Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 927
Proposal would require greater public access to records from Pitt, Penn State, others
Greater transparency requirements could be in store for Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities. State Rep. Ryan Warner, a Republican from the 52nd District — which includes parts of Westmoreland and Fayette counties — has introduced legislation that would increase public access to the records of the University of Pittsburgh and Penn...
Police investigating after human remains found in Turtle Creek woods
Human remains were found Monday afternoon in a wooded area in Turtle Creek, according to Allegheny County Police. Officers were notified shortly after 3:30 p.m. that remains were located near the 1200 block of Lynn Avenue. Allegheny County Homicide detectives are working with the Medical Examiner’s office on a cause...
David McCormick sues over counting mail ballots in Pa. Senate race
HARRISBURG — The campaign of David McCormick, who is in a neck-and-neck Republican primary contest for the U.S. Senate against celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, sued in a Pennsylvania court Monday to try to ensure counties obey a brand-new federal appeals court decision that could help him make up...
Police investigating after shots fired near WCCC in New Kensington
New Kensington police were investigating a report of shots fired Monday afternoon near the entrance to the Westmoreland County Community College campus in New Kensington. New Kensington police Detective Sgt. Matt Saxman said no one appeared to be hit or injured in the incident that happened about 4:30 p.m. in...
Pa. trooper already facing child pornography charges indicted in federal court
A suspended state trooper already facing charges in Fayette County Common Pleas Court of possessing child pornography has now been indicted in federal court. The federal indictment against Sean Ryan McKenzie, 37, of Perryopolis, was unsealed on Monday. He has been suspended without pay since March 1 after state police...
2 men accused of using credit card skimmer at Sam’s Club in Frazer, possibly other locations
Two men from Romania were accused by Frazer police of stealing credit card information by installing a skimming device in a self-checkout lane at the Sam’s Club store at Pittsburgh Mills. They may be responsible for doing the same thing at Sam’s Club stores in Monroeville, West Mifflin and Butler...
Pitcairn man charged in Uber driver’s death shouldn’t face death penalty, public defender’s office says
The Allegheny County Public Defender’s office said in a court filing it does not have enough death-penalty qualified attorneys to represent the man accused of killing an Uber driver in February. In a motion filed earlier this month, the PD’s office said that the district attorney’s office filed notice in...
Expert: Monkeypox likely spread by sex at 2 raves in EuropeVideo
LONDON — A leading adviser to the World Health Organization described the unprecedented outbreak of monkeypox in developed countries as “a random event” that might be explained by sexual behavior at two recent raves in Europe. Dr. David Heymann, who formerly headed WHO’s emergencies department, told The Associated Press that...
Pittsburgh man arrested in connection with stabbing at Monroeville Mall
A Pittsburgh man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing another man multiple times at a store inside Monroeville Mall. John Malcolm Smith, 40, is charged with aggravated assault in connection with the incident Saturday around 5:15 p.m. at All-Star Elite. According to the criminal complaint, Smith and another man were...
How Doug Mastriano built a grassroots movement in Pa. on election denial, Christianity and Facebook
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Two years ago, one Republican operative responded to the thought of a Doug Mastriano gubernatorial run with: “Seriously?” Now,...
Allegheny County continues to count ballots in tight U.S. Senate race
The Allegheny County election return board reconvened Monday to start reviewing and counting about 2,000 provisional ballots that had been submitted for the May primary. While the process plays out each election, with workers slowly reviewing ballots in the Allegheny County elections warehouse in Pittsburgh’s North Side, a closely contested...
Police: Arnold cops find wanted man hiding in closet, 2 charged with hindering his arrest
Two people from Clarion were charged with a felony after Arnold police accused them of hiding a man wanted on a misdemeanor theft charge. Tyler Bennett, 30, and Amber Jane Adamiak, 31, both of Grand Avenue, each face a felony count of hindering the apprehension of a criminal. Bennett also...
Man charged in fatal North Buffalo shooting
State police charged an East Franklin man with homicide after, they say, he got into a dispute with another man on Sunday and shot him to death in North Buffalo. Police charged Nicholas Alexander Fortuna, 24, of the 100 block of Alpine Wood Drive with a felony count of criminal...
Truck driver who spilled hot dog filler on I-70 will be charged, police say
A tractor-trailer driver who crashed on Interstate 70 in Rostraver, spilling more than seven tons of hot dog filler on the highway and snarling traffic for five hours Friday, will receive multiple citations — including one for speeding, police said. Makendy Lachald, 30, of Laurel, Del., was speeding westbound near...
Pa. Turnpike reopens between New Stanton and Breezewood after crash cleared
The Pennsylvania Turnpike reopened Monday afternoon following a lengthy closure in both directions between New Stanton and Breezewood because of an overturned tractor-trailer. The crash happened around 9 a.m. between the Somerset and Bedford exits, according to PennDOT. The road reopened at 2:30 p.m. after the wreckage was cleared. Some...
Pittsburgh gas prices continue climb as $5 per gallon looms in some spots
Average gasoline prices in the Pittsburgh area rose more than 17 cents per gallon in the last week, with the most expensive just a penny shy of the $5 mark, according to price tracking service GasBuddy. GasBuddy reported Pittsburgh’s average at $4.69 per gallon on Monday, up 17.4 cents in...
Former Pa. AG Kathleen Kane sent to treatment after probation violation
NORRISTOWN — Pennsylvania’s former top law enforcement officer, who served jail time for leaking secret investigative files and lying about it, admitted Monday that she violated her probation when she was arrested for drunken driving in March. Kathleen Kane, the first woman and first Democrat to be elected attorney general...
Biden launches Indo-Pacific trade deal, warns over inflation
TOKYO — President Joe Biden launched a new trade deal with 12 Indo-Pacific nations Monday aimed at strengthening their economies as he warned Americans worried about high inflation that it is “going to be a haul” before they feel relief. The president said he does not believe an economic recession...
Pfizer says 3 covid shots protect children under 5
Three doses of Pfizer’s covid-19 vaccine offer strong protection for children younger than 5, the company announced Monday. Pfizer plans to give the data to U.S. regulators later this week in a step toward letting the youngest kids get the shots. The news comes after months of anxious waiting by...
Pa. hopes apprenticeship program can help alleviate skilled-worker shortage
Chad Warhold, owner at Warhold Mechanicals in North Huntingdon, has plenty of business. He just needs to find some additional skilled employees, or those willing to learn. “That’s part of why we got into apprenticeships,” said Warhold, whose company does heating, ventilation and air conditioning, plumbing and gas line work...
ArtFest organizers seek vendors for daylong summer festival in Vandergrift
Artfest organizers in Vandergrift are planning a bigger-than-ever festival this summer on the heels last year’s success. More than 1,000 folks visited a closed-off Grant Avenue last August, during the daylong festival celebrating all things arts. The annual Artfest is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 31. Chairperson...
State police investigate report of shots fired at vehicle on Route 28
State police are investigating a report of shots fired Saturday at a vehicle traveling on Route 28. In a release, troopers said they responded to an incident in the northbound lanes near Exit 10 (Gamma Drive) in O’Hara at about 8:52 p.m. Saturday. According to police, the victim said he...
SWAT team responds to armed robbery in Hill District
Pittsburgh Police SWAT officers entered a Hill District residence Sunday night after they said a pizza delivery driver was robbed at gunpoint. According to Pittsburgh Public Safety, officers arrived at the scene after dispatchers received a call at about 6:30 p.m. Officers say the robbery victim told them that a...
Report: Top Southern Baptists stonewalled sex abuse victims
Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination, stonewalled and denigrated survivors of clergy sex abuse over almost two decades while seeking to protect their own reputations, according to a scathing 288-page investigative report issued Sunday. These survivors, and other concerned Southern Baptists, repeatedly shared allegations with the...
Murrysville Community Library marks 100th anniversary
Nowadays, patrons of Murrysville Community Library can reserve an e-book from the comfort of their own homes, or attend a presentation from an astronaut at NASA by way of the library’s Tech Nook. It’s a long way from the mid-1980s, when former librarian Denise Sticha would return from the grocery...
