Top Stories category, Page 879
State police confiscate 48 explosives, weapons from Hempfield home
State police said they confiscated 48 homemade explosive devices Wednesday from a Hempfield home just outside Penn Borough, according to court papers. The devices reportedly were found during a search of the Penn Manor Road home of Roger N. Williams, 61. Police said they seized three handguns, a shotgun, a...
How common are Paxlovid rebound cases? Experts weigh in
President Joe Biden’s covid-19 “rebound” case has created concern for people around the world who are wondering if such cases are becoming more common. Dr. Donald Yealy, UPMC’s chair of emergency medicine, defines a rebound case as having covid and then redeveloping some symptoms after fighting off the infection and...
House fire in Mount Washington kills 3 pets
First responders arrived at the scene of a fire on Wednesday afternoon at a home in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood. Pittsburgh firefighters discovered three pets — two cats in one home and a dog in another home — during the incident. None of the pets survived the blaze. The fire...
2 charged in attempted robbery of Uber driver in the West End
Police charged two teenagers Wednesday in connection with the attempted armed robbery of an Uber driver in the West End a day after a ride-share driver was carjacked at gunpoint in the same block, authorities said. Cara Cruz, a police spokeswoman, said investigators believe the incidents are connected. The first...
Scare tactics: Vandergrift man key figure in Kennywood’s Phantom Fall Fest
Nick Kardos of Vandergrift gets paid to be creepy. Kardos, 31, was inspired by horror classics including “Night of the Living Dead” and experienced a creative drive as a youngster growing up in Oklahoma Borough. He has worked seasonally for 13 years as a special effects supervisor and as a...
‘It’s going to be a huge night’: Latrobe gears up for Steelers’ Friday Night Lights practice
Preparations for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 Friday Night Lights practice feel like “learning how to ride a bicycle again” after a two-year hiatus, according to Greater Latrobe School District Athletic Director Zac Heide. On Friday, the Steelers will hold a special evening practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. The ticketed practice...
Pittsburgh police search for missing girl, 13, last seen by her family July 30
A 13-year-old girl from Pittsburgh has been reported missing, city police said. Detectives with the special victims unit are searching for Ashlynn Southerland. She is 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs about 115 pounds. She has black hair and blue eyes, with a scar under her right eye. She...
Motorcyclist killed in Pleasant Hills identified
A motorcyclist was killed in a crash on Wednesday evening in Pleasant Hills, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI. According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner, the victim is Michele Biancaniello, a 60-year-old man and Pittsburgh resident. The fatal crash occurred at 8:38 p.m. in the 100 block of Route...
Pennsylvania continues to fund antiabortion organization in new budget
As it’s done for years, the state of Pennsylvania approved funding in the budget it passed last month to support the antiabortion movement, some of it with money diverted from cash assistance for people in poverty. The allotments — $6.2 million from the state and $1 million from federal TANF,...
Senate backs Finland, Sweden for NATO 95-1, rebuking RussiaVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators delivered overwhelming bipartisan approval to NATO membership for Finland and Sweden Wednesday, calling expansion of the Western defensive bloc a “slam-dunk” for U.S. national security and a day of reckoning for Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. Wednesday’s 95-1 vote — for the...
Connellsville used car dealer, salesman, indicted in jobless benefits scam
The former owner of a Connellsville used car dealership and his car salesman are wanted by federal agents for allegedly defrauding the unemployment benefits system. Authorities say they falsified applications for jobless benefits for themselves and others, while also taking a cut of the funds others received during the covid...
Pennsylvania aims to fight robocalls by joining task force that would sue scammers
Tired of annoying robocalls? Pennsylvania is joining a new task force that aims to help reduce the number that you receive. State attorney general Josh Shapiro announced this week that Pennsylvania has joined an Anti-Robocall Litigation Task Force. The task force, made up of 50 attorneys general, aims to investigate...
EPA: Chemical in medical-device cleanser poses cancer risk
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is warning residents who live near medical sterilizing plants in 13 states and Puerto Rico about potential health risks from emissions of ethylene oxide, a chemical widely used in their operations. Laredo, Texas; Ardmore, Okla.; and Lakewood, Colo., are among the communities facing the...
Indiana Rep. Walorski, 2 staffers killed in head-on crashVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski was killed Wednesday in a car crash in her northern Indiana district along with two members of her congressional staff and another person, police said. The crash happened about 12:30 p.m. when a car crossed the center line on state highway and collided...
Kiski Township motorcycle crash claims 2nd victim
The wife of a man killed in a Kiski Township motorcycle crash July 3 also has died from injuries related to the wreck. The victim was identified as Kimberly Stasko, 64, of Indiana, according to the Armstrong County Coroner’s Office. Stasko’s husband, Anthony D. Stasko, 58, was pronounced dead at...
People donate $100K to help family of Penn Township boy who lost feet in lawnmower accident
The outpouring of community support has been overwhelming for the family of a Penn Township boy who was involved in a lawnmower accident over the weekend that resulted in the amputation of his feet. Ashley Dimperio said Wednesday she started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her nephew Liam...
Military service sways judge in gun case sentencing
A Mt. Pleasant man would have been given more jail time on a firearms conviction if he weren’t a wounded veteran, a judge said. Prosecutors argued for multiple consecutive sentences that totaled more than 40 years behind bars be imposed against Michael Charles Lint, 36, for convictions to charges that...
Alex Jones concedes Sandy Hook attack was ‘100% real’Video
AUSTIN, Texas — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones testified Wednesday that he now understands it was irresponsible of him to declare the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a hoax and that he now believes it was “100% real.” Speaking a day after the parents of a 6-year-old boy who was killed...
Inflation weighs on back-to-school buying for many families
NEW YORK — To understand the impact of surging inflation on this year’s back-to-school spending, look no further than children’s rain boots with motifs like frogs and ladybugs made by Washington Shoe Co. Spending held steady for these evergreen items even after the Kent, Washington-based business was forced to pass...
How to recession-proof your life amid economic uncertainty
NEW YORK — Prices for gas, food and rent are soaring. The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to the highest level since 2018. The U.S. economy has shrunk for two straight quarters. Economists are divided over whether a recession is looming. What’s clear is that economic uncertainty isn’t going...
National Weather Service confirms 2 tornadoes touched down during storms
Two tornadoes touched down during storms Monday in the region, according to the National Weather Service’s Moon office. The twisters were confirmed Tuesday in Greene County and near the border of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They were the second and third confirmed tornadoes in the Pittsburgh office’s coverage area, which...
Glassport councilwoman accused of punching man at local bar
A Glassport councilwoman punched a man at a bar last week, according to charges filed Tuesday. The incident happened July 29 at a bar called Hott Rodz on Monongahela Avenue, police said. Katherine Handra, 41, is charged with misdemeanor simple assault and summary citations for public drunkenness and harassment, court...
Kansas voters protect abortion rights, block path to ban
TOPEKA — Kansas voters on Tuesday protected the right to get an abortion in their state, rejecting a measure that would have allowed their Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten abortion restrictions or ban it outright. The referendum in the conservative state was the first test of U.S. voter sentiment about abortion...
Inbound Armstrong Tunnel to close periodically as part of larger project
The Allegheny County Department of Public Works has announced that the inbound Armstrong Tunnel in Pittsburgh will be closed periodically between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday. The closure is needed to allow investigation work being done by Duquesne Light. It’s all part of an upcoming comprehensive Armstrong Tunnel...
Senate approves bill to aid veterans exposed to toxic burn pitsVideo
WASHINGTON — A bill enhancing health care and disability benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic burn pits won final approval in the Senate on Tuesday, ending a brief stalemate over the measure that had infuriated advocates and inspired some to camp outside the Capitol. The bill now goes...
