Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1809
Trump sticks to patriotic themes at Fourth of July event
WASHINGTON — President Trump celebrated “the greatest political journey in human history” Thursday in a Fourth of July commemoration before a soggy, cheering crowd of spectators, many of them invited, on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial. Supporters welcomed his tribute to the U.S. military while protesters assailed him for...
Fire rips through North Braddock home
A fire gutted a home along Ridge Avenue in North Braddock and damaged at least one nearby home Thursday afternoon. Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV reported the fire tore through the home at 1501 Ridge Avenue shortly after 3:30 p.m. No one was reported injured but firefighters were struggling with the...
Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival attracts vendors from across the countryVideo
At the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival last year, David Sinquefield sold 300 old-fashioned sling chairs in four days. “That’s why we keep coming back,” he said Thursday, the opening day of the 2019 festival. Despite oppressive humidity and the threat of storms, Sinquefield, 64, and other vendors said they’re...
7 arrested in undercover Pittsburgh prostitution sting
Seven people were arrested in connection with a prostitution sting that undercover Pittsburgh detectives began when they saw an online advertisement, Tribune-Review news partner WPXI reported. The station reported, citing court documents, that detectives found an ad on the website Escort Babylon, responded to it and made arrangements to meet...
Joey Chestnut, Miki Sudo repeat as hot dog eating champions
NEW YORK — Joey “Jaws” Chestnut ate 71 wieners and buns to secure his 12th title at Nathan’s Famous annual July Fourth hot dog eating contest on Thursday, just a few hot dogs shy of breaking the record he set last year. In front of a crowd of fans and...
Evening storms threaten Fourth of July; flooding a concern
There’s going to be a risk of showers and thunderstorms across the region this Fourth of July, a National Weather Service meteorologist said. A flash flood watch was in effect for Fayette and Westmoreland counties until midnight, meteorologist John Darnley said. At 6 p.m., the weather service issued a flash...
Americans shell out billions to celebrate Fourth of July
What do holidays cost? OK, so the Fourth of July is not exactly Christmastime, but we do our fair share of spending, anyway. Research shows Americans will spend nearly $10 billion on various Fourth of July festivities, from barbecues to fireworks. About $1.6 billion will be spent on beer and...
Michigan Rep. Justin Amash quitting GOP
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, the only Republican in Congress to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, said Thursday he is leaving the GOP because he has become disenchanted with partisan politics and “frightened by what I see from it.” In an opinion article...
Fire crew dodges rockets as store fireworks explode
FORT MILL, S.C. — Firefighters had to dodge exploding rockets to douse a spectacular fire that destroyed containers of fireworks stored for sale on the Fourth of July. The blaze provided for an impressive, though sparsely attended show early Thursday as shells and rockets burst through the metal containers, sending...
Greensburg nurse ‘was always a friend to the underdog’
Carmella Neil helped found a church in Delmont, played violin, cared for thousands of people during her nursing career and made two trips to China in her 70s and 80s. “She was pure love, she was fair and she was always a friend to the underdog,” said her son, David...
Port Vue man, 69, dies after falling from roof
A 68-year-old Port Vue man died Wednesday after he fell off a roof, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The medical examiner identified the victim as Raymond Martini. The incident occurred in the 200 block of Loredo Street at about 3:15 p.m. He died an hour later at...
Plum School District’s assistant superintendent’s brother hired as new facilities director
Plum School District officials have hired Assistant Superintendent Rick Walsh’s brother, John, as their new facilities director. Board members voted 7-2 at a special meeting June 18 to approve the hire with a $82,000 starting salary. Board Vice President Vicky Roessler and Steve Schlauch dissented. Board President Scott Coulson and...
Pittsburgh police on track to equip nearly 900 officers with body cams, chief says
Two-thirds of the Pittsburgh police force now is equipped with body cameras, and all of the city’s nearly 900 officers will be wearing the recording devices by the end of the year, police Chief Scott Schubert said Wednesday in an annual report. The Tribune-Review reported in November that the plan...
Trump administration still looking for way to add citizenship question to censusVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Wednesday that it was still looking for a way to include a controversial citizenship question on the 2020 census, even though the government has started the process of printing the questionnaire without it. The abrupt shift from the Justice Department came hours after President...
Husband charged in Somerset woman’s death after her body found buried under home
The husband of a missing Somerset County woman whose body was found buried underneath her home was jailed Wednesday on charges he murdered her, state police at Somerset said. James Dwayne Kline, 48, of Paint Township, was placed in the Somerset County Jail in connection with the death of his...
Former McGinnis Sisters store in Monroeville purchased for $1.7 million
The building that housed the former McGinnis Sisters in Monroeville is getting a facelift, but the new owners remain mum on plans. Glimcher Group, a commercial real estate firm based in Pittsburgh, purchased the property in April for nearly $1.7 million under 4301 Northern Pike Partners LLC. The firm did...
Fire destroys Jim Beam warehouse filled with 45,000 bourbon barrelsVideo
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A fire destroyed a massive Jim Beam warehouse filled with about 45,000 barrels of bourbon, sending flames shooting into the night sky and generating so much heat that firetruck lights melted, authorities said Wednesday. Firefighters from four counties responded to the blaze that erupted late Tuesday. Lightning...
‘Laugh-in’ comedic actor Arte Johnson dies at 90
LOS ANGELES — Actor Arte Johnson, who won an Emmy for comedy sketch work on the television show “Laugh-In,” has died early Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 90. Johnson died of heart failure following a three-year battle with bladder and prostate cancer, family representative Harlan Boll said. No services...
Search for Bolivar man is similar to father’s time on the lam
This isn’t the first time police have searched for a David McGinnis in the Bolivar and Fairfield Township areas. David Wayne McGinnis — accused of arson, insurance fraud and making terroristic threats — was on the lam from police for several months in 2010. Nearly a decade later, his son...
Lazy River, Cliffhangers remain closed at SandcastleVideo
This summer, Sandcastle’s Lazy River has been really lazy. The popular attraction, along with the water park’s Cliffhangers slides, have yet to open for the season. “In the off-season, we had such bad flooding, and then the water froze, which cracked the Lazy River’s fiberglass,” Tyler Saxon, sales and marketing...
McCandless man accused of exposing himself at North Park pool
Allegheny County police on Wednesday arrested a 62-year-old McCandless man who is accused of exposing himself to women at the North Park Swimming Pool. Christopher Steffy turned himself in on charges of indecent exposure and open lewdness, police said. He was arraigned and released on $10,000 unsecured bond. Police started...
Pet owners have some tools to fight veterinary sticker shock
That cuddly new puppy can be pretty intimidating if pet owners consider the veterinary bills it might produce. A pet’s torn knee ligaments or a broken leg that needs surgery could cost a few thousand dollars. Even stitches to close a bite wound after a scrap with another dog can...
Trump insists he’s not dropping citizenship question effort
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is insisting that he is not dropping efforts to include a citizenship question on the upcoming 2020 census, even as the U.S. Census Bureau has started the process of printing the questionnaire without the controversial query. Trump says in a tweet Wednesday that, “News Reports...
Scottdale man strangled 16-year-old girl, cops say
An 18-year-old Scottdale man is in the Westmoreland County Prison on $100,000 bond after borough police said he assaulted and strangled a 16-year-old girl during an argument this week. Ford B. Johnson II was arraigned before District Judge Mark Mansour in night court Monday on charges of strangulation, simple assault...
Fireworks won’t confound Pittsburgh’s gunshot detection system
Sophisticated algorithms mean Fourth of July fireworks don’t interfere with ShotSpotter, Pittsburgh’s gunshot detection system. The system gives police a better way to pursue illegal celebratory gunfire, said Dan Shak, the Public Safety Department’s technology manager. “We continually analyze incidents within ShotSpotter, looking at certain time periods during those holiday...
