Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1803
McKeesport woman gets life sentence for smothering 17-month-old son
A McKeesport woman was sentenced to life in prison Thursday for suffocating her 17-month-old son because she thought her boyfriend was cheating on her. Christian Clark, 24, won’t be eligible for parole, according to the sentence handed down by Allegheny County Judge Edward J. Borkowski, who also tacked on an...
Westmoreland sees flooding, damage during torrential rainVideo
Roads scattered across Western Pennsylvania — including some major highways — closed Thursday as heavy rains caused flooding throughout the region. In North Huntingdon, a sinkhole opened outside of a North Huntingdon daycare center, forcing its evacuation. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning at 7:30 Thursday evening for...
Democratic presidential hopeful Gillibrand touts health-care policies in Pittsburgh
Presidential hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand kicked off her “Trump Broken Promises” bus tour in Pittsburgh on Thursday, meeting with health care workers at the Hilton Garden Inn in Oakland to present her policies against rising health care prices and to support union workers. “I will make sure that workers’ rights are...
Daughters rode in inflated pool as mom drove it home atop car, police say
A mother in Dixon, Ill., trying to transport an inflated pool from her friend’s house to her own Tuesday had her two juvenile daughters ride inside the pool as she drove with it atop her SUV, police said. Jennifer A. Janus Yeager, 49, has been charged with child endangerment and...
Man killed in Homestead after answering knock at front door, police say
A 20-year-old man was shot and killed Thursday morning when he answered a knock at the door of a house in Homestead, Allegheny County police said. Police said he was at home with family members when he answered the knock at about 9 a.m. and was shot several times by...
Accused Arnold killer already was on the run from police
The man accused in a fatal Arnold shooting last month already was on the run from police before he became a murder suspect. Court records show Allen Duwayne Herring, 32, of Braddock was wanted for failing to appear in Westmoreland County Court in February to face drug possession charges filed...
Jeannette woman accused of assaulting boy during argument over cellphone
A Jeannette woman was arrested Wednesday after she allegedly assaulted a boy under 12 years old during an argument over a cellphone, city police said. Nicole L. Gogolsky, 39, was charged with simple assault, false imprisonment, reckless endangerment, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal trespass. She was arraigned before District...
Pennsylvania must get tough on crime guns, prosecutor says
The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office says it wants to improve the management and use of firearms-sales databases so that law enforcement can better clamp down on gun violence. Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Thursday that he wants police departments to enter serial numbers from every crime gun into a law-enforcement...
Expect another huge blob of algae on Lake Erie this summer
TOLEDO, Ohio — Scientists are likely to warn that another massive harmful algae bloom will blanket western Lake Erie this summer when they release their forecast. It will be released Thursday. Researchers are expecting that record-setting rains in Ohio and neighboring states in recent months will fuel a large mass...
Council delays vote on Monroeville pool sale
Monroeville Council delayed a vote that would put the municipality’s public pool up for sale, giving a committee time to get answers for concerned residents. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) has said it will purchase Monroeville Community Pool along Abers Creek Road for $956,000 when pool season ends in September....
Westmoreland commissioners approve settlement with woman injured at jail
The Westmoreland County commissioners on Thursday approved a $7,500 settlement payment related to a complaint about an injury at the county jail. The board unanimously approved the payment as part of a settlement agreement with Christine Shellhammer, who reported being injured Sept. 15 while visiting an inmate at the jail....
FBI, police looking for man who robbed Brackenridge credit union
Federal agents and local police are asking for help identifying a man they say robbed a Brackenridge bank Wednesday afternoon at gunpoint. The robbery occurred around 2 p.m. at the Allegheny Ludlum Brackenridge Credit Union at 1131 Brackenridge Ave. According to the FBI in Pittsburgh, the robber displayed a gun,...
AG report: Unnecessary standardized tests cost Pa. taxpayers $18 million
Pennsylvania taxpayers are paying nearly $18 million a year for unnecessary standardized tests administered to high school seniors across the state, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale charged in a report issued Wednesday. The 18-page report “Where did your money go?” examines the costs associated with the Keystone Exams. DePasquale said his...
Torrential rain leads to widespread flooding across Western Pa.
Traffic on several roads remained affected in Allegheny County Friday morning after heavy rains pounded Western Pennsylvania Thursday, causing widespread flooding and hazards that shut down major thoroughfares throughout the region. PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said those roads spanned from Frazer Township to Crescent Township: • A bridge on Kittanning...
Kennametal to close Hempfield plant
Kennametal Inc. said Thursday it will close its Carbidie manufacturing plant in Hempfield as part of its overall restructuring that includes shutting down two manufacturing plants in Germany and a distribution center, all within the next two years. Pittsburgh-based Kennametal, which has corporate offices in Unity, said operations at the...
Police: Mt. Pleasant woman lost $1,300 in gift card scam
A Westmoreland County woman was scammed out of $1,300 after she gave prepaid gift card numbers to an unknown person, state police in Greensburg said. Troopers said the suspect in April contacted the Mt. Pleasant woman by phone and identified themselves as a representative from Microsoft. The scammer said Microsoft...
Motorcycle rider injured in collision with deer on Route 30
A motorcycle rider was reported to be injured when the bike struck a deer at about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday on Route 30 in Unity, a Westmoreland County 911 dispatch supervisor said. The extent of the rider’s injuries wasn’t immediately known, the supervisor said. Firefighters from Marguerite, Pleasant Unity and Youngstown...
West Mifflin shooting sends man, 27, to hospital
A 27-year-old man was taken to an area hospital after a shooting Wednesday evening in West Mifflin, according to Allegheny County police. County police are investigating the incident reported at about 10:50 p.m. at the Mon-View Heights housing complex on Midway Drive, a county 911 dispatch supervisor said. Additional details...
Driver rescued in Schenley Park after truck overturns
Pittsburgh emergency responders rescued a truck driver Wednesday after his tri-axle truck overturned onto a hillside in Schenley Park. Police, firefighters and EMS were dispatched to Serpentine Drive near Bartlett Street around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday for a report of a large truck on its side with the driver still inside,...
Garbage collection in Verona scrutinized after less than 2 months of service
Several Verona residents believe the borough’s new garbage collector’s service stinks. Council inked a five-year contract — three years guaranteed with a two-year option — with County Hauling of Belle Vernon a few months ago. It took over for Waste Management, whose five-year contract expired June 1. Pete McKeating, County...
Detroit trial for Khari Mosley, husband of Allegheny County controller, to start Thursday
The trial on disorderly conduct charges for the husband of Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner will start Thursday morning in Detroit, according to Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller. Khari Mosley, 53, of Point Breeze, Pittsburgh is facing two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace stemming from...
Police: Penn Hills man was drunk in crash that killed Verona man
A Penn Hills man was drunk on June 29 when the SUV he was driving crossed the center line of Saltsburg Road and crashed into a car driven by a Verona man, who was killed, Allegheny County police said. Kevin Michael Morrow, 24, had a blood alcohol content of 0.18%,...
Landslide, $45,000 fine didn’t stop Upper Burrell gas well drilling
Wells were drilled despite a state-imposed $45,000 fine against Huntley & Huntley for a landslide on a private road for the Zeus unconventional natural gas well pad in Upper Burrell along Guyer Road. The slide near the fracking well pad added to regulatory and legal challenges at the site but...
Pittsburgh attorney confirmed as federal judge
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed a K&L Gates attorney from Pittsburgh as a U.S. District Court judge in Pennsylvania’s Western District. J. Nicholas Ranjan, a managing partner with the firm, was nominated by President Trump in July 2018, according to a release from the firm. His term will begin...
Pittsburgh International ranks 7th on Travel & Leisure list of best U.S. airports
Readers of Travel & Leisure magazine rated Pittsburgh International Airport as the nation’s seventh-best airport, according to a survey published Wednesday. The Findlay Township airport dropped two spots from 2018, when it ranked fifth in the annual rankings, according to the magazine. Airports were rated in terms of access, check-in/security,...
