Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 987
Resignations leave Westmoreland coroner’s office short-staffed
Tim Carson, Westmoreland County’s new coroner, has lost 40% of his full-time staff as the office’s top lieutenant resigned and one of its longest- serving deputies retired. Chief Deputy Kirk Nolan and deputy John Ackerman, both holdovers from former Coroner Ken Bacha’s administration, are off the job, Carson said. The first-term...
Shock gas, grocery price hikes spur states to pursue tax relief
Rapidly climbing inflation in the U.S. is accelerating calls from governors and state leaders to provide immediate tax relief to cash-strapped residents facing higher prices on everyday products such as gas, milk and electricity. The governors of Maine and Kentucky this week joined states including Illinois, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Alabama,...
Conservative strategies for a post-Roe world face roadblock
Republican lawmakers in a handful of conservative states have stumbled on a roadblock to what they thought would be a clear path to setting new restrictions on abortion if the Supreme Court upends the landmark Roe v. Wade decision: right-to-privacy protections enshrined in their own state constitutions. In states where...
3 injured in head-on crash in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Place neighborhood
Three people were injured in a head-on crash involving two cars in Pittsburgh’s Lincoln Place neighborhood Saturday afternoon. Police responded to the collision on Mifflin Road, just past Mooney Road, around 1:35 p.m. Police found an injured male and female inside one vehicle. Medics transported them both in critical condition....
‘You should be inclined to be skeptical’ police chief says about cash scam targeting elderly
The calls seemed so real. It played on their emotions — relatives were in jail and needed cash to post bond. But two Westmoreland County women were too wise and didn’t fall for the trick. Both received similar phone calls this week as state police warn residents of numerous reports...
Slots for 11th annual Derek Kotecki golf outing filling up quickly
Organizers and supporters of the K9 Officer Derek Kotecki Memorial Scholarship Fund will hold the 11th annual golf outing Aug. 20 at Hill Crest Country Club. The tournament is an 18-hole, four-person scramble with 32 foursomes. Organizers initially planned to cap the golf outings at 10 years — the time...
Lower Burrell Marine tells the story of his life while he still can
Hal Shaffer is ready to die. “I’ve had so much pain and suffering in my life, I’m ready to go,” Shaffer, 74, said from the hospital bed in the living room of his Lower Burrell home with his wife, Dee, beside him. A Marine Corps veteran who survived a grenade...
Initiative to help women in workforce receives $207K grant from Richard King Mellon Foundation
EmployHER Pittsburgh gives women the support they need for better access to employment. The organization recently received some backing as well. A grant of $207,000 from the Richard King Mellon Foundation will be used to continue the development of EmployHER Pittsburgh by providing the aforementioned access to better employment as...
Man falls to his death while working in Churchill
A 45-year-old man died after falling from a tree in Churchill on Friday afternoon while working, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office. The man was identified as Heath Barr of Ellwood City. According to a medical examiner’s report, Barr died at UPMC Mercy hospital after falling from the...
Weather issues impact travel in Downtown Pittsburgh
Between the rains, the ice and intense snow squalls, the Pittsburgh region was hit with a heavy dose of Mother Nature late Friday and early Saturday. Parts of three interstates in Downtown Pittsburgh were closed Friday evening because of anticipated flooding, PennDOT said. By Saturday morning, the rivers had risen...
Infrastructure funding could clear way for Pittsburgh to get added passenger rail service
Funding from the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill passed last year will clear the way for Pittsburgh to receive more passenger rail service to Harrisburg and points east, Gov. Tom Wolf said Friday. Expanding passenger rail service eastward from Pittsburgh has been discussed for years. “With this infusion of federal money,...
Pittsburgh’s poorly rated South Negley Avenue Bridge slated for repairs
As discussions about the safety of Western Pennsylvania’s bridges continue in the wake of last month’s Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, Pittsburgh’s South Negley Avenue Bridge is the latest span to raise concerns. The Shadyside bridge has attracted attention for wooden posts placed beneath the deck that appear to be supporting...
Pennsylvania high court eyes how to pick House districts map
Ranks of lawyers packed the courtroom of Pennsylvania’s state Supreme Court on Friday, with most of them aiming to persuade justices to pick their clients’ preferred map of new congressional districts for the state and reject a Republican-backed map recommended by a lower court judge. Oral arguments were on course...
Rains cause minor flooding along Allegheny River; to continue into early Saturday
High water flowing down the Allegheny River had largely receded Friday evening in communities leading into Armstrong County, although areas closer to Pittsburgh could soon feel the impact. According to Rich Redmond, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon, flood warnings along the river at Parker, Rimer and...
A guide to Pittsburgh: Strip District blends best of old and new
For a small stretch of land, Pittsburgh’s Strip District has a big history. From its roots as an industrial center, through its reinvention as a produce distribution hub, to today’s vibrant blend of uses, it has continued to evolve. Today’s Strip District is a mix of old and new, traditional...
Kim Potter sentenced to 2 years in Daunte Wright’s death
Kim Potter, the former suburban Minneapolis police officer who said she confused her handgun for her Taser when she fatally shot Daunte Wright, was sentenced Friday to two years in prison. Wright’s family denounced the sentence as too lenient and accused the judge of being taken in by a “white...
Ottawa crackdown: police arrest 100 after 3-week protest
OTTAWA, Ontario — Police arrested scores of demonstrators and towed away vehicles Friday in Canada’s besieged capital, and a stream of trucks started leaving under the pressure, raising authorities’ hopes for an end to the three-week protest against the country’s covid-19 restrictions. By evening, at least 100 people had been...
Winds leave 14,000 residents without power through Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania’s weather roller coaster had high winds sweep out 60-plus degree temperatures Thursday to below freezing early Friday, also resulting in almost 14,000 area residents still without power, according to area utility companies. Among the highest wind gusts reported to the National Weather Service overnight were 58 miles per...
In GOP embrace of truckers, some see racist double standard
Former President Donald Trump, who repeatedly called Black Lives Matter protesters “thugs” and “anarchists,” said there’s “a lot of respect” for the overwhelmingly white truckers who blocked streets in the Canadian capital and shut down border crossings with the U.S. to oppose covid-19 restrictions. To Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, the...
Take the 5th? The choice could soon be Trump’s in N.Y. probe
NEW YORK — To plead the Fifth, or not to plead the Fifth? That is the question Donald Trump may face after a New York judge ordered the former president to testify in a long-running state civil investigation into his business practices. Trump’s lawyers are almost certain to appeal Judge...
Ukrainian rebels evacuate civilians to Russia amid crisis
Spiking tensions in eastern Ukraine on Friday aggravated Western fears of a Russian invasion and a new war in Europe, with a humanitarian convoy hit by shelling and pro-Russian rebels evacuating civilians from the conflict zone. A strong explosion hit the eastern city of Donetsk. The Kremlin declared massive nuclear...
Western Pennsylvania athletes ready for Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon
Every time Tom Weir has participated in the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pittsburgh Marathon, he has turned left to venture into Downtown at the Birmingham Bridge. On May 1, Weir, 60, of Hempfield, plans to make a right turn, hoping it’s the correct one. The bridge from Pittsburgh’s South Side is...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Feb. 19-21
We’ve reached the weekend. Here are some ways to spend it. Undie Run Cupid’s Undie Run Pittsburgh is from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. Hundreds of people are expected to participate in a 1-mile run on the North Shore while wearing underwear, costumes or tutus. McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon on...
Greensburg ‘Castle House’ for sale
An early 20th-century, two-story stone dwelling known in Greensburg as the “Castle House” for its stone turret, front arches and parapet is attracting widespread attention from prospective buyers — even from as far away as Florida, according to the agent selling the house. “I put it on the ‘For the...
Western Pennsylvania residents look to preserve region’s mining historyVideo
On an unusually warm day in what would normally be the dead of winter, melting snow perfectly illustrated why an old Pittsburgh Coal Co. mine in Fayette County is now called “The Ruins.” “Nature takes a backseat to industry, but it always wins out in the long term,” said Rachel...
