Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 891
Fires scorch France and Spain, as Europe wilts in heat waveVideo
PARIS — Firefighters battled wildfires raging out of control in France and Spain on Sunday as Europe wilted under an unusually extreme heat wave that authorities in Madrid blamed for hundreds of deaths. Two huge blazes, which have consumed pine forests for six days in southwestern France, have forced the...
Report: ‘Systemic failures’ in Uvalde school massacreVideo
UVALDE, Texas — Nearly 400 law enforcement officials rushed to a mass shooting at a Uvalde elementary school, but “systemic failures” created a chaotic scene that lasted more than an hour before the gunman who took 21 lives was finally confronted and killed, according to a report from investigators released...
4 counties under flood watch as storms approach Pittsburgh area
A flood watch is in effect for parts of the Pittsburgh area until Monday morning as excessive rainfall may cause flooding, the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said Sunday. The watch for Allegheny, Beaver, Greene and Washington counties began at 11 a.m. Sunday and was scheduled to last until 8...
Doug Mastriano helps celebrate the political movement that made him at film premiere
LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP — Sen. Doug Mastriano largely set aside his standard stump speech Saturday night to pay an homage to the latest grassroots conservative movement in Pennsylvania of which— for the moment — he’s field general as he fights with Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro to become the state’s...
Abortion laws spark profound changes in other medical care
A sexual assault survivor chooses sterilization so that if she is ever attacked again, she won’t be forced to give birth to a rapist’s baby. An obstetrician delays inducing a miscarriage until a woman with severe pregnancy complications seems “sick enough.” A lupus patient must stop taking medication that controls...
No major problems with ballot drop boxes in 2020, AP finds
ATLANTA — The expanded use of drop boxes for mailed ballots during the 2020 election did not lead to any widespread problems, according to an Associated Press survey of state election officials across the U.S. that revealed no cases of fraud, vandalism or theft that could have affected the results....
Church rebuilding, war on minds as Arnold parishioners observe Feast of St. Vladimir
Understanding suffering was part of the message the Rev. John (Ivan) Chirovsky brought Saturday to an audience in the social hall of St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Arnold. Chirovsky, director of spiritual formation at the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh’s Perry North neighborhood, appeared...
Stepping up: Volunteers donate thousands of hours of time maintaining the region’s myriad hiking, biking trails
As walkers, hikers and bikers make their way onto the crushed limestone gravel of one of Western Pennsylvania’s many trail systems, it might not seem as though they are merging onto an economic highway. But if they’re stepping onto the Great Allegheny Passage — the trail between Pittsburgh’s Point State...
Latest battle over abortion rights in Pa. all about state constitution
Pennsylvania is in the middle of a new fight over the future of abortion, and it’s all about the state constitution. It began months before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, declaring states are the proper battleground over abortion rights. It exploded into public consciousness July 8, when...
Quecreek miners, former governor kick off rescue reunion
Former Gov. Mark Schweiker waved the green flag to start the races Saturday night at Jennerstown Speedway Complex in Somerset County, but his duties also marked the start of the 20-year celebration of the rescue of the Quecreek miners. The dramatic rescue two decades ago of the nine miners trapped...
Trooper: Vandergrift man admits to dealing drugs after car pulled over for speeding
State police say a Vandergrift man who was a passenger in a car that was pulled over for speeding admitted to dealing drugs after the trooper found narcotics in his possession. Donald Charles Riggle, 37, of Franklin Avenue was charged with a felony count of possession with the intent to...
Armstrong County man killed in dirt bike accident
A 26-year-old man from Templeton, Armstrong County, was killed Friday evening when the dirt bike he was riding went off a road and struck a tree, officials said. Brandon Weaver was killed in neighboring Pine Township when the mishap occurred at around 7:50 p.m., according to a release from Armstrong...
New mental health hotline strives to make care more accessible nationwide
A new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has launched nationwide, with the intent to strengthen and transform crisis care in America, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials. The 988 system will build on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is an existing network of over 200...
Man convicted in I-70 crash that injured Good Samaritans on Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge
A Washington County man was convicted Friday of aggravated assault by vehicle and related charges in connection with a crash on the Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge that seriously injured two good Samaritans. Brian D. Keegan, 20, of California will face sentencing in about 30 days after Judge Christopher Feliciani found him...
Jeannette’s curfew ordinance update put on hold as officials fine-tune it
Jeannette officials are reworking a proposed update of a curfew ordinance to take into consideration a reduction of fine amounts, among other issues, according to solicitor Tim Witt. The proposal was rejected this week with Councilwomen Robin Mozley and Michelle Langdon and Councilman Chad Krawtz casting the dissenting votes. “It’s...
Allegheny County Police seek arsonist suspected of setting 14 fires in Munhall, West Homestead and Homestead
An as-yet unidentified man is considered to a suspect in connection with a string of 14 arsons in Munhall, West Homestead and Homestead since April 23, Allegheny County Police said late Friday night. Police have identified a man as the suspect from a July 2 fire in Homestead. Most of...
The show goes on: Mastriano film gets home for premiere
In what its producers are celebrating as a win over “wokeness,” a film celebrating the populist strain of conservatism that reached a new pinnacle in Pennsylvania with state Sen. Doug Mastriano’s win in the Republican gubernatorial primary has found a home for its Saturday night premiere. “The Return of the...
Pittsburgh street named after W.Va., Brashear football standout Major HarrisVideo
The irony of having a Pittsburgh street named after a West Virginia Mountaineer football star was not lost on those who showed up for a special ceremony Friday in the Hill District. But everyone seemed to be in agreement that the honor bestowed on former Brashear High School quarterback Major...
Operation Dignity: More than 250 attend service in Hempfield for unclaimed cremains of 15 veterans
When U.S. Army veteran Randy Baker heard about Friday’s memorial service honoring the unclaimed cremains of 15 veterans stored at the Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office — some for as long as 29 years — he felt compelled to be there. “I wanted to pay my respects. I don’t know what...
Armstrong County woman accused of stealing Trafford family’s dog
An Armstrong County woman is accused of stealing a Trafford family’s dog. Molly Bureau, of Cadogan, is charged with two counts of theft in a criminal complaint filed by Trafford police. Eva Hodgdon told police that Bureau never returned her 1-year-old black German shepherd — named Nani Nyx — after...
Fetterman trolls Oz with big funds, Snooki
HARRISBURG — Democrat John Fetterman posted a massive $11 million fundraising haul during the second quarter. He’s on an advertising spree that’s made him a near-constant presence on television in Pennsylvania. And he grabs attention with snarky, irreverent social media posts. Most recently, he employed MTV’s “Jersey Shore” star Nicole...
Ticket surcharge to help pay for bigger scoreboard at PNC Park
The owners of PNC Park and the Pittsburgh Pirates have reached an agreement to bring a larger scoreboard and video screen to the North Shore stadium. At a Sports & Exhibition Authority meeting Thursday, the SEA authorized a $1 surcharge to all tickets sold at PNC Park that will cover...
What to know about 988 — the new national mental health hotline
PHILADELPHIA — Calling for help in a mental health crisis will now be as simple as remembering a new three-digit hotline. The 988 crisis number that goes live nationwide on Saturday is designed to make it easier to get the services currently offered through the 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline...
Police search for shooting suspect who escaped from McKees Rocks police
A Penn Hills man wanted in connection with a double shooting in May escaped from officers trying to take him into custody Friday morning, authorities said. Taelaun Claybourne, 21, is charged with two counts of attempted homicide in the May 29 shooting at the Hays Manor Housing Community in McKees...
Allegheny County Council to attempt to override Fitzgerald vetoes
Allegheny County Council has scheduled a special meeting on Tuesday in an attempt to override two recent vetoes made by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald concerning a proposed fracking ban and a bill to add oversight to top staffer hiring. This week, Fitzgerald vetoed a bill that sought to ban...
