Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1674
Pittsburgh police: Duquesne man killed after night of drinking in Hill District
A 24-year-old Duquesne man was shot twice in the head early Wednesday after a night of drinking at the Hill District home of the man accused of killing him, according to Pittsburgh police. Trevon Adams died from two gunshot wounds, one of which severed his carotid artery, the Allegheny County...
3 charged with running $722M cryptocurrency scam
NEWARK, N.J. — Three men were charged with running a cryptocurrency mining operation that officials labeled a “high-tech Ponzi scheme” that bilked investors out of $722 million, federal officials announced Tuesday. Matthew Goettsche, 37, was arrested Tuesday in Colorado, while Jobadiah Weeks, 38, was taken into custody in Florida and...
Small fire at senior high rise in Scottdale forces brief evacuationsVideo
Some residents of the Scottdale Manor senior citizen high rise along Pearl Street were briefly evacuated from their apartments Tuesday night because of smoke from a small fire in the building. No serious injuries were reported in the fire but several residents were taken to a hospital for evaluation, according...
Paul Newberry: NFL should suspend Patriots’ Bill Belichick for seasonVideo
Anyone who’s watched the New England Patriots stumble around for the past month or so surely saw this coming. With every wobbly pass delivered by Tom Brady, every disgusted look coming from beneath Bill Belichick’s hoodie, every result that went on the wrong side of New England’s win-loss ledger, it...
Pittsburgh Arsenal 6-8 student diagnosed with tuberculosis
A student at Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Arsenal 6-8 was diagnosed with tuberculosis, Allegheny County Health Department officials announced Tuesday. The student reportedly is out of school receiving medication to treat the illness and is expected to return in the near future. Officials said they are identifying individuals who may have...
Pennsylvania trooper shot and wounded in Tioga County, prompting standoff
ELKLAND — A Pennsylvania state trooper was shot and wounded Tuesday afternoon at a home in a rural area near the border with New York state, prompting a standoff with the barricaded gunman that lasted into the evening, authorities said. Troopers were conducting a welfare check at the home in...
Feds’ rules threaten Pennsylvanians’ food stamps, state claims
HARRISBURG — Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians stand to lose food stamps or see their benefits reduced under three sets of changes to the program being advanced by the Trump administration, state officials said Tuesday. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration opposes all three changes, saying that the federal government is simply...
Monroeville man to plead guilty in $127 million Medicare scheme, officials say
A Monroeville business owner is expected to plead guilty in a $127 million kickback scheme against Medicare patients, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman. Ravitej Reddy, 52, is accused of conspiring with multiple companies to pay kickbacks for lab tests done at his two genetic testing facilities. He was...
Pentagon orders review of international student vettingVideo
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Tuesday ordered a broad review of vetting procedures for international students who participate in training on U.S. military installations and demanded the process be strengthened, in direct reaction to last week’s deadly shooting at a Pensacola Navy base by a Saudi aviation student. The memo...
Blue Angels jets slated to fly when Westmoreland airshow returns in 2021
The Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow should be flying high once more in 2021 — after taking hiatus next year — with a return of the Blue Angels Navy jet team as the chief attraction. Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo received word Tuesday that the popular jet demonstration...
Pittsburgh area leads state in ‘widespread’ flu outbreak, health data show
More than half of the flu cases reported in Pennsylvania so far this season are in the Greater Pittsburgh area, with Allegheny County having the most of any county in the state in a season that is off to an early start. A total of 4,424 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza...
The Pittsburgh sinkhole bus is back on the roadVideo
Pittsburgh’s infamous sinkhole bus that dropped partially into a Downtown street in October is back on the road. Port Authority’s 6015 bus, which can pick up any route that begins at the Collier garage, was put back into service on Saturday, about six weeks after a sinkhole partially swallowed it....
6 killed in New Jersey gunbattle, including police officerVideo
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Six people, including a police officer and three bystanders, were killed in a furious gun battle Tuesday that filled the streets of Jersey City with the sound of heavy fire for hours, authorities said. The dead included the two gunmen, Jersey City Police Chief Michael Kelly...
Allegheny County Health Department awards $113K in grants
The Allegheny County Health Department awarded 13 mini-grants totaling $113,552 to local organizations for projects aimed at addressing racial equality in chronic disease factors. The projects will increase access to healthy food, physical activity and connect residents to clinical care, the health department said. Social factors like employment, education and...
Western Pa. native burned in New Zealand volcano eruption
A Western Pennsylvania native and his wife were among the 18 people who were hurt when a volcano erupted Monday in New Zealand. At least five people were killed and dozens of others were missing after the eruption on White Island, New Zealand’s most active cone volcano. Matthew Urey, 36,...
So, what’s next in the impeachment process?Video
WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on two articles of impeachment by the end of the week, sending them to the House floor for a vote by Christmas. Next would come a Senate trial, likely in 2020. Here’s what to expect next in the impeachment process:...
Man accused of punching Port Authority bus driver turns self in
A man facing charges for punching a Port Authority of Allegheny County bus driver told police he did so because the doors to the bus closed on him and it triggered his anger, according to a criminal complaint filed against the man. Richard David Hickman, 36, turned himself into authorities...
Pittsburgh pastry chef recalls stint on holiday baking showVideo
Fairmont Pittsburgh pastry chef Dwight Penney is home for the holidays, after being eliminated Dec. 9 from Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. Penney, 30, of Dormont, was among 10 original bakers competing for a chance to win $25,000 and the title of Holiday Baking Champion on the popular show’s sixth...
Pelosi announces agreement on North American trade pact
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday announced agreement on a modified North American trade pact, handing President Donald Trump a major Capitol Hill win on the same day that Democrats announced their impeachment charges against him. The California Democrat said the revamped U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is a significant improvement...
Cops: Penn Township woman charged in hit and run, and then slugging other driver
A Penn Township woman allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident is accused of punching and threatening to shoot the other driver, who followed her after the initial crash, according to police. Carla L. Smith, 57, was charged Monday by township police with simple assault, harassment, failing to stop and render...
VP Mike Pence asks for 4 more years in White House during Beaver County visit
Vice President Mike Pence promised during a visit Tuesday to a Beaver County Veterans of Foreign Wars post that he and President Trump would make Pennsylvania “more prosperous than you could possibly imagine” if reelected in 2020. Pence called the impeachment inquiry a “disgrace,” vowed continued support for military veterans...
John Sphon named new CEO at Excela as rating agency downgrades bonds
John Sphon, a longtime Excela Health executive, was named CEO of the Westmoreland County hospital and health system Tuesday. Sphon’s appointment followed the announcement five days ago that Moody’s Investors Service had downgraded $63 million in outstanding Excela bonds from A3 to Baa1. In a statement on the downgrade, Moody’s...
Missing Pittsburgh girl found safe
Pittsburgh police say a 12-year-old girl who was reported missing on Monday has been found safe. Saniyah Gates, who attends South Hills Middle School on Mt. Washington, was located on Tuesday. Police said the previous day that she did not return home from school. No further information was immediately available....
Amid the holiday hustle and bustle, take time to care for yourself
This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but often it’s the most stressful. “The season to be merry is also the season for stress and anxiety,” says Jyl Glunt, a health and wellness specialist at the Excela Health Well-Being Center-Mind Body Health. “Shopping, decorating, parties,...
Latrobe firefighters leave council meeting without reason for their suspensionsVideo
Firefighters who are under suspension at Latrobe Fire Department’s Goodwill Hose Company No. 1 say they haven’t been told why. “We were suspended without cause, without reason,” Nico Giovannagelo, captain of the Goodwill Hose Company, said of himself and six other firefighters. “We do not know why we were suspended,...
