Blackburn Center, Murrysville library to host program on human trafficking
It might be hard to imagine that something like human trafficking goes on in Westmoreland County. But human trafficking cases do not always involve international intrigue, with mysterious shipping containers hiding women who will be delivered into the hands of U.S. sex traffickers. Sometimes they are much simpler, though no...
Music City Downtown aims to transform live music scene in PittsburghVideo
When John Valentine owned the former Palate Bistro in Downtown Pittsburgh, diners often asked about nearby places to catch some post-dinner music. “There really wasn’t anywhere to tell them to go,” he said. “Pittsburgh really needs places where visitors can go to enjoy live music.” A new collaborative effort aims...
DUI charge dropped against Green Tree police officer
A judge dropped a driving under the influence charge against a Green Tree police officer who ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle last month. Eric Diehl, 49, had been on administrative leave since the Dec. 7 crash on Saw Mill Run Boulevard shortly after 1 a.m. Pittsburgh...
TV journalist Chris Hansen accused of bouncing checks
STAMFORD, Conn. — A TV journalist known for confronting would-be child predators has been snared himself in a police investigation alleging he wrote bad checks for $13,000 worth of marketing materials. Former “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen was arrested Monday in his hometown of Stamford, Ct. He was...
Real fake news: Bogus editions The Washington Post claim Trump resigns
Fake editions of The Washington Post claiming that President Donald Trump was leaving office were handed out Wednesday morning at multiple locations in Washington, D.C. The print papers - dated May 1, 2019, and looking strikingly similar to actual copies of The Post - were filled with anti-Trump stories, which...
Take a peep at Peeps: Contest offers candy factory tour
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The creators of marshmallow Peeps are offering a first-ever peep inside their Pennsylvania candy factory. Just Born Quality Confections company in Bethlehem is teaming up with the United Way on a sweepstakes. The grand prize is a behind-the-scenes tour of the factory, which has never been open...
Police: Man stole $1,500 worth of tools from Home Depot on Rt. 22
A man walked out of the Home Depot in Wilkins on Friday with more than $1,500 worth of stolen tools in his cart, according to police. The incident happened about 1:10 p.m. at the home improvement store on William Penn Highway, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV. Police said employees...
Trump administration recalls 2,500 USDA workers to help farmers hurt by shutdown
WASHINGTON – The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it is temporarily recalling about 2,500 federal employees tasked with helping America’s farmers and ranchers, part of its effort to insulate the nation’s agriculture industry from the impact of the partial government shutdown. The Agriculture Department will, for at least three days,...
Lawyer for Westmoreland County doctor says feds cherry picked prosecution, conviction
The attorney for a Harrison City doctor convicted this week on charges he illegally distributed controlled substances said the government is “cherry picking” cases involving physicians who prescribe opioid painkillers. “The manner in which the government is (prosecuting such cases) is like throwing darts blindfolded at a dartboard,” said Pittsburgh...
Chancellor calls for transforming, unifying Pennsylvania’s 14 state universities
Daniel Greenstein, the new chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, on Wednesday called upon stakeholders to begin transforming the struggling university system where enrollment has dropped by more than 21,000 over the past decade. Greenstein took over leadership of the system last fall as officials wrestled with...
Air quality still a concern in Mon Valley 3 weeks after Clairton Coke Works fire
No excess sulfur dioxide has been found in the air around the fire-damaged Clairton Coke Works for more than a week, officials said Wednesday, but they continued urging residents with respiratory issues to limit their time outside. The Dec. 24 fire at the U.S. Steel-owned facility caused severe damage, but...
Hotel dishwasher awarded $21M after boss made her work Sundays
MIAMI — A jury has awarded a Miami hotel dishwasher $21.5 million, concluding that her employer failed to honor her religious beliefs by repeatedly scheduling her on Sundays and ultimately firing her. Marie Jean Pierre, a dishwasher at the Conrad Miami, sued Virginia-based Park Hotels & Resorts, formerly known as...
Police: Greensburg nurse diverted fentanyl, other medication from hospital
A Greensburg registered nurse was arrested Tuesday for allegedly diverting prescription medication while she worked at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital, according to court papers. Julie Dawn Zetkulic, 43, is accused by the state Attorney General’s Office of taking narcotic pain relievers from the hospital’s pharmacy over a four-month period. She...
Ex-W.Va. prison worker sentenced for sex abuse of inmates
BECKLEY, W.Va. — A former federal prison employee in West Virginia has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing female inmates. Federal prosecutors say 40-year-old Jarrod Grimes of Inverness, Fla., was sentenced last week in federal court in Beckley. Grimes was a captain in charge of correctional...
Battles expected in many states over abortion-related bills
NEW YORK — On each side of the abortion debate, legislators and activists emboldened by recent political developments plan to push aggressively in many states this year for bills high on their wish lists: either seeking to impose near-total bans on abortion or guaranteeing women’s access to the procedure. For...
Pelosi asks Trump to delay State of Union speech
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has asked President Donald Trump to postpone his State of the Union address to the nation — set for Jan. 29 — until the government reopens. The White House hasn’t immediately responded to a request for comment about Pelosi’s request, which she made in...
Suicide blast kills 4 Americans in Syria, a sign of remaining extremist danger
Four Americans were killed in a suicide attack in Syria on Wednesday, the largest loss of life in the Pentagon’s war against Islamic State militants there and a sign of the potent threat that remains as the Trump administration begins to withdraw. The attack occurred in the northern city of...
Trump’s vow to ‘devastate’ Turkey’s economy rattles negotiations over Syria
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criss-crossed the Middle East this week to explain the U.S. military withdrawal from Syria, he repeated that he was “confident” and “optimistic” that he was nearing a deal with Turkey on a mutually agreeable exit plan. But a pugnacious tweet...
Pittsburgh investigating damage to Lawrenceville cars from salt truck
A Pittsburgh Public Works Department salt truck sideswiped several vehicles in Lawrenceville early Sunday, and the driver failed to report the mishap until Monday, a city official said. Tim McNulty, spokesman for Mayor Bill Peduto, said public works officials are investigating. He said it was unclear if the driver, who...
Congress prepares to skip planned recess if shutdown goes on
WASHINGTON — Staring down the next deadline to pay federal workers, the White House shifted tactics, trying to bypass House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to negotiate with rank-and-file lawmakers even as President Donald Trump dug in for a prolonged shutdown. The House and Senate announced Tuesday they would stay in session,...
From travel to IPOs, how shutdown is upsetting U.S. economy
WASHINGTON — Delta Air Lines can’t get eight new aircraft in the air. Roughly a million government employees and contractors aren’t being paid. Some Americans who are trying to start small businesses face delays in obtaining the required tax identification number from the IRS. As the partial government shutdown moves...
Craft beer taps squeezed as shutdown delays new releasesVideo
MILWAUKEE — The nation’s craft beer taps are being squeezed by the government shutdown, which has put new releases on hold, prevented new breweries from opening and stopped shipments of some suds across state lines. The partial shutdown halted operations at the federal agency that regulates alcohol production and distribution....
Knoch High School student accused of Snapchat threat to stand trial
A Knoch High School student was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges of making online threats to shoot classmates. District Judge Sue Haggerty moved all charges against Jason Bowen, 18, of Middlesex, to Butler County Common Pleas Court during a preliminary hearing. He is accused of making terroristic threats,...
Many schools delayed as slick roads hamper morning commute
Light drizzle and flurries caused icy road conditions in parts of the Pittsburgh area Wednesday morning, causing many school districts to call two-hour delays. A winter weather advisory for slippery road conditions, especially on untreated roads and elevated surfaces, was in effect until noon. Shortly before 9 a.m., the National...
1 hurt when PennDOT truck, passenger vehicle crash on Route 30 in Ligonier Township
One person was hospitalized after a crash involving a passenger vehicle and a PennDOT plow Wednesday afternoon in Ligonier Township, according to PennDOT. Route 30 eastbound was closed for about 40 minutes as firefighters worked to free one person who was trapped in a vehicle, according to a Westmoreland 911...
