Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 897
New contract calls for some workers at Allegheny Valley Hospital to get raises up to 26% over next 3 years
Union workers at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison are lauding a new three-year pact that will raise the hourly wage of some employees by as much as 26% over the next three years. Members of Service Employee International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania began negotiations with Allegheny Health Network officials in early...
Pennsylvania budget would leave billions unspent, boost education funding
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House, nearly a week into the state’s new fiscal year, began passing budget legislation Thursday to add billions into surplus accounts, significantly boost education spending and fund new environmental programs. The House passed the main budget bill with little debate on a 180-20 vote hours after...
IRS asks Treasury watchdog to probe James Comey, Andrew McCabe audits
WASHINGTON — The IRS commissioner has asked the Treasury Department’s internal watchdog to immediately review the circumstances surrounding intensive tax audits that targeted ex-FBI Director James Comey and former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, frequent targets of Donald Trump’s ire during his presidency. IRS spokesperson Jodie Reynolds said Thursday the agency...
Police: Mt. Lebanon school board member charged in Florida assault of teen
A Mt. Lebanon School Board member sexually abused a teenager while on vacation in Florida this week, telling arresting officers “this is not good” and “mistakes were made,” according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Andrew Freeman, 34, is charged with unlawful sexual activity with a minor, Florida authorities said....
Allegheny County suing pharmacies, alleging large role in opioid epidemic
Allegheny County officials contend that several large chain drug stores had a hand in creating the deadly opioid epidemic that has killed thousands across the county, contending that the pharmacies pushed the potent painkilling opioids into communities and failed to monitor and restrict sales when red flags arose. In a...
Police officer who killed Tamir Rice leaves Tioga police position amid controversy
The small borough of Tioga in Northcentral Pennsylvania recently hired Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014. But following criticism from residents and outcry on social media, Loehmann has withdrawn from the borough’s police force, according to reports. Rice’s killing led...
Pa. bill allowing police to seize illegally operated dirt bikes, ATVs heads to Wolf’s desk
The state Senate passed a bill late Wednesday allowing police in urban municipalities to seize dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles from owners who illegally drive them on roads, and the measure now heads to the desk of Gov. Tom Wolf. The bill passed almost unanimously in the Senate last month,...
Former cop Derek Chauvin gets 21 years for violating George Floyd’s civil rights
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Derek Chauvin to 21 years in prison for violating George Floyd’s civil rights, a move that adds a few years to the time the former Minneapolis police officer is already serving for his murder conviction while transferring him to federal...
3 of 6 teens charged in New Kensington shooting death in custody
Three of the six teenagers charged in connection with a fatal shooting Sunday in New Kensington are in custody, including the 14-year-old police say was the shooter. Braedon Matthew Dickinson, 14, of Herminie; Amir Kennedy, 14, of New Kensington; and Jonathan Eugene Felder, 17, of Arnold are in custody. According...
Pittsburgh International Airport to get $20 million of FAA’s $1 billion for terminals and upgrades
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is giving nearly $1 billion to 85 airports to expand and upgrade terminals and other facilities, using money approved in last year’s huge infrastructure bill. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the projects will help meet future demand for travel and make flying safer and more...
Founder’s daughters revive Tropical Bungalow restaurant in Hempfield
Tom Papinchak said the smoothie was relatively new to Western Pennsylvania when he started selling the fruity concoction in the mid-1990s, first from a mobile thatched-roof kiosk and then at his Tropical Bungalow kiosks in Westmoreland Mall, downtown Pittsburgh and The Galleria in Johnstown. About 10 years later, he moved...
Symposium will help educators integrate Fred Rogers’ teachings into the classroom
Fred Rogers is renowned for the ways he taught and interacted with children — and this July, educators will have the opportunity to glean some of his wisdom during a virtual symposium. Saint Vincent College’s Fred Rogers Institute in Unity will host the two-day symposium on July 19 and 20....
One scandal too many: British PM Boris Johnson resigns
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation Thursday amid a mass revolt by top members of his government, marking an end to three tumultuous years in power in which he brazenly bent and sometimes broke the rules of British politics. Months of defiance ended almost with a...
New Kensington residents rally against violence in wake of fatal shootingVideo
Calls to “stop the violence” and “put the guns down” rang out through the heart of New Kensington two nights in a row as residents participated in a pair of rallies Wednesday and Thursday evenings, days after a man was shot to death. The Rev. David Trent of Chosen Generation...
Wilkinsburg man charged in March killing of teen riding his bike, June death of recent grad
A 15-year-old boy shot in the head riding his mini bike on an unseasonably warm March evening. An 18-year-old recent high school graduate gunned down standing in a Hill District housing complex courtyard last month. Both teens, police charge, were shot and killed by Shaun Scott, of Wilkinsburg. Scott, 18,...
Authorities use cell tracking technology to charge man in 2016 Aliquippa killing of Marine Corps veteran
The advancement in tracking cell phone usage led Beaver County authorities to charge a 36-year-old Aliquippa man in 2016 execution-style killing of a friend, the Beaver County District Attorney said Wednesday. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Brandon Eugene Revis of Main Street, who was charged on Wednesday...
Stop the violence rally held in New Kensington in response to Raiford shootingVideo
Calls to “stop the violence” and “put the guns down” rang out Wednesday evening through the heart of New Kensington as dozens of residents participated in a rally, three days after a fatal shooting. The Rev. David Trent of Chosen Generations Ministries led the group of about 30 people in...
Pa. House approves Pitt funding after months of debate over fetal tissue research
The University of Pittsburgh is set to narrowly escape with its state funding after months of heated back-and-forth between Pitt and House Republicans over the university’s fetal tissue research. The state House voted Wednesday night to pass Pitt’s appropriation. Lawmakers reworded an agricultural funding bill to provide Pitt’s funding and...
Fire dancers among entertainers, artists participating in first Sizzling Summer Night in New Kensington
Saturday night promises to be a hot time in New Kensington. Nearly 50 businesses and a baker’s dozen of entertainers — including fire dancers — are scheduled to participate in New Ken’s Sizzling Summer Night, a first-time event running from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fifth Avenue between Eighth and...
Aspinwall police officer struck by vehicle while working traffic detail
An Aspinwall police officer was treated and released from a hospital after being hit by a vehicle Wednesday afternoon. Allegheny County dispatchers said there was a vehicle/pedestrian crash about 4 p.m. near the intersection of Western Avenue and Freeport Road. The department posted on its Facebook page that Officer Scott...
Allegheny County Council passes park fracking ban, Fitzgerald vows to veto
Allegheny County Council passed a bill that would ban fracking at nine Allegheny County parks, but the bill still has to clear the desk of Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, who has vowed to veto it. The fracking-ban proposal would prohibit new leases on county-owned park land for industrial use....
Report details 3 missed opportunities to slow, stop Uvalde gunmanVideo
DALLAS — A report released Wednesday details three missed opportunities to slow — or even stop — the Uvalde gunman before he entered Robb Elementary School, where he ultimately killed 19 students and two teachers in Texas’ deadliest school shooting. The 24-page report by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response...
Fatal crashes over Fourth of July holiday drop by almost half, state police report
Fatal crashes statewide over the Fourth of July holiday dropped by about half this year in areas patrolled by Pennsylvania State Police, according to statistics released this week. Troopers reported investigating four such crashes — none of which involved alcohol — that claimed as many lives between Friday and Monday...
KDKA reporter leaving Pittsburgh for Denver
KDKA reporter/anchor Amy Wadas is leaving her hometown station for a new adventure in the Rocky Mountains. Wadas announced Monday on social media that July 14 would be her last day with KDKA-TV, which hired her in 2014. “This was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make,”...
Democrat Josh Shapiro picks up Republican endorsements in race for governor
Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s gubernatorial campaign has earned a slew of endorsements from prominent Republicans. Shapiro, a Democrat from Montgomery County, said his campaign has received nine GOP endorsements from across Pennsylvania. In a swing state like Pennsylvania, having crossover appeal can be paramount to success in statewide races. Republicans...
