Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1821
Pittsburgh ‘Underwear Bike Ride’ promotes positive self-image
You don’t have to get dressed up for this event. In fact, you are encouraged to not wear much. The Pittsburgh Underwear Bike Ride is Thursday. Held the last Thursday of every month from May until October, the event is about having fun and promoting a positive self-body image, said...
Plum’s Frank Furko, best remembered as Pudgie Wudgie’s owner, dead at 85
Frank J. Furko’s claim to national fame was being the owner of a 20-pound tabby cat named Pudgie Wudgie — a famed feline in the 1990s. But Furko was more than that to people who knew him in the Oakmont and Plum areas. Furko of Plum’s East Oakmont neighborhood died...
Video: Tourists scramble as Outer Banks waterspout tips boats, rips off shingles, kills powerVideo
Vacationers were forced to run for cover as a fast-moving, violent storm hit the Outer Banks Thursday evening. The popular North Carolina beach vacation area lost power and had several trees toppled by the large waterspout, reports OBX Today. Shingles were reported ripped from roofs in Kill Devil Hills. WITN-TV...
Hempfield fire departments ready for giant fireworks retailer
Practically in the shadow of the tiny Bovard Volunteer Fire Department in Hempfield, Westmoreland County will welcome a new business neighbor Saturday with the grand opening of Phantom of Greensburg — 35,000-square-feet of firecrackers, bottle rockets, bursting fountains, mortar kits and sparklers, to name a few of the explosive goods....
Man wanted on drug charges in Alle-Kiski Valley accused of Arizona murder
A man with Alle-Kiski Valley ties who has drug charges pending against him in Allegheny Township is accused of shooting a man to death in Arizona. The Arizona Daily Star reported that Cam-Ron Broadway, 35, is charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in Tucson in March....
‘Stranger Things’ actress in Pittsburgh, will toss first pitch at Pirates game
Don’t be alarmed if you notice strange things going on in Pittsburgh Friday. “Stranger Things Night” at PNC Park is upon us. The Pirates evening is inspired by Netflix’s original science fiction series created, written and directed by the Duffer Brothers. The Pirates host the San Diego Padres at 7:05...
Bills aim to end Pennsylvania’s straight-party voting option
HARRISBURG — Legislation advancing in Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Legislature would eliminate the ballot option for voters to simply select a straight-party ticket in elections, although House Democrats are objecting to it. Bills to eliminate it emerged from committee in both chambers this week. The Senate bill is sponsored by Democratic Sen....
Pennsylvania warns of phone scam targeting elderly, disabled
Phone scammers posing as state Department of Revenue employees are targeting senior citizens and people with disabilities in an effort to obtain people’s bank information, according to the state agency. The phone scammers are falsely telling residents they will deposit their property tax or rent rebate checks into their bank...
Boaters spot whale off coast of Ocean City
Fishermen looking for sharks caught a glimpse of something bigger last week. Chasin’ Tides Charters shared a video of a whale surfacing near their boat off the coast of Ocean City, Md. “You never know what you may see while out on the ocean,” they wrote June 17. “Tonight while...
Monroeville’s former Westinghouse site to be restored
A restoration of the former Westinghouse Electric complex in Monroeville to its prior iconic state is planned by the firm that purchased the property last year. The $18 million purchase by Next Tier Connect, a partnership of New York investment firms Next Tier HD and RedBird Capital Partners, is the...
‘Puppy dog eyes’ are as convincing as they seem, researchers say
If you think it’s adorable when a dog raises its eyebrows and makes sad-looking eyes, you are not alone. Apparently, evolution is to thank for that heart-melting expression that can result in extra treats or cuddles. A group of researchers, including a Duquesne University professor, have determined that while dogs...
Fan favorites at Kennywood? Roller coasters, of course
Testing, testing. It’s all that remains before eager riders can climb in and take off on Kennywood Park’s newest ride, The Steel Curtain. The structure is complete, the final piece of track placed atop the coaster. And yinzers — and other roller coaster aficionados — are way past ready. According...
Police: Hempfield man solicited sex from agent posing as 14-year-old boy
A Hempfield volunteer firefighter allegedly set up a meeting for sex with who he thought was a 14-year-old boy through a social media messaging service, according to court papers. But when Tyler Richard Byerly, 21, arrived at the planned meeting spot Thursday in Hempfield, he was arrested by agents from...
Pa. couple convicted in beating death of 4-year-old who spilled his cereal
WILLOW GROVE — A suburban Philadelphia couple has been convicted of murder in the death of a 4-year-old who was beaten for spilling his breakfast cereal. A jury returned the verdict Thursday night against the boy’s mother, Lisa Smith, and her boyfriend, Keiff King. The Abington couple also was convicted...
TMZ’s 911 tape: Le’Veon Bell’s robbers were 2 women he left naked in his bed
New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell was unable to give a clothing description of the women who allegedly robbed him because they were not wearing any, according to a recording that TMZ claims is Bell’s call to 911. The former Pittsburgh Steeler reported that he was robbed May 25...
Pittsburgh bomb plot only ‘puffery and bragging,’ says suspect’s attorney
As federal prosecutors laid out evidence Friday of a Syrian refugee’s alleged plot to bomb a North Side church in the name of ISIS, the man’s defense attorneys attempted to downplay his actual capabilities. Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 21, is accused of plotting with two other men – undercover federal agents,...
Police: Pedestrian struck, injured by car in Hempfield parking lot
A Derry man is believed to have a serious injury after being hit by a car in a parking lot on Monday, according to state police. Troopers said in a news release issued Friday that Roy R. Yost, 71, was walking through Eastgate Plaza in Hempfield at 1 p.m. when...
No injuries in explosions, fire at Philadelphia oil refinery
PHILADELPHIA — A fire at a 150-year-old refinery complex in Philadelphia turned the early morning sky a bright orange and yellow and awakened startled residents with explosions that shook homes Friday. The fire broke out at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex around 4 a.m., spokeswoman Cherice Corley said. “Refinery...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: June 21-23
It’s the first weekend of summer, and the rain is supposed to push on out of here. Here are some things to do. Pittsburgh’s own Donnie Iris and the Cruisers and The Clarks both perform Saturday — at separate venues. Tough choices for true Yinzers. Iris, a local favorite, will...
‘Huddle Up’: Going one-on-one with Eric Kasperowicz
You might be surprised by the contact list in Pine-Richland football coach Eric Kasperowicz’s cell phone. “Ben Roethlisberger. … Mike Tomlin. … Sidney Crosby,” Kasperowicz said in the final segment of this week’s “Huddle Up with Gus” podcast. Kasperowicz goes one-on-one with Gus Frerotte and Dave Hager, discussing his favorite...
U.S. prepped for strikes on Iran before approval was withdrawn
WASHINGTON — A U.S. official said the military made preparations Thursday night for limited strikes on Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, but approval was abruptly withdrawn before the attacks were launched. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke...
Church targeted by alleged terrorist unites in worship, welcomes Muslim neighbors
Knowing they were the target of an accused terrorist’s foiled bomb plot did not deter the congregants of a North Side church from worshipping Thursday night. As rain pounded the pavement outside, a few dozen men, women and children who belong to Legacy International Worship Center filed through the red...
Police: Fight between neighbors led to fatal shooting at Bethel Park duplex
A Bethel Park man was shot and later died Thursday night after getting into an argument with a neighbor, according to police. Officers responding to multiple calls about a man shot at a duplex in the 700 block of Horning Road at about 8:15 p.m. found 49-year-old James E. Rust...
Sunset on hold: Longest day of the year arrives with the summer solstice
Today marks the first day of summer — and the forecast finally includes sunshine and highs in the 70s, as if on cue. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, as the Northern Hemisphere leans most toward the sun during Earth’s tilted axis of rotation. The equator...
Experts: Refugee vetting effective despite alleged Pittsburgh terror plot
The system for vetting refugees coming into the United States is effective despite allegations by federal prosecutors that a Syrian refugee living in Pittsburgh plotted to bomb a North Side church in an ISIS-motivated attack, terrorism experts told the Tribune-Review. “The threat posed by refugees is overall very low despite...
