Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1786
Advocates fret over Trump-backed proposal that could kick 200K Pennsylvanians off food stamps
Human service agencies and advocates for low-income families across Western Pennsylvania are expressing concerns over a Trump administration proposal that threatens to eliminate food stamp benefits for tens of thousands of people in the region. Backed by the White House, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is recommending a proposal that...
Tenaska plant near Smithton generating power, moneyVideo
The Tenaska Westmoreland Generating Station that sits atop a hill in rural South Huntingdon is just the latest of what federal energy officials predict will be a wave of natural gas-powered plants to be built over the next 30 years. Most of the nation’s new electricity generating capacity that will...
Explosion levels Washington County home
A house in North Franklin Township in Washington County was leveled by an explosion Wednesday afternoon, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. First responders told Channel 11 that residents smelled gas and fled the Park Avenue home before the explosion, which reduced the home to rubble and splinters around 4...
Pittsburgh to launch criminal investigation into Three Rivers Regatta promoterVideo
Pittsburgh plans to launch a criminal investigation into a promotion company that left a trail of unpaid bills and unfulfilled obligations leading to Tuesday’s cancellation of the annual Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta, a top city official said Wednesday. Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich said he consulted with police Chief...
Butler Street ramp to Highland Park Bridge to close for sewer repair
Motorists who access the Highland Park Bridge from Butler Street near the Pittsburgh Zoo should allow themselves extra time this weekend. The ramp to the Highland Park Bridge will close Thursday at 8 p.m. and reopen around midnight on Sunday, PennDOT announced. Crews from the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority...
Police: Teen hits Harrison man with baseball bat to protect herself, mother
A teenager and her mother were able to escape from a Harrison man who police said severely injured the woman in a domestic assault early Wednesday. Harrison police said the 16-year-old girl used a baseball bat to defend herself and her mother until they were able to get out of...
Woman who urinated on potatoes at West Mifflin Walmart seemed drunk, police say
Police said a woman caught on camera urinating on potatoes at a West Mifflin Walmart appeared to be drunk when she walked into the store, according to a criminal complaint filed against her. About $200 worth of potatoes were tainted by the urine, police said in a criminal complaint. The...
Fed cuts key rate in its first reduction in more than decade
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Wednesday for the first time in a decade to try to counter threats ranging from uncertainties caused by President Donald Trump’s trade wars to chronically low inflation and a dim global outlook. The Fed also repeated a pledge to “act...
Man named ‘Murder’ with ‘murder’ tattooed on his neck pleads guilty to murder
A Florida man has apparently lived up to his “Murder” nickname. Courtney Lawrence, 30, with the moniker “Murder” tattooed across his neck, pleaded guilty to murder charges in connection to a 2016 home invasion and shootout that left a fellow suspect dead, reports the Miami Herald. Lawrence was one of...
WDVE’s Sean McDowell set to host final show
The voice of a local legend leaves the airwaves at 7 p.m. Wednesday. WDVE disc jockey Sean McDowell will host his final show after more than 40 years in radio, 25 of them at WDVE, Pittsburgh’s preeminent classic rock station. He announced his retirement May 14 on the station’s morning...
Cause of massive Penn Hills fire still unknown
Officials still don’t know what caused the fire that destroyed a shopping plaza along one of Penn Hills’ busiest roads earlier this week. “We haven’t developed any new details,” said Chuck Miller, Penn Hills Fire Marshal, who is leading the investigation into the fire. He did say, however, he does...
Office Depot selling bulletproof backpacks for back-to-school
Well, looks like back-to-school gear just got ramped up another notch. Office Depot is now selling bulletproof backpacks for students. The Guard Dog Security ProShield backpack is made of “nylon fabric and soft tactical armor” and has been independently tested by a third-party laboratory “to be impervious to certain gunfire.”...
Long voting lines in Murrysville could soon be a thing of the past
Additional voting precincts will be established in Murrysville for next year’s presidential election to deal with overcrowding frequently seen at particular polls. Westmoreland County’s elections board has agreed to seek a judge’s approval for a redistricting plan that, if approved, would redraw voting districts to ease long wait times that...
Hal Prince, towering Broadway director and producer, dead at 91
NEW YORK — Harold Prince, a Broadway director and producer who pushed the boundaries of musical theater with such groundbreaking shows as “The Phantom of the Opera,” ”Cabaret,” ”Company” and “Sweeney Todd” and won a staggering 21 Tony Awards, has died. Prince was 91. Prince’s publicist Rick Miramontez said Prince...
Mt. Lebanon man sentenced to up to 42 years in baby daughter’s death
A 31-year-old Mt. Lebanon man was sentenced Wednesday to 21 to 42 years in prison for the 2017 death of his 4-month-old daughter. Allegheny County Judge Randal Todd previously found Joseph Gazzam guilty of third degree murder and Gazzam pleaded guilty to one count of recklessly endangering another person and...
Man hit, killed by train in Baldwin Borough
A 35-year-old man was found dead on train tracks in Baldwin Borough on Wednesday morning, Allegheny County police and medical examiner said. Michael Thomas Plocki was found at 6:13 a.m. in the middle of the train tracks in the area of East Carson Street and the Glenwood bridge. He was...
Ex-Attorney General Kathleen Kane released from jail
EAGLEVILLE — A former Pennsylvania attorney general who served about eight months in jail for leaking grand jury material and lying about it was released Wednesday. Kathleen Kane left the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in the Philadelphia suburbs about 8:20 a.m. When asked by a reporter how she felt, Kane...
Luxury Lumiere condos to open this fall in Downtown PittsburghVideo
Lumière, a new luxury condominium complex in the heart of Downtown Pittsburgh, is nearing completion. The 86-unit building is the first new high-rise condo project Downtown in a decade. Developed by Millcraft Investments, it’s the second phase of the project on the site of the former Saks Fifth Avenue. The...
Police say Instagram post led to charges being filed in Homewood homicide
A Pittsburgh man is accused of homicide in the May 28 death of Donovan James Goodwine. Police said Lavaar Peters, 19, shot Goodwine in the head in the 7300 block of Forrest Way in the city’s Homewood neighborhood. Investigators linked Peters to the shooting when two people came forward in...
Mt. Pleasant woman taken in secret shopper scam
A Mt. Pleasant woman became a victim of an online secret shopper scam, according to state police. Troopers said the unidentified 46-year-old woman signed up online to be a secret shopper at Walmart. An unknown person sent her instructions along with a check for $4,000, which she cashed at her...
Penn Township man dies after being rescued when fallen tree traps him inside homeVideo
A Penn Township man rescued from his home early Wednesday after a fallen tree trapped him inside died from injuries about two hours after being freed, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner. The 75-foot-tall oak tree toppled about 2:45 a.m. onto the roof of a two-story home owned by...
Apollo police chief’s move to Washington Township benefits Kiski Area schools
Apollo’s loss could be the Kiski Area School District’s gain. Apollo police Chief Jarred Kier submitted his resignation this month to take a full-time patrolman’s job in Washington Township. His resignation is effective Aug. 15. Kier will become the ninth full-time officer for Washington Township. He will be paid about...
Brawl breaks out between Pirates and Reds. Again.Video
A bench-clearing brawl broke out in the ninth inning Tuesday night when Cincinnati pitcher Amir Garrett sprinted toward the Pittsburgh dugout and swinging fists at Trevor Williams. The Reds and the Pirates have traded tensions since April and both instances have involved Derek Dietrich of the Reds. Tuesday, Keone Kela...
Storm brings lightning, flooding to Pittsburgh region
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for Allegheny County and Westmoreland County late Tuesday night. County officials reported flooding in Pleasant Hills in the area of Curry Hollow Road and Clairton Boulevard. Flooding was reported in Baldwin on East Willock Road and Doyle Road. Three vehicles were...
8 ejections, suspensions to come as Pirates, Reds brawl again
CINCINNATI — Jared Hughes’ errant pitch threw a load of fuel on one of the majors’ most flammable rivalries. Call it Pirates vs. Reds, round two — and a fitting farewell for Yasiel Puig. Hughes hit Starling Marte with his first pitch in the ninth inning Tuesday night, setting the...
