Top Stories category, Page 685
Father of New Kensington cop killer accused of making sexual advances on minors in Latrobe
The father of a man on death row for killing a New Kensington police officer was arrested Sunday after, police said, the 52-year-old made sexual advances toward two 16-year-old girls in Latrobe. Gregory Baucum Jr. was charged with two counts each of unlawful contact with a minor, interference with custody...
GoFundMe established for Tarentum stabbing victim
Friends of a man stabbed to death Sunday in Tarentum have started a GoFundMe to help his family with burial expenses. Thomas Baczynski, 26, died about 6:30 p.m. at a local hospital after a fight in the rear of Davidson Street along Companion Way. “Thomas was a quiet young man...
Arrest warrant issued for Murrysville man accused of stealing Steelers QB Kenny Pickett’s SUV
An arrest warrant has been issued for the 60-year-old man accused of taking Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett’s SUV from a Monroeville auto dealership in late May. Christopher Carter, 60, of Railroad Lane in Murrysville failed to show up for a preliminary hearing Monday morning in District Judge Jeffrey Herbst’s...
Donnie Iris cancels Youngstown show as he receives cancer treatment
Donnie Iris has canceled an upcoming appearance with REO Speedwagon because of ongoing health issues. Western Pennsylvania’s “King Cool” was scheduled to appear June 21 at the Foundation Amphitheater in Youngstown. A Facebook post says that Iris has been receiving treatment for cancer and, while his prognosis is good, he...
Westmoreland school districts struggle with funding shortfalls
In the past decade, Westmoreland County’s 17 school districts incurred more than $115 million in costs to pay for state-mandated programs. But funding from the commonwealth covered just 54% of those expenses. Revenue figures recently released by the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit revealed all but one school district in the county...
1 taken to hospital following 3-truck crash on Route 30 in North Huntingdon
The eastbound lanes of Route 30 in North Huntingdon were closed for more than an hour Monday near Colony Road while emergency crews responded to a three-truck crash, according to Westmoreland County dispatchers. Responders were called to the scene at 12:30 p.m. A county 911 supervisor said one person was...
‘Bro, I can’t move,’ critically wounded officer told medics after being shot in Pittsburgh synagogue
Critically wounded Pittsburgh SWAT Officer Timothy Matson had just been carried down the stairs by two of his colleagues when SWAT Medic Justin Sypolt began to evaluate him. They put the largest member of the SWAT team — previously described as 6-foot-5, 315 pounds — in the Tree of Life...
Dry conditions expected to continue in Western Pennsylvania
Wildfire season in Pennsylvania typically runs from March to May, when the lack of tree canopy means more dry brush on the ground. But with a forecast that contains barely any rain over the next 10 to 14 days, the dry season is getting an extension in the Greater Pittsburgh...
Mark Madden: Riverhounds could be next Pittsburgh team to win a championship
As a talk-show stooge, I constantly get asked cliched questions. One of the more frequent: Which Pittsburgh team is closest to a championship? It might be the Riverhounds. Sure, it’s only Class AAA soccer. But the Riverhounds are quietly becoming a phenomenon, selling out five of their six home games...
Allegheny County Health Department to take action in slowing mosquito breeding
For the 22nd consecutive year, the Allegheny County Health Department will conduct treatments throughout the Pittsburgh area in efforts to slow the breeding of mosquitoes. Starting Monday , the Health Department will be treating approximately 10,000 stormwater catch basins throughout certain areas of Pittsburgh that have a history of West...
Indiana County man arrested after allegedly arranging payment for sex with 12-year-old girl
A man is being held without bail at the Westmoreland County Prison after agents from the state Attorney General’s office said he set up a meeting to pay for sex with a 12-year-old girl through online communication with a person who he believed was the girl’s mother. Anthony R. Laughard,...
No survivors found after plane that flew over Washington crashes in VirginiaVideo
WASHINGTON — A wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region. Hours later, police...
Officials identify man fatally stabbed in Tarentum
A 26-year-old man died Sunday after being stabbed in Tarentum, Allegheny County Police reported. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the victim as Thomas Baczynski of Tarentum. County homicide detectives said borough police were notified of a stabbing around 6:25 p.m. along the 100 block of Davidson Street. Baczynski was...
Route 30 upgrades, bridge projects among $1.1B in Westmoreland work through 2050
Reconstruction and intersection changes on Route 30 are among more than $1.1 billion in long-term highway projects proposed in a 25-year transportation plan for Westmoreland County. The reconstruction of Route 30 would occur between Leger Road in North Huntingdon and the Irwin borough limits, and improvement is planned for two...
Rustic Ridge Mine opponents to petition DEP to reject mining permit
A Fayette County-based citizens group is planning to present a petition Monday to state officials asking that environmental regulators reject the request for a permit renewal at a Donegal Township mine. The proposal would extend the mine underneath the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Mountain Watershed Association in Champion plans to hold...
Pa. budget 2023: Your guide to what’s on the table, what comes next and how to follow along
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — June is budget negotiation month in Pennsylvania, when state lawmakers decide how to direct billions of tax dollars and...
Rockin’ Roosevelt fundraiser highlights ‘jewel of the community’ in Arnold
Back in the good, old days, Roosevelt Park in Arnold served as far more than a playground. There was roller skating. Dancing. Entertainment. The city would feature horror movies and the Three Stooges on outdoor screens. And in the winter, someone would open the fire hydrants and flood the concrete...
Unresponsive small plane over Washington causes military jet to scramble, later crashes in VirginiaVideo
WASHINGTON — A wayward and unresponsive business plane that flew over the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon caused the military to scramble a fighter jet before the plane crashed in Virginia, officials said. The fighter jet caused a loud sonic boom that was heard across the capital region. The Federal Aviation...
Missing man’s body recovered at Iowa apartment collapse site; 2 others still missingVideo
DAVENPORT, Iowa — The body of one of three men who had been missing after the partial collapse of an apartment building in Davenport, Iowa, has been found, a city official confirmed Sunday. Branden Colvin Sr.’s body was recovered Saturday, city spokeswoman Sarah Ott said. Two other men — 51-year-old...
State police: Trooper shot, killed driver during illegal I-95 street racing gathering
PHILADELPHIA — A state trooper shot and killed a man whose vehicle struck two troopers as law enforcement tried to get control of an illegal early morning street racing gathering on a Philadelphia interstate, state police said Sunday. State police say troopers were called to I-95 in the Penn’s Landing...
Teen falls through roof of shuttered Century III Mall
A teenage boy was taken to an area hospital Friday night after falling through the roof of the shuttered Century III Mall in West Mifflin. The boy fell about 20 feet at the former Macy’s store, Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV reported. His condition was unknown. Skyview Volunteer Fire Company (West...
Motorcyclist killed in collision with tractor-trailer in Washington County
A Scenery Hill man was killed Saturday night when his motorcycle collided with a tractor-trailer in Washington County. Joseph Smetanka Jr.. 60, was pronounced dead at the scene on Route 40 near 10 Anderson Drive in Amwell Township, according to Washington County Coroner Tim Warco. Warco said the crash happened...
Firefighters: Residents attack Unity house fire with water from outdoor hot tub
Damage was limited mostly to the outside of a home in the Glen-Aire neighborhood of Unity on Sunday morning as residents poured water on the flames while emergency crews were on their way, firefighters said. Dry Ridge Volunteer Fire Department was among the companies called about 3:30 a.m. to the...
Biden’s 2024 pitch highlights pragmatism over Trump’s pugilism
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden promised voters in 2020 that he knew how to get things done in Washington and could bring stability to the capital. It seemed like a message out of step with the more combative era brought on by Donald Trump. But Biden prevailed, by more than...
DeSantis hits Trump from the right while the ex-president looks ahead to the general election
NEW YORK — In his first week on the campaign trail as a presidential candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis repeatedly hit his chief rival, Donald Trump, from the right. “This is a different guy than 2015, 2016,” DeSantis told a conservative radio host before slamming the bipartisan criminal justice reform...
