Top Stories category, Page 678
DEP acknowledges flying debris from implosion in Springdale was violation; agency waiting on test results
The flyrock and debris from the Springdale smokestack demolition earlier this month was a violation of state environmental regulations, said a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection. The former Cheswick Generating Station smokestacks, which stood about 750 and 550 feet tall, fell in a cleared coal yard north of...
Taylor Swift fans line up early for merchandise outside Acrisure Stadium
There was no “midnight rain,” but one fan arrived pretty early to stake out the first and second spot for official Swiftie merch. Taylor Swift fans started lining up Thursday to pick up merchandise at the official Swift trailer parked outside Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Madison, 11, arrived...
Retail sales rose 0.3% in May despite pressure from higher inflation, interest rates
NEW YORK — Americans increased their spending at retailers last month despite pressure from still-high inflation and rising borrowing costs. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that retail sales rose 0.3% from April to May, boosted by stronger sales of auto and parts dealers. Economists had been expecting a...
Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh Zoo reveals names of leopard cubs
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, June 15: Pittsburgh Zoo reveals leopard cub names The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium has revealed the names of its newest leopard cubs — Mila and Grover. The zoo hosted a public naming contest that brought in more than...
Security hired to patrol vacant Century III Mall
West Mifflin Council learned Wednesday that the owners of Century III Mall have hired 24/7 security to patrol the site. Las Vegas-based Moonbeam Capital Investments LLC, which obtained the property in 2013, has also hired an engineer to assess Century III. Residents packed Wednesday’s council meeting to demand answers on...
Juneteenth in Pittsburgh and beyond: What you need to know
On Monday, Americans will celebrate Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. Organizations around Pittsburgh are throwing parties to celebrate the occasion and the continuous battle for equality. “Juneteenth is America’s second Independence Day,” said William B. Marshall, organizer for the Western Pennsylvania Juneteenth Celebration. “It represents...
Air Force Thunderbirds return to Westmoreland with new show
For Westmoreland Air Show attendees who caught the Air Force Thunderbirds when they last visited in 2017, the F-16 pilots have some new moves in store. “During 2020, when all of the airshows got canceled, we spent the whole year redesigning our show,” said Maj. Jake Impellizzeri of Cincinnati, who...
Grand jury indicts Daniel Penny in chokehold death of New York City subway rider Jordan Neely
NEW YORK — A man charged with manslaughter for putting an agitated New York City subway rider in a fatal chokehold has been indicted by a grand jury, an expected procedural step that will allow the criminal case to continue. Daniel Penny was charged by Manhattan prosecutors last month in...
House resolution supports Marc Fogel, calls his Russian prison sentence ‘politicized, excessive’
Oakmont resident and teacher Marc Fogel has been detained in Russia for nearly two years after he was arrested at the Moscow airport for having 17 grams of medical marijuana, which he had been prescribed to treat chronic pain from a spinal condition. On Tuesday, the U.S. House unanimously passed...
New management to take over Galley Bakery Square food hall
New management is taking over Galley Bakery Square, the popular food hall concept meant to be an incubator for chefs starting up in the restaurant industry. The changes at the East End destination came as a surprise to some and brought frustration. Ashley McCoy’s restaurant Revival — one of four...
Southern Baptists refuse to take back megachurch because it has women pastorsVideo
NEW ORLEANS — The Southern Baptist Convention has refused to welcome Saddleback Church back into its fold, rejecting an appeal by the California megachurch over its February ouster for having women pastors. Southern Baptist church representatives at their annual meeting here also rejected a similar appeal by a smaller church,...
Fed keeps rates unchanged for first time in 15 months but signals 2 more potential hikes this yearVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve kept its key interest rate unchanged Wednesday after having raised it 10 straight times to combat high inflation. But in a surprise move, the Fed signaled that it may raise rates twice more this year, beginning as soon as next month. The Fed’s move to...
Man dead, another injured after fall through 3 floors at Blairsville building restoration site
One man died and another was injured after the pair fell three floors into the basement of a dilapidated former school they were assessing for demolition Wednesday in Blairsville, borough officials said. John Plunkett, 63, of Blairsville, died at UPMC Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh from blunt force injuries related to...
Arnold approves decertifying 117-year-old No. 1 fire department
A roomful of Arnold residents appeared to go through many of the seven stages of grief before the city’s council voted Tuesday to decertify the older of its two volunteer fire departments. Residents were in shock and angry that council was considering decertifying the 117-year-old Citizens Volunteer Fire Company No....
Pittsburgh officials prepare for crowds, heavy traffic ahead of Taylor Swift, Juneteenth
Pittsburgh Public Safety officials Wednesday said they’re prepared for large crowds, heavy traffic and road closures as Juneteenth celebrations and Taylor Swift stadium concerts are expected to bring thousands to the city this weekend. “Our public safety bureaus have been working very closely with the organizers of both Juneteenth and...
‘We were filled with terror,’ Pittsburgh synagogue attack survivor testifies; closing arguments Thursday
Andrea Wedner and her 97-year-old mother, Rose Mallinger, lay head-to-head under their pew, hiding from the man who had just fired an AR-15 repeatedly inside the Tree of Life synagogue. They were frantic. Wedner had seen the man later identified as Robert Bowers standing in the doorway at the back...
Old Western Penitentiary site in Pittsburgh up for sale
The state is looking for a buyer to transform the large site of a former prison in Pittsburgh into a mixed-use development on the banks of the Ohio River. The former State Correctional Institution-Pittsburgh site covers more than 21 acres in Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood. It includes 42 buildings. SCI-Pittsburgh, historically...
$1 million scratch-off ticket sold in Allegheny Township
A million-dollar scratch-off ticket was sold at a grocery store in Allegheny Township. Pennsylvania Lottery officials announced Wednesday a winning ticket for Hasbro’s “The Game of Life” was sold at the Giant Eagle, 41 Towne Center Drive. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the ticket. Scratch-off tickets...
Taylor Swift fans seeing red over Eras Tour ticket prices
Forget a blank space. You darn near need a blank check to work your way into either of this week’s Taylor Swift concerts at Acrisure Stadium. Ticket prices are soaring days before the most-anticipated concert stop of the year. Swift’s Eras Tour hits the stadium Friday and Saturday. On Wednesday,...
Pennsylvania using tons of recycled glass nuggets to rebuild collapsed Interstate 95Video
Pennsylvania will truck in 2,000 tons of lightweight glass nuggets to help quickly rebuild a collapsed section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and crews will work 24 hours a day until they can reopen the critical commercial artery, officials said Wednesday. Instead of rebuilding the overpass right away, crews will...
Brackenridge woman charged in connection with Tarentum gunfire
A Brackenridge woman has been charged in connection with a shooting Monday along Corbet Street in Tarentum. Freedom Brown, 41, faces two counts each of terroristic threats and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. Allegheny County Police said two people suffered minor injuries — cuts and bruises — while running from...
Police say man racked up $26K on credit cards he got using Fawn neighbor’s info
Allegheny County Police detectives accused a man of using his former Fawn neighbor’s banking information to open a dozen credit cards and steal nearly $26,000 after she cosigned a car loan in 2018 so he could drive to work. Jonathon Theron Sam Fry, 42, of the 3800 block of Riverview...
Crime stoppers offers reward for information on disappearance of girl in 1987
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information in the disappearance of a 15-year-old girl in Indiana County 36 years ago. Alicia Markovich has been missing since April 26, 1987 when she left her father’s home off Route 22 in Blairsville, just over the border from Westmoreland County....
Zoning change would clear way for GetGo with ‘expanded offering’ of fresh foods in Homewood
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission is considering a zoning change on a Homewood West site where GetGo is looking to open a gas station and convenience store with fresh groceries and hot food. The site, near the corner of Frankstown and Fifth avenues, is now zoned for residential use. The proposal before...
Here’s how to score Taylor Swift merchandise at Acrisure Stadium
Don’t want to wait in line Friday or Saturday at The Eras Tour show to score Taylor Swift merch at Acrisure Stadium? You’re in luck. You can wait in line Thursday instead! Early merchandise sales open at noon Thursday at a Taylor Swift Merch truck on Art Rooney Avenue and...
