Top Stories category, Page 603
Westmoreland Coroner: Salem man killed in Route 22 crash
A Salem man was killed in a crash on Route 22 in Murrysville on Saturday evening after a suspected impaired driver ran a red light and hit his car broadside, according to the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office and municipal police. Michael D. Poholsky, 65, was driving a Chrysler Concorde on...
Powerball jackpot up to $1.55 billion as lottery losing streak continues
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.55 billion after no one matched the game’s six numbers Saturday and won the giant prize. The numbers drawn Saturday night were: 47, 54, 57, 60, 65 and red Powerball 19. The $1.55 billion prize is for a sole...
Israel declares war and bombards Gaza as fighting rages for 2nd day after Hamas attack
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli government formally declared war Sunday and gave the green light for “significant military steps” to retaliate against Hamas for its surprise attack, as the military tried to crush fighters still in southern towns and intensified its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The toll passed...
New Kensington celebrating 70th anniversary of Willie Thrower’s ‘1st Snap’
In the world of sports, New Kensington’s Willie Thrower cemented his place in history when he became the first Black quarterback to take a snap in the NFL in 1953. In his hometown, he was known as a humble, hardworking and family-oriented man, said Melvyn Smith, a longtime friend of...
Tenants unknown as new ‘tech flex’ building breaks ground at RIDC Armstrong Innovation Park
Armstrong County officials are mum on identifying possible tenants for a new 30,000-square-foot tech development project at RIDC Armstrong Innovation Park in South Buffalo Township. The news of construction commencing on a “tech flex” building was announced Wednesday in a news release issued by Darin Alviano, the executive director of...
Seton Hill students target Greensburg’s empty storefronts as part of regional initiative
If Greensburg eventually finds a way to fill vacant storefronts in downtown, the city may have three Seton Hill students to thank. Jake Starek, 20, of Harrison City is one of the trio at Seton Hill University participating in an initiative designed to study the potential for a health care...
Unsustainable funding model, shrinking workforce leave ambulance services in critical condition
Emergency medical services across Western Pennsylvania have found themselves on life support, despite being in the business of saving lives. Minimal state and municipal funding, combined with sluggish private donations, has leaders scraping by and some services on the brink of folding. “It costs us $150 an hour to operate...
1 dead, at least 8 others injured in mass shooting at Indiana County party
Moments after Pennsylvania State Police troopers on horseback arrived at the Chevy Chase Community Center in Indiana County expecting to engage in crowd control after midnight on Sunday, dozens of gunshots rang out. More than 150 people began streaming out of the White Township building. “They exited that building in...
Coroner identifies drag racer who died during event at Derry track
A man who died while competing in an event Saturday afternoon at Keystone Raceway in Derry has been identified by authorities. The victim was identified as Ronnie John Ruggiero, 37, of Irwin, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. Ruggiero was drag racing a pickup when he failed to stop...
Penn Hills man accused of violating parole by beating, running over woman
A Penn Hills man accused of violating his probation after police say he beat a woman and drove over her leg as he fled has been taken into custody, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office announced. Dayon Damon Caldwell, 25, of the 300 block of Fielding Drive pleaded guilty in 2020...
Witnesses to FBI hunt for Civil War gold in Elk County dispute its story
PENFIELD — In the heart of Pennsylvania elk country, Eric McCarthy and his client, Don Reichel, woke before sunrise to scour the forest for so-called “brown gold,” a rack of freshly shed antlers to add to Reichel’s collection. One hill over, a team of FBI agents also was hunting for...
5 things to know about Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel
JERUSALEM — Without warning Saturday, Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers attacked Israel by air, land and sea. Millions of Israelis in the country’s south awoke to the searing sound of incoming rockets and the inevitable thud of impact. Air raid sirens wailed as far north as Tel Aviv. Israel’s anti-rocket interceptors...
Local Jews, former Pittsburghers in Israel react to ‘unprecedented’ attacks on the Jewish State
Squirrel Hill native Josh Weinberg was praying in a Jerusalem-area synagogue around 10 a.m. local time Saturday when sirens alerting Israelis of incoming missile strikes started to wail. The synagogue in the West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim has no bunker, so Weinberg, a real estate attorney who left Pittsburgh...
Proposal would raise Lawrenceville parking rates for infrastructure updates
Legislation before Pittsburgh City Council would increase rates and hours of metered parking in Lawrenceville and reinvest the money made into mobility improvements in the community. The measure would create what officials call a mobility enhancement district in Lawrenceville. It would allow the city to charge more for parking spots...
‘Violins of Hope’ exhibit preserves the memory of Jewish musicians
Encased in glass, each violin represent a heartbreaking story. Jewish musicians played these instruments in concentration camps and ghettos during the Holocaust for survival, resistance or comfort. Some were hidden away only to be discovered many years later. More than 100 violins have been rescued and restored by violin makers...
Hobgoblin Hikes returns to Westmoreland for 46th year
Cedar Creek and Twin Lakes parks will play host to witches, zombies, monsters and more Halloween scares in late October for Westmoreland County’s annual Hobgoblin Hikes. The free hikes, hosted by the county Parks and Recreation Department, have been held since 1977. The first hike will take place Oct. 21...
Keanu Reeves nails supporting role with his band Dogstar in Pittsburgh showVideo
A three-piece band from California that hadn’t released an album or seriously toured in more than 20 years played Friday night for a sellout crowd at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale. Dogstar’s bass player might have had something to do with that. That bass player would be actor Keanu Reeves...
Hamas surprise attack out of Gaza stuns Israel and leaves hundreds dead in fighting, retaliation
JERUSALEM — Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented surprise early morning attack during a major Jewish holiday Saturday, killing dozens and stunning the country. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey focused on restoring city services
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said his main focus as mayor is restoring city services. Gainey said that’s reflected in his 2024 budget proposal, which prioritizes funding to take care of core needs such as repairing bridges, updating what the mayor called “totally outdated” recreation centers and ensuring the Department of...
Some see presidential aspirations in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s school voucher support
HARRISBURG — In the partisan politics of education funding, the school choice movement has pressed states for decades to send taxpayer money to private and religious schools and long had to concentrate its efforts on states where a Republican governor was an ally. That suddenly changed over the summer. Pennsylvania...
At 16%, Westmoreland County tops local population loss estimates
With deaths outpacing births in Southwestern Pennsylvania, counties will continue to lose people through 2050, with Westmoreland’s 16% projected drop the second largest of any county in the Keystone State, according to a new report on population projections. “This is not surprising at all. We’ve been losing population for a...
Voter rolls are new battleground, including in Pa., as intimidation fears grow
SANTA FE, N.M. — A group has been impersonating government officials, harassing New York residents at their homes and falsely accusing them of breaking the law, state officials have warned. But what sounds like a scam aimed at people’s pocketbooks is actually part of a shakedown with a much different...
Derry Township man not guilty of attempted murder of wife
A Derry Township man accused of installing a trip wire to cause the fatal fall of his wife three years ago was found not guilty Friday of attempted murder. Westmoreland County prosecutors claimed William “B.J.” Dankesreiter, 63, spent months plotting his now former wife’s death to end a bad marriage...
Price of a Forever stamp is going up again
The price of First-Class postage is going up again. On Friday, the U.S. Postal Service said the price of a Forever stamp will increase by 2 cents on Jan. 21. The stamp will go from 66 cents to 68 cents. The price hike notice was filed with the Postal Regulatory...
Acquitted of killing St. Clair cop in 2015, Ray Shetler found guilty of assault in case involving deputy sheriff
A New Florence man acquitted in the 2015 killing of a police officer was found guilty of assaulting a deputy sheriff during a violent confrontation with law enforcement officials who attempted to serve an arrest warrant nearly two years ago. Following two days of testimony and more than three hours...
