Top Stories category, Page 320
3rd Tarentum pit bull mauling victim says ‘it was instinct’ to jump in to try to stop attack on Halloween
It was nothing but “instinct” for a 33-year-old Tarentum man who jumped in to try to stop a pit bull attack in the borough on Halloween. Shawn Flynn Jr. was visiting his friend at her East Seventh Avenue home on Halloween when he looked out the window and saw three...
Racist text messages circulated to Black Americans reach Pittsburgh
The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh has condemned racist threats targeting Black Americans. Across social media, many people have reported receiving text messages with derogatory language referencing slavery and picking cotton directed toward Black Americans. In a statement, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh expressed their great disappointment in messages...
Irwin business, apartment building damaged by early Saturday blaze
The air still smelled of smoke as Don Sowash took his 11-year-old Morkie, Benny, for a walk down Irwin’s Main Street on Saturday afternoon, pausing at a building he saw engulfed in flames just 12 hours prior. “Lots of smoke (was) pouring out all of these upper windows, and I...
Biden and Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will host President-elect Donald Trump for a traditional postelection meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said Saturday. Such a meeting is customary between the outgoing president and the incoming president, and is meant partly to mark the start of a peaceful...
Haul out the holly! Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrives in New York City
NEW YORK — The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrived in New York City on Saturday, signaling the start of the holiday season in the Big Apple. The 74-foot Norway Spruce was driven into Manhattan’s Center Plaza to be hoisted in place by a crane. It will take five miles (about...
Tarentum man faces multiple charges in connection with Halloween dog attacks
A Tarentum man is facing multiple charges for allegedly allowing his dogs to run loose and attack people on Halloween. Brandon Jerome Baynes, 36, is charged with three counts each of several charges, including animal neglect, and most of which are summary offenses. One of the charges, recklessly endangering another...
Elderly pedestrian identified who was struck and killed in Harrison
A Harrison man is dead after he was struck Friday evening by a vehicle near the Sheetz convenience store in Harrison. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Gary Rhebb, 74, of Harrison’s Natrona Heights neighborhood. Harrison Police Sgt. Justin Bouch said the victim was struck by...
Gov. Tim Walz vows to fight Donald Trump’s agenda while working to understand his appeal
EAGAN, Minn. — Gov. Tim Walz vowed on Friday to make Minnesota a safe haven for the values that drove the Democratic presidential ticket he helped lead, while at the same time promising to work harder to understand the concerns of President-elect Donald Trump’s voters. Inside a high school auditorium...
Westmoreland County among 1st in state to study suicide with aim toward prevention
Sixty Westmoreland County residents died by suicide last year. Reducing that number is the aim of a new board that’s forming to study suicides in the county, especially those involving veterans, so the group can identify ways to prevent them. Findings of the review board could result in legislation and...
Gainey joins other elected leaders to tout expanded Pittsburgh-area search-and-rescue unit
Had Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge pinned people under the wreckage when it collapsed in 2022, local first responders would have had to wait for a highly specialized search-and-rescue unit from Philadelphia to help. “If anyone was trapped under the rubble of that bridge, they would’ve had to wait 12 hours,”...
Authorities padlock Oakland’s Panther Pit after DA calls it nuisance bar
The Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office on Friday padlocked the Panther Pit Bar and Grill in Oakland after the District Attorney’s Office alleged that it is a nuisance bar operating without a liquor license. Located on Meyran Avenue, the Panther Pit was raided in September by Pennsylvania State Police Liquor Control...
UPMC announces more layoffs, cuts
UPMC is laying off 100 employees and cutting an additional 200 vacant positions as part of ongoing cost-saving measures at the Pittsburgh-based health giant. This comes after UPMC cut 1,000 jobs in April. “Targeted adjustments are frequently made to improve organizational efficiencies and eliminate redundancies,” UPMC said in a statement....
A guide to key figures in Donald Trump’s orbit
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump will return to the White House accompanied by a crew of longtime friends and aides as well as newfound, splashy allies. The Republican president-elect has barely begun naming key figures in his administration, but he has kept a rotation of associates with him on and off...
Access to Great Crossings Bridge restricted due to safety concerns
A 206-year-old bridge that has been a treat for curiosity seekers since it emerged because of unusually low water levels at Youghiogheny River Lake is being closed to the public because of safety concerns. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District is restricting access to the Great Crossings Bridge,...
McCormick, appearing in Pittsburgh, declares victory over Casey
Republican David McCormick appeared Friday morning in Downtown Pittsburgh to declare victory in his tight U.S. Senate race against incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who has yet to concede. The Associated Press called the race Thursday in McCormick’s favor, and the Republican claimed there’s no path for Casey to...
Hempfield semiconductor plant tabbed for possible $3 million federal investment
A Hempfield manufacturer of semiconductor chips for military and commercial aircraft, solar power projects and windmills is in line to receive $3 million in federal funding. A company official said Friday the money will be used to almost double its capacity and add jobs. “This (funding) helps to ensure the...
Democrats retain control of Pennsylvania state House
Democrats will remain in control of Pennsylvania’s state House after a nail-biter in a Johnstown area district. State Rep. Frank Burns eked out his eighth successful reelection bid, this time against Republican Amy Bradley, to preserve his party’s 102-101 majority in the lower chamber. The pro-gun, anti-abortion Democrat represents the...
Here are Veterans Day activities, promotions happening throughout Westmoreland County
Veterans Day events are being held throughout the region. To submit an event, email gbgnewsroom@triblive.com. Events • White Valley AMVETS and Murrysville American Legion Post 711 will host Veterans Day activities throughout Murrysville, Export and Delmont on Nov. 9. They are: 9 a.m. at Eastview Union Cemetery, Cemetery Road, Delmont;...
Trump rebuilds Democrats’ ‘blue wall’ states with red bricks. Especially Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Republicans landed historic victories in Pennsylvania this week, winning the battleground state’s valuable presidential electoral votes, posting a two-seat gain in its U.S. House delegation and sweeping all four statewide offices on the ballot, including a U.S. Senate seat. The strong performance means Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania...
Why AP called the Pennsylvania Senate race for David McCormick
WASHINGTON — Republican David McCormick cut Democratic Sen. Bob Casey’s leads in Philadelphia and its populous suburbs and built leads in the more GOP-leaning parts of the state, foreclosing the incumbent’s pathway to victory when The Associated Press called the race. McCormick was leading by more than 30,000 votes when...
The story of how Trump went from diminished ex-president to a victor once again
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — As he bid farewell to Washington in January 2021, deeply unpopular and diminished, Donald Trump was already hinting at a comeback. “Goodbye. We love you. We will be back in some form,” Trump told supporters at Joint Base Andrews, where he’d arranged a 21-gun salute...
Black, Hispanic reaction to Trump win mixed
Despite former President Donald Trump capturing nearly 20% of the Black vote and 42% of Hispanics nationally, local Black and Hispanic reaction to his victory was strong and mixed. Carlotta Paige of Latrobe, chief operating officer of the Westmoreland Diversity Coalition in Greensburg, is not surprised how Westmoreland County or...
Trump victory elicits range of emotions among young voters
When Democrat Darcy Bowman awoke at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday and saw the presidential election results — that former President Donald Trump had recaptured the White House — she couldn’t fall back asleep. Republican Mike Chiarlone also was experiencing a range of emotions Tuesday night — until he learned about the...
Penn State greenlights $96M classroom project as 1st-year students set to spike
Penn State University trustees Friday approved a $96 million classroom development at University Park to accommodate expected first-year enrollment growth approaching 1,000 students over the next several years. The project is the largest of the planned work totaling almost $325 million on the main campus and at Penn State Harrisburg...
Charleroi fire sends woman to hospital, displaces 6 from 2 apartments
A Charleroi woman was flown to UPMC Mercy hospital in Pittsburgh for medical treatment Thursday night after first responders rescued her from a fire in her apartment. Five adults and one child were displaced from two apartments after fire broke out before 6:30 p.m. in a 2 1/2-story building in...
