail inmate taken to the hospital Monday afternoon died of natural causes. Edward Davis, 55, of Pittsburgh, was pronounced dead at UPMC Mercy hospital at 1:44 p.m. The medical examiner’s office reported late Tuesday the cause of death was a...
Insurance claims from deadly California wildfires top $11.4B
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance claims from California’s deadly November 2018 wildfires have topped $11.4 billion, making the series of fires one of the most expensive in state history, officials said Monday. More than $8 billion of those losses are from the fire that leveled the town of Paradise, killing 86...
Phipps conference to explore connections between cancer, environmental hazards
A conference exploring the connections between cancer and environmental hazards will be held at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens on Tuesday. All the registrations are filled. “Cancer and the Environment: Priorities for Research, Clinical Practice and Policy” will feature experts discussing the latest science on how cancer develops and...
Washington baker apologizes for ‘Build that Wall’ cookie
SEATTLE — A Washington state baker is apologizing for a politically charged Valentine’s Day cookie that generated an uproar on social media. KING-TV reports that Ken Bellingham, who owns Edmonds Bakery, has gotten phone calls from frustrated customers about the heart-shaped cookie with “Build that Wall” in frosting letters. The...
Crews make repairs to historic Westmoreland County covered bridge
Editor’s note: Bells Mills Road and bridge reopened Tuesday. Crews worked Monday to repair parts of a historic covered bridge damaged recently in an apparent hit-and-run. Part of Bells Mills Road had been closed for several days. The damage on Bells Mills Bridge, which connects South Huntingdon and Sewickley townships,...
Irwin fielding calls to buy Rite Aid building
The building housing the soon-to-close Rite Aid store in downtown Irwin has attracted a few potential buyers at the same time a business organization is pleading with the company to keep the store open. Irwin Borough Manager Valerie Morton said Monday she has fielded calls for Rite Aid from interested...
Heavy snow hitting parts of Midwest; dangerous cold coming
MILWAUKEE — Heavy snow and powerful wind created blizzard-like conditions Monday across parts of the Midwest, prompting officials to cancel about 1,000 flights at Chicago’s airports and close hundreds of schools. But forecasters warned the most dangerous weather is yet to come: frigidly low temperatures that the region hasn’t seen...
PHEAA to reconsider troubled TEACH grant loan conversions
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency’s FedLoan Servicing unit will begin taking applications Feb. 1 for reconsideration from teachers who believe their federal TEACH grants were erroneously converted to loans. Those accepted for reconsideration will see their debt erased and any loan payments that were made refunded, PHEAA officials said....
Roaches cited in consumer alert for Las Palmas in Oakland
The Allegheny County Health Department has issued a consumer alert for Las Palmas #2 in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. A Jan. 24 inspection report said that the Atwood Street store was infested with live and dead roaches. Sewage leaked from a bathroom toilet onto the floor. According to the Food Safety...
Man claims he was carjacked, stabbed with screwdriver in Pittsburgh assault
Police issued an arrest warrant Monday for a woman who allegedly repaid a favor by beating and carjacking the man who gave her a ride, leaving him with no shoes and a series of stab wounds. David Legrande told police he lent the woman $50 and gave her and another...
30-year-old orca dies at SeaWorld’s Orlando park
ORLANDO, Fla. — A 30-year-old orca has died at SeaWorld’s Orlando park. SeaWorld officials say Kayla died Monday after a brief illness. SeaWorld officials say a cause of death won’t be known until a post-mortem examination is conducted. Kayla began showing signs of discomfort on Saturday, and veterinarians began treating...
Shutdown projected to cause $3B permanent hit to economy
WASHINGTON — The federal government shutdown will cause slight permanent harm to the economy — about $3 billion — according to a report Monday by the Congressional Budget Office. The report says the five-week shutdown has slowed growth in the near term but that most of the lost growth “will...
Report: U.S. coal production declined in 2018 as prices, exports rose
U.S. coal production continued its downward trend in 2018, even as coal prices rose in three of the five major coal-producing regions, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. The federal agency estimated that U.S. coal production in 2018 totaled 755 million short tons — 20 million short tons less than...
