Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 1858
Trump signs order to protect networks from foreign espionage, likely targeting ChinaVideo
WASHINGTON — Amid a deepening trade war with China, President Trump on Wednesday declared a “national emergency” to protect U.S. communications networks in a move that gives the federal government broad powers to bar American companies from doing business with certain foreign suppliers — including the Chinese firm Huawei. Trump...
Condor cam goes live with parents tending to one egg at Aviary
The National Aviary’s Andean condor webcam is activated and the watch is on as an egg is expected to hatch within the next month. Andean condors are the world’s largest flying bird with a 10-foot wingspan. They are threatened throughout much of their range and critically endangered in Ecuador. The...
Facial recognition software under fire; PennDOT’s been using it for years
You may not know whether you have a double in Pennsylvania. But if you’re applying for a driver’s license or a state photo identification, PennDOT will let you know. The agency uses facial recognition software, as do dozens of other agencies across the nation. Images of each of the 10.1...
Arab headdress in Penn-Trafford school shooter training video criticized
Several Penn-Trafford School District alumni are up in arms over a perceived racist video of an active shooter drill at the high school. The video, posted on Twitter, shows a man — who some believe was serving as the active shooter — wearing what appears to be a keffiyeh, or...
Woman charged in Penn Hills hit-and-run fatality turns herself in
A woman charged in connection with a Penn Hills hit-and-run death in April turned herself in to authorities, a day after a warrant was issued for her arrest, police said Wednesday. Modesty Hopper, 21, of McKeesport, is charged with hindering apprehension for allegedly refusing to give police the name of...
The Commonwealth strikes back in another trial for Luke Skywalker
Fans of “Star Wars” have another chance to see the hero of the iconic franchise brought to justice. The Allegheny County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division’s annual Fairy Tales Mock Trials series this year put Luke Skywalker on trial. It will wrap up its mock trials at 10 a.m. Saturday...
Township takes step to buy Ligonier Beach for $230k
Ligonier Township supervisors took another step this week toward acquiring the landmark Ligonier Beach property along Route 30. Supervisors unanimously authorized their solicitor to draft a $230,000 sales agreement to buy the private pool and restaurant property from owners Sherry and Steven Kozar. “I want to emphasize that (the sale)...
2 new measles cases in same family confirmed in Allegheny County
Two more members of an Allegheny County family have contracted the measles, county health officials said Wednesday. There are no new risks of public exposure because the family has been quarantined since four other members were diagnosed earlier this month. The first four cases in that family were reported by...
Pittsburgh native Mark Cuban: ‘Nobody’ can beat Trump ‘right now’
Billionaire “Shark” and Mt. Lebanon native Mark Cuban told CNBC that none of the 22 Democratic candidates for president in 2020 has a shot at taking the office from President Donald Trump. When asked by CNBC’s Scott Wapner which of the Democrats have the best shot at beating Trump, Cuban...
$1M scratch-off sold in Coraopolis
A scratch-off lottery ticket worth $1 million was claimed at a Coraopolis convenience store Tuesday, Pennsylvania Lottery officials said. The ticket, a $1,000,000 Money Mania scratch-off that cost $20, was sold at the Speedy Food Mart on Fifth Avenue, according to a news release. The store will receive a $5,000...
Lawsuit: Johnstown practice, hospital covered for pedophile pediatrician
EBENSBURG — A civil suit says a Pennsylvania pediatric practice knew that one of its physicians was a threat to molest young patients but covered it up. The suit says Laurel Pediatric Associates in Johnstown knew at least two decades ago that Dr. Johnnie Barto’s patients were in “serious danger,”...
Fallen law enforcement remembered on National Peace Officers Memorial Day
Law enforcement officers on Wednesday are gathering in Washington, D.C., to remember their fallen on National Peace Officers Memorial Day. Four Pennsylvania officers are among those being honored during the national memorial service, including New Castle Detective Sgt. Brian S. Cuscino, 44, and state prison guard Sgt. Mark Baserman, 60,...
Norwin to honor graduates killed in 9/11 attacks
Two Norwin graduates who were on a hijacked American Airlines plane that terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City on 9/11 have not been forgotten. On Saturday , Brian Dale and David Kovalcin will be honored when a plaque inscribed with their names is placed on...
Hey, yinz guys: Pittsburgh accent among ‘least sexy’ in America
Yinz better be sittin’ dahn with an Arn City beer for this news n’at. The Pittsburgh accent is not sexy. Not even close, according to a recent survey by Big 7 Travel company. The company asked 1.5 million people through social media to rank the 50 sexiest American accents. Pittsburgh...
Chicago-area police warn of ‘zombie raccoons’ with distemper
RIVERSIDE, Ill. — The warning about “zombie raccoons” may sound like something out of a bad television show, but a suburban Chicago police department says they present serious dangers to family pets. The critters are called zombies because those carrying the distemper virus often stagger on their hind legs and...
Suspect in Carnegie stabbing arrested while letting the dog out
The suspect in Sunday’s double stabbing in Carnegie walked out the backdoor of a Scott home Wednesday morning and into police custody, authorities said. Richard ‘Stretch’ Mickens, 58, is charged with homicide in the stabbing that left a man dead and a woman in critical condition. The stabbing happened at...
Woman pleads guilty to sharing police secrets with gang in Pittsburgh
A North Carolina woman who was found during FBI wiretaps of the Greenway Boys Killas street gang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, according to U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh. Prosecutors said a 2017 wiretap focused on the West End neighborhood of Pittsburgh found that from November 2017 through...
Pigsburgh Squealers Rescue helps care for, find homes for mini pigs
Blue Martin once owned a bunny named Bacon. Now she’s president of Pigsburgh Squealers Rescue, a nonprofit that educates people about miniature pigs and helps find permanent homes for the animals. Since 2016, it’s placed more than three dozen. Martin, 29, and her fiance Zack Robinson, 32, recently bought a...
No injuries after plane crashes on takeoff at Arnold Palmer airport
No one was injured Tuesday night when a plane crashed during takeoff from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity, officials said. A single-seat experimental jet was taking off to fly locally shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday night, county emergency officials said. For an unknown reason, the plane crashed, a...
White House in talks over confronting Iran
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering a range of options for using military force against Iran, officials said Tuesday, as lawmakers from both parties complained that the White House has not fully briefed them on the escalating tensions. Top advisers to President Trump met at the White House late...
Alabama ban on nearly all abortions in GOP governor’s hands
MONTGOMERY — Alabama legislators have given final approval to a ban on nearly all abortions, and if the Republican governor signs the measure, the state will have the strictest abortion law in the country. The legislation would make performing an abortion a felony at any stage of pregnancy with almost...
Pennsylvania House tries anew to ban Down syndrome abortions
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is launching another effort to outlaw abortions because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, passing legislation Tuesday that faces a veto by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, if it even reaches his desk. The vote comes amid a wave of abortion restrictions advancing...
Patients, activists urge Pa. lawmakers to halt UPMC-Highmark divorce
HARRISBURG — East Deer resident Brittany Eckert plans to reluctantly say goodbye to the oncology team she credits with saving her life when she sees them Wednesday morning, her final appointment at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. Soon, her insurance card will not be accepted there unless courts intervene. “It’s a really...
Donald Trump Jr. agrees to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee againVideo
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. has reached a deal with the Senate Intelligence Committee to appear for a second closed-door interview in June, according to people familiar with the matter, ending a tense standoff between the president’s son and the panel’s Republican chairman. Under the terms of the deal, Trump...
Judge rules Belle Vernon students eligible for prom, graduation after underage drinking citation
A Westmoreland County judge on Tuesday halted the expulsion of eight Belle Vernon Area High School students cited this month for underage drinking at a charity event. The preliminary injunction granted by Common Pleas Judge Harry Smail Jr. means the students will be allowed to return to school next week...
