Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1823
Self-help guru convicted in lurid sex-trafficking case
NEW YORK — The former leader of a purported self-help group was convicted Wednesday of federal charges that centered on lurid details of what prosecutors called a secret society of “sex slaves” within a community of followers in upstate New York. A jury in federal court in Brooklyn took less...
Cops: Monessen couple abandoned pit bulls for ‘possibly weeks’
A Monessen couple were arraigned Wednesday on animal neglect and cruelty charges after police say they abandoned two pit bulls inside their home without food and water for “possibly weeks.” Daniel W. Brewer, 34, and wife Karen, 33, of Linden Avenue, were charged with two counts each of aggravated cruelty...
Myrtle Beach tourist gets photos of sharks swimming near beachgoers
A visitor to North Myrtle Beach spotted sharks lurking near swimmers in the ocean below her hotel balcony and has the pictures to prove it. Ginger Gilmer from Tennessee was high above the action when she captured the photos. “Not one person had an idea of what was lurking around...
West Newton man accused of burglary while on probation
A West Newton man who was on probation was back in jail Tuesday after being accused of breaking into a Sewickley Township beverage shop. State police charged Malcom J. Long, 24, with burglary, theft, criminal trespass and criminal mischief. Long is accused of breaking into Seifert Beverage on West Newton...
Richland man relishes opportunity to work at U.S. Open in Pebble Beach
A Richland man who traveled to Pebble Beach, Calif., last week to serve on the wellness team serving athletes and others during the U.S. Open said it was “pretty fantastic.” Brent Shealer, 41, a chiropractor with a practice in Wilkins, said he worked on caddies and athletes. Citing HIPAA rules,...
Clairton officials ask Allegheny County for help in fighting air pollution
Clairton city officials showed up at an Allegheny County Council meeting Tuesday evening to ask council members to help them improve public health in their city. “We need your help: There are a lot of people in Clairton who have respiratory illnesses, and there’s some people who have cancer, like...
Police: Dump truck may have crossed center line in Fayette crash that killed 3
State police are attempting to determine whether the driver of a tri-axle dump truck crossed into oncoming traffic Tuesday and hit a pickup head-on, killing three people who are members of the same family. Investigators identified the victims as Kayla Nicole Burwell, 21, of Smithfield; Ronald Burwell, 53, of Uniontown;...
Extras wanted for Denzel Washington movie filming in Pittsburgh
The only August Wilson play in his Pittsburgh Cycle that isn’t set in Pittsburgh will begin filming in Pittsburgh next month and background actors are needed. Mosser Casting is looking for people of all ages to appear as extras during filming for Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” An open casting...
‘Murder Mystery’ sets Netflix record with 30 million accounts viewing in 3 days
The mystery is over. Netflix seldom shares viewership numbers but made an exception for their new original film “Murder Mystery.” The streaming service on Tuesday claimed the Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler movie was watched by 30 million accounts in the first three days following its release. pic.twitter.com/xtaGrrVOzM— Adam Sandler...
More drama surfaces as Greensburg woman’s lease of ‘Dance Moms’ studio ends
Filming for season 8 of Lifetime channel’s “Dance Moms” has concluded, but a different drama is unfolding behind the scenes at the Penn Hills dance studio where Abby Lee Miller became a reality TV star. A rift has developed between Miller and a former dance student who has leased the...
Hicks rebuffs questions on Trump White House in interview
WASHINGTON — Former top White House adviser Hope Hicks on Wednesday refused to answer questions related to her time in the White House in an interview with the House Judiciary Committee, dimming Democrats’ chances of obtaining new or substantive information about President Trump as part of their investigation into obstruction...
Drunk, unruly passenger on flight from Pittsburgh forces emergency landing
A jetliner traveling from Pittsburgh to Dallas on Sunday night made an emergency landing in Oklahoma City after a man acted aggressively toward passengers and crew members, according to authorities. The Oklahoma City Police Department released body camera video showing Brandon Cordell Ganus, 32, of Weatherford, Texas, being escorted off...
Penn Hills man faces 10 child porn charges
A Penn Hills man faces charges of child pornography after detectives found 10 downloaded videos of children between the ages of 10- and 16-years-old performing sexual acts on his computer. Anthony Palandro, 42, will face an Allegheny County Court judge for 10 counts of child pornography and the use of...
Police: Wrong-way driver seriously hurt in Route 22 crash in Salem
An Export man was seriously hurt Monday after crashing head-on into another vehicle while driving west in the eastbound lanes of Route 22 in Salem Township, according to state police. Troopers said David J. Foti, 71, started driving in the wrong direction near the intersection of routes 819 and 22...
Urn with Pa. man’s ashes stolen after funeral
YORK — Family members say someone stole an urn with a man’s ashes after his funeral in Pennsylvania. A service for 42-year-old Sam Abreght was held over the weekend at the Salvation Army in York. His cremains were divided into three urns, one of which was to go to his...
Trump EPA rolls back Obama rule on coal-fired power plants
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration on Wednesday completed one of its biggest rollbacks of environmental rules, replacing a landmark Obama-era effort that sought to wean the nation’s electrical grid off coal-fired power plants and their climate-damaging pollution. Environmental Protection Agency chief Andrew Wheeler, a former coal industry lobbyist, signed a...
Fort Pitt Bridge celebrates 60 years as part of Pittsburgh’s grand entranceVideo
In a place that has more bridges than any other city in the world, it’s hard to pick one that stands out from the other 445. The ornate Smithfield Street Bridge, built in 1881, is the oldest through-truss bridge in the United States. The Sixth Street Bridge, now called the...
Man wounded by gunfire overnight in Carrick
Pittsburgh police are searching for suspects after a man was shot overnight in Carrick. Officers from Zone 3 and city emergency medical services responded to a call for shots fired in the 100 block of Birmingham Avenue at about 1:45 a.m., according to a police spokeswoman. Police say the victim,...
McCandless nursing home employees charged after patient injured during disputeVideo
Two McCandless nursing home employees have been arrested after a 75-year-old patient was injured during an argument, according to police. McCandless police charged laundry attendant Lily Asubonteng, 19, of Pittsburgh with aggravated assault for allegedly pushing the patient to the ground during an argument at about 2 a.m. on June...
The death of Antwon Rose: 1 year later
Three gunshots on a late-spring evening in 2018 continue to echo throughout the region a year after they left Antwon Rose II dying in a grassy East Pittsburgh lot. Wednesday marks one year since the 17-year-old and another teen, Zaijuan Hester, ran from the traffic stop conducted by then-East Pittsburgh...
Syrian refugee charged with plotting to bomb Pittsburgh church
Federal investigators arrested a Syrian refugee living in Pittsburgh on charges of plotting to bomb a church in the city’s North Side next month to support the terrorist group ISIS, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday. Mustafa Mousab Alowemer, 21, who resided in a Northview Heights housing complex and...
Fatal Penn Hills pedestrian accident victim not ID’d, no relatives found
The identity of a man who died after being hit by a car in Penn Hills last week has not be released because authorities can’t find any relatives to notify. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said the 66-year-old Penn Hills resident was struck and killed while crossing Saltsburg Road...
County Council selects Pittsburgh attorney Paul Zavarella to fill District 8 seat
Allegheny County Council voted 11-1 Tuesday to select Pittsburgh attorney Paul Zavarella to fill the vacant District 8 seat. “I thank county council for showing confidence in me,” Zavarella said by phone Wednesday, adding that he’s looking forward to working with council and other county officials. Councilman DeWitt Walton, of...
3 killed in Fayette County crash
A man, a woman and a 4-year-old child were killed Tuesday afternoon when their pickup truck collided with a tri-axle truck along Route 21 in Fayette County, state police said. Officials weren’t able yet to identify the victims, but Fayette County Coroner Phillip Reilly indicated they were related, including an...
Highmark-insured seniors who use UPMC could get another chance to switch plans
Highmark-insured seniors and people with disabilities who use UPMC hospitals and doctors may get another chance to decide which insurance plan they want to have for the remainder of 2019. U.S. Health Secretary Alex Azar informed U.S. Sen. Bob Casey by phone that the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services...
