Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1768
Trump cancels Denmark meeting over Greenland proposal
WASHINGTON — Two days after he said buying Greenland wasn’t a top priority, President Trump canceled an upcoming trip to Denmark after its prime minister dismissed the idea. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had called Trump’s musing about buying Greenland, which her government owns, “an absurd discussion” after the former real...
New McKeesport nesting platform protects osprey family from power lines
When a pair of osprey that have been nesting in the Homestead and McKeesport area decided to build their nest on a utility pole this year, Duquesne Light and the Erie Bird Observatory got busy and successfully moved the nest. A new nest pole and nest platform were erected in...
Allegheny County Council supports health department’s enforcement actions against U.S. Steel
Allegheny County Council on Tuesday endorsed enforcement actions taken by the county health department to curb air pollution at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Plant in Braddock and Clairton Coke Works in Clairton. The endorsement was intended to support the Allegheny County Health Department in its efforts to maintain the standards...
Wife of Plum boater missing in Lake Erie waits for search crews ‘to bring him home’
Ray Burns relished the chance to unwind by fishing ever since learning to cast a rod as a young child alongside his brother and dad. “He always just loved to be able to throw out a rod and relax and wait for a bite,” recalled Marcy Burns, his wife of...
Proposed law aims to increase vaccination rate in Pennsylvania
State Reps. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, and Bridget Kosierowksi, D-Lackawanna, announced Tuesday the introduction of legislation to increase the vaccination rate of Pennsylvania children. The bill would require parents who seek nonmedical exemptions for their children meet with a doctor every year to learn about the risks of not getting...
Divers recover body of swimmer who drowned in Yough River
Rescue teams recovered the body of a male swimmer who apparently drowned in the Youghiogheny River Tuesday evening in Perry Township, Fayette County. Fayette County Coroner Dr. Phillip E. Reilly confirmed that divers recovered the body of the victim, who “was swimming across in an area and went under.” He...
Trump backtracks, insists U.S. now has ‘strong background checks’ for gunsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Trump insisted Tuesday that the United States already has “very, very strong background checks” for gun purchases in the latest sign that he is backing away from throwing his political support behind changes to the system that are opposed by the powerful gun lobby. Speaking to reporters...
Petition to change Hempfield stadium name in honor of Terry Ranieri gaining tractionVideo
It took only 15 hours for over 3,500 people to sign a petition to have the name of Hempfield’s Spartan Stadium changed to honor a longtime Spartan football and band fan, inching just shy of the 5,000-signature goal. Terry Ranieri, who would greet fans at games while watching the band...
FBI: Reports of ‘underaged’ massage parlor workers led to probe linked to Western Pa.
A federal investigation that culminated in the arrest of a Florida man accused of operating a human trafficking ring through massage parlors from the Sunshine State to Pennsylvania, including five in Western Pennsylvania, began in 2017 after complaints made to a national hotline, according to court documents. David C. Williams,...
Hempfield band, community show support for Terry Ranieri, their biggest fanVideo
A special performance for a beloved member of the Hempfield community shut down a township neighborhood Tuesday. Members of the Hempfield Area marching band played outside Terry Ranieri’s Beacon Valley Road home while he sat at a front window and listened from inside. About 100 band members, flanked by at...
McCandless mulls stiffer fines for residents who can’t control barking, roaming dogs
McCandless council is poised to consider a steep hike in the fines residents could face if they fail to keep their dogs from running loose or annoying neighbors with constant barking. The town’s current animal control ordinance calls for a $25 fine for each incident in which a resident is...
Former Cleveland judge pleads guilty in ex-wife’s stabbing death
CLEVELAND — A former county judge in Cleveland pleaded guilty Tuesday to fatally stabbing his ex-wife moments after she had dropped off their two daughters last November. Lance Mason, 51, told a visiting judge in a Cuyahoga County courtroom that he wanted to “take responsibility for my crimes,” adding, “There...
Southwest to drop Pittsburgh-to-Los Angeles nonstop flights
Southwest Airlines will eliminate nonstop flights between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles as it drops nonstop flights to many of the cities it serves. The changes are effective Jan. 6, 2020. Also in January, Southwest will add more flights to Atlanta, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Chicago Midway, Fort Myers and Tampa,...
Man rescued after clinging to capsized boat for 12 hours in Lake Erie
PORT CLINTON, Ohio — The U.S. Coast Guard says the crew on a Lake Erie fishing boat rescued a man who had been clinging to his capsized sailboat for about 12 hours. Authorities say the crew spotted the man Monday morning about 4 miles off the shores of Port Clinton...
Brownsville ambulance treasurer accused of stealing $132K
A Fayette County man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on allegations that he took $136,000 from the Brownsville Ambulance Service Inc. while working as the organization’s treasurer, according to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady. Edward T. Stevenson, 62, of Newell is accused of mail fraud and theft in...
VFW hall damaged by fire in Armstrong County
A VFW hall in Manor Township, Armstrong County, was damaged by fire early Tuesday, according to emergency dispatchers. The fire at VFW Post 4843 on Bailey Avenue was reported shortly before 4 a.m. Nobody was hurt. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within two hours. The cause of the fire and the...
Hearing to address Elizabeth Forward bus standoff
Elizabeth Forward School District officials hope a court hearing Tuesday afternoon will end the district’s standoff with its transportation provider, but it’s still uncertain whether students will be able to get on a bus when school starts Thursday. If the hearing does not go well, officials may delay the start...
Man convicted of 1994 rape, murder in Carnegie found dead in prison
A prisoner who killed a Carnegie woman 25 years ago was found dead in his cell Sunday, according to the state Department of Corrections. Prison employees at the State Correctional Institution in Greene County were making their rounds when they found Jake Wesley, 51, unresponsive in his cell around 11:30...
The hazards of ‘Running While Female’
The thrill of hitting the trail at full stride and the exhilaration of the fabled “runner’s high” is often replaced by fear and trepidation for female runners in the area, across the country and around the world. Aug. 21 marks one year since the discovery of the body of 20-year-old...
Norwin cuts ties with Chinese student exchange program
Norwin has cut ties to an educational firm that brought Chinese students and educators to one of its schools last year. The Norwin School District will terminate its August 2018 agreement with the International Foundation Alliance-EDU Chinese Youth Ambassador Program, which was to send a group of Chinese students to...
Ex-Uber driver gets a year in jail for kidnapping, assaulting woman picked up in Downtown Pittsburgh
A former Uber driver convicted of kidnapping and assaulting a woman he picked up while off-duty in Downtown Pittsburgh nearly two years ago will spend another eight months behind bars. Soumana Dao, 32, was sentenced Monday to a year in jail, and he will receive about four months of credit...
Ohio man pleads not guilty in Jewish center video threatVideo
STRUTHERS, Ohio — A 20-year-old man pleaded not guilty Monday to threatening a Jewish community center in a video that authorities say showed him shooting a semi-automatic rifle. A judge near Youngstown set bond at $250,000 for James Reardon, ordered a mental health evaluation and told him to stay away...
Allegheny River group concerned it was victim of alleged scam
Boaters who can’t use locks on the upper reaches of the Allegheny River can count themselves among the alleged victims of what state prosecutors say was a scam. The Allegheny River Development Corp. (ARDC), a Kittanning-based nonprofit, canceled the opening of locks 6 through 9 in Armstrong County this past...
Mark Madden: Roberto Clemente was great but not nearly greatest
Roberto Clemente would have turned 85 this past Sunday. If he’s not the best player in Pirates history, he’s definitely the most revered and rightly so. Clemente oozed class and poise, conducting himself in forthright fashion. His plane crashed while on a mission of charity, further sanctifying him in the...
Rostraver Eat’n Park waiter serves up simple act of kindness to WWII veteran
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle. Or so the saying goes. On Saturday evening, Lisa Meilander saw an example of simple kindness that so struck her she decided to post something publicly about it on Facebook. “I don’t normally make my posts public,” she said....
