Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1034
Jury in fatal overdose case finds Export man not guilty of most serious charge, guilty of lesser charges
A Westmoreland County jury on Thursday said an Export man was not guilty of causing the death of a co-worker who died in 2018 from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. Jurors deliberated more than six hours before it returned a mixed verdict in which it acquitted Kelly Ryan Frank...
Jussie Smollett convicted of staging attack, lying to police
CHICAGO — Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was convicted Thursday on charges he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself nearly three years ago and then lied to Chicago police about it. In the courtroom as the verdict was read, Smollett stood and faced the jury, showing no visible reaction....
Trial begins for Etna man accused of threatening FBI agents online
A federal prosecutor said Thursday that Khaled Miah was so fixated on the FBI agents investigating his online conduct that he began targeting them personally — scouring the internet to find information about them, their spouses and pets. That fixation escalated into threats against the agents in which Miah invoked...
Covid-driven hospital surge ‘not a sustainable situation’ in Western Pa., expert says
Hospitals across Western Pennsylvania are operating at or near capacity, a situation mirrored across the state and country as covid-19 cases spike — particularly among people who are unvaccinated. All UPMC facilities — including those in New York and Maryland — are operating at or over capacity, said Susan Manko,...
Pittsburgh’s Sports & Exhibition Authority, NHL board OK Penguins sale to Fenway Sports Group
Pittsburgh’s Sports & Exhibition Authority voted unanimously Thursday to approve the sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins to Fenway Sports Group. The National Hockey League’s Board of Governors also unanimously approved the sale Thursday. Reports that Fenway Sports Group entered into negotiations to buy the Penguins began circulating last month. The...
Court rejects Trump’s efforts to keep records from 1/6 panel
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court ruled Thursday against an effort by former President Donald Trump to shield documents from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. In a 68-page ruling, the three-judge panel tossed aside Trump’s various arguments for blocking through executive privilege records that...
Fire at the Arnold Manor public high-rise will prevent 24 residents from returning for an undetermined timeVideo
The 76-unit Arnold Manor public housing high-rise was evacuated Thursday afternoon when fire broke on the fourth floor, and an official said residents in 18 units won’t be able to return for an undetermined time. Many wheelchair-bound residents were carried down the stairs by firefighters. One resident was helped to...
U.S. expands Pfizer covid boosters, opens extra dose to age 16
U.S. health authorities said Thursday that 16- and 17-year-olds should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine once they’re six months past their last shot. The U.S. and many other nations already were urging adults to get booster shots to pump up immunity that can wane months after vaccination,...
Lower Burrell man accused of strangling girlfriend who found evidence of other women
A Lower Burrell man was accused of strangling his girlfriend during an argument after she found evidence on his telephone that he was communicating with other women. Christoper Mark Wiley of Leechburg Road was charged with one felony count of strangulation as well as lesser charges of aggravated assault and...
Penn State names 1st woman university president
When Neeli Bendapudi takes the reins as Penn State’s 19th president on July 1, officials hope her broad portfolio will help her boost the university’s struggling regional campuses. Penn State’s board of trustees capped a 10 month national search Thursday with a unanimous vote to appoint Bendapudi, who has served...
Fire marshal investigating cause of South Huntingdon house fire
A state police fire marshal will attempt to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a two-story wood frame home in South Huntingdon Thursday, according to fire officials. A dozen fire departments from southwestern Westmoreland County and northern Fayette County responded to the blaze on the 100 block of...
U.S. jobless claims drop to 52-year low amid seasonal volatility
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level in 52 years, more evidence that the U.S. job market is recovering from last year’s coronavirus recession. Unemployment claims dropped by 43,000 to 184,000 last week, the lowest since September 1969, the Labor...
1 flown by medical helicopter from Derry Township crash
A man was flown Thursday morning by a medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital from the scene of a head-on crash in Derry Township, according to Bradenville Assistant Fire Chief Nick Piantine. The crash was reported on Route 217 at 6:45 a.m. just outside of Derry Borough near Chef Dato’s...
Police conduct security searches at 4 Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings after online threat
Pittsburgh Public Schools police officers will be conducting security searches at several district schools Thursday after threats of violence were made on social media, district officials said. “The district is aware of threats shared via social media with students who attend Pittsburgh Allegheny 6-8 (in the North Side) and Pittsburgh...
2 killed in Fayette crash, including New Stanton man
Two people, including a New Stanton man, were killed in a two-vehicle crash Wednesday morning in Fayette County that state police attributed to wintry weather conditions. Troopers said a Ford Ranger being driven at 7 a.m. by Stanley A. Ohler, 26, of Connellsville, was traveling north on Route 119 in...
Clairton schools go remote after police say 2 teens had guns outside school building
Clairton City School District student will learn remotely for the rest of the week after police arrested two teens for wielding guns while school was being dismissed Wednesday. Officers responded to Clairton Education Center on Waddell Avenue around 2:50 p.m. for a report of three males with firearms, according to...
Pine-Richland staffer ‘combing the world’ to find lifesaving bone marrow match for her son
Missy Ramirez has never won the lottery, but she is determined to win the one that will save her 6-year-old son’s life. Ramirez’s son, Jax, was diagnosed with IPEX, a rare genetic autoimmune disease, in October. The diagnosis was a relief for Ramirez who worked tirelessly to find answers to...
Whitehall man who threatened to blow up government buildings gets federal prison time
A former Whitehall man who made online threats to use homemade bombs to blow up government buildings in Harrisburg and Washington has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison. Kurt Cofano, 34, pleaded guilty in July to three of the five counts brought against him by a...
Man shot in head during argument in Downtown Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh police are searching for a man who they said shot another man during an argument in Downtown early Thursday. Officers from the Zone 2 station in the city’s Hill District, along with emergency medical technicians, responded to the 1000 block of Penn Avenue around 3:30 a.m. after receiving a...
Car crash deaths have surged during covid-19 pandemic. Here’s why
It was a tally that shocked the experts: 38,680 deaths on U.S. roadways last year, the most since 2007 even though pandemic precautions had dramatically reduced driving. “This was completely unprecedented,” said Ken Kolosh, a researcher at the nonprofit National Safety Council. “We didn’t know what was happening.” One possibility...
Senate rejects Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses
WASHINGTON — The Senate narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday to nullify the Biden administration’s requirement that businesses with 100 or more workers have their employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing. The vote was 52-48. The Democratic-led House is unlikely to take the measure up, which...
Allegheny County health director: ‘I don’t expect the situation to improve soon’
The covid-19 situation in Allegheny County remains grim, health director Dr. Debra Bogen said Wednesday, as the county closes in on nearly 2,500 dead from the virus. Since June, nearly 500 people in the county have died from covid-19, Bogen said. “Most tragic is that nearly all of these deaths...
Duquesne police chief accused of witness intimidation against father of alleged sex assault victim
Duquesne police Chief Thomas Dunlevy was arrested Wednesday, accused of interfering in an alleged sexual assault case against his friend, including intimidating the accuser’s father. The man accused in the alleged August sexual assault case, Nathan Beck, 20, was a volunteer firefighter in Duquesne and a friend of Dunlevy’s, according...
Former Steelers great Dick Hoak gets surprise birthday party in Hempfield
Turning 82 isn’t exactly a milestone birthday. But for the friends of former Steelers and Penn State great and Jeannette native Dick Hoak, any excuse to give him a party is a good one. Fans of Hoak know him as a former Pro Bowl running back and the longest tenured...
Mark Meadows sues as Jan. 6 panel proceeds with contempt caseVideo
WASHINGTON — Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Wednesday sued the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection as the chairman of the panel pledged to move forward with contempt charges now that Meadows is no longer complying with a subpoena. The dueling actions laid...
