Top Stories category, Page 355
In-person voting begins for U.S. presidential contest, kicking off the sprint to Election Day
MINNEAPOLIS — In-person voting for this year’s presidential election began Friday, a milestone that kicked off a six-week sprint to Election Day after a summer of political turmoil. Voters lined up to cast their ballots in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia, the states with the first early in-person voting opportunities....
Murdoch Farms ‘Blinker House’ on the market in Squirrel Hill
A stately stone home is on the market in the Murdoch Farms neighborhood of Squirrel Hill. Known as the “Blinker House,” the limestone residence is listed for $2.6 million by Realtor David Onufer of Hanna Luxury Real Estate, Onufer Team of Squirrel Hill. “Homes like this come along once in...
Penn State removes student newspapers, sparking free speech debate
Penn State University removed dozens of newsstands from campus buildings that contained its student newspaper because nine of them displayed political ads above the newspaper rack itself: three for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and six promoting voter registration. Penn State administrators say the posters violated rules about advertising and...
Bomb, shooting threats to Pine-Richland School District deemed false
Bomb and school shooting threats made Friday against Pine-Richland School District were not credible and originated in Australia, law enforcement officials said. Northern Regional Police Chief Bryan S. DeWick said his department and the FBI classified the threats as “swatting calls. As a precaution, district officials said, after-school and evening...
U.S. will let more people take methadone at home
The first big update to U.S. methadone regulations in 20 years is poised to expand access to the life-saving drug starting next month, but experts say the addiction treatment changes could fall flat if state governments and methadone clinics fail to act. For decades, strict rules required most methadone patients...
Frazer sues Pittsburgh Mills mall owner over potholes, lack of maintenance
Pothole-riddled roads near the Pittsburgh Mills mall are the result of negligence by the mall’s owner and would cost Frazer $4.5 million to fix if the mall owner doesn’t. That’s according to a lawsuit filed by the township against the Mills’ property owner — identified in court records as Pitt...
Salim’s Middle Eastern Foods to close after 45 years in North Oakland
A staple of the Middle Eastern food community is closing in North Oakland. Co-owners Rosemarie and Salim El-Tahch opened Salim’s Middle Eastern Foods a year after they married in 1978. Forty-five years later, they’re still operating from their original location at 4705 Centre Ave. But the end looms as the...
Patrick Cassidy talks about mom Shirley Jones in advance of gala honoring her
On Saturday, Pittsburgh CLO will honor Shirley Jones, Western Pennsylvania native and legend of stage and screen, with a Broadway star-studded gala celebration at the Byham Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh. Jones was born in Charleroi and grew up in Smithton — her family owned Jones Brewing Co., which made Stoney’s...
Pennsylvania state senator sues critics of his book about WWI hero Sgt. York
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state senator and former GOP gubernatorial candidate whose support for Donald Trump drew him to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has sued a Canadian university and nearly two dozen academics over criticism of him and his research into World War I hero Sgt. Alvin York....
Are spotted lanternflies on the decline in Western Pennsylvania?
Spotted lanternflies are still a pest in Western Pennsylvania, but populations are trending lower in certain regions. Sandy Feather works as a Penn State Extension educator in Pittsburgh. She has noticed a large decrease in spotted lanternflies. “I bet we don’t have a 10th of the population that we had...
Morning Roundup: 2 vehicles hit Beechview building; zoo regains ‘gold standard’ certification
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, Sept. 20: Crash causes chain reaction in Beechview Two vehicles hit a building in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood Thursday evening. University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball great Carl Krauser had finished a training session with a client and was on...
1 man dead after shooting at Ellwood City business
A man is dead and a suspect in custody after a shooting Thursday night in Ellwood City. The incident took place at Ellwood City Forge, though Timothy Woods, 31, who lives in the borough, was arrested on Belton Road in North Sewickley, according to police. He’s facing a homicide charge...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Sept. 20-22
Well, that’s an official wrap on summer, folks! It’s time to think about chilly nights, mugs of hot apple cider and the scent of falling leaves. Here are a few things to do while ushering in autumn during a still-warm weekend. Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival This weekend, musicians will fill...
Greater Latrobe using workout classes to ease athletes’ after-school schedules
Alex Tatsch appreciates the fact he now can get home from his practices with Greater Latrobe’s Wildcats football team in time to eat dinner before 7 p.m. “Getting done earlier just makes your life so much easier,” the Penn State-bound senior linebacker and running back said of his after-school commitment...
Bowhunting season begins Saturday for all of Allegheny County, small slices of western Westmoreland, opens Oct. 5 statewide
Justin Relihan has been bowhunting since he was 16 years old. The Butler resident began hunting at age 12 with a rifle, but quickly found he had more of a passion for using a compound bow. “I like the quietness of bowhunting,” said Relihan, 48. “There’s a lot less people....
Officials say plans to demolish former state prison in Hempfield are moving forward
Bids for the demolition of the former SCI Greensburg state prison could be sought by the end of the year. Hempfield officials may have to complete the project in phases, depending on how much funding is awarded, but Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. Executive Director Jason Rigone said he is...
McCandless police find, return large snake
A large snake located by McCandless police has been returned to its rightful owner. Lt. Jeffrey Basl confirmed Friday morning someone has been reunited with their rather unconventional — and somewhat dangerous — pet. The township police department posted to Facebook on Thursday evening a photo of what appears to...
House eyes vote early next week on bipartisan CR
WASHINGTON — The House is gearing up to go first on a bipartisan stopgap funding package early next week after nailing down the particulars this weekend, lawmakers said Thursday. The measure would extend current funding levels, with some “anomalies” allowing for higher rates, likely through Dec. 13, a source familiar...
GOP asks Pa. Supreme Court to bar counties from letting voters fix mail-in ballot errors
The Republican Party is asking the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to find it illegal for county boards of elections to alert voters to defective mail-in ballots and give them the chance to correct errors. Voters’ rights groups called the petition filed Wednesday by the Republican National Committee and state Republican Party...
Flurry of polls shows Harris with slight lead over Trump in tight race in Pa.
With less than seven weeks to go before Election Day, a majority of polls released this week show Vice President Kamala Harris has eked out a slight lead in the key swing state of Pennsylvania. Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, gained some favor among Pennsylvanians over the last couple...
50 archers to start limited deer hunt Saturday in 5 Pittsburgh parks
A limited deer hunting season will begin this weekend in several Pittsburgh parks. It’s open only to 50 pre-selected archers who had to undergo background checks and archery accuracy tests. Hunting will begin Saturday in the city’s Frick, Riverview, Schenley, Emerald View and Highland parks. The controlled deer cull is...
Lower Burrell native Tom Squitieri remembered as a determined journalist and devoted father
Tom Squitieri, a veteran journalist who began his career at the Valley News Dispatch and became an award-winning foreign correspondent for top newspapers in the country, died Sept. 1, his family said. Squitieri, a native of Lower Burrell, died in Washington, D.C., from an aggressive form of leukemia. He was...
Judge revokes bond of man charged in South Side brawl that left cop with broken bones
Pittsburgh Police Sgt. Andrew Robinson could not explain how his right ankle and leg were broken during a scuffle with Jonathan Morin earlier this month. Asked under oath Thursday whether Morin kicked, stomped or punched him as he fought with a group of people outside a South Side bar, Robinson...
Penn State to pay $700K in gender discrimination case
Penn State University will pay $703,742 in back wages and interest to settle a U.S. Department of Labor case alleging gender pay discrimination against female staff and faculty, the parties announced. The amount will be shared among the women impacted. Penn State said the inequities found by the department were...
2 Georgia deaths are tied to abortion restrictions. Experts say abortion pills they took are safe
Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to speak about abortion Friday in Georgia, where two women’s deaths have been tied to a state law that mostly bans the procedure after roughly six weeks. Amber Thurman died after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to treat complications that occurred after she...
