Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1698
Lawyer: Chelsa Wagner rejected plea deal because she wants to clear her nameVideo
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner rejected an offer to plead guilty to a charge of disturbing the peace stemming from a March 6 confrontation at a Detroit hotel with police and hotel staff, one of her attorneys said Tuesday. The plea offer came to light as jury selection began in...
Jeannette officials prepare to close beleaguered hemp-drying plant
An order shuttering a Jeannette hemp-drying facility is imminent while employees said they still have not been paid. City solicitor Tim Witt said Tuesday afternoon that a cease and desist order could be issued soon by the code enforcement officer as Patriot Shield Security has not met requirements to obtain...
Peduto promises new police substations next year in Homewood, South SideVideo
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Tuesday announced the city next year would create new police substations in the South Side and Homewood and provide round-the-clock staffing in a third Downtown substation while planning a seventh police station to patrol the North Shore stadium district. Peduto, who made the announcements during...
Mayor Peduto calls for state oversight of Pittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Tuesday called for state takeover of Pittsburgh Public School District finances, saying the district should be able to balance its annual budget within current revenue levels. The mayor was responding to a question about the district’s proposed 2.3% tax increase that Superintendent Anthony Hamlet has...
Westmoreland County Airshow won’t fly in 2020
The Westmoreland County Airshow will be on hiatus next year. The Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds are unavailable for booking because their schedules are full, according to the county airport authority. It will be the first time since 2012 that there won’t be a show at the...
Car carrier strikes Parkway West bridge, closing westbound lanes for 1 hour
The westbound lanes of the Parkway West (I-376) were closed for about an hour Tuesday morning at the Route 22/60 bridge in Robinson Township after a car carrier hit the bridge, state police said. Inspectors from PennDOT checked the bridge and it was fine, police said. The highway reopened at...
Jury selection in Chelsa Wagner’s Detroit trial delayed due to weatherVideo
The first day of jury selection for Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner’s trial in Detroit wrapped up at about 11 a.m. because wintry weather preventing many prospective jurors from showing up Tuesday. Wagner faces charges connected to a March 6 confrontation with police and hotel staff.. Detroit News reporter George...
Jury finds Rahmael Holt guilty of killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw
A Westmoreland County jury found Rahmael Holt guilty on all counts of killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw following an attempted traffic stop two years ago. The jury reached its verdict in less than 90 minutes after closing arguments Tuesday. “A verdict like this doesn’t bring Brian back, but...
See those cheaper gas prices at GetGo? Here’s how to get that discount
The prices look good, but read the fine print. GetGo rolled out a new program — AdvantagePay — that offers discounts of between 5 and 30 cents per gallon of gas and can be combined with Giant Eagle’s other benefit program, Fuelperks+. So if you’ve seen significantly cheaper prices on...
5 things to know about Chelsa Wagner’s trial in MichiganVideo
Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner’s jury trial on charges stemming from a March 6 confrontation with Detroit police and staff at a hotel there starts Tuesday morning with jury selection. Here are five things to know about the case: 1. Wagner, 42, of North Point Breeze, and her husband, Khari...
Frigid temps, winds, light snow move into Pittsburgh regionVideo
Wind chills might feel like a shock Tuesday, weather officials said. National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Hendricks said blustery winds are in store, with gusts of up to 30 mph. “It was so nice on Monday, but today, we will have wind chills that could be in the teens,” he...
Missing Blair County mother, 2 kids found in Indiana County
A Blair County woman and her two children were found safe in Indiana County Tuesday morning after state police said they were missing and possibly in danger, according to Trooper Cliff Greenfield. A motorist spotted a black 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche Alicia Rose Brumbaugh, 31, and her children Maverick, 1, and...
Embattled McCandless police chief retires; replacement namedVideo
McCandless police Lt. Ryan Hawk was appointed on Monday as the new acting police Chief, according to the town’s Facebook page. He takes the place of beleaguered former Chief David DiSanti, who submitted his resignation during the Nov. 11 council meeting. The move comes less than a year after DiSanti...
What’s coming in impeachment: The inquiry goes publicVideo
WASHINGTON — For only the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has started a presidential impeachment inquiry. House committees are trying to determine whether President Donald Trump violated his oath of office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family and the 2016 U.S. presidential...
Former President Jimmy Carter enters hospital for surgery
ATLANTA — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter was admitted to a hospital on Monday evening for a procedure to relieve pressure on his brain, caused by bleeding because of his recent falls, his spokeswoman said. The procedure is scheduled for Tuesday morning at Emory University Hospital, Deanna Congileo said in...
IRS forms show Highmark officials reaped $1 million-plus raises last year
Highmark Health CEO David Holmberg’s total pay climbed to $7.49 million last year — up about 35% from the year before, for a nearly $2 million boost in compensation, federal tax forms filed Monday show. The nonprofit health system’s leader joined senior executives across Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network...
New York & Company closing at Westmoreland Mall
Another store is set to close at Westmoreland Mall. New York & Company is the latest clothing store to announce its closure this year at the Hempfield mall. An exact date has not been set, but a store manager confirmed it will shutter by the end of January. The mall,...
Prosecution expected to rest in trial of accused cop killer Rahmael Holt
Prosecutors are expected to rest their case Tuesday against alleged New Kensington cop killer Rahmael Holt, but it remained unknown Monday whether Holt would take the stand in his defense. Holt is accused of killing New Kensington police Officer Brian Shaw after a traffic stop on the city’s Leishman Avenue...
Sportsnet fires Don Cherry over controversial comments about immigrantsVideo
Sportsnet has severed ties with longtime “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcaster Don Cherry. On Saturday, the 85-year-old Cherry criticized immigrants in Toronto and Mississauga, Canada, for not honoring veterans and dead soldiers by wearing poppies for Remembrance Day, which was observed Monday. Don Cherry will no longer be on Hockey...
Minkah Fitzpatrick trade now ‘makes sense’ to many Steelers fansVideo
Steelers fans have had more ups and downs than the Steel Curtain roller coaster that debuted this year at Kennywood Park in West Mifflin. A day after the season seemed lost — quarterback Ben Roethlisberger out for the year — the team traded a 2020 first-round draft pick to the...
Goats clog Route 30 as Latrobe angler gets ‘whopper’ tale from unsuccessful fishing tripVideo
Latrobe angler Kimberly Ranalla on Sunday headed home empty-handed after a fruitless steelhead trout fishing trip to the Erie area, but she ended up with a “whopper” — one she caught on video. As Ranalla drove eastbound on Route 30 around Adamsburg, west of Greensburg, just after 2 p.m., a...
FAA considering grounding Southwest jets over safety checks
DALLAS — Federal regulators have threatened to ground dozens of Southwest Airlines jets if the airline can’t confirm that the planes, which it bought used from foreign operators, meet all safety standards. The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it has validated some major repairs to the planes, and it’s asking...
Woman hurt in Monroeville crash dies 4 days later
Authorities were surprised to learn that a woman involved in a crash along Broadway Boulevard on Nov. 4 died four days later in the hospital. Nicole Hilla, 41, died Nov. 8 at Forbes Hospital while being treated for injuries she got in a crash along the 2800 block of Broadway...
Friends, neighbors raising money to help rebuild Wilson’s Bar-B-Q on North SideVideo
Friends and neighbors of Wilson’s Bar-B-Q don’t want a Nov. 5 fire to be the end of the beloved restaurant on Pittsburgh’s North Side. “He’s just a great guy, and I love him in the neighborhood,” said Michele Petruccelli, who lives a few doors from the North Taylor Avenue spot,...
Police: Greensburg man shot at neighbors’ homes through attic window
A Greensburg man was being held in the Westmoreland County Prison without bail after police said he shot at two neighbors’ homes from the attic of his apartment. Joshua Aaron Dowell-Miller, 26, is charged with discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct. Police were...
