Top Stories category, Page 882
Motorist killed in Pittsburgh crash has been identified
A Pittsburgh man was killed Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh when his vehicle went off Bigelow Boulevard and hit a tree, city police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Lonnie J. Middleton III, 52. He was dead at the scene, Pittsburgh police said. The accident occurred...
Penn Hills homicide suspect apprehended
A suspect in the murder of a Penn Hills man last month was arrested Friday, Allegheny County Police said. Brandin Demonde Jackson, 30, of Wilkinsburg, was arrested at about 2:15 p.m. Friday by the Allegheny County Sheriffs Fugitive Squad Sheriff’s Deputies after police received information that he might be staying...
House passes semi-automatic gun ban after 18-year lapse
The House passed legislation Friday to revive a ban on semi-automatic guns, the first vote of its kind in years and a direct response to the firearms often used in the crush of mass shootings ripping through communities nationwide. Once banned in the U.S., the high-powered firearms are now widely...
‘We have to move forward’: Guardian Angels Parish eyes closing 5 churches, 17 ancillary buildings
As a child spending time at his grandparent’s house in Natrona, Paul Krofchik vividly recalls walking the few blocks from their home along Linden Street to Mass at St. Ladislaus Church, a domed building that takes up half the block on Spruce Street. “It was huge, and there were these...
Federal discrimination lawsuit by former KDKA reporter Dave Crawley is dismissed
A federal judge on Friday threw out an age discrimination lawsuit filed by longtime KDKA reporter Dave Crawley against KDKA-TV and parent company Viacom CBS. Judge W. Scott Hardy granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment, finding that Crawley was unable to prove that the station had discriminated against him...
Thousands affected in Allegheny Health Network data breach
The names and medical histories of 8,000 Allegheny Health Network patients might have been leaked in a data breach last month after an employee opened a phishing email that compromised their account, the health care system said Friday. Patients affected were notified by mail this week, officials said. The incident...
Maryland man charged in D.C. car theft, hotel room invasion in Donegal Township
A Maryland man is accused of invading a woman’s hotel room Wednesday in Donegal Township while in possession of a car stolen from Washington, D.C. John Barilovits, 42, of Rockville also is charged with resisting arrest and attempting to draw a stun gun on a state police officer. According to...
North Huntingdon’s Aubrey Burchell wows ‘America’s Got Talent’ judges in teaser videoVideo
North Huntingdon singer Aubrey Burchell has been teasing fans about her upcoming appearance before the judges on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” Now the date is set — she’ll debut on the Season 17 episode airing at 8 p.m. Tuesday. NBC just released a YouTube video that shows the 21-year-old wowing...
Allegheny Township police charge Oakmont man with assaulting, raping teen
An Oakmont man is accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl multiple times before raping her late last year. Allegheny Township police charged Jeffrey Thomas McMeekin, 60, of California Avenue on Thursday with one count of rape, three counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, two counts of aggravated indecent assault...
Allegheny County rises to medium level of covid spread
Allegheny County’s covid-19 cases and hospitalizations rose high enough this week to put the county back into the medium level in terms of community transmission, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC calculates a county’s transmission level — low, medium or high — by looking at...
Doug Mastriano’s Gab page removed, candidate responds to criticism of social media platform
Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano has been criticized by elected officials and anti-hate speech groups for his association with Gab, a far-right social media platform that was favored by the accused Tree of Life shooter. He has responded to the criticism and his Gab account was apparently removed recently. Mastriano...
Sheetz looking to add 30 stores in Western Pa.
Sheetz plans to add 30 gas stations and convenience stores in Western Pennsylvania over the next three to five years. The Altoona-based chain said it is working with commercial real estate firm CBRE to identify sites for the new locations. Brian Dinges, assistant vice president of real estate, acknowledged that...
Long-term lane shift coming to Route 28
A long-term lane shift along Route 28 near O’Hara is scheduled to begin Saturday to accommodate a paving project. PennDOT announced that work will begin at 5 a.m. on southbound Route 28 and impact the stretch that runs through Aspinwall, Sharpsburg and O’Hara. Motorists will be shifted from the current...
North Huntingdon man charged with assault after police standoff
A 42-year-old North Huntingdon man fired 15-to-20 gunshots inside his house when police arrived Thursday to check on his welfare, leading to a six-hour standoff that ended peacefully, according to the criminal complaint filed in the case. Two North Huntingdon police officers said a gunshot was fired when they approached...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: July 29-31
It’s the last weekend in July. Here are some ways to spend it. Beer here Pittsburgh Summer Beer Fest is 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Stage AE on the North Shore. The two-night annual event features craft beers from approximately 200 local, regional and hard-to-find brews, as well as...
Hundreds of families await answers in Allegheny County cold cases
There is no readily available clearinghouse for Allegheny County’s unsolved homicides, including those within the city of Pittsburgh, but organizations that track cold cases indicate there are likely hundreds of families in the area waiting for justice. Project: Cold Case, a nonprofit that helps families bring attention to and advocate...
Pennsylvania state trooper shot in Aliquippa; suspect was shooter in high-profile 2005 killing
A Pennsylvania state trooper was shot early Friday during an altercation at a Beaver County convenience store, officials said. Trooper Jonnie Schooley, a patrolman out of the Beaver barracks, was shot in the leg after he and Trooper Shawn Palmer noticed a disturbance outside the Franklin Mini Mart in Aliquippa,...
Penn State will receive $12.1M in federal funds but is still raising tuition. Here’s why
Although Penn State is slated to receive an additional batch of unexpected funding from Governor Tom Wolf, university officials are rejecting a call from House Republicans to use the one-time allocation to roll back plans to raise tuition. Penn State will receive about $12.1 million from Wolf’s administration through funding...
Etna man charged in high-end Fox Chapel burglary; police looking for Arnold man
An Etna man was arrested Thursday in connection with a Fox Chapel burglary last week, but police are continuing to search for an Arnold man who they believe was an accomplice. Allegheny County Police said among the items stolen was a gold bar, jewelry worth thousands of dollars, three Rolex...
Tarentum man charged in fatal Route 28 crash last year
A 77-year-old Tarentum man faces homicide by vehicle charges in connection with a one-car crash that killed another man last year on Route 28 in Harrison. State police say Frederick Fattman was behind the wheel of a 2015 Corvette on July 5, 2021, when he allegedly lost control and hit...
Saint Vincent expects 15,000 fans on Saturday: Steelers training camp by the numbersVideo
About 6,000 Steelers fans reserved tickets for the opening day of training camp Wednesday, according to gate staff at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. But that number will skyrocket when the weekend arrives. We collected a few figures from 2022 Steelers training camp to put the first week in perspective....
Spotted lanternfly numbers on the rise in Allegheny County
They’re here and there are lots of them. Reports of spotted lanternflies in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County are on the rise. According to the PA Department of Agriculture, as of July 11, there had been 2,944 reports of lanternflies from Allegheny County compared to 102 on the same date last...
BA.5 now dominant covid-19 variant in Allegheny County
The Omicron BA.5 variant is the dominant strain of the covid-19 virus in Allegheny County, health officials said Thursday. According to the county health department’s weekly covid-19 report, the variant accounts for about two-thirds of the covid cases in Allegheny County. The variant, which experts say is the most contagious...
Allegheny County Police searching for missing 18-year-old man last seen in mid-June in Clairton
Allegheny County Police are requesting help in locating a missing 18-year-old man. Police said Dorian Serrano was last seen June 14 with his family in Clairton. Police described Serrano as 5 feet 9 inches tall and 145 pounds with brown eyes and black medium length hair. He was wearing a...
$1.1B Mega Millions jackpot latest in history of lotteries
DES MOINES, Iowa — At over $1 billion, the Mega Millions jackpot is among the largest lottery prizes ever up for grabs, making it the latest focus of lotteries that have been conducted in the U.S. and around the world for centuries. Only two prizes have grown larger than the...
