Top Stories category, Page 737
Smithfield Shelter to continue housing people beyond usual closure date
The homeless shelter at Smithfield United Church of Christ in Pittsburgh, which is typically open only during the colder months, will continue housing people after its traditional March 15 closure date. The winter shelter opened for the season in November to provide a warm place for homeless people as temperatures...
Pittsburgh Public Schools nixes proposal to delay school start time on Wednesdays
Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Wayne Walters on Wednesday said the district will not move ahead with a proposal to start school an hour later every Wednesday during the next academic year. The district had previously proposed an hour delay each Wednesday to allow more time for staff professional development. Because...
Sewickley couple launches Burgh Bus — interactive comedy show, party ride
The Burgh Bus takes riders on more than a trip to and from school — owners Nick and Kat Walker refer to it as a form of “Pittsburgh transportainment.” “It is different than anything else you can do in Pittsburgh,” said Ryan McBride, of Bellevue, who has ridden several times....
117-unit Shadyside apartment building clears zoning board
A contentious multi-family apartment project in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood received approval after months of negotiations. The 117-unit development from Mozart Management was approved Monday by Pittsburgh’s Zoning Board of Adjustments. The 10-story apartment building proposed at 525 South Aiken Street in Shadyside is a slightly smaller version than was initially...
Mistrial declared in case of man charged with killing off-duty Pittsburgh police officer
The question was benign: How did you know the defendant? But the answer from a witness — that she met Christian Bey when he moved in across the street after his release from prison — was enough to cause a mistrial. Bey, 34, was on trial in connection with the...
Why U.S. troops remain in Iraq 20 years after ‘shock and awe’
WASHINGTON — Twenty years after the U.S. invaded Iraq — in blinding explosions of shock and awe — American forces remain in the country in what has become a small but consistent presence to ensure an ongoing relationship with a key military and diplomatic partner in the Middle East. The...
What’s known and not about U.S. drone-Russian jet encounter
WASHINGTON — When a Russian fighter jet collided with a large U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea, it was a rare but serious incident that triggered a U.S. diplomatic protest and raised concerns about the possibility Russia could recover sensitive technology. U.S. and Russian officials had conflicting accounts of...
Police raid vape shops in Hempfield, Murrysville
Two Westmoreland County vape shops were raided Wednesday morning by police. One of the shops, District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said, was targeting children with illegal marijuana products. The police work continued through the day as authorities photographed and collected evidence at PA Vapor on Route 22 in Murrysville and Keepin’...
Police: West Deer woman faces felony charge after cocaine found in 9-month-old’s urine
A West Deer woman was arrested after telling police a 9-month-old child in her care likely tested positive for cocaine because she had some of the drug on her hands while preparing the baby’s bottle, police said. Brittney Michele Pebler, 33, of the 200 block of Pollock Street was charged...
Man arrested in Allegheny General Hospital attack
A 43-year-old man was arrested this week after police said he went on a rampage in a hospital emergency room and attacked at least three people, punching them and throwing a computer at a nurse. Michael Robert Johnson, whose home address is unknown, faces three counts each of aggravated assault,...
Man dead in Salem crash
A Ligonier man died at a hospital after a crash in Salem Tuesday evening, according to Westmoreland County Coroner Tim Carson. James W. Graham Sr., 56, was pronounced dead at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. The crash was reported after 6 p.m. on Route 119, just north of Crabtree....
Morning Roundup: Person injured in crash in North Huntington
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Wednesday, March 15, 2023: Person injured in crash in North Huntington An overnight car crash in North Huntington injured one person and caused a power outage in the area. The crash occurred around 11:45 p.m. at Turner Valley Road...
Not magic: Opaque AI tool may flag parents with disabilities
PITTSBURGH — For the two weeks that the Hackneys’ baby girl lay in a Pittsburgh hospital bed weak from dehydration, her parents rarely left her side, sometimes sleeping on the fold-out sofa in the room. They stayed with their daughter around the clock when she was moved to a rehab...
How Washington came to rescue U.S. banks
WASHINGTON — After the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters started furiously working the phones to find out what was going on with the failed lender — and what would happen to its panicked depositors. Waters, former chair of the House Financial Services Committee, had...
Westmoreland to bank another $26 million from 2nd opioid lawsuit settlement
Westmoreland County is expected to receive another $26 million as part of a national settlement of opioid lawsuits, officials said Tuesday. Pennsylvania so far has secured about $2.2 billion in payments that resolved litigation against drug manufacturers and distributors accused of spreading opioid abuse throughout the United States. The county,...
Pa.’s ‘Most Wanted’: How do Pennsylvania State Police decide who makes the list?
Five are wanted for killing or trying to kill someone. One, a suspected rapist, police have been trying to apprehend since 1998. Police say they’ve committed crimes against people in the commonwealth’s biggest cities, as well as in small towns like Meadville or in suburban Chester County. And now they...
You can win your March Madness office pool by following these easy tips. No, really, you can
There’s a trope that gets trotted out this time of year that goes something like this: Why am I laboring over my March Madness office pool picks when it’s probably going to be won by a receptionist who makes her selections based on whose uniform is prettier or whose mascot...
Residents can track rotten egg smell in Allegheny County
On certain days, residents in some Pittsburgh neighborhoods and outlying municipalities can often smell a rotten-egg odor, but they might not have known where it was coming from or how prevalent it was. The Allegheny County Health Department announced Tuesday it will now offer publicly trackable information about how much...
Ohio sues Norfolk Southern over toxic train derailment
Ohio filed a lawsuit against railroad Norfolk Southern to make sure it pays for the cleanup and environmental damage caused by a fiery train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border last month, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday. The federal lawsuit also seeks to force the company to pay for groundwater...
Trial begins in shooting death of off-duty Pittsburgh Police officer Calvin Hall
Deputy District Attorney Stephie Ramaley told the jurors in her opening statement Tuesday to focus their attention on evidence against the man charged with homicide — not the man who was killed. “Calvin Hall is not on trial in this case,” she said. “You will hear no evidence that Calvin...
U.S.: Russian fighter jet hits American drone over Black Sea
KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian fighter jet struck the propeller of a U.S. surveillance drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday in a “brazen violation of international law,” causing American forces to bring down the unmanned aerial vehicle, the U.S. said. Moscow said the U.S. drone maneuvered sharply and crashed...
Gainey calls on Pittsburgh businesses to fix gender pay gap
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Tuesday called on the city’s businesses to provide equal pay for men and women as he commemorated National Equal Pay Day. In a press conference held in the mayor’s office, Gainey joined female leaders of his administration and other women to advocate for closing the...
Invasive species are a ‘scourge’ in Pa., report says
Pennsylvania has been hit with a slew of invasive species over the years, from spotted lanternflies colonizing Pittsburgh bridges to emerald ash borers destroying the state’s timber stock. In a report released Monday, the Pennsylvania Governor’s Invasive Species Council recommends a statewide response to tackle the threat of invasive species,...
Westmoreland County judge withdraws from hearing election lawsuits
Westmoreland County Common Pleas Court Judge Harry Smail Jr. has recused himself from presiding over election challenges this spring. Smail, in a court order signed Monday, said his candidacy for a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Superior Court created an appearance of potential impropriety and withdrew from hearing a lawsuit...
Biden says Jimmy Carter has asked him to deliver his eulogy
ATLANTA — President Joe Biden says he plans to deliver the eulogy at the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter, who remains under hospice care at his home in south Georgia. Biden told donors at a California fundraiser Monday evening about his “recent” visit to see the 39th president, whom...
