Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1673
Police: Former Collier cop asked teenage girls for nude pictures
A former Collier police officer was arrested after two teenage girls told authorities that he requested nude pictures while he was still employed as a police officer, authorities said. Cory Hurka, 29, of Collier, was charged Tuesday with two counts each of unlawful contact with minors, criminal solicitation and corruption...
Woman killed in Hampton Route 8 crash identified
A woman killed in a two-car crash on Route 8 in Hampton Wednesday afternoon has been identified. Rebecca Lynn Koorsen, 28, of Glenshaw was pronounced dead at the scene around 3:30 p.m. along the 5000 block of William Flynn Highway (Route 8), the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office reported. Authorities...
Military leaders consider leaving smaller number of troops in AfghanistanVideo
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is considering several options to reduce the number of troops in Afghanistan, including one that would shift to a narrower counterterrorism mission, the top U.S. military officer told Congress on Wednesday. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not disclose any potential...
Pittsburgh council kills proposal to name soccer field after former Mayor Ravenstahl and family
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday effectively killed a resolution seeking to name a North Side soccer field after former Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and his family. North Side Councilwoman Darlene Harris, who has long sought to dedicate the field in Riverview Park after the former mayor, proposed the resolution in the...
Pittsburgh council can nix park tax, but members expect it to pass
Pittsburgh City Council can nullify the November ballot referendum that called for a 0.5 mill property tax increase to fund city park improvements, but members polled on Wednesday said they would likely approve the levy early next year. Council must approve the tax in order for it to go into...
Bailey the therapy dog helps Deer Lakes 3rd graders readVideo
As Kayla Paschel read to Bailey, a 14-year old Yorkshire terrier Maltese mix, she felt like the dog could understand her. “I could feel him listening to me,” said Kayla, 9, of West Deer, who read one of her favorite books, “Michelle the Winter Wonderland Fairy.” “It was really fun...
Police respond to suspicious box at Pittsburgh Goodwill store
A suspicious box at the Goodwill on Banksville Road prompted a large police response to the store at about 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, Pittsburgh police said. The building was evacuated by the staff of the Goodwill and police closed Banksville Road between Potomac and Wenzell avenues as authorities including the bomb...
Police release photos of suspect in Nov. 29 Downtown robbery
Pittsburgh police released photos of a man suspected in a Nov. 29 robbery and assault on Strawberry Way near Smithfield Street in Downtown. A group of men pushed a man to the ground and stole items from his pockets, Pittsburgh police said in a Facebook post. In the post, police...
Fed leaves low rates alone and foresees no moves in 2020
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve left its benchmark interest rate alone Wednesday and signaled that it expects to keep low rates unchanged through next year. The Fed’s decision follows three rate cuts earlier this year. It reflects its view that the U.S. economy has so far withstood the U.S.-China trade...
Trio accused of selling methamphetamine from Salem Township house
Informants helped break up an alleged crystal methamphetamine distribution network operating out of a Salem Township home, according to court documents. Brian D. Dumnich, 35, his girlfriend, Heidi J. Altman, 32, and Victoria Nave, 34, all of the Forbes Road section of Salem, are charged with drug-related counts after agents...
Mac Miller Fund will support Pittsburgh music programs
Even in death, Mac Miller continues to inspire and support youth music programs in his native Pittsburgh. A $100,000 grant established to honor the rapper’s legacy will go toward music programs for teens and young adults at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA, according to officials at the Pittsburgh Foundation. The Mac Miller...
Tuberculosis case at Pittsburgh school isn’t cause for panic, health department saysVideo
A confirmed case of tuberculosis at Arsenal 6-8 school in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood doesn’t pose a risk of the disease spreading through the community, health officials said Wednesday “There is absolutely no reason for the general public or the parents at the school to worry,” said Dr. Kristen Mertz, an...
Outrage grows over Pennsylvania deer-torture video as investigation continues
A video showing two teens torturing an injured deer has rocked a small Western Pennsylvania community while generating outrage far and wide, including online where nearly 600,000 people have signed a petition calling for criminal charges. As of midday Wednesday, authorities had not charged the teens, who can be seen...
Pittsburgh’s East End Brewing celebrates 15 years of beerVideo
East End Brewing Company in Larimer turns 15 on Thursday and its owner is celebrating by honoring local craft brewers this week. “When I first started this business I didn’t think I would last 15 hours or 15 days let alone 15 years,” founder and owner Scott Smith said. “It...
Pittsburgh council postpones vote on pension enhancement for elected officials
Pittsburgh City Council on Wednesday postponed a vote on a pension enhancement for elected officials that appears to conflict with an ordinance members approved two years ago banning changes in pension payments outside of collective bargaining. Council unanimously postponed the vote for a week. Members on Tuesday fast-tracked an amendment...
Coraopolis girl and her family hope to make a big impact with mini-doughnuts business
For the Gracie family of Coraopolis, doughnuts always make a bad day better. Frustrated by work or school, they come home and split a half-dozen pastries to melt the stress away. “One day my dad said, ‘Why don’t we just sell doughnuts?’ It was so random, but that’s how it...
West Virginia man pleads guilty in shooting death of former Delmont man
A West Virginia man pleaded guilty this week in connection with the fatal shooting of a former Delmont man, according to the Herald-Mail. Alvin Deshaun Gilbert, 27, of Berkley County, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Monday in West Virginia. He admitted during a hearing in circuit court to killing Corey...
Police investigating dorm room assault of female Allegheny College student
MEADVILLE — The on-campus rape of an Allegheny College student inside her dormitory room by an armed man early Tuesday morning is under investigation by Meadville Police Department and Allegheny College. The female student was attacked by an unknown man in her room in Ravine Hall, according to authorities. Ravine...
Former Gov. Tom Ridge says Trump asking leader for political favor is ‘abuse of power’
Pennsylvania’s former Gov. Tom Ridge is leaving it up to Congress as to whether President Donald Trump should be impeached but in his mind, there’s little doubt the president abused his power when he asked Ukraine to investigate his rivals, including Joe Biden. Ridge was in Harrisburg on Tuesday to...
Indiana county man accused of shoplifting from Sheetz, hitting employee with car
A 44-year-old Indiana County man with a taste for stolen Slim Jims hit a Sheetz employee with his car as he fled the store near Blairsville last month, police said. James Fitzgerald Higgins, of Josephine, is in the county jail on $50,000 bail in connection with the Nov. 24 incident...
Police: New York man tried to buy phone in Murrysville with fake ID
A New York man is in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail after police said he tried to buy a cell phone in Murrysville with a fraudulent identification card. Orlando David Castillo-Paulino, 20, of Yonkers, allegedly tried to buy an iPhone 11 Pro Max for $1,100 at a Verizon Wireless...
Fire damages Carnegie home once owned by Pirates legend Honus WagnerVideo
A fire that broke out Tuesday in a Carnegie home once owned by baseball Hall of Famer Honus Wagner might have started in a clothes dryer, officials said. The dryer was in the basement of the home on Beechwood Avenue and the fire spread through the walls and climbed up...
As Newtown students grow up, some turn to activism
NEWTOWN, Conn. — They were children themselves when they lost siblings, friends, and schoolmates in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Too young to comprehend the massacre, they spent years in shock and denial. Seven years later, some young people in Newtown, still struggling with the trauma, are emerging as...
Police: Nevada man stalked, sent nude photos to West Mifflin teen
A Nevada man accused of stalking a 15-year-old West Mifflin girl on social media for more than year was arrested Monday after police say he traveled from Las Vegas in an attempt to have sex with her. Police said Renad Bautista, 30, was “constantly contacting” the girl starting in August...
Jersey City’s mayor says gunmen targeted kosher market
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — The mayor of a New Jersey city said Wednesday that authorities believe gunmen targeted a kosher market during a furious shooting that killed six people and filled the streets with the sounds of heavy gunfire for hours just across the Hudson River from New York City....
