Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1769
Police: 6-year-old started West Oakland fire that displaced nearly 80 peopleVideo
A 6-year-old boy started a fire in the laundry room of a second-floor apartment Saturday afternoon, causing a blaze that displaced nearly 80 people from a West Oakland apartment building, Pittsburgh Public Safety officials said Monday. The boy, who isn’t being identified or charged by police, told investigators he used...
St. Margaret employees raise more than $129K for patients in need
The employee giving campaign hosted by St. Margaret Foundation drew record-breaking results this year, topping $129,000 to help patients in need. President Mary Lee Gannon said the total reaffirms that UPMC St. Margaret employees are confident that the foundation makes a meaningful difference. “They see first-hand the tragedies our patients...
Planned Parenthood will stop taking Title X funding rather than comply with abortion ‘gag rule’Video
NEW YORK — Planned Parenthood said Monday it’s pulling out of the federal family planning program rather than abide by a new Trump administration rule prohibiting clinics from referring women for abortions. Alexis McGill Johnson, Planned Parenthood’s acting president and CEO, said the organization’s nationwide network of health centers would...
Missing Lake Erie boater identified as Plum man
A man missing in Lake Erie since Saturday morning is from Plum, according to information provided by Ohio authorities. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources identified the missing man as Raymond Burns, 58. The agency said Burns was in a recreational fishing boat that was swamped by a squall around...
Cops: Ex-Duquesne basketball players involved in South Side fracas
The two men who are charged for their part in a fracas on Pittsburgh’s South Side early Sunday morning are former Duquesne University basketball players. Pittsburgh police said that two officers were hurt while responding to the incident, which caused a large, unruly crowd to gather. Tarin A. Smith, 23,...
Tractor-trailer overturns on Tarentum Bridge, sending scrap onto tracks belowVideo
A tractor-trailer that overturned on the Tarentum Bridge early Monday afternoon dropped part of its load off the bridge onto Norfolk Southern railroad tracks below. The crash happened just before 1 p.m., according to an Allegheny County emergency dispatcher. It was just before the First Avenue exit ramp off the...
Animal rescue seeking tips, donations after dog found dead in North Huntingdon
Humane agents are seeking help from the public after a dog with an apparent gunshot wound was found dead in North Huntingdon wearing a muzzle and tied to a railroad post. All But Furgotten President Melanie Wedge said the animal may have struggled before its death along a set of...
4 accused in Crabtree baseball bat assault held without bond
A district judge denied bond Monday for four people accused in a baseball-bat beating that severely injured a Crabtree man outside his home late Sunday. Sarah A. Miller, 31, and Matthew J. White, 20, both of Greensburg, and Devon M. Allen, 25, and Treavair A. Green, 18, of Pittsburgh, are...
‘Bored’ volunteer firefighter pleads guilty to 2 Munhall arsons
A volunteer firefighter who told police he set two porches on fire in December 2018 in Munhall because he was bored pleaded guilty Monday in Allegheny County Court to arson charges. Judge Randal Todd is scheduled to sentence Ryan Laubham, 19, of Munhall, on Nov. 14. Laubham’s attorney, Casey White,...
Police: Wilkinsburg teen shot at girlfriend’s brother six times
A Wilkinsburg teenager told police he fired about six shots at his girlfriend’s brother with a borrowed gun Sunday evening because he feared for his own safety, according to a criminal complaint filed against him. Robert Cook, 17, was taken into custody at his home after the shooting, which happened...
Allegheny County Council to hold hearing on countywide police review board
Over a year after Allegheny County Council took the first steps to form an independent, countywide police review board, the council is moving toward a vote on the ordinance to establish the body. The Special Committee on Independent Police Review, chaired by District 10 Councilman DeWitt Walton, D-Hill District, will...
In Indiana County, Trump loyalty seems as strong as everVideo
There’s a reason some people refer to Indiana County as Trump country. It has nothing to do with tony golf courses or glittering resorts. It has everything to do with how voters in the rural county that is home to one of the nation’s largest coal-fired power plants rallied behind...
‘Mr. Mom’ turns 36. Now how old do you feel?
“220, 221. Whatever it takes.” Some classic movie lines will live forever. If you don’t know what movie that line is from, then you obviously don’t know that Aug. 19 is the anniversary of the wide release of “Mr. Mom,” the 1983 comedy that basically launched Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton...
Shaler Giant Eagle sells $2 million lottery ticket
The Giant Eagle on Butler Plank Road in Shaler sold a $2 million winning ticket in the Pennsylvania’s Lottery Match 6 drawing on Aug. 16. The ticket matched all six numbers drawn. The Giant Eagle location will receive $10,000 for selling the ticket. The holder of the winning ticket is...
Pittsburgh hopes to provide ‘home ice’ at shuttered Hunt Armory
Dean Lakios, general manager of the University of Pittsburgh’s hockey team, hopes Pittsburgh is successful in its longtime effort to convert a former Pennsylvania National Guard armory in Shadyside into an ice rink. The project received a boost early this month from Pennsylvania, which approved a $1 million grant for...
Police: Westmoreland jail inmate made shank from toothbrush
A Pittsburgh man accused of stealing items from unlocked vehicles in Hempfield earlier this year allegedly had a homemade shank in his cell at the Westmoreland County Prison, according to court papers. Douglas Allen Bartrug, 33, of Bloomfield, was charged last week with inmate possessing a weapon and prohibited offensive...
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson announces wedding on Instagram
NEW YORK — With a simple “We do,” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced his wedding to his longtime girlfriend on Instagram. A photo of the movie star and Lauren Hashian was posted on the social media site. Both were wearing white, and they were standing overlooking the ocean. The post...
Man charged in Arnold shooting accused of asking victim not to testify
A Somerset man accused of shooting an Arnold man during a robbery last year tried to ask him in May not to testify, according to court papers. Nicholas J. Haynes, 23, was charged last week with witness intimidation after authorities said he tried to get a note to the man...
Greensburg police arrest suspect in alleged 2016 rape of juvenile
Greensburg police on Monday arrested a 32-year-old Duquesne man accused of raping an underage girl in 2016. David A. Baker is charged with rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, sexual abuse of children, corruption of minors, aggravated assault and other offenses before District Judge Chris Flanigan. Baker formally lived...
Alaska man discovers message in bottle from Russian Navy
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A man discovered a 50-year-old letter in a bottle from the Russian Navy on the shores of western Alaska. Tyler Ivanoff found the handwritten Russian letter early this month while gathering firewood near Shishmaref about 600 miles northwest of Anchorage, television station KTUU reported. “I was just...
Duquesne police: Traffic stop nets drugs, $15K
Duquesne police said they confiscated $15,000 in cash and 13 bags of marijuana in a weekend traffic stop. According to police, Anthony Barton, 29, of Monongahela, was circling North Second and North Fifth streets about 11:30 a.m. Sunday. He then was driving 51 mph in a 35-mph zone along Route...
Man shot in leg during street fight in Bethel Park
A street fight in Bethel Park ended with a man being shot in the leg. Bethel Park police responded to Wallace Avenue around 8:20 p.m. Sunday following reports of two men fighting and shots being fired. They soon found the wounded man and took him to a hospital. The man’s...
Allegheny Health Network acquires Grove City Medical Center
Allegheny Health Network will acquire Grove City Medical Center, the network announced Monday. The Mercer County facility will be AHN’s ninth owned hospital and will extend the network’s reach to the north of Pittsburgh. Pending government approval, AHN plans to seal the deal in the next few months. The amount...
Fire destroys Salem hay shed
A hay shed was destroyed by fire Monday morning in Salem, according to Westmoreland County 911. The fire on Hannastown Road was reported shortly after 5:30 a.m. Within an hour the building had almost burned to the ground, according to 911. The shed was unoccupied, and there were no reported...
Those who use more emojis have more sex, study says
If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is an emoji worth? Perhaps a really good sex life. According to a pair of studies conducted by The Kinsey Institute (yeah, that one), texters who used emojis more often tended to have more dates, more romance, and more sex....
