Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1616
Braddock gang leader, 2 others plead guilty to leading massive drug trafficking ring
A Pittsburgh area gang leader and his two associates have pleaded guilty in federal court to drug trafficking related charges this week. Howard McFadden, 30, of Turtle Creek, Donald Singleton, 48, of Penn Hills and Chadlin Leavy, 31, of Pittsburgh admitted to multiple counts related to their involvement in conspiracies...
Hockey fundraiser in Greensburg to raise money for family of man lost to heart attack
James Pacek loved playing hockey, so it’s only appropriate his friends will strap on skates to honor his memory. They’ve organized a “Pucks for Pacek” charity hockey game to be held Saturday at Kirk S. Nevin arena in Greensburg, and the event is shaping up to be bigger than any...
Report: Intel officials say Russia boosting Trump candidacy
WASHINGTON — Intelligence officials have warned lawmakers that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election campaign to help President Donald Trump get reelected, two officials said Thursday. The disclosure, in a closed-door briefing last week, raises questions about the integrity of the presidential campaign and whether Trump’s administration is taking...
‘Impractical Jokers’ star to visit Pittsburgh movie theaters
One quarter of TV’s “Impractical Jokers” will make an improvisational appearance in the Pittsburgh area on Friday. Sal Vulcano from TruTV’s hit show will be at three Pittsburgh-area mall movie theaters Friday night to help pitch the group’s feature film debut in “Impractical Jokers: The Movie.” Vulcano is expected to...
Pittsburgh’s Brother’s Brother Foundation sending 450,000 surgical masks to China
Brother’s Brother Foundation will ship a massive global relief package to China on Thursday to help combat the coronavirus. The shipment of 450,000 surgical face masks and 1,350 coverall protective suits will be distributed to hospitals treating patients with the virus across Wuhan, Huang Gang, Beijing and Chengdu provinces. Sarah...
Food security for Pennsylvanians could be in peril with food stamp changes, groups fear
Although food insecurity in Pennsylvania is at a 10-year low, there is a rising level of concern that changes coming to the food stamp program could reverse that number. An estimated 11% of households in Pennsylvania were considered “food insecure” in 2018, compared to nearly 15% in 2008, according to...
Attempted homicide charge dismissed against Shalaya Briston in Terrelle Pryor stabbingVideo
The most serious charge against the woman accused of stabbing Terrelle Pryor was dismissed during a preliminary hearing Thursday. District Judge Anthony Ceoffe dismissed a charge of attempted homicide that Pittsburgh police filed against Shalaya Briston, 24. Briston was dating Pryor, 30, an NFL football star who is a Jeannette...
Pier 1 stores in Ross, Washington among hundreds set to close
Two local Pier 1 Imports stores are among the more than 400 that will close this year, according to the retailer’s court filings this week. The locations on McKnight Road in Ross and Washington Road in Washington will close, though it was not immediately clear when, according to court documents...
Woman struck and killed by Mardi Gras float during paradeVideo
NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans is mourning the death of a woman who was run over by a parade float as the city celebrates the season leading up to Mardi Gras. Police are still investigating the accident, spokesman Juan Barnes said Thursday. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office identified her Thursday...
Fox Chapel man charged in Baldwin killing met victim on dating app, police say
Allegheny County police said they used an iPad to track down the suspected killer of a Baldwin man who was found shot dead in his home. Officers charged Adam Rosenberg, 21, of Fox Chapel with criminal homicide, robbery, tampering with evidence and firearms violations. Jeremy Dentel, 28, was shot once...
Trump ally Roger Stone sentenced to 40 months in prisonVideo
WASHINGTON — Trump loyalist and ally Roger Stone was sentenced Thursday to 40 months in federal prison, following an extraordinary move by Attorney General William Barr to back off his Justice Department’s original sentencing recommendation. U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Stone’s crimes demanded a significant time behind...
Rider feedback saves 4 Port Authority bus stops in Pittsburgh from elimination
The Port Authority will keep four bus stops in Pittsburgh that were slated to be removed, officials said Thursday. The inbound and outbound stops at Penn Avenue at South Millvale Avenue were set to be eliminated as part of a larger culling of Port Authority stops in 2020. Since the...
Tracing U.S. Attorney Scott Brady’s rise from a church in Greenville to the Ukraine investigation
People in the small town where he grew up aren’t surprised that U.S. Attorney Scott W. Brady is making national news as a high-profile federal prosecutor. The Greenville native won’t comment on U.S. Attorney General William Barr tapping his office to take in information about Ukraine, including what was collected...
Fox Chapel man charged with Baldwin man’s murder
A 21-year-old Fox Chapel man is accused of fatally shooting a Baldwin resident in his home. Allegheny County police arrested Adam Rosenberg on Wednesday and charged him with criminal homicide, robbery, tampering with evidence and firearms violations. Police said Jeremy Dentel, 28, was shot once in his Baldwin home at...
Man accused in attack on workers, resident at Unity facility
Two Adelphoi Village workers and a resident were hurt last month when a man living at a secure facility there attacked them, according to state police. Kevin Otero, 19, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of aggravated assault, simple assault and harassment. Troopers said the assaults were reported at the Unity...
Police: Driver clocked at 118 mph in a 55 mph zone in Indiana CountyVideo
An Indiana County driver faces a hefty speeding ticket after state police said he was driving 63 mph over the speed limit on Route 22 last month. A 43-year-old Armagh man was clocked driving a 2009 Subaru Outback at 118 mph in a 55 mph zone in East Wheatfield Township...
Morgan Stanley to buy E-Trade for $13 billionVideo
NEW YORK — Morgan Stanley, the investment bank for millionaires, big business and megamergers, is buying E-Trade Financial, the online brokerage that encouraged waves of regular investors to get into the market with ads featuring its talking spokesbaby. The roughly $13 billion, all-stock deal would be one of the biggest...
Trump taps loyalist Richard Grenell as nation’s top intel official
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced that Richard Grenell, the U.S. ambassador to Germany, will become acting director of national intelligence, a move that puts a staunch Trump ally in charge of the nation’s 17 spy agencies, which the president has only tepidly embraced. “Rick has represented our Country exceedingly...
9 killed in suspected far-right attack in Germany
HANAU, Germany — A 43-year-old German man shot and killed nine people at several locations in a Frankfurt suburb in attacks that appeared to have been motivated by far-right beliefs, officials said Thursday. The gunman first attacked a hookah bar and a neighboring cafe in central Hanau at about 10...
Crews battle overnight fire at Kittanning auto body parts store
Owners of a local auto body parts store plan on rebuilding after a fire ravaged through their Kittanning location earlier this week. Crews spent hours battling a fire at api Autobody Products that started around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday. The scene was not cleared until around 3 a.m. Thursday. “It’s obviously...
Residents urged to weigh in on future of Neville Island’s former Shenango coke plant
Plans for the 50-acre former Shenango Coke Works site on Neville Island remain unclear — but property owner DTE Energy hopes to ink a deal with one or more developers by the end of this year, community organizers told residents at a public meeting Wednesday night. No potential tenants or...
Liberty Bridge, Andy Warhol Bridge cited as among top 19 in U.S.
All the commuters who drive across the Liberty Bridge and wait in rush hour traffic over the Monongahela River, and those traveling the Andy Warhol Bridge over the Allegheny River, can say they have been on one of the most outstanding bridges in the country. Both Pittsburgh bridges were among...
Takeaways from the Democratic debate
LAS VEGAS — Six Democratic presidential hopefuls met on the debate stage in Las Vegas, but it was the newcomer, former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who received the most attention, and none of it positive. Here are some key takeaways from the debate. THE $60 BILLION PUNCHING BAG Bloomberg...
Debate night brawl: Bloomberg, Sanders attacked by rivals
LAS VEGAS — From the opening bell, Democrats savaged New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg and raised pointed questions about Bernie Sanders’ take-no-prisoners politics during a contentious debate Wednesday night that threatened to further muddy the party’s urgent quest to defeat President Donald Trump. Bloomberg, the former New York mayor who...
U.S. judge sides with migrants in case against Border Patrol
PHOENIX — Conditions at most Border Patrol facilities in Arizona are punitive and unconstitutional, a U.S. judge in Arizona said Wednesday while ruling in favor of migrants who have long-complained about inhumane and unsanitary conditions in holding cells. The ruling came weeks after the conclusion of a seven-day trial in...
