Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1124
Rumor of threat against Plum High School unfounded, administration says
Rumors of a threat against the Plum Senior High School that spurred an investigation have no merit, a letter from administrators states. According to a letter from high school Principal Joe Fishell, several Safe2Say submissions and emails were received by the district regarding an alleged allegation that a student had...
Anti-vaccine chiropractors are rising force of misinformation
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The flashy postcard, covered with images of syringes, beckoned people to attend Vax-Con ‘21 to learn “the uncensored truth” about covid-19 vaccines. Participants traveled from around the country to a Wisconsin Dells resort for a sold-out convention that was, in fact, a sea of misinformation and conspiracy...
Stink bugs are back — and in greater numbers than recent years
They are pests in the truest sense of the word, and they are back. They are brown marmorated stink bugs and people love to hate them because of their annoying habit of invading homes and gardens. They have earned their name from the odor they produce from the glands on...
U.S. employers add a weak 194,000 jobs as delta maintains hold
WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added just 194,000 jobs in September, a second straight tepid gain and evidence that the pandemic still has a grip on the economy with many companies struggling to fill millions of open jobs. Friday’s report from the Labor Department also showed that the unemployment rate fell...
Man suspected of killing mailman in Collier to appear again in court next week
A small memorial of pink flowers stood Friday at the base of the street signs for Suburban and Columbia avenues in Collier, a day after police say the neighborhood’s longtime mailman was gunned down on his route by his disgruntled former neighbor. At the other end of the quiet suburban...
Fatal Armstrong County crash victim identified
An Armstrong County woman died after losing control of her vehicle and hitting an embankment in Perry Township. Alisha Diets, 34, of Parker was pronounced dead at the scene by Deputy Coroner Timothy Graham. The crash occurred along Knox Road around 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Diets was traveling south in a...
5 things to watch in Week 6: De facto conference champions to be crowned?
No, it’s not over ‘til it’s over. And, yes, four weeks remain in the regular season, meaning the WPIAL football schedule is far from over. But there are a few key matchups Friday night that sure seem likely to serve as de facto conference championship games. The list starts in...
Man, 35, dies after being shot in McKees Rocks residential area
A 35-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday afternoon in McKees Rocks, officials said. The shooting happened shortly before 4:30 p.m. in a residential area on Fair Oaks Street, near Friendship Avenue and Meyers Ridge Park, according to emergency dispatchers and Allegheny County Police. First responders arrived to find a...
$800M Southern Beltway to open for bikers, walkers in preview
South Fayette is becoming more connected. The Southern Beltway is opening on Oct. 15, creating the second major interchange for the community of more than 16,000 residents. The new section of the beltway starts at Interstate 79 near the Allegheny and Washington county line and goes to Route 22. It...
Kentucky doctor admits health care fraud, receiving kickbacks from Hempfield lab
A Kentucky psychiatrist is the latest to plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh to health care fraud in a kickback scheme for referring patients to a now-defunct drug testing lab in Hempfield. Varanise C. Booker, 66, of Louisville, pleaded guilty to one count before Senior U.S. District Judge...
Report details Trump’s all-out bid to undo election resultsVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat brought the Justice Department to the brink of chaos, and prompted top officials there and at the White House to threaten to resign, a Senate Judiciary Committee report found. The report released Thursday by the Democratic-run committee offers...
Hearing postponed for man accused of inappropriately touching himself at GetGo in Ross
A Pittsburgh man accused of inappropriately touching himself in a GetGo parking lot in Ross over the summer is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing in January. The hearing for Kinsey Basko, 38, on charges of open lewdness and indecent exposure had been scheduled for Wednesday but was postponed,...
Uniontown man gets life for 2017 slaying in Pittsburgh’s Hill District
A Uniontown man will serve life in prison with no chance for parole after he was sentenced Thursday for killing a man in 2017 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. An Allegheny County jury found Tevin Patterson, 27, guilty of first-degree murder in the Aug. 8, 2017, shooting death of Calvin Turner,...
Suspect in mail carrier’s fatal shooting in Collier thought victim was poisoning him, feds say
The man suspected of gunning down a mail carrier Thursday in Collier told investigators he believed the carrier had poisoned him, according to charges filed in federal court. Eric Kortz, 53, of Pittsburgh, is charged with murder of an employee of the United States and possession of a firearm, court...
Prosecutors offer guilty but mentally ill plea deal to Fox Chapel man accused of killing 2 men
The Allegheny County District Attorney’s office has offered a Fox Chapel man accused of killing two men in separate incidents a deal that would call for him to serve concurrent life sentences in exchange for a plea of guilty but mentally ill to two counts of first-degree murder. Adam Rosenberg,...
Auction slated for Ligonier Beach items; demolition of 2 buildings planned
Memorabilia and furnishings from the shuttered Ligonier Beach swimming pool and restaurant will go on the auction block Oct. 23 in preparation for plans to demolish two structures there and clear the way for revitalization of the Ligonier Township landmark. Mark Ferry Auctioneers of Unity will conduct the 9 a.m....
Senate dodges debt disaster, votes to extend borrowing
WASHINGTON — The Senate dodged a U.S. debt disaster Thursday night, voting to extend the government’s borrowing authority into December and temporarily avert an unprecedented federal default that experts warned would devastate the economy and harm millions of Americans. The vote of 50-48 in support of the bill to raise...
Tako restaurant ready to open in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square
Taco lovers rejoice. The second Pittsburgh location of Tako is set open at Bakery Square in the city’s East End on Oct. 14. The opening has been delayed because of the pandemic and finding enough staff to operate. “It’s been pretty crazy,” said Casey Henderlong, director of public relations for...
Pfizer’s request to OK shots for kids a relief for parentsVideo
Parents tired of worrying about classroom outbreaks and sick of telling their elementary school-age children no to sleepovers and family gatherings felt a wave of relief Thursday when Pfizer asked the U.S. government to authorize its covid-19 vaccine for youngsters ages 5 to 11. If regulators give the go-ahead, reduced-dose...
Report: State Rep. Matt Dowling hurt in crash
State Rep. Matt Dowling, whose 51st District covers part of Fayette and Somerset counties, was reported to be in serious but stable condition Thursday as a result of injuries suffered in a car accident Wednesday night, a Republican Party official said. Dowling, 36, of Uniontown, was en route to a...
Connellsville man pleads guilty to raping girl, 12, fathering child
A Connellsville man is facing at least 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in a few months for the 2013 rape of a then-12-year-old girl in Derry Borough. Prosecutors say the girl gave birth to the man’s child. Shawn Tracy Melville, 44, entered a general plea Monday to...
Woman’s body found in Beaver County, police investigating as homicide
Police have ruled a woman’s death a homicide after her body was found in a field in Beaver County Wednesday morning. The woman, identified as Sharon Benyo, 46, of Beaver Falls, was found in the 2400 block of Route 51, also know as Constitution Boulevard, in Chippewa Township around 8:15...
Pittsburgh weighs amended parking code to include non-resident permits
A proposal to amend Pittsburgh’s parking code would provide virtual permitting, adopt regulations for visitor and non-resident permits and create hybrid residential parking permit areas. The proposed legislation also seeks to “clarify the administrative process for the program” and add permit fees to the city’s annual fee book. “The main...
Judge orders Texas to suspend new law banning most abortions
AUSTIN — A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Texas to suspend the most restrictive abortion law in the United States, which since September has banned most abortions in the nation’s second-most populous state. The order by U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman is the first legal blow to the Texas law...
Greensburg police arrest burglary suspect accused of raping, sexually assaulting girl
A 31-year-old Greensburg man held in the county jail since March 2020 for committing a string of daylight burglaries in Greensburg and Hempfield was arraigned Wednesday for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting a girl. James E. Dickant Jr. is charged with sexual assault and rape and three counts each of...
