Top Local and National News Stories category, Page 994
PennDOT: Rosslyn Farms on-ramp to Parkway West likely closed ‘for the next few months’
The bridge carrying traffic from Rosslyn Road onto the inbound side of the Parkway West remains closed a little less than a week after a truck crashed into its support structure on Feb. 2. The crash happened about a mile west of Exit 65 on Interstate 376. The bridge on-ramp...
Judge says no evidence Westmoreland DA favors the famous
A Derry Township man will serve three days in jail for driving his Dodge Charger 120 mph on Route 22 while drunk nearly two years ago after a judge rejected a defense argument that prosecutors gave preferential treatment to a local celebrity and unfairly rejected a bid by a “blue...
Pittsburgh to add 12 snowplows to city fleet for rest of winter
Pittsburgh’s fleet of snowplows will have 12 new vehicles for the rest of the winter season. City Council on Tuesday approved a measure to reallocate about $470,000 from the city’s budget to buy six snowplows and lease six more for the remainder of winter. The original proposal included taking more...
Mitch McConnell rebukes RNC, calls Jan. 6 ‘violent insurrection’Video
WASHINGTON — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is criticizing the Republican National Committee for censuring two House GOP lawmakers investigating the “violent insurrection” on Jan. 6, 2021, saying it’s not the party’s job to police the views of lawmakers. As former President Donald Trump has downplayed the attack by his...
Multiple injuries in 4-vehicle crash on Greensburg Road in Lower Burrell
Multiple people were injured in a four-vehicle crash along Greensburg Road in Lower Burrell Tuesday afternoon. A small white school bus, a Cadillac Escalade, a Ford SUV and a white box truck collided near the intersection of Greensburg Road and Atlantic Avenue by East Coast Used Cars shortly before 3...
Pittsburgh firefighters no longer required to live in city
Pittsburgh firefighters are no longer required to live within the city of Pittsburgh, after an arbitrator struck down the city’s residency requirement. The measure will allow the city’s more than 650 uniformed firefighters to live where they want. Fire Chief Darryl Jones said he believes the residency restriction will be...
NTSB: Speed, road conditions played big role in fatal Mt. Pleasant turnpike crash
The driver of a tour bus involved in a deadly 2020 Pennsylvania Turnpike crash likely was traveling at unsafe speeds on a wet road, causing him to lose control of the vehicle, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB’s unanimous adoption of the drafted probable cause came more...
Greensburg police: 2 men jailed on multiple charges after 8-mile chase, crash
Two men inside a stolen car that led Greensburg police on an 8-mile pursuit early Tuesday through the city and north on Route 119 before crashing into an embankment near Crabtree were ordered to jail on numerous criminal, traffic and theft complaints. Darnelle L. Wade, 37, of New Kensington and...
Covid-19 protests threaten border trade between Canada, U.S.
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian lawmakers expressed increasing worry Tuesday about the economic effects of disruptive demonstrations after the busiest border crossing between the U.S. and Canada became partially blocked by truckers protesting vaccine mandates and other covid-19 restrictions. The blockade at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, prevented...
Pittsburgh City Council votes down Wilkinsburg annexation, for now
Pittsburgh City Council voted Tuesday against annexing neighboring Wilkinsburg, but council members will continue investigating the possibility of doing so in the future. The proposed annexation was voted down 7-2, with Councilmen Anthony Coghill and Corey O’Connor voting in favor of it. “I feel this is a necessity for Wilkinsburg...
Money on the table: child credit cash available via tax returns
The Biden administration wants families with children to know that there is roughly $193 billion waiting for them — all they need to do is file their taxes to claim it. That estimated total is what remains of the expanded child tax credit, and the administration is concerned that some...
Brief standoff ends with arrest of man on Allegheny County Sheriff’s ‘most wanted’ list
A brief standoff Tuesday morning ended in the arrest of a Pittsburgh man on the Allegheny County Sheriff’s “most wanted” list with four outstanding warrants, according to Sheriff Kevin Kraus. Authorities said Carlos L. Hart Jr., 27, of Stanton Heights, was wanted on three arrest warrants and a bench warrant....
Wolf asks GOP-led legislature to spend Pa.’s federal aid dollars, pitches $1.8B boost for education
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 — In his eighth and final budget address, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf returned to the themes that have marked his...
Yinzer Cards offer unique Pittsburgh-style Valentine’s greetings
The Yinzer Cards Valentine’s Day line eschews the hearts and flowers of the typical Valentine’s card in favor of greetings tailored to a local audience. “They are not exactly your grandmother’s Valentine greeting card or candy,” said Pittsburgh-based comedian Jim Krenn, who started the card line in 2018 with radio...
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey to hold community forums on issues facing new administration
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s transition team is seeking the public’s input on key issues facing the new administration. In the first of several planned virtual community forums, Gainey will seek input on equitable development in a forum starting at 6 p.m. Feb. 21. Subsequent forums will include ones focusing on...
Police: Man, 21, dead after swerving head-on into pickup on Route 66 in Washington Township
A 21-year-old man died on Tuesday morning when his SUV swerved into oncoming traffic along Route 66 in Washington Township and crashed head-on into a pickup truck, according to authorities. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office on Tuesday night identified the driver of the SUV as Michael C. Signore, of Delmont....
Asbestos issues drive up costs for demolition of Franklin Regional elementary
The bulk of Franklin Regional School District’s capital plan for the coming school year is demolishing the former Heritage Elementary School, although the cost has gone up substantially after asbestos was discovered in the building. A little less than half of the $2.25 million capital budget for the 2022-23 school...
‘Power of the Dog’ leads Oscar noms with 12; ‘Dune’ lands 10
NEW YORK — Jane Campion’s gothic western “The Power of the Dog” led nominations to the 94th Academy Awards, where streaming services more than ever before swept over Hollywood’s top honors. In nominations announced Tuesday, Campion’s film landed a leading 12 nominations, including nods for best picture, best director and...
Wolf’s final budget, like his first, features public schools
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s eighth and final budget proposal unveiled Tuesday would push state spending past $43 billion for the first time, as the Democrat asks lawmakers for the biggest-ever increase in aid for public schools, plus more money for direct care workers, higher-education institutions and college scholarships. Wolf...
Pa. mine cleanup funding seen as game-changer
Pennsylvania could clean up the vast majority of the state’s abandoned mines and the pollution caused by them with a $245 million federal allocation annually for the next 15 years, a Westmoreland County conservation official said. “This pot of money has the potential to make one of the largest impacts...
Allegheny Health Network moving Express Care clinic to new location in New Kensington
Allegheny Health Network announced Monday it is moving its Express Care clinic to new quarters in New Kensington. The new location in Suite 1C at Kensington Square on Eighth Street is scheduled to open Feb. 21. It is next to the network’s New Kensington Outpatient Center, which opened there in...
Justice Department signals it may allow safe injection sites
NEW YORK — A year after winning a major court battle against the opening of so-called safe injection sites — safe havens for people to use heroin and other narcotics with protections against fatal overdoses — the Justice Department is signaling it might be open to allowing them. In response...
Teen dies after being hit by vehicle in North Versailles
A 17-year-old girl died Monday after being hit by a vehicle in North Versailles, according to Allegheny County Police. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner identified the girl Tuesday as Kayonna Harper. Her hometown was not provided. Police said Allegheny County 911 was notified of the collision in the 1700 block...
Man charged with parole, drug violations after tinted-window traffic stop in New Kensington
New Kensington police say they charged a Lower Burrell with a felony and jailed him on a parole violation after he tried to ditch a bag of cocaine when his car was pulled over for having windows that were tinted too dark, according to his arrest papers. Josh J. Porowski,...
Spirit-Frontier airlines merger embraced at Westmoreland, Pittsburgh airports
News of a pending merger between low-cost airlines Spirit and Frontier is being welcomed at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, where Spirit is the sole commercial carrier. Officials at Pittsburgh International Airport, where both airlines offer flights, also were optimistic. “We think this is a fantastic opportunity for two great companies...
