Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1667
Westmoreland deputies: Arrest of 2 fugitives led to 2 other fugitives
A search this week for two fugitives led Westmoreland County Sheriff’s deputies to the Greensburg home of a drug rehabilitation counselor, where they said they found what they were looking for — and more, including two other fugitives hiding elsewhere with a cache of drugs, weapons and money. Around 8:30...
Sheetz opens latest store on Route 8 in ShalerVideo
If there’s such a thing as a Sheetz desert, the stretch of Route 8 in Shaler fit the bill — until Dec. 19. The Altoona-based convenience store operator held a grand opening for its latest store, giving the chain a total of 600 in operation. Owner Travis Sheetz, on hand...
Driver fired after leaving 7-year-old Leechburg student on bus
A W.L. Roenigk driver has been fired for leaving a 7-year-old Leechburg Area student on a minibus, company president Sue Roenigk said Thursday. The boy was mistakenly driven to the bus company’s Allegheny Township garage and office on Greenwood Road, about 5 miles from David Leech Elementary School where the...
Man paralyzed in fight at Downtown McDonald’s sues restaurant
A man left paralyzed after a Nov. 4 assault outside the McDonald’s restaurant on Wood Street in Downtown Pittsburgh is suing the company and the franchise operator of the location for negligence. The suit was filed Wednesday in Allegheny County court by a Pittsburgh law firm on behalf of Mark...
2 dead, 2 others shot at Rhode Island housing complex
WESTERLY, R.I. — A shooting at a Rhode Island affordable housing complex for elderly and disabled residents left two people dead and two others injured Thursday morning, police said. Westerly Police Chief Shawn Lacey said a 66-year-old gunman killed a 47-year-old woman at the Babcock Village apartment complex and injured...
Senate passes anti-robocalls bill, sending it to Trump
The Senate on Thursday passed a bill that cracks down on robocalls, a persistent and costly problem for Americans, and is sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature. The bill is one of several measures that federal and state government and the telecom industry are taking to protect...
2 rescued after Hempfield communication tower toppled, officials say
Two men were rescued from a wooded area in Hempfield on Thursday after a telecommunications tower fell over while they were building it, said Jamie Shaw, township director of code and safety. It took about 90 minutes for firefighters and medics to get the pair through a mile of wooded...
PPG Paints Arena ranks 11th in U.S. ticket sales for 2019
Bringing big name performers to its stage has helped PPG Paints Arena rank 11th in the United States and 21st in the world in ticket sales for concerts and other live touring events in 2019, according to figures released by Pollstar. “That’s probably the highest that we’ve been,” says Gary...
Western Pennsylvania lawmaker wants hunting licenses revoked for animal cruelty
A state lawmaker from Western Pennsylvania wants to give the Pennsylvania Game Commission the power to revoke or deny a hunting license to someone convicted of cruelty to animals. The proposed legislation was prompted by the investigation of two teenagers from Jefferson County’s Brookville area who appeared to torture an...
Police: Mt. Lebanon man took $153K from former Shadyside employer
A Mt. Lebanon man is accused by Allegheny County detectives of taking $153,800 over seven years from a Shadyside financial planning and advising firm where he used to work, according to court papers. Norman Bress, 85, was arrested Wednesday on charges of theft, receiving stolen property and forgery. Investigators said...
Mother, 2 young children rescued from Parks house fire
A mother and her two young children were rescued from their burning home early Thursday morning in Armstrong County. The fire in the 1600 block of Dime Road in Parks was reported shortly before 5:30 a.m. Firefighters from seven departments battled temperatures in the low teens to put out the...
Sen. Casey derides ‘obscene lawsuit’ to gut Affordable Care Act; patient advocates lament limbo
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said Wednesday night he’s concerned about the future of the Affordable Care Act as a lawsuit backed by the Trump administration advances that threatens to nullify the sweeping federal health care law. “The GOP’s hopes to destroy the ACA live another day,” Casey, D-Scranton, said in...
McKeesport teen charged with killing Homestead man
A McKeesport teen has been charged as an adult for the murder of a Homestead man earlier this year. Tre ‘Quan Embry, 22, died of a gunshot wound to the head in an incident the morning of Feb. 2 along the 300 block of East 17th Avenue in Homestead. Allegheny...
12 possible changes for Pennsylvania hunting seasons in 2020-21
This is neither the time to celebrate nor to panic. Not yet. Pennsylvania Game Commissioners won’t give preliminary approval to hunting seasons, or trapping ones, along with bag limits for 2020-21 until their January board meeting. Final approval won’t come until April. That’s five months off. But during a working...
Defiant Trump rallies supporters in Michigan as House impeaches himVideo
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Defiant in the face of a historic rebuke, President Donald Trump labeled his impeachment by the House of Representatives on Wednesday “a suicide march” for the Democratic Party. “Crazy Nancy Pelosi’s House Democrats have branded themselves with an eternal mark of shame,” Trump told the crowd...
19 seek to fill vacancy on Norwin School Board
The Norwin School Board has to select among 19 residents who are seeking to fill one vacancy. Among the hopefuls are a teacher who lost her bid for the board in the May primary, a North Huntingdon commissioner’s wife, four other teachers, an administrator working in other school districts, plus...
Pittsburgh man caught trying to sell heroin to undercover FBI agents pleads guilty
A Pittsburgh man caught trying to sell heroin to a pair of undercover FBI agents pleaded guilty to drug charges, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. Mark Ridley, 28, believed he was taking the illegal street drug to a customer in the city’s Hazelwood neighborhood in April 2017 with his driver, Leonard...
Majority in House votes to impeach President Trump on 2 chargesVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday night, becoming only the third American chief executive to be formally charged under the Constitution’s ultimate remedy for high crimes and misdemeanors. The historic vote split along party lines, much the way it has divided the...
Appeals court: Part of ‘Obamacare’ invalid, more review neededVideo
NEW ORLEANS — The “individual mandate” of former President Barack Obama’s health care law is invalid, but other parts of the law need further review, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The 2-1 ruling handed down by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans...
Pittsburgh Council kills pension enhancement amendment
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday effectively killed a amendment that would have enhanced pension payouts for elected officials, including outgoing Councilwoman Darlene Harris. Members voted 6-2 without comment to table the amendment aimed at eliminating a so-called Social Security offset. Harris and Councilman Anthony Coghill voted no and Councilwoman Theresa...
Editorial: Better school funding needed in Pennsylvania
It should not cost more to teach math in Squirrel Hill than it does in New Kensington. It should not be more expensive to teach history in Hempfield than in Jeannette. It should not take more money to teach reading in Upper St. Clair than in Clairton. But geography ends...
Strip District merchants aren’t happy with suggestions to improve parking, traffic safety
Longtime Strip District merchants are panning a consultant’s draft report that suggests ways to improve parking and pedestrian safety in the historic wholesale district. Stantec, a Boston-based urban design firm, reported that the Strip has 10,300 parking spaces on streets and in lots, but only about 3,800 are available to...
1 dead, 1 injured in Perry South shooting
A shooting Wednesday in Pittsburgh’s Perry South neighborhood left one man dead and a woman wounded, authorities said. The shooting happened about 3 p.m. near the intersection of Norwood and Kennedy avenues, according to police. A man was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, said Public...
Pittsburgh LGBTQ group leader accused of impersonating law enforcement officer
The leader of one of Pittsburgh’s LGBTQ advocacy groups turned himself in Wednesday on charges that he billed himself as a law enforcement official and forged documents to back it up, according to a criminal complaint filed by state police. Gary Van Horn, 40, of Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood appeared at...
Pennsylvania hunters take in record number of bears in 2019
The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported the state’s highest bear harvest ever this year as the agency tries to slow a growing bear population. Locally, hunters took the most bears in Armstrong and Butler counties, with numbers in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties holding steady. Expanded hunting opportunities doubled the number of...
