Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1749
Fayette County man killed in Rostraver crash
A 32-year-old Fayette County man was killed Thursday when his pickup truck collided into the rear of a garbage truck on Route 51 in Rostraver, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha. Donald J. Schultz , who lives in nearby Washington Township, was pronounced dead at the scene of the...
Man survives jump from West End Bridge after crash
A man is in stable condition after crashing his vehicle into Pittsburgh’s West End Bridge and jumping into the Ohio River, according to the city’s department of public safety. The crash happened just before 8 p.m. Wednesday. Witnesses told police that a man got out of the crashed vehicle, stepped...
State board pardons former McKeesport councilman-elect stymied by 25-year-old drug convictions
A state board that reviews criminal cases agreed Wednesday to pardon Corry Sanders, the former McKeesport councilman-elect whose 26-year-old drug convictions blocked him from serving in office despite winning the 2016 municipal election. In a 5-0 vote, the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons recommended clemency for Sanders, 49, during a public...
Trump suggests he might soften Iran sanctions, day after firing John Bolton
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump opened the door Wednesday to lifting some sanctions on Iran in an effort to set up a meeting with that country’s leaders, a softening of his “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran just a day after the firing of national security adviser John Bolton. Trump has...
DA seeks gag order in case against man accused of killing Pittsburgh police officer
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said his office has filed for a gag order in the case of a man accused in the July murder of an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer. The DA’s office has charged Christian Bey, 30, of Wilkinsburg with homicide and three firearms violations...
Microburst slams Delmont, topples trees
Lisa and Lou Garbin’s two-story garage behind their Delmont home was saved from being cut in half Wednesday night when a large tree toppled by a storm crashed through the roof and landed on the upper floor. “We were saved by a couch,” Lou Garbin said of the tree that...
Harrison blocks billboard along Alter Road, visible from Route 28
A man wanting to place a billboard visible from Route 28 in Harrison says he may try to do it in another municipality after being denied a variance to put one on land in the township. Harrison’s zoning hearing board denied the variance requested by John P. Oliver of Oliver...
Former Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to 2017 federal heroin charge from Lincoln-Lemington
A former Pittsburgh man has pleaded guilty to a federal heroin charge stemming from a 2017 arrest at the site of an alleged fentanyl lab in the city’s Lincoln-Lemington section. Dezmen Hicks, 33, formerly of Inwood Street, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin Tuesday...
Former Port Vue man gets 15-year prison term for role in 2015 heroin shipments
A former Port Vue man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in orchestrating shipments of heroin from New Jersey to Allegheny County in 2015. In the sentencing announced Wednesday in Pittsburgh, U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Bissoon also ordered Jarran Bell, 38, to complete...
Supreme Court allows Trump administration broad enforcement of asylum limits
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is allowing nationwide enforcement of a new Trump administration rule that prevents most Central American immigrants from seeking asylum in the United States. The justices’ order late Wednesday temporarily undoes a lower-court ruling that had blocked the new asylum policy in some states along the...
Peduto: Meeting with McConnell over gun law was ‘low point of pessimism’
Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto described a meeting with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as a “low point of pessimism” during a trip this week to Washington, where he and other mayors met with federal officials to pressure a Senate vote on proposed gun restrictions. Peduto said McConnell gave him...
Editorial: Stop laughing at Antonio Brown
It is time to stop being amused by Antonio Brown. Oh, sure, it was fun for a while. And it kind of felt like Steelers fans had earned the entertainment, the opportunity to kick back and watch the football player make another team befuddled for a change. There were frozen...
‘From fingers to a fist’: Heroics of Flight 93 passengers, crew remembered on 9/11 anniversaryVideo
They stood in line Wednesday under a hot Somerset County sun, waiting to say one of 40 names that have been forged into the country’s history. Some held back tears as they approached the microphone. Some added extra meaning: “flight attendant, “first officer,” “our beloved,” “our brother.” Bells rang 40...
Pittsburgh ranked as 3rd-best Rust Belt comeback story in nation
A new study ranks Pittsburgh No. 3 among the 17 most successful Rust Belt comebacks. Using U.S. Census data, the commercial real estate information services provider CommercialCafé evaluated a city’s performance across a number of indicators, including population and income growth, unemployment and poverty, educational attainment levels, and median home...
DA Zappala to investigate local allegation against Antonio Brown
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said Wednesday his office will investigate allegations made against Antonio Brown in a federal lawsuit. A former personal trainer of Brown in a lawsuit accused the former Steelers wide receiver of rape and sexual assault at homes in Florida and the Pittsburgh...
Bridgeville, Oakdale men among 3 charged with animal cruelty charges during ‘Manhunt’ shoot
Three men who were hired as animal trainers for the filming of a scene of the television series “Manhunt: Lone Wolf” have been charged with animal cruelty for allegedly putting cayenne pepper on dogs’ noses. Antonio A. Spencer, 32, of Bridgeville and Ed Wiernik, 59, of Oakdale each face two...
Pennsylvania high court asked to throw out death penalty
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court was asked Wednesday to outlaw the death penalty because of what critics call the cruel and arbitrary way it’s applied to poor and black defendants. More than half of the 441 death sentences handed down since the death penalty was reinstated in the late 1970s have...
Full moon will rise on Friday the 13thVideo
This year’s Harvest Moon is unique in that it happens to fall on Friday the 13th. The Harvest Moon is set to rise on Sept. 13 (in the Americas) and Sept. 14 (the rest of the world), according to AccuWeather. It doesn’t happen often that the full moon and Friday...
Al-Qaida chief in 9/11 speech calls for attacks on West
CAIRO — Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri called Wednesday on Muslims to attack U.S., European, Israeli and Russian targets in a speech on the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks online activity of jihadist groups, reported that in a video released by the militant group,...
Man’s death during sex while on business trip ruled ‘workplace accident’
Boy, the things that workers’ comp will cover these days. While on a business trip, a technician for a French railway company died of a cardiac arrest after having sex with a woman he had met, BBC News reports. Appeal court judges in Paris ruled recently that because Xavier X...
Monroeville pool to be put up for sale, making way for turnpike commission purchase
Monroeville council has advertised an ordinance that would allow for the sale of the municipality’s only publicly owned pool despite residents’ concerns. There was no discussion from council members before voting unanimously to kick-start the process that could end Monroeville Community Pool’s 45-season streak on its 10-acre property along Abers...
New iPhone 11 Pro triggering trypophobia in some
The iPhone 11 Pro isn’t available yet but it’s already making some people uncomfortable. Apple’s latest flagship mobile device has a cluster of three cameras on the back side. While these represent the cutting edge of pocket camera gear, they also form a miniature constellation of trouble. Trypophobia is the...
New Kensington woman among inventors honored in Ms. Monopoly game
The first game in the 84-year-old Monopoly franchise to celebrate women trailblazers will hit store shelves soon under the name Ms. Monopoly, Hasbro announced Tuesday. “While Mr. Monopoly is a real-estate mogul, Ms. Monopoly is an advocate whose mission is to invest in female entrepreneurs,” Hasbro said of its latest...
18 years later: Honoring Flight 93 victims on anniversary of 9/11
Dignitaries and families of those aboard United Airlines Flight 93 are gathering in Somerset County this morning for the 18th annual remembrance of the 40 people who died fighting back against terrorists. Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt were keynote speakers for the observance at...
No serious injuries in crash between Shaler school bus, car
There were no serious injuries in a crash between a Shaler Area School District bus and a car in Ross Township Wednesday morning, according to the district. The bus was taking students to Shaler Area Elementary School. The crash happened near the corner of Thompson Run Road and Vilsack Road...
