Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1148
Police: ‘Dozens’ of empty alcohol bottles in SUV at time of fatal Monroeville hit-and-run
Police say they found dozens of empty alcohol bottles and cans in the SUV of a man charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run Wednesday in Monroeville. Braden Chetsko told police he has a drinking problem, and he’d been drinking and smoking marijuana before work and continued drinking during and...
Parents urge Greensburg Salem to defy state mandate, stick with mask-optional school planVideo
Some Greensburg Salem parents urged the district to stick with its recently approved mask-optional policy inside its schools, despite a statewide K-12 mask mandate set to take effect Tuesday. At this week’s board discussion meeting, Ryan Silowash and Susanna Dejeet, both of Salem, and Carrie Hamley, of Greensburg, all spoke...
Lawrence County woman charged in Capitol riot case
A Lawrence County woman was arrested Thursday for allegedly participating in January’s Capitol riots. Julia Jeanette Sizer, of Ellwood City, is charged with knowingly entering a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. She is not accused of damaging any property, harming...
Some Verona residents upset over presence of armed ‘militia’ at Hula Bar
Several Verona residents and business owners expressed concern for their safety and the well-being of the borough after they saw suspected militia members at the Hula Bar, a popular bar and restaurant. “Verona is a small, family-oriented community,” said Jeanine Hurt-Robinson, a resident and vice president of the Riverview School...
Debate continues over possible Amazon site in Churchill
In a public hearing that has already lasted over 33 hours over several meetings, a heated debate continues about a potential Amazon distribution site in Churchill. Texas-based Hillwood Development has proposed to build a distribution center on the 133-acre parcel that formerly housed the Westinghouse Research Park. Their plans include...
20th observance at Flight 93 memorial closed to the public
The 20th remembrance ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County will be closed to the public. State Trooper Steve Limani said Thursday that no one will be permitted to park at the entrance, on nearby roads or along Route 30 in Stonycreek Township during the ceremony. The...
Strange smell around McKees Rocks area likely caused by temperature changes
Weather is likely to blame for the strong smell affecting places like McKees Rocks and Neville Island, according to health and weather officials. Residents first began reporting the smell around 4:30 a.m., according to the Allegheny County Health Department. Officials said the county Emergency Management Agency investigated and “the odor...
Death toll tops 40 after Ida’s remnants blindside Northeast
NEW YORK — A stunned East Coast faced a rising death toll, surging rivers, tornado damage and continuing calls for rescue Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the region with record-breaking rain, drowning more than 40 people in their homes and cars. In a region that had been...
Intel shows extremists to attend Capitol rally
WASHINGTON — Far right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are planning to attend a rally later this month at the U.S. Capitol that is designed to demand “justice” for the hundreds of people who have been charged in connection with January’s insurrection, according to three people...
Supreme Court’s decision on Texas abortion ban raises stakes for Pa. governor’s race
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania abortion-rights advocates and their opponents agreed Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to let a Texas law...
$1 million scratch-off ticket sold at Coraopolis gas station
A Coraopolis gas station sold a scratch-off ticket worth $1 million, Pennsylvania Lottery officials announced this week. The Feelin’ Like a Million Bucks scratch-off ticket was sold at Sunoco, located at 6700 University Boulevard. The gas station will receive a $5,000 bonus for selling the ticket. Feelin’ Like a Million...
After Ida, sunny skies expected going into holiday weekend
Despite remnants of Hurricane Ida dumping almost 6 inches of rain in some parts of the region, sunny skies are mostly expected heading into the Labor Day weekend. Ida, which was downgraded from a tropical depression as it made its way inland, arrived in Western Pennsylvania Tuesday night into Wednesday...
North Allegheny Senior High School closed Thursday, Friday due to leak
North Allegheny Senior High School is closed Thursday and Friday due to a leak, officials announced. According to a tweet from district leaders, the leak was found on the third floor of the McCandless high school, causing officials to close the building to students and staff. The high school will...
Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers go to court to challenge mail-in voting law
HARRISBURG — Fourteen Republican lawmakers have filed a new lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law, calling it unconstitutional and asking for it to be thrown out. The legal challenge was filed just before midnight Tuesday in the state Commonwealth Court. It is the latest attempt by Republicans to invalidate the...
Divided Supreme Court leaves Texas abortion law in place
WASHINGTON — A deeply divided Supreme Court is allowing a Texas law that bans most abortions to remain in force, stripping most women of the right to an abortion in the nation’s second-largest state. The court voted 5-4 early Thursday to deny an emergency appeal from abortion providers and others...
Ida’s remnants blanket Pennsylvania, New Jersey in rain, stir tornadoesVideo
HARRISBURG — Soaking rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida prompted the evacuations of thousands of people Wednesday after water reached dangerous levels at a dam near Johnstown, a Pennsylvania town nicknamed Flood City. The storm moved east in the evening, with the National Weather Service confirming at least one...
Surviving members of ’71 Pirates historic all-minority lineup gather for 50th anniversary tribute
On the night of the 50th anniversary of the game in which the Pittsburgh Pirates made history by fielding MLB’s first all-minority starting lineup, roughly 150 people gathered at the Heinz History Center for a panel discussion and celebration with the surviving Pirates starters from that game. The panel featured...
Deer Lakes School District reports 12 covid-19 cases, 123 people in quarantine
Deer Lakes School District has reported a dozen covid-19 cases and 123 people in quarantine since its first day of school, Aug. 25. The district is monitoring cases on its website with a tracker showing where each case is throughout the buildings. The tracker shows 10 cases reported in August...
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declares state of emergency along Monongahela River
Late Wednesday afternoon, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declared a state of emergency because of flooding conditions along the Monongahela River and its tributaries. The emergency declaration empowers the Corps to undertake support and actions in response to the heavy rainfall that has spilled over the banks of waterways...
School-age covid cases continue to rise in Allegheny County
Covid-19 cases among school-age children — most of whom are not old enough to be vaccinated — continue to rise in Allegheny County, officials said Wednesday. On Wednesday, 45 children age 18 and under were reported to have tested positive for the virus in the previous 24 hours. It included...
Judge conditionally approves Purdue Pharma opioid settlement
A federal bankruptcy judge on Wednesday gave conditional approval to a sweeping, potentially $10 billion plan submitted by OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to settle a mountain of lawsuits over its role in the opioid crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades. Under the settlement reached...
Penguins, FNB break ground on tower to anchor Civic Arena developmentVideo
The new FNB Financial Center in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District was touted Wednesday as the catalyst for a transformation of a neighborhood that was razed six decades ago to make way for the former Civic Arena. “The Hill is greater than just the people who live in it,” said state...
Allegheny County Jail warden defends militaristic training contracts
Allegheny County Jail Warden Orlando Harper on Wednesday defended his decision to enter into no-bid contracts for militaristic training and weapons to counter this spring’s referendum banning restraint chairs, chemical agents and leg shackles at the jail. His six-page news release came on the eve of the monthly Jail Oversight...
Body pulled from Allegheny River in Plum
First responders pulled the body of a man from the Allegheny River in Plum on Wednesday morning, according to Allegheny County Police. Police said they responded to the 100 block of Coxcomb Hill Road shortly after 10:15 a.m. after someone called 911 to report a body floating in the river....
Covid cases in Westmoreland, Allegheny up for 2nd straight month
After seeing numbers decline earlier in the summer, covid cases increased for a second straight month in Pennsylvania and Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Cases As of Wednesday’s covid report, the Pennsylvania Department of Health saw 22,269 new cases of covid-19 in the past seven days, averaging 3,181 cases per day....
