Top Stories category, Page 713
Editorial: Why did Fitzgerald pick Doven-Hallam race for endorsement?
With just over three weeks until the primary elections, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald weighed in with his first endorsement of 2023. You might think he was prepared to recommend his pick to replace him. Fitzgerald is finishing his third term. He is just the third person to have that...
Pittsburgh to begin work on Swindell Bridge, 30th Street Bridge next week
Pittsburgh officials on Friday announced that construction projects at the Swindell Bridge and 30th Street Bridge are slated to begin next week. The city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure will lead the projects. The Swindell Bridge, which connects Perry South and Northview Heights over I-279, is set to see a...
‘Changed all of our lives’: Foundation provides $465K for Western Pa. students
As a single mother, Johnetta Higgins said she couldn’t afford to send her three kids to private school without help. She had started her children — James Cross, 13, Janiyah Cross, 10, and Jamel Cross, 7 — in public schools, but said they were “having a hard time” and weren’t...
Everyday Hero program at Highlands renamed to honor late Brackenridge chief
District Judge Carolyn Bengel imparted a wise bit of advice to Highlands fifth graders during a school assembly Friday afternoon. “Dance like no one’s watching,” she told the group of preteens at the Harrison middle school. What that means, she said, is don’t seek recognition for being their best selves....
Friday night work on outbound Fort Pitt Tunnel postponed
Motorists who regularly use the outbound Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel have been given somewhat of a reprieve. Work scheduled for tonight has been canceled and the bridge will remain open. Instead work will take place on Saturday and Sunday. PennDOT says road crews will be working to remove pavement...
Sen. Bob Casey lobbies for CHIPS funds at semiconductor manufacturer in Youngwood
A $280 billion pot of federal funding was made available last year when the federal CHIPS and Science Act was signed into law, and at least one Westmoreland County manufacturer is ready to expand rapidly if it can gain access to some of those funds. Powerex Inc. said it could...
New president named to Allegheny Valley Hospital
A new president has been named to lead Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. Allegheny Health Network tapped Dr. Mark Rubino to head the campus. Rubino is the president of Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. He will maintain that responsibility as he also leads the 188-bed acute care hospital in the Natrona...
2 candidates running to replace outgoing Ricky Burgess on Pittsburgh City Council
Two Democrats are vying for a seat on Pittsburgh City Council in District 9, where Councilman Ricky Burgess will not be seeking another term. Burgess was first elected to council in 2007, but is not seeking reelection. Looking to fill his seat are Khari Mosley, political director of the advocacy...
Traffic calming project in Glen Hazel aims for safety after 6-year-old fatally struck
A traffic calming project in Pittsburgh’s Glen Hazel neighborhood is designed to make the streets safer after a 6-year-old boy was fatally struck by a vehicle while riding his bike there last summer. Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday visited the site on Johnston Avenue to watch as crews constructed speed...
Gainey awaits background checks before announcing police chief nominee
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday said he is waiting on candidates’ background checks before announcing his nominee for the city’s new police chief. Those background checks, he said, should be in next week. The mayor said he has not offered anyone the job yet, and won’t move ahead till...
Erie’s view of the 2024 solar eclipse will be exceptional. It’s also going to cost you.
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. Next year, an army of people will descend on Erie to don mail-ordered glasses and watch...
Unions say rails should forgo buybacks, spend on safety
OMAHA, Neb. — Rail unions want railroads to take some of the billions they’re using every year to buy back their stock and spend it to improve safety in the wake of several high-profile derailments and hire more workers. The 12 unions that represent all of the more than 100,000...
Police shoot suspect in Pittsburgh neighborhood, charges filed
The Allegheny County Police have charged a Pittsburgh man who was shot by city police with kidnapping and other crimes for allegedly holding his ex-girlfriend and their baby hostage Friday morning in Pittsburgh’s Arlington neighborhood. Gregory Freed, 29, remains hospitalized until he can be arraigned on additional charges of unlawful...
2 teens arrested in shooting death of Pittsburgh high school student
Pittsburgh Police have arrested two teens in the fatal shooting of an Oliver Citywide Academy student last year. Police charged Eugene Watson, 18, and his brother, Brandon Watson, 17, both of the city’s Crafton Heights neighborhood, with criminal homicide, criminal conspiracy, and two firearms violations. They are both charged as...
Brush fire snarls morning commute on Route 28 near RIDC Park
Southbound Route 28 traffic was slowed to a crawl Friday morning when a brush fire broke out on the wooded hillside near the RIDC Park exit in O’Hara. Haze from the fire covered the highway and traffic was reduced to a single lane headed toward Pittsburgh during the morning rush...
Coast Guard calls off search for lost boat with Murrysville native aboard
After searching more than 200,000 square nautical miles, U.S. Coast Guard officials and their Mexican counterparts have called off the search for three American sailors, including a Murrysville native, whose boat was last seen April 4. Kerry O’Brien, a 1989 Franklin Regional graduate, left Mazatlán, Mexico the morning of April...
Former Pittsburgh City Council candidate charged with rape
A man who previously ran for Pittsburgh City Council is charged with sexually assaulting a woman, according to Pittsburgh police. According to court documents, Kierran Cole Young, 30, is facing multiple felony charges including rape, harassment, unlawful restraint and indecent assault stemming from an alleged sexual assault on a female...
Morning Roundup: Elevated risk of wildfire spread Friday as cold front moves into Pittsburgh region
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, April 21, 2023: Dry conditions create elevated fire risk as cold front moves in Friday The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh issued a special weather statement Friday for an elevated risk of wildfire for the western Pennsylvania and...
Electric vehicles sparking interest, especially among younger drivers
Electric vehicles continue to create a buzz at car dealerships across the region, despite a recent poll indicating fewer than half of Americans are interested in switching from gas-powered varieties just yet. “Every day, customers are coming into our stores asking about our electric offerings,” said Richard Bazzy, president of...
Westmoreland OKs courthouse drop box for mail-in ballots
Westmoreland County’s elections board Thursday authorized the installation of a drop box for mail-in ballots at the courthouse for the two-week period before the May 16 primary. The board, which consists of two Common Pleas judges and Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher, voted 2-1 to install a single drop...
EPA agrees to make Pennsylvania cut Chesapeake Bay pollution
BALTIMORE — Pennsylvania must minimize its outsized role in polluting the Chesapeake Bay, according to a proposed settlement agreement announced Thursday that would subject the state to increased oversight from federal environmental officials. The agreement comes after other jurisdictions in the bay’s watershed — Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District...
Mask mandate ends at Allegheny Health Network while Excela, UPMC hold to CDC guidelines
Allegheny Health Network is lifting the mask mandate in place at hospitals, outpatient clinics and other “patient-facing” facilities as of Thursday, officials announced. “Throughout this pandemic, AHN has made every effort to help reduce the spread of covid-19 in our region while also keeping out patients, visitors and staff members...
Tornadoes kill 3 in central U.S.; new storms possibleVideo
DALLAS — Strong storms with tornadoes that plowed across the central U.S. killed at least three people in Oklahoma and left thousands without power Thursday as forecasters warned of potentially more severe weather. Authorities were still unsure of the full scale of injuries and destruction in Oklahoma, the storms produced...
1 transported by ambulance after bus crashes into West Mifflin house
One person was transported by ambulance after a school bus crashed Thursday afternoon into a West Mifflin house, according to Allegheny County emergency officials. Emergency responders were called to the 1500 block of Homestead-Duquesne Road around 3:25 p.m. for a bus that had went off the road and crashed into...
Outbound Fort Pitt Bridge, Tunnel will close this weekend
Last weekend it was a headache for motorists using the inbound Fort Pitt Bridge and Tunnel in Pittsburgh. This weekend, it will be a challenge for motorists going the opposite way. PennDOT says road crews will be working to remove pavement markings and installing new durable pavement markings on the...
